All Grey? 
March is really grey this year ... I haven't done any new knitting this month. The wrap in this newsletter is the one I made last summer - on the way to Toronto from Europe. It is one of those speedy projects that require very little thinking - perfect to knit while you are on the plane! 

Baktus is a triangular-shaped scarf or a small shawl. It is a perfect neck wrap for a chilly weather.
Fun Name
"Baktus" is a tooth troll from a Norwegian children's book, and Bactus is a play on words from 'bacteria'. Together with "Karius" they teach children to brush their teeth and are destroyed by the dentist.... With the long thin ends hanging down you can see where the association with a tooth came from.  

Clean and Simple Design. I used an easy and quick knitting pattern: Garter Stitch - the most common stitch for a Baktus scarf. If you knit in Stockinette, you'll get a Karius Scarf :-) This scarf will surely compliment anything you wear.

Welcome, February!
Winter is on and off this year, so is my knitting :-)  I am doing small knits this month - hats mostly.
Inspiration: Loops
It's lots about loops lol :-) this February:
- zeros and Os 
- an interesting Winter Installation on Waterfront called LOOP
- knitting 'loops' and lots of hats
- The Rideau Canal loop :-)

Hats for Dