Boxing Day Etsy Update Extravaganza!!!

Here we go guys! We have been super busy behind the scenes dyeing up as many one of a kind colourways in as many bases as we possibly can squeeze in to one giant Etsy Update! Here are the details:

Boxing Day Etsy Update on December 26th at 12pm (noon) ET! Link to Etsy shop here. The shop will appear empty until exactly noon on the 26th at which point it will be overflowing with yarn! 

This update will feature $1 a skein shipping ($2 for overseas orders). I always do my best to catch any multiple orders and bundle them together to save on packaging and trips to the post office. With $1 a skein shipping there are no overcharges to refund so it saves me a lot of time in administrative tasks. Win-win! I am marking each item as being ready to ship in 4-6 weeks. I expect to have things out the door and on their way to their loving homes much sooner than that but I won't be starting to ship immediately as I'll be taking some time off to chill with family after the 26th and I think it's wise to build in a little wiggle room. 

This year's update will feature just about every single one of our bases (see the full run down on our yarns page). Lots of sweater quantities and lots of colourways! Solids, speckles, the works! This style of update is a bit of a mad dash since quantities are limited and you have to act quick. It's fast and furious and fun! 

I'm working hard to get all of the images of available yarns into one somewhat organized Flickr Album. Check it out here to see high-res shots of all the yarns that will be available. I'll be adding to it almost daily right up until the last minute!

Also back by popular demand we've made up a whole bunch of Mystery Skein Sets! These are 3-colour skein sets of fingering weight yarns in gorgeous groupings. Each set will include a skein of Cosmic Blue Label, Purple Label and Red Label - one of each base and each base a different colour (each set features 2 of our permanent collection colourways and one knock-out speckle!). Each set will be a surprise, but each will be made up of colourways that I would personally use in a shawl together. I’m envisioning these sets being awesome for shawls since there are so many beautiful 3 colour shawl patterns out there, or, you could of course knit 3 separate projects with them.

So Faded Cool: Poolside, Atlas, Hummingbird, Luna, Silent Movie.

So Faded Pink: Silent Movie, Crystal, Smitten, Paisley, Laurel.

We'll have a bunch of So Faded palettes in the update. Our most popular Cool Palette as well as this really beautiful Pink Palette featuring my very favourite colourway Crystal!

We will also be selling the Gift Bundles as part of the Etsy Update - stock is dwindling but there are still a few left and with $1 shipping it's a great deal! The option of purchasing multiple skeins will be available in a drop down menu within the listing. 

Lastly, On January 1st I'll be raising the price of all of our PureWash bases by $1 a skein to reflect the climb in cost of fibres. It's something I hate to do, but I'd rather raise the price in small increments than sit on it until it's too late and I have to hit you with a big jump in price all at once!

Chris' Christmas Socks

Pattern: Vanilla is the New Black by Anneh Fletcher. 

Yarn: TFA Blue Label Fingering in Warmer Mona Lisa (available on Boxing Day!)

Ravelry Project page here.

As you all know, I've been on a bit of a sock knitting kick lately. I took a brief break to knit a few pairs of mitts for the kids, but I'm back at it with the socks again! I cast on these socks with the intention of giving them to my dad for Christmas. My dad loves hand knit socks so I make it my mission to knit him a pair every year. This pattern has been on my "must-knit" list for ages and this project, featuring this really pretty speckled colourway (more on it next) seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go. And I love it. I really, really love it! After completing the first sock I realized that I had overshot the length and these were going to be a bit too long for my dad... but conveniently just the right length for Chris! The very cool heel construction also makes these socks perfect for people with a high arch, which Chris has. The second he slipped them on he said that they fit like a dream. This just might be my new go to heel style for Chris' socks. 

The colourway I used is a rogue batch of Mona Lisa Blue Label that came out a bit more warm/brown than the true Mona Lisa is supposed to be. I've had this batch set aside for some time and I pulled a skein for these socks. It's really lovely and the remainder of the batch will be included in our Boxing Day Etsy Update! 

