 This shawl has been created in honour of Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900). He was an Irish playwright, author and poet. He spent much of his days enjoying life to its fullest and sharing clever witticisms with everyone. He absolutely LOVED interesting names and “Speranza” is just that. It was also his mother’s pen name when she wrote fairy tales. (Besides, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde would be too long for a shawl name). If I could have lived in the Victorian Era, Oscar and I would be great friends, drinking absinthe (or Darjeeling tea), going on adventures and enjoying interesting company. I wanted this shawl to reflect a similar style that the Victorians would wear, while also keeping it an accessory that would be fit for a well-dressed person regardless of gender. The stitch pattern creates O’s & W’s and is a simple repeat that also looks like books stacked on shelves. “The mark of all good art is not that the thing done is done exactly or finely, for machinery may do as much, but that it is worked out with the head and the workman's heart.” - Oscar Wilde
Materials
Gauge 10 X 10 cm / 4 X 4 inch =18 stitches X 10 rows in dc (stitches unblocked) Measurements Before Blocking: 32” X 27” X 23” (81 cm X 69 cm X 58 cm) (a, b, c) After Blocking: 45” X 39” X 30” (114 cm X 99 cm X 76 cm) (a, b, c)  Abbreviations ~US Terms Ch – chain Dc – double crochet Hdc – half double crochet Puff – puff stitch (see special stitches below) Sc – single crochet Sk – skip stitch St(s) – Stitch (es) Yo – yarn over Special stitches used: Puff Stitch – YO, insert hook into indicated stitch. YO, pull up loop. (YO, insert hook into same stitch, YO, pull up loop) 2 times. YO, pull through 6 loops on hook, YO, pull through last 2 loops on hook 
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 I have just released a new shawl pattern on Ravelry called Windswept. It is a 2 colour asymmetric shawl with sections of lace and garter stripes. The yarn I used for this pattern was dyed by Ally of Dye for Ewe. The prairies are well known for their winds. Between the Rocky Mountains, lakes, valleys and lack of trees in some areas, the winds have a mind of their own. Sometimes these winds are welcome to cool a hot summer day and other times they can be a big burden (chinook headaches), or cause destruction. I wanted to create a shawl with alternating sections of lace and garter stitch representing different winds across a landscape. I hope these winds carry you along and you enjoy knitting this shawl. This shawl was designed for The Naked Sheep Yarn & Fibre Emporium’s Spring Retreat. The yarns dyed by Ally of Dye for Ewe are special colourways specifically dyed for this event.
This design has charts as well as written instructions
Gauge Using size 7 US (4.5mm) needles; 24 stitches and 32 rows in stockinette = 4” (10cm) Measurements - Before Blocking: 23” X 28” X 37” (58 cm X 71 cm X 94cm) - After Blocking: 34.5” X 55” X 57” (88 cm X 140 cm X 145cm)Materials -465 yards of fingering weight yarn in 2 colours Samples knit in yarns below: Dye for Ewe – Snug 465 yards (425.2 m) 115g 80% Merino 20% Nylon Colour A: Spring Showers Colour B: Blossom Olive Park Yarn - SW Merino Sock Weight 420 yards (384 m) 115g 80% Merino 20% Nylon Colour A: Box of Chocolate The Wacky Windmill – BFL Sock 400 yards (366 m) 100g 80% BFL, 20% Nylon Colour B: Kiss This
c2b – slip 2 stitches to a cable needle and hold in back of work, knit 2, knit 2 from the cable needle c2f – slip 2 stitches to a cable needle and hold in front of work, knit 2, knit 2 from the cable needle cdd – (centre double decrease) slip 2 stitches knitwise together, knit the next stitch, pass the slipped stitches over the stitch just knit. k – knit k2tog – knit 2 stitches together as if they were one k3tog – knit 3 stitches together as if they were one kfb – knit into the front and back of the stitch ktbl – knit through the back loop of the stitch p – purl p2tog – purl 2 stitches together as if they were one p3tog – purl 3 stitches together as if they were one rs – right side skp – slip 1, knit 1, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch sk2p – slip 1, knit 2 together, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitches ws – wrong side yo – yarn over  I finished my Hotel of Bees Shawl by Christina Hadderingh recently and boy did I love entire process! The pattern is very well written and easy to follow. Each section is interesting enough to keep your focus and also jut the perfect length if you wanted to just work a section a night. I used Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Fragile & Hosta Blue. I did have quite a bit of yarn left over. I just love how it blocked out so nicely (Thank you Nicole). I am teaching 2 classes this month working through this shawl. Check my class schedule for dates/locations. I can't wait to hook my second one!   