Life LackaDaisiCal

Kaffe is celebrating Rowan's 40 year anniversary with his own personal selection of "Kaffe's Colours". 8 new shades of Rowan Felted Tweed, selected by Kaffe....and you know that means they are bright! Zinnia, Turquoise, Pink Bliss, Barbara, Vaseline Green, Bright Green, Lotus Leaf and Iris.....8 gorgeous bright additions to the already 31 shade strong palette of Rowan Felted Tweed! These designs are mostly scarves and shawls...minimal shaping, high on colour impact and visual design! There is one lovely classic Kaffe pullover! I've already cast on one project from this collection....you'll have to watch and see which one :) Happy Knitting Anne x with Daisy still curled up at her feet :)

If you've been with me for a while, you'll know that Rowan has sponsored not one, not two, but THREE afghan knitalongs! The first was designed by Martin Storey, a collection of simple but effective squares, knit then sewn together, with a cable trim. Here's my version. (I picked my own shades and organized the squares into a tartan style layout.) This afghan is loved and used by everyone in the family (dogs included) and I can tell you it has stood up to the everyday wear and tear. My "ta da" it's finished post on the first Martin Storey Mystery KAL is here ..... Then there was the Kaffe Mystery afghan! Well, I'm a HUGE fan of Kaffe (what's not to love?) and I had to participate.... This time I recruited a "Kaffe Klatch", a group of knitting buddies to knit along with and help keep the momentum of a long afghan KAL going!  There were 4 of us, Darlene, Ann, Ros and I..... only one of us completed our afghans (to my knowledge...

In the world of good food, a palate cleanser is offered between courses....to cleanse the palate of lingering tastes...to help you digest...to prepare you for the taste delights of the next course! Sorbet is a traditional palate cleanser.... a light delicious pop of flavour that gets your taste buds ready for the next course! Want to be more adventurous?  In Normandy, locals rely on apple brandy as a digestive aid. Le trou Normand , or the Norman break, is a  fiery shot  of Calvados right in the middle of the meal.  Hmmm, Apple Brandy ! If you want to keep it simple, serve sparkling or still water, with a twist of citrus as a palate cleanser. I can hear you saying.... "What does this have to do with knitting?" Recently I have come to realize that small projects help me to cleanse my knitting palate so to speak. With a quick project that I can say is finished, I can go back to my main project with a regained enthusiasm for the next "course" of t...

my coffee table would be stewn with my current knit projects... like these pockets for my Mette Cardigan. the cardigan is finished, seams are sewn, ends tucked in... I'd show you my mystery project! ...it all started when a stranger walked into the LYS...   "Follow Your Arrow 2" is looking gorgeous! 1a2b so far...but somehow with just 5 rows to go I've lost a stitch! Candice and I have started our own monthly KAL the Earth Stripe Wrap, a design by the incomparable Kaffe Fassett in Rowan's exquisite Kidsilk Haze , it was the cover design of Rowan Magazine 42 and now is available as a free download from the Knit Rowan web site here we intend to finish in 2015! while you were here...we'd watch this...and maybe some vintage Clint Eastwood after! Until next time,  Happy Knitting Anne x #Rowan #KnitRowan #KidsilkHaze #MartinStorey #Mette #RowanBrushedFleece #EarthStripeWrap #KaffeFassett, #FollowYourArrow2 #Y...

Well, it seems that most of the Kaffe Klatch got caught up in Merriment during the holidays.   Tsk tsk I say :) One of us was very busy....and it wasn't me! First Ros teased me with a photo of her afghan all sewn up! (Just so you get an idea of how large this is, that is a Queen size bed!) The she sent me this photo - with a crochet edging applied. Almost done, but not quite. It has been decided that another round of crochet is required! Now I have to also explain that while all this afghan knitting was going on... Franziska , Rowan Magazine 56 by Galina Carroll in Rowan's Felted Tweed DK Yes, Ros actually finished this beauty!  Another huge amount of stranded knitting!  (She graciously allowed me to share this photo..... as long as I removed her head :) ) I MUST find out what Darlene and Ann (the other Kaffe Klatch members) have been up to. Me? You want to know what I have been doing? Kaffe Afghan squares at the top, Emley ...

Summerlite 4ply Rowan's Summerlite 4 ply is absolutely gorgeous!  It's 100% pure cotton,  the finest Egyptian cotton... with a soft matt finish!   Martin Storey designed this collection of 12 delicate feminine garments, all with fine stitch detail and a range of silhouettes. "Rosean" - When I saw this design I knew this was the one I was going to swatch! I've knit a lot of stranded knitting, but I've never used cotton! The swatch is gorgeous, the stitches so fine and perfectly formed, the resulting fabric soft and luxurious! If you love fine gauge knitting, at 28sts per 10cm, this is a yarn that will demand serious attention to complete your project, but you will be rewarded with a truly luxurious sweater! Summerlite comes in 12 fabulous shades - you can see them all here.... Summerlite 4ply Cotton Lustre Cotton Lustre is a blend of Cotton, Modal and Linen What is Modal?  It's sort of like Rayon....but while R...

Even for homebodies like us!  We have been out to dinner, to a concert, got together with family, dinner with friends in the Big TO (again) and it is only December 15! While all this was going on....there was a lot of stuff going on here at LifeLDC! This is (was) our laundry room....it's on the main floor (in the LifeLDC Bungalow) and hubby loves the washer/dryer being on these raised pedestals.... me, not so much.  I liked to use the top of the appliances to groom the dogs. This may not sound like a big thing, but with two Westies, easy grooming is essential. For over a year now, I have been sending them to be groomed...never entirely happy with the results....yes they look cute....but we have had a few issues and I'd rather groom them myself. who would have thought that renovating one small room.... Would spread to almost every corner of our small house! (yes, that is a toilet at the end of the hall!) Of course, having no laundry facilities at home ...