Can we take a moment to talk about how committed Chris is to being a foot model? Pointed toes, feet crossed just so. He nails every angle! Also, can we also agree that every sock FO shot should be taken in front of the magical glowing lights of the Christmas tree? I swear that glow makes everything better. 

Holiday Schedule - Maybe

Hello friends, so I probably should have written this post last week and given everyone a warning that the "delivered in time for the holidays" deadline was looming... but now it's officially passed and I thought I should let you know. I don't think that this is shocking news to anyone, we all know how the postal service works, but here is my official blog post about it. :)

Having said that - shipping between Montreal and many major East coast cities is usually only 1-2 days, so if I have an item in stock there is still a very good chance that you could get it in time. Things like the Gift Bundles are ready to ship, all of the notions, enamel pins and pompoms (including just restocked rainbow pompom!) 

We are currently working really hard to have a ton of awesome OOAK colorulways and old favourites ready for our big annual Boxing Day Etsy Update. The update, as always, will be December 26th at 12pm ET. I'll be giving you another heads up/reminder before then, don't worry! 

I'm not entirely sure what the new year will look like for us here at TFA. Here's the thing, I don't intend to shut down the shop officially at any point, but I might just have to for a few weeks at the beginning of the new year while I focus on processing the Boxing Day yarn. I generally consider myself to be a busy bee and am a master multitasker, but right now, that lady staring lovingly at you from inside that photo up there, she's pretty pregnant and has started slowing down quite a bit. I'm experiencing a rather unfortunate pregnancy symptom that is taking it's toll. It's not dangerous, the baby and I are fine, I'm just kind of in a constant state of discomfort and, sometimes, agonizing pain. So... needless to say I'm not exactly my usual sprightly self. If I need a break I'm going to take it. So though I don't have anything specific planned (I'd really rather take my break after the baby is born) I just might have to take a bit of time off and I'll fill you in when we get there. 

5 things

I don't usually blog like this, but I have a bunch of random things I wanted to share and this felt like a quick and easy way to do it! 

I just about made his day today when I said that he could wear a TFA Star pin on his plain white T. This kid loves his flair!

Chris is killing it with his sweater knitting! Every time I post a photo of his WIP on Instagram people go wild. I love that you're all so supportive! He's making the Daddy-sized version of this sweater. 

I never wear dangly earrings, but I might start if I got these for Christmas! I have this bracelet and really love it. I'm a new fan, but a big fan of this Canadian company. Photo from www.Jenny-bird.ca

I'm almost done another pair of socks! This was a fun knit - more details to come when I blog about them officially but you can get a bit more info from my Ravelry project page here. Yarn is a Gauge Dyeworks Club colourway from earlier this year. 

I've been burning this advent candle from Swell Made Co since the 1st of the month and am loving the ritual. The scent is perfection (we have a real Christmas tree, but this just ups the scent factor by a bit) and crossing off the days makes me feel like a kid again!

Lavanderia Sock Pattern - Introductory Sale!

Available on Ravelry HERE for the introductory price of $4 CAD! No coupon code needed. Price will be raised to it’s regular cost of $6 CAD on Dec. 10th. Happy Stitching!

Is there anything better than a pretty lacy sock? I think not. Wearing these lovely socks puts that extra pep in my step on dull winter days. The lovely meandering lace pattern takes a laundry basic and elevates it to a whole new level. I welcome the cold when it gives me an excuse to wear something so pretty on my feet!

I have been on a major sock knitting kick lately. And despite the fact that I feel like I knit tons of socks, it's actually been ages since I've knit a pretty, lacy, fancy sock like this pair. I love taking an unglamorous item like the humble sock and elevating it into something special with a few well placed yo's and k2tog's. 

It’s a deceptively quick knit as the pattern is a pleasure to work and the stitches flow nicely. Myself and my testers all completed at least 1 sock (several completed the pair) in a week! Plenty of time to get a pair done in time for gift giving season. ;)

Scrappy Socks

Pattern: A basic toe-up sock recipe. See this post for a few links. 

