Lots of time to knit in March, with spring break in the middle. It's also usually the time that I participate in the Annual Yarn Challenge at a
LYS. This year the yarn was Briggs and Little Sport, a rustic wooly sport weight yarn. I chose to knit a warm hat, since the Polar Vortex rushed down on us in Southern Ontario for the last bit of February into March.
The pattern is by
The Petite Knitter, a designer who lives on an island in Nunavut (far north), Canada. I chose the hat for a couple of reasons. First, it's an awesome hat that will be warm and cozy that lends itself to a big pompom (Bernat faux fur). Second, it's a Canadian designer. I want to support people who live Canada, especially those who forge ahead with their small business in this current economic climate. She has new patterns out right now - the
Tundra sweater and matching hat. Maybe next year, I'll knit one of them. She also has a pattern in the Mason-Dixon March Madness bracket (knitting bracket similar to the NCAA basketball bracket - all fun, found
here!) It's the
Iqaluit Shawl. Iqaluit is the capital of the territory Nunavut, if you're wondering about the name.
I also knit my third pair of socks for the Grocery Girls Sock Bash. The theme was movies/tv/books, so I knit
Hermione's Everyday Socks (Harry Potter reference) in some stash Dream In Color yarn. The yarn is almost too variegated for the texture pattern, but I enjoyed knitting them. My LYS has 1.75mm circulars on order for me - hoping they will be easier on my hands and easier to use for my next pair!
Next month's theme is 'from far away' - yarn from another country. Off to dive into the stash and pattern library for April!
I love your attitude around supporting your local designers and small businesses. I have also enjoyed learning about some of your Canadian places. Whether it is a band that I hear on the radio or a crochet design on the internet, I do like to learn about their influences. Where they come from, and where they are now based, is a big part of understanding that.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing your local Canadian artists. It's good stuff to know.
P.S. your yarn challenges and sock bash sound like fun. :-)