I knit this hat a few years ago for my sister. I usually knit her a new hat every year. This one I made with bulky yarn using Paton's Classic Roving in one of my favourite colours. I wrote up the pattern and had some test knitters check it out. Last week my friend Nicole knit one in Cog Yarns Bulky 2 ply which I intend to do as well so I sent the pattern off to my Tech Editor Mandyz and it has now been released on Ravelry  Not only is this toque stylish, the stitch pattern combined with bulky wool makes this hat super thick and virtually impenetrable. Wool is a great insulator in itself, but the design of this hat will trap warm air between the layers and keep you toasty all season. The brim can be knit longer and folded over for even more warmth in sub zero temperatures. Sizing: o Small: 18” (45.7 cm) circumfrence o Medium: 22” (55.9 cm) circumfrence o Large: 25” (63.5 cm) circumfrence Gauge: Using size 10 US (6.0mm) needles; 15 stitches and 20 rows in stockinette = 4” (10cm) Materials: - Bulky yarn (samples knit in yarns below) Cog Yarns Bulky 2-Ply (purple/white hat size medium) 80% SW Merino/20% Nylon (1, 1, 2 skeins) “Sweet Dreams” 185 yards (170 m) 200 g Patons Classic Roving (yellow hat size small) 100% Wool (1.5, 2, 2 balls) “Yellow” 120 yards (109 m) 100 g
o k – knit o k2tog – knit 2 stitches together as if they were one o k2sltog – knit the sl2tog stitches as if they were one o p – purl o sl – slip stitch o sl2tog – slip 2 stitches knitwise as if they were one  
I wanted to make a bunch of the Manitoba Fibre Fest Collection patterns this year. I decided to cast on Ice Flow by Johanna Giesbrecht using Feet of Clay Ceramic's colourway dyed by Cog Yarns. All of these women were vendors at the festival as well. The other awesome thing is the yarn went perfect with my newly made Carson Dress sewn specifically for the weekend :) and of course my Jul designs Sheep shawl stick.   Check out this year' Collection of designs for the Manitoba Fibre Festival! From now until June 7th the patterns are 20% off on Ravelry using the code Challenge20. I have a pair of socks in the collection called Straw into Gold that are knit with a beautiful hand dyed yarn by Colleen of Cog Yarns. We have kits available at The Naked Sheep Yarn and Fibre Emporium and I will also have them with me at Blue Hills Fibre Festival on June 9th. Why not pick one or two of your favourites and cast on during this MAL (make-a-long) until the festival Sept 14-15th. There are lots of great prizes available :)
 Wheat is one of the world’s most important and oldest cereal grains. Saskatchewan is often referred to as the “Bread Basket of Canada” and for good reason. Much of the prairies is covered in farm land and wheat is a common sight in the province as Saskatchewan is the main producer of wheat in Canada and one of the largest in the world. I really wanted to represent not only Saskatchewan with this design but the prairies as a whole. Agriculture is important here including both the flora and fauna. The leg of these socks proudly display wheat as it sways in the wind. The foot has a simple knit/purl textured pattern which I wanted to represent the soil and how I have been a born and raised prairie girl and my roots are planted here. Straw into Gold is part of the Makers Challenge in support of the 2018 Manitoba Fibre Festival. I partnered with Colleen of Cog Yarns who dyed up a special colourway for this challenge. This pattern uses toe up construction and features the Fleegle heel. Pattern includes written instructions followed by their corresponding charts Materials: • 1 skein of sock yarn approximately 425 yards I used: Cog Yarns – SW Sock – “Peaceful Haze” 425 yards (389 m) 115g Cog Yarns – SW Sock Mini Skeins (2) – “Squash” 60 yards (55 m) 15 g Cog Yarns – SW Sock – “City Blizzard” 425 yards (389 m) 115g • 9” Circular needle size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) • You may also use Magic Loop or 2 circulars • 4 Double pointed needles size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) • 3 Stitch markers (2 regular, 