Yarn: TFA Blue Label Fingering in Chris Grey and Peacock, TFA Purple Label Cashmere Sock in Charcoal.

Ravelry Project page here.

I've been on a real sock kick lately. I think I knit 3 pairs of socks in the month of November, including a new design that will be released later this week! I'm in the zone. This is the pair that got the ball rolling. A very simple toe up sock, spiced up with a few stripes inspired by a pair of Micah's wee socks. After not having had a pair of socks on the needles for a while this pair reminded me of how much I love small portable projects and using odds and ends of yarn! 

Cute right? I'm actually quite smitten with these. So simple, but quite graphic and striking! Never underestimate the power of a high contrast stripe. :)

Mood Board Monday - Blaze

Afterglow Cowl and Hat, forest bridge, bouquet, milk pail, leaves, autumn colour palette. 

I haven't made a mood board in ages but our latest Club colourway, November's Blaze, just begged to be celebrated! I really love this colour, which is very surprising since I am typically exclusively a cool-toned person. I truly favour my blues and greys so I was pleasantly pleased - albeit slightly confused - by how well this warm glowing colourway suits me. 

The official rule about Club colourways is that they are exclusive to Club members for the duration of the Club calendar year. This year I've made the executive decision to release all our 2017 Club colourways a few days early as part of our Boxing Day Etsy Update on December 26th at 12pm ET. 

Etsy Update Tomorrow At 12pm ET!

Etsy Update on Wednesday, November 29th at 12pm ET!

(TIME ZONE CONVERTER)

I think that I can safely say that we have officially entered the Holiday Season. I for one, am thrilled about it! It's my favourite time of year. Despite my best intentions I still spend a lot of time working on "last minute gifts" because, well, sometimes it's just more fun to actually make the gift you're giving during the season in which you'll be giving it. Right? There is still loads of time to whip up a few quick knits for the lucky knit-worthy people on your holiday lists. Especially if those gifts are knit in CHUNKY YARN! Tomorrow at 12pm (noon) ET the Etsy shop will be full of ready to ship skeins of glorious PureWash Chunky. All orders from tomorrow's update will be in the mail by Monday December, 4th. Unless you combine it with dyed-to-order items from our permanent collection on our website, that would add a few days of processing, but you'll definitely still get your yarn before the holidays I'm certain.  

Silent Movie, Luna, Life's A Peach, Bisou.

Mona Lisa, Blue Opal, Rocket, Hummingbird.

Misbehaving', Purple Purl, Flamenco, Kaleidoscope. 

Above is a selection of most of what I'll have available tomorrow. A bunch of speckles and a few fun multi/tonals thrown in the mix too. Add a pompom (which are also ready to ship!) and you've got yourself one amazing hat.

Below is a little collage I just threw together featuring some of my favourite quick chunky projects - most that I've knit myself and a couple that are still on my must knit list. I'd highly recommend any of these patterns for a quick yet gorgeous gift!  

GAP-tastic Cowl by Jen Geigley, my project page - Rove Cowl - Fidra by Gudrun Johnston, project photo by ahickman - Alpine Trail by Jill Zielinski, my project page - Heira - Arika Cowl by Jane Richmond, my project page - Fairy Mist by Julie Crawford - pattern photo by knittedblissjc -  Betsy by Jane Richmond - my project page.

This week is a fun one here at TFA headquarters! I've got literally boxes and boxes of boxes (gold boxes!) and mailers (gold mailers!) arriving tomorrow so I can assemble all your Gift Bundle's and get them in the mail! There's ribbon and tissue and so much golden goodness. I live for this sort of thing!

Afterglow Hat & Cowl Set + Club Recap

This is the Afterglow Hat & Cowl set the last pattern instalment of the 2017 TFA Year In Colour Club. Don't forget I've got a coupon code for you! Enter coupon code THANKS at checkout to receive 20% off any of my self published patterns in my Ravelry shop.

