New sock pattern

I'm finally home after my week in the lovely and very green province of British Columbia. I had a wonderful visit with family and shopped at some lovely yarn shops (more on that later).

I can't believe it's October already. It certainly didn't look or feel like Fall in BC. Everything was so lush and green, with flowers still in bloom. Here in Ontario, the leaves are approaching their peak colors. The drive to work is filled with yellows, oranges and rich reds.

And being October 1st, it's time for the 4th pattern in my Agatha Christie Series: The Vicar's Wife.




This pattern reflects the age old May-December romance seen so often in 20th century (and earlier) British novels. The leaf motif which trails down the front of the sock reflects the blooming youth of May: fresh, energetic and hopeful - Griselda Clement in Murder in the Vicarage, by Agatha Christie. On the back of the sock is the bare Winter tree of December: the aged and sensible Vicar Leonard Clement, her husband.

Add a whimsical touch by duplicate stitching one of the leafs on the front of the sock. Will it be green – vibrant and alive, or the yellow, orange or red of Fall as winter approaches?

This pattern is available for $1.00 until Sunday, October 6th. Then it goes up to the regular price of $3.75. Or, buy the e-book for savings on more great patterns.

E-book Details:
This pattern is part of an e-book series, The Agatha Christie Series, Volume 1. Follow along as I create designs inspired by Agatha Christie novels. There are currently 4 patterns included in this e-book: 3 sock patterns and 1 shawl pattern. Two more sock patterns will be added over the next 2 months. When you purchase the e-book you will automatically receive the new patterns when they are released and added to the e-book.

This e-book represents a significant savings over purchasing the patterns separately. And the earlier you buy, the more you save.

Buy in October 2013: $14
Buy in November 2013: $16
Buy in December 2013: $18

Sizes:
The pattern instructions are provided for four sizes, small, (medium, large, extra large), with an 7.75” (8.5, 9.5, 10.5”) leg circumference, blocked.

Skill level: Advanced Beginner, some lace and simple cabling

Materials:

• Approximately 400-450 yards (399-411m) of Squeaky Elliot Yarn, Squishy Merino sock yarn (1 skein= 399yd/365m per 100g), or any yarn of similar yardage. This pattern will look best in tonal or solid colors so as not to obscure the pattern.
• 1 set of 5 US #1 (2.5 mm double-point needles, or size needles required to obtain gauge.
• Tapestry needle

Pattern notes:
This sock is knit from the cuff down. However, experienced knitters can easily use the charts to knit toe up socks using their favorite toe, heel, and cuff methods.

Somewhere in the Mountains

Early morning mist rising from the lake. Somewhere west of Revelstoke, BC.

Lake Louise, Alberta

Lake Louise, Alberta. The lake is 70m deep and gets its blue color from the "rock flour" (fine rock dust from the glacier runoff) in the water. The silty water absorbs all the colors except the lovely turquoise and vivid blue.

The iconic (at least in Canada) Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise. The Fairmont faces the mountains & glacier.

Obligatory sock knitting photo!

Close up of the mountains from the first photo. It looks like someone went up there and etched a figure 8 in the snow.

I like this photo. That is all.

There is a path along the lake which makes for a nice morning's walk. I like the dots of color (hikers) and the reflection in the water in this photo.

The air was so crisp and fresh, with the most amazing subtle pine smell. It almost hurt to breathe the air, it was so fresh and clean. Wonderful. My Toronto-fed lungs didn't quite know what to make of it.

Good morning, Mountains

View from our motel in Canmore, AB.

Approaching the Rocky Mountains

Trans Canada Hwy 1: Leaving Calgary and heading to Canmore, Alberta
The mountains are getting closer!

Knitting count: A couple inches of a sock done in the airport/airplane. 1 face cloth completed on the plane and in the car. New sock toe begun!  I'm suiting the knitting to the situation, alternating between mindless knitting and pattern-required knitting depending on the circumstances.

Interesting fact: On the plane I was sitting in the sitting with another knitter! Told her all about Ravelry. She was headed to Calgary for a knitting class.

Westward Bound

Monday I fly out to Calgary to meet my Mom for a bittersweet road trip. We'll be driving through the Rocky Mountains and ending up on Vancouver Island to visit my brother. Then I'll fly home from the island.

I'm very excited to see the mountains. Living here in Ontario we have hills, not mountains. According to Wikipedia, the highest parts of the province are some of the escarpments in the Grey-Bruce regions where you can reach the dizzying heights of 1,400-1750 feet above sea level.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing real mountains. And the car knitting time! No work, no children, no husband. Just me & my Mom who's made this trip a few times before. No doubt I'll be spending the rest of today going through my stash and planning what yarns to pack and what I'll be knitting.

That's the sweet part.

The bitter of the bittersweet? This trip is a bit of a memorial to my Dad who passed away last September 28th. Mom & Dad used to drive their trailer from coast to coast after they retired. They've been to each coast several times and even driven up to Alaska, the NWT, and the Yukon. This is my Mom's first road trip without my Dad. And we'll be arriving at my brother's home in time for the anniversary of Dad's passing - which also happens to be my brother's birthday.

This will be a fantastic trip and a difficult one. I'll be missing my husband and daughter but I'm glad to be able to be there for my Mom as we mark this difficult anniversary.

My Dad and I are very much alike. So for the next week, I'll be there sitting beside Mom as we drive through the Rockies, listening to her chatter away. I'll be the strong, silent type to her outgoing personality. And I'll try to be a tiny portion of the emotional "rock" that my Dad was to her over the course of their 49 year marriage.

Tin Can Knits BOGO pattern sale

Tin Can Knits' Low-Tide Cardigan,
knit by me

If you've followed along over the past year, you know I love Tin Can Knits' designs. I've test knit for them in the past and their designs are top-notch. In fact, I was just wearing their Low-tide Cardigan yesterday.

Well, they're having a Fall sale: buy one pattern, get one free. The details (along with some amazing photos of Scotland) are on the TCK blog.

What it boils down to is this, the sale runs Thursday, September 19th for one week only, until Thursday September 26th.

Copied from the TCK blog: 

"Simply shop on our website (or ravelry.com), add 2 or more products to your cart, then enter the following coupon code: BACKTOKNIT – the lower-priced item will be free!  The Small Print ::: The coupon applies only to products for sale via the Tin Can Knits Ravelry store, the full list is here: http://www.ravelry.com/stores/tin-can-knits-designs – please note that print books are excluded from this promotion."

I also made a Low-Tide Cardigan for my daughter.