1 removable) • Tapestry Needle • 12” (30 cm) length of waste yarn for provisional cast on Gauge: 10 X 10 cm / 4” X 4”=36 stitches X 48 rows in stockinette stitch (stitches unblocked) using size US 1.5 (2.5 mm) needles Abbreviations and stitches used: cc – contrasting colour k – knit k2tog – knit 2 together k3tog – knit 3 together m1l – make 1 left m1r – make 1 right mc – main colour p – purl p2tog – purl 2 together sk2p – slip, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over sl1 – slip 1 ssk – slip, slip, knit sm – slip marker  It has been a very busy start of the year, with 6 classes this month alone I have been very focused on fibre arts. I have updated my class schedule for what I know right now. Keep checking back as new classes are added. Crochet seems very popular lately! I am currently teaching in 3 different studios and all are such wonderful places. I have been at the Blue Rooster Cafe & Studio in Pilot Butte for several years. They are one of my favourite places to teach as they also have great food and drinks. I have been with Red Fox Creative Studio for almost a year now but have taught many classes there since they started up. What I really love about them is that they are also a wellness studio so they focus on not only being creative but also your well-being. Check out their classes for a wonderful variety! As you know my friend Nicole opened up Regina's newest yarn shop a few months ago. The Naked Sheep Yarn & Fibre Emporium has become a regular hangout for me because I can find all I need there. She has fibre, yarn, tools, notions, and more - many from local artisans (and who doesn't love hand dyed yarns?) She has opened up a class schedule this year and I am teaching a few things there. Some 4 week classes and some afternoon workshops. Check in to see other classes she offers for all levels.  I have also tweeked Bankhead once again after knitting one for my nephew Angus. I wanted to keep my pattern format similar so I changed the file. I also took it out of Canva and onto word so I could make a MUCH smaller PDF as I heard from some that the download size was on the big side. I was also talking to a friend who knit Bankhead in Noro and said the K3tog were cumbersome and I agreed. I changed the decreases yet again. I have updated the pattern on Ravelry and my pattern page on this site as well. If you want a quick reference, the decreases are as follows: Round 1: *k1, k2tog, k1, p1* repeat from * to * until end of round 48 (56, 64, 72, 80, 88) stitches remaining Round 2: knit across all stitches Round 3: *k3, p1* until end of round 48 (56, 64, 72, 80, 88) Round 4: knit across all stitches Round 5: *sl2kpsso, p1* 24 (28, 32, 36, 40, 44) Round 6: knit across all stitches Round 7: *k2tog* until end of round 12 (14, 16, 18, 20, 22) Round 8: *k2tog* until end of round 6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) For Adult M & XL sizes ONLY: Round 9: k1, *k2tog* until end - (-, -, 5, -, 6) I have also restocked on 16 oz bottles of Power Scour. This amazing wool wash is THE cats pyjamas if you are processing your own fleeces. I also use it to clean my carpets in our Bissel as well as washing our dog when she has been through the muck and dirt at the dog park. Use Power Scour for wool washing and wool cleaning fiber with heavier burdens of grease, wax, suint, dirt and clay, typically found in sheep, goat and bison fibers. Use lower temperatures, 40°-50°C (104-122°F), for fibers such as Cashmere, Alpaca, Bison ,etc. Use higher temperatures, 50°-55°C (122-131°F), for fibers with more oil/wax or oils (sheep, etc.)  - Optimize cleaning at lower temperatures - Incredible STAIN REMOVER - even Red Wine! - Eliminates build–up of cleaning agents - Cost effective –– use significantly less to scour - Reduces mats and tangles - Eliminates ODORS – Non–yellowing - - Leaves fiber with a clean, fresh aroma - Biodegradable – Earth Friendly – no Fillers- no Bleach  I have also been accepted to go to the 5th Etsy Captains' Summit in Toronto this spring. I will be mingling with other Etsy Leaders and Captains from all over Canada to discuss this year. I hope to learn more amazing things Etsy has planned and will share them with you when I come home. This will be my 4th year going. The Etsy SK team has also booked for 2 spring Made in Canada Sales (one in Saskatoon - May 12 & one in Regina - May 5) as well as two fall Made in Canada Sales on Sept 29th. Watch our Facebook page and our website for more info on those.