I'm very pleased with this pattern combo if I do say so myself. Allow me to elaborate. It all started when I decided to design a cowl for the November Club. I had already done 2 hats this year, one pair of mitts, 2 wrap around your neck accessories, but no cowl. It was time. I have a funny relationship with cowls. The thing is, knitters love cowls! Designers love cowls! Cowls are totally beloved in the knitting world. But... they are not what I personally reach for when I'm chilly.  I'm just more of a scarf of shawl person. There are 2 reasons for this. 

#1: Pulling a cowl down over my head inevitably leaves my hair weird and staticky and as a curly haired person I prefer to disturb my hair as little as possible throughout the day. It's a legit issue. If you've got curly hair, you probably know what I'm talking about. Let's not get into how hats affect the curly haired among us, that's a conversation for another day, let's focus on cowls today ok? I also personally don't like rubbing my knits all over my face when I pull them down over my head - this issue is specific to small cowls or big cowls that need to be looped twice where I really end up manhandling my head and face in the process. Am I just a defective person? This is getting really personal... don't judge me!

Ok, and #2: They have to be the exact perfect size in order to actually function and keep me warm. I have seen so many cowls that drape beautifully and function as a lovely shoulder/back of neck warmer, but I personally can't handle having my throat and chest exposed, I need my neck to be truly bundled when I head outdoors! Most cowls can be kinda scrunched and bunched up in the front to cover the throat when your jacket is done up, but I just don't find that as comfortable to wear. I'm a turtleneck person, so I like fabric around my neck, just not weirdly bunched. I'm really letting you all in on my deepest personal quirks here aren't I? 

So, in my collection I happen to have 2 cowls that I completely love and wear often in the winter despite my particular aversion to cowls as a genre. I wear my Rove cowl quite a bit. It fits like a neck warmer and when I do up my jacket it stays put and keeps me warm. But the one I wear the most is definitely my Candygram Cowl. It's warm and cozy, looks great on both sides so when it's folded over and you see the inside and it's a beautiful combination of textures and colours. But I think what I like most about it is the proportions. 

Now that you know everything that you could possibly need to know about my personal relationship with cowls (I should probably just edit that all out because this is going to be a long post... I'm feeling chatty!) I want to talk about how this pattern set came to be, because it's kind of interesting if you ask me. I started off with the goal of designing a cowl that would fit the way my Rove Cowl fits, more like a neck warmer. It would use up the single skein of yarn that is included in most Club memberships and I'd love it. I picked out a beautiful cabled stitch pattern that I am really drawn to and cast on. About 3/4 of the way through I realized that I was making a hat, not a cowl, the proportions were totally hat like and even though I was aiming for neck warmer I felt like it was going to be a bit snug. Since I had come this far I thought, ok, so it wants to be a hat, I can work with this, and I ended up really loving the resulting hat! The decreases are beautiful - which is pretty much all I care about in a cabled hat if I'm being honest - the hat looked great! I admired it for a sec and then turned it inside out to weave in my ends and BAMMO! The inside was just as beautiful as the outside!!! I hat no idea that I had been knitting a reversible stitch pattern this whole time. This little detail got me unreasonably excited. 

The top photo above is the "outside" and the bottom photo is the "inside".

A reversible stitch pattern just begs to be used in a cowl, so I set about making this month's pattern a twofer. For the cowl vs. 2.0 I grabbed 2 skeins and aimed for a Candygram Cowl proportion and it came out just right!

I love the way it looks with the top folded over just so. You can see both sides of the knit and admire all those glorious cables. When I do up my coat it sits up and covers my neck I am one happy camper. 

There you have it. Everything you could possibly ever want to know about how I feel about cowls. :) I'm a complicated lady. 

Heira Hat, Floe Mitts, Truss Shawl, Fluidity Wrap & Scarf, Ah Caramel Hat, Afterglow Cowl & Hat.

Looking back on the year I'm really happy with what I was able to put together for you. Chris and I work hard on the Club yarns but the patterns are definitely what require the brunt of the effort. I want to make sure that each pattern really highlights the featured yarn base and colourway but mostly that it's a pattern that could stand alone without the context of the Club. It's a challenge that I welcome. I know that I would not have released this many accessory patterns without the Club's deadlines, and I really appreciate having the motivation.

Next year I won't be offering the same type of Club. With a baby due in late February I think the bi-monthly deadlines are more than I should take on. I've been mulling over a few other ideas for ways to keep me motivated and busy designing while at the same time offering a similar experience to knitters and I'm really looking forward to fleshing out a few concepts. I'm thinking of doing limited edition "Club" kits - a custom colourway and pattern available for pre-order a couple of times a year. Maybe they will include a bit of swag as well, kinda like mini versions of the Gift Bundles... I'm still working it all out! 

Thanks to everyone who was part of the Club this year! And HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all our American friends! 

Duo Chrome! + A Pattern Sale

So, first the big news: Duo Chrome is live! AND to celebrate the launch of a new pattern I've got a coupon code for you! Enter coupon code THANKS at checkout to receive 20% off any of my self published patterns in my Ravelry shop.

Rowan's Duo Chrome featuring Hummingbird and Poolside with Midnight hems.

Thank goodness I have knitwear as an excuse to take photos of my kids. I swear, 75% of all of my photos are originally taken because I needed a shot of a knit. Though the knit is my excuse for getting out my camera, those precious faces are really the star of the show. I know you all came here for the sweater, but come on! As I was working on my own adult version of Duo Chrome I opened up my test pattern, which had been formatted exclusively with photos of Rowan, and when I saw this shot above I got misty eyed. That's my big boy! I love him so much.

Ok, back to the knit. :) I coulda/shoulda had this pattern ready weeks ago, but I’ve been delaying it’s launch because I really wanted to have kits ready to go with it. Alas, kits haven’t happened yet - this time of year is just too chaotic! The kits will have to wait until we’ve got a bit more time on our hands, but in the mean time, feel free to pick your own colour combos - I swear, you really cannot go wrong. I love the magical effect that the slim stripes have on the colours, taking 2 distinct colourways and bringing them together to create something completely unique. Every combination I’ve seen is beautiful. 

Duo Chrome is knit seamlessly, in the round, from the top down. Two colours are striped throughout the body with a third colour used for contrasting hems. Featuring cool invisible yoke increases and no waist shaping, this is your new favourite sweatshirt!

And now for a bit of fun, I was about 25 weeks pregnant when we took these photos. I'm not new to "hiding" a pregnancy for pattern shots. Since this isn't a maternity pattern I was sort of trying to de-emphasise the fact that I am pregnant in the photos, without much success! The last time I did it I was only 22 weeks pregnant, and apparently that's my cut-off! Rowan pitched in to help with the belly camouflage, here are a few of his casual attempts to distract from the bump:

These poses really crack me up. He was being so sincere! And for anyone who thinks that Rowan is always a cooperative little knitwear model, proof that he's really just a monkey in a sweater. 

Duo Chrome is a really fun knit and I should mention that it's sized from baby to big. I have a pretty speckled skein set aside that I just might combine with a few other colours to knit a Duo Chrome for the baby. Have you picked your colours yet? I can’t wait to see what colour combos you come up with!

Ricochet Hat & Mitts Set! + Shop Updates

The Ricochet Hat & Mitts

I am super excited to announce that I have brand new hat and mitt patterns available! Not only that but they happen to be a matching set. And as if that weren't enough I've also timed the release of the pattern to conveniently coincide with a Mitten Kit Shop Update! The shop is currently stocked with 5 different mitten kit colourway options and 3 different mitten pattern options. I'll be doing my best to keep an assortment of mitten kits available in the shop between now and the holidays. They really do make the perfect gift!

The Ricochet Mitts are fully lined (kits include a cashmere liner in a fun pop of colour - always line with a fun pop of colour!) and the pattern includes charts for either a vertical chevron option (shown here in Slate and Gold) or a chevron that's been turned on it's side (shown here in Ravine and Seabreeze). Who doesn't love a two-for-one!? The hat features a cushy and cozy double brim. Paired with the extra layers provided by the stranded knitting of the body of the hat that makes this one of the warmest and definitely coziest hats I own. On the coldest of winter days this is the hat that I'll be reaching for.  

