Christmas Gifts 
This year I made sweaters for these two deer, and now they are ready to be Christmas gifts for Amelia and Zoey :-) Snowflakes Sweater
As usual, the leftover yarn and then knitting - stockinette stitch -  and  crochet - sleeves and bottom.  Plus snowflakes :-)

Inspiration. This neck warmer is another short trip knit. When you travel with carry-on only, you don't take much with you. I had some leftover yarn - light, fluffy, cozy, and 100% natural. I didn't have any specific project in mind, but when I saw the magnificent trees of Muir Woods (San Francisco, California), I knew what I wanted to use my yarn for.
Knitting in the Woodland. So the beautiful redwood forest inspired me to knit something trees-related, something to cuddle up with and keep out the cold :-) I started the project in California ...

Animal Scarf. Around this time last year, I made a "fox scarf" for Amelia. 
Knitted animal scarves for kids are very popular. I picked a Fox Scarf. It is very easy to knit - a two-three- hour project.

This year - it's a hat. The yarn is the same - two shades of coral for the hat and some grey for bobbles.
Coral:100% Wool. Soft touch ultra. Made in Canada (bought at Toronto Knitters Guild meeting for $1 !!)
Gray: 100% Fine Merino Superwash Wool Spun in Peru.
The yarn is amazing - soft and very easy to knit.
Stitch: basic Stockinette 
The hat is seamless. You won't find a seam in this hat - I was knitting in the round using five double pointed needles :-)

Bobbles: Bobbles are really cute. They add some texture, colour and fun to the hat.
Earflaps: Earflaps are also cute and stylish, and keep the ears warm :-) Stitch: Basic Garter
All Orange: In addition to the scarf and hat set, Amelia wears hear another 'fall-coloured' accessory - leg warmers.

Yarn and Chakra Colours  As usual, for my small knits, I used yarn leftovers of different colours. What kind of Chi (life energy) can these rainbow-coloured balls bring? Colourful September So many flowers are still blossoming in September !! My gloves have all the flowers' colours too :-) I also added green bubbles and some ornaments.   Namaste.

Green I used a lot of green (the colour of the heart chakra; it is connected with love, integration, compassion. Great for Christmas too! Autumn It is still warm, but fall is around the corner.  Flowers It is too early to wear wool gloves of course, but they are so  'flowerly' colourful:-) That is why they are in the September newsletter. Namaste.

Knitvana "Knitting is an education in mindfulness. It teaches focus on breath, taking time, slowing down to reconnect with the present moment." If you want to enter a happier state of mind, find your nirvana in knitting :-) Knew Yoga? Knitting is a source of relaxation, well-being, and self-confidence. Because of its benefits, it's often called the
​"new yoga". Namaste

Crochet The rest was crocheted from the previous knits leftover yarn - that is why all fingers are different. 
Melange Knitting I made this small shawl - baktus - in the summer. It's good to have all the chakra colours on you in one knit :-) Knitting I knitted the wrist part from what was left after the shawl was finished. I should have used more blue yarn - the main energy of blue is communication, and it is the colour used to soothe the soul. Namaste.

Sunny September 
This mellow yellow looks a bit faded, but it is still the colour of sunshine :-) The main energy of yellow is intellect. 
Namaste, September.  
Happy knitting!! 

Chairs. Actually, these outdoor chairs are called Muskoka chairs mostly in Ontario, Canada. In the US they are called Adirondackchairs. The first such chair was designed by Thomas Lee while vacationing in the United States, NY, in the Adirondack Mountains.
Bracelet Base. The base is old leather bracelet. All I needed to do was to weave into it colourful bits of yarn.
Yarn. At the end, the bracelet got a trim :-) and went for a walk :-) ... to Waterfront!