 Photo by Hilori Thompson
The Flatlands Collection has officially launched! This collection includes 13 designers from my local fibershed in and around the Canadian Prairies. All of these designs have been made using yarn/fibre from vendors at this years Manitoba Fibre Festival. I have been waiting to show you my design and here it is! I love versatile patterns that can be worn in a variety of ways. I wanted a meditative pattern that is also very functional yet still stunning with a nice drape. Aura is part of the Flatlands Collection featured at the 2017 Manitoba Fibre Festival. Join us on Ravelry, Facebook and instagram (using the hashtag #flatlandscollection) for a KAL. Official FO posts can be made on the Manitoba Fibre Festival Forum to qualify for a prize. Join us and purchase your patterns between August 1st and 6th to receive a 30% discount (automatic at checkout) This generously sized rectangular shawl will become your new go to accessory. Knit on the bias with 3 different skeins, you can play up colours, maximize yardage and wear it in a number of ways! Aura: is the ever-changing flow of life energy around one’s body, the essence of an individual, an invisible force surrounding a living creature, a breath of air
The stitch patterns lend themselves well to solid colours, stripes, gradients, speckle dyed, tonal, hand painted yarns and handspun! I am proud to partner with local prairie artisans with this design, including Ally of Dye for Ewe and Ash of Sunflower Knit, in support of the Manitoba Fibre Festival. Materials: - 3 skeins of fingering weight yarn approximately 465 yards each Dye for Ewe – Fingerlicious 465 yards (425.2 m) 115g Single Ply 100% Merino Colour A: Can’t See the Forest for the Trees Colour B: Fall Shadows Colour C: Plum Dandy
18 stitches X 24 rows = 4” (10 cm) over stockinette unblocked using size US 9 (5.5mm) needles Measurements: Before Blocking: 63” (160 cm) length X 21.5” (55 cm) depth After Blocking: 69” (175 cm) length X 33” (84 cm) depth Skills Needed: Basic knitting and purling, increases and decreases, slipping stitches Abbreviations and stitches used: k – knit k2tog – knit 2 stitches together kfb – knit into the front and the back of stitch p – purl rs – right side sl – slipped stitch ssk – slip, slip, knit ws – wrong side yo – yarn over You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry, as well as in person at the Manitoba Fibre Festival this Sept 15th & 16th in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Kits will be available so you can knit your version in the scrumptious Dye for Ewe Fingerlicious Merino single yarn.
 This year, in support of the Manitoba Fibre Festival, they have come up with the great idea to start a pattern collection using designers, dyers and artisans in the Prairie fibreshed. This is the first year and you are in for a treat. 13 designs will be available for purchase starting Aug 1st and I have been following the sneak peaks and I'm super excited to be a part of this project. It is called the Flatlands Collection and if you knit one of the designs and wear it to the festival you get in for free! All weekend! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am really looking forward to sharing my design with you and will post more about it after the reveal on Aug 1st but it is called Aura and I teamed up with dyer Ally of Dye for Ewe and just LOVE how it turned out. This pattern uses 3 skeins of fingering weight yarn and Ally will have kits available at the festival for purchase as well. These designs will be available on Ravelry as well as at the festival.  Fingerlicious  Just launched ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This design is part of Hilori’s Magical Yarnorium Cross Country Canada KAL July 2017 #xccroadtripkal. Head on over to her group to sign up and join in on the fun From now until my birthday (July 20th) please use coupon code LANDOFLIVINGSKIES for 30% off of this design This 6 layered cowl is a map of sorts taking you across my province of Saskatchewan. Knit your way along grid roads, passing canola and flax fields, and dipping your toes in one of our abundant freshwater lakes. Travel through the glacier carved valleys and up through the Canadian Shield nestled amongst the trees in the boreal forest up north. The scenery wouldn’t be complete without chasing the never ending horizon and the wide open skies watching the weather roll in. Hilori’s Magical Yarnorium has dyed up a special colourway for this road trip. This cowl is kit in the round using 6 different stitch patterns to keep your interest, but simple enough to make the perfect travel project. 
 I finished my crocheted shawl this week and after blocking took pictures. It turned out just as I had hopped. I wanted a relaxing project, crescent shaped that could be adjustable, using a skein of sock yarn. The pattern is currently in the testing phase and I hope to have it out near the end of September, just in time for fall weather. The pattern will be both charted and written out. I used Hilori's Magical Yarnorium Cosmic yarn (which has sparkles!) in the colourway "You Remind Me of the Babe". Such a gorgeous gradient! I picked this yarn up at the Manitoba Fibre Festival last year and plan on getting more this year. I am making another and started it last week as soon as I finished this one. I am using a tonal sock yarn (Tough Stuff Sock) dyed by Kim from The Wacky Windmill in a beautiful blend of pinks. It has a bit more yardage so I shouldn't have to worry about playing yarn chicken this time around.  After 4 years of not loving the decreases in my Bankhead hat pattern, I have re-vamped them and updated the hat to include more sizes; from baby through to XL adult. Bankhead is FREE and you can find the pattern on Ravelry and in the patterns section of this site. This hat has been knit over 2250 times and works great in solids, semi-solids, striped, handspun, tonal and speckled yarns. It's nice a quick and can be knit in a weekend. I hope you like it and keep an eye out for some newly released patterns scheduled for this fall.