In other shop news, I've added a third enamel pin to our quickly expanding collection! The TFA Star pin features 16 saturated triangles of glorious colour and I've pinned one to the plain black t-shirt I'm wearing today and instantly feel a hundred times better. They are colourful, they are shiny, they are everything I never knew I always wanted. :) 

Gift Bundles!!!

Today is the day my friends! I am beyond excited to announce this year's TFA Holiday Gift Bundle!  I've done things slightly differently this year in that I've set it up as a pre-order item. That just means that you can order it any time between now and when it sells out (I've got loads, don't worry!) but they won't start shipping until around the first week of December. Basically it's just more practical for me to bundle the shipping as much as possible, so, hopefully this system works for you too.   

OK, so let's get down to the knitty gritty shall we? This year's bundle is cool. I love it! I don't know what to talk about first... how about we start with the yarn? That's actually the last thing that came together for this bundle. I had all the other elements and we kept experimenting with colourways and nothing felt right. I'd put all the items together and then I'd look at Chris and I'd yell: "MORE FESTIVE!!!" This year's bundle is truly festive. Like, literally snowflakes and ornaments and mittens and Christmas lights festive. The colourway had to tie it all together, and friends, I really think that it does! Dyed on our Cosmic Blue Label fingering weight base (sparkles = festive!) we dyed up a colourway that captures all the colours of vintage Christmas lights and in honour of that we've called it Tannenbaum. This is what the greenery on the outside of my house looks like around the holidays. This is the holidays embodied in a sparkly skein and I LOVE it! 

Of course we've got the annual TFA Calendar included in the bundle and this year's tote bag, which I'm very proud of Chris for designing. We brainstormed quite a bit before coming up with this design idea. It's fun and knitterly and wintery and when I attempted the design myself it was a total flop. I was ready to move on but Chris decided to give it a go on his own and the results are stunning, it's exactly what I wanted! Kudos to Chris for having mad skills. ;) As far as tote bags go this one is a goodie. It's 100% certified organic cotton, it's big enough without being too big (15 x 14 x 3") it has a gusseted bottom so it can sit up straight AND it has a zipper! The zipper is the kicker for me. I'm going to get a lot of use out of this tote. 

And finally we have the wee gems that make this bundle truly special. The little extras that will make you squeal when you open your box. A beautiful wood ornament featuring a custom watercolour print of my Snowfling Mittens designed and handmade by Wild Canary Studio. The ornament is exclusive to the bundle and it's very special. Amy, the artist behind Wild Canary Studio, is a friend of mine from way back in my art school days. I'm a big fan of her work and follow her closely on Instagram (you should too!) and earlier this fall she posted about her wooden ornaments and dared any Christmas keeners to start their Christmas shopping early! Well, I'm nothing if not a Christmas keener so I immediately bought a set of ornaments and when they arrived I did exactly what I'm predicting you're going to do when you open your bundles, I squealed and clapped and called my mom. I reached out to her with the idea of collaborating on an ornament for the bundle and not only was she game, she was amazing to work with. She painted a custom watercolour of the mitts and produced all the ornaments I needed incredibly quickly. She's a good egg and I will treasure my Snowfling ornament for years to come. 

And last but not least, I have ventured into a new territory of design and I think I may have fallen in love. Enamel pins. They have been all the rage for a few years now and I don't know why it's taken me so long to jump on the bandwagon but I am now very firmly on it. I've got 2 designs in the shop right now and plan on adding more as inspiration strikes. Keeping with the Snowfling theme this bundle includes an enamel pin design based on my mittens (again, thanks to Chris for the design work!). Spruce up your knitting bag, your jean jacket, your lunch box, heck, spruce up your life with these fun new pins!

So, there you have it gang, the 2017 Holiday Gift Bundle. Your Christmas wish list is now complete. You are welcome. :)