Knitting on the road: What is a better way to relax on the road? For me, it's knitting of course. You listen to the book and knit, knit,  ... This summer, I travelled a lot by train, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I also had yarn in my hands! 
The railway magazine fully supported my ideas of relaxation on the railroad :-) Budapest-Prague: Two hours of knitting from Budapest to Vienna and then to Prague. Halfway through the trip, this small shawl - baktus - was finished. Prague-Moscow: ... and started a new shawl at the airport and continued on the plane and then on the train to Vologda. Vologda: This baktus was finished in Russia, and I even had a chance to wear it in July (!) - the temperature dropped from 25 to 10. Moscow-Toronto: Again, I bought new yarn (in Russia) to keep myself busy on the way back. This shawl is still work in progress. Yarn: Liza (Moscow) 100g 303 m wool 15%, mohair 35%, acrylic 50%. All the three shawls are of the same  design: same size and pattern - stockinette stitch.

Summer at last!! This knit is all stripes and circles. It looks like a table runner, but it is actually a scarf.
Yarn:  used all the leftovers from my last summer cardigan - same Italian Lana Grossa, Cool Wool Print 50g=160m 100% Virgin wool. Circles: My circles are the single crochet - nothing special, just the combination of colours is good.
This time it's several shades of green, some melange, and a blue one. Inspiration: I've seen a shawl with circles in some knitting magazine. Circle are really good to balance the boring stripes :-)
​My "garden knits" are either green like grass or colourful  like flowers. 

Zoey's Birthday. Our adorable Zoey turned 1 year old on May 9th 2019. The theme of the Birthday party was Unicorn. All the decorations you see (like the spoon holders above and others) were hand-made by Anastasia
Rainbow Yarn. Unicorns, rainbows, ... you know. So beautiful!! And of course all the rainbow colours were used.
​My rainbow was in these yarn leftovers.
Unicorn Tiara. These beautiful flowers in the unicorn tiara were handmade by Anastasia.

Quick Knit. I didn't knit much for the occasion. I just had time for something small, so I made a drink cozy.
Centre Piece. Glass vases were coloured with acrylic paint to match the rest of the decorations.
The base of the cozy can be any pattern. The focus is on this cute little mane of yarn tassels of any colours you like.

ONE
​​You need to be really artsy-craftsy to so beautifully decorate the place for this little unicorn :-)

Z for Zoey. Even cookies were in rainbow colours.
Gifts for Guests. These colourful bath bombs were nicely "unicorn- decorated' as small gifts for guests. 
'My cupcake was yummy!'
This Unicorn drink cozy fits many kinds of beverage containers: a water bottle or a coffee cup or a drinking glass.
'Thank you for this unicorn, Tanya ... I have no idea how to play with it ... yet :-)'
Thank you for the best party in my life':-)
Happy Birthday, dear Zoey! 

Bunny Hat fro little bunny. As usual, my first models were the toys... ...and then the "real" bunny :-)) 'Zaichik' Zoey is 10 months young here :-) Yarn: For this bunny hat I used Baby Wool from Alize - bought in Russia/made in Turkey - 50g - 175m, 40% Wool, 40% Acrylic, 20% Bamboo. This blend is natural and healthy for babies.

Bunny Sweater. To complete the Easter outfit, we have this sweater made of the same yarn. Knitting: basic seed stitch.
Cable Bunny. Do you like this adorable little bunny rabbit shape? This sweet bunny pattern is pretty popular in knitting. The twisted cables create the backside of a bunny, complete with bobble tail.

Another Easter Bunny? How many Easter bunnies are there? And how many Easter outfits? For these 'bobble' scarf and 'bobble' skirt for Amelia's bunny I used the gauge for my previous knit - Zoey's blanket. I pretty really make a gauge swatch before knitting - I usually improvise ... and I face the consequences sometimes :-( Same Yarn. For Zoey's blanket, my first idea was to do bobbles. I practiced, I liked it, but then I came up with a different pattern. Bobble Tail. And the idea of the knitted bobbles successfully travelled to the sweater's bunny tail and to this bunny's skirt :-)
Happy Easter. Seriously, have an eggciting Easter :-)  And, April, maybe it's time to be gorgeous!