 I was so excited yesterday as I watched my Cosmic Cozy pattern work its way up the top 20 list on Ravelry's Hot Right Now section in the Patterns tab. I was hoping to make it into the Top 5 and I did!
 I wondered why this pattern became popular so suddenly and I saw the front page of Ravelry. In the Community Eye Candy ChristalLittleK's "Nid pour ratous" is featured and what an adorable little rattie peaking out! This cozy was also featured in an article in Issue 92 (May 2015) of Let’s Knit magazine about knitting for pets (and if you know me you know how much I LOVE animals). The base is crocheted and then you pick up stitches along the sides and decrease quickly to create the shape of the roof which is knit quite densely to hold its shape. Wool yarn is a great choice for this cozy because it has a natural absorbency which will eliminate the smell of urine, wick away moisture and if you use a superwash wool it is easily washable. The pictures were taken by my sister Nancy and the rats (Isabelle & Grace) in my project pictures belong to a sweet girl named Bryn.  I had been watching my way through The X-Files while making this and its design reminded me of a UFO which was also the inspiration for its name. If you have a small animal why not consider making a Cosmic Cozy for them to snuggle up in. You can find the pattern for FREE in my Patterns section and also on Ravelry.  After knitting an unbelievable amount of brioche when I worked on the 2 projects I knit for Dean Renwick and Sask Fashion Week last year (which I just realized now I didn't really post about my process.... new blog post idea) I picked another brioche project to work on. I chose the Basic Brioche Loop Cowl by Handmade by SMINE. It is a great pattern because it has instructions for a longer, skinnier version or a shorter, wider version which is the one I made and all using just one skein of sock yarn. I had this luscious blend of Merino/Silk/Cashmere in my stash that I picked up from Kim of The Wacky Windmill and it was the perfect yarn for this cowl. This is her Ethereal sock yarn and it is so cozy and soft around my neck.  I cast on using the long tail cast on and bound off in my normal way. For seaming the edges, I used a crochet hook and single crocheted the edges together. I could have done a provisional cast on but thought of it after. I would like to make the other longer version of this cowl and will do the provisional cast on next time and a three needle bind off. I used up the majority of the yarn and only had a couple yards left. I always worry about running out of yarn and I could have knit a couple extra rows - darn! This cowl took me about a month to knit but I was only working on it periodically to start. I got down to business when I saw Kim's Brioche Challenge posted in her group which gave me some extra incentive. The colours of this yarn are hard to capture. I have edited these photos to get a more accurate representation of its beauty. It is mostly fuchsia with a bubblegum pink spotted throughout and a bit of yellow every now and again. The colourway is called Cherry Cobbler :P
I have been eyeing up all the brioche patterns from Stephen West. Especially the Askews Me shawl. If you want to give brioche a try this is the site and the video that made it all clear to me. Sometimes new terminology and weird symbols on a chart can make a new project look pretty daunting. I am a huge advocate of just jumping in and trying out new techniques even if they scare you because in most cases, the technique wasn't hard at all and you avoided a pattern you wanted to try. It is relaxing to knit, it makes a nice cushy fabric and can be done in one or two colours. Here is a good starting point if you want to try it out.
 I have a new pattern up on Ravelry called the Cosmic Cozy. I knit it with super bulky yarn and big needles. I have been binge watching X-Files so that could be my inspiration for the shape of this bed. You can find the pattern here, and here is a link to my project page on Ravelry The rat's used as my models are named Isabella and Grace and they were very cute little girls. I was very happy that Bryn - their "mom" let me come over for a photoshoot with little notice. My sister Nancy Morrison of Landlocked Design took all the photo's and did a wonderful job! This cozy was listed as a "Fab Freebie" pattern in Issue 92 of Let's Knit Magazine!!
I am working on the patterns for Speargrass, Wally and Un-named. They will make wonderful accessories for fall and winter. I am working on handspun versions of the last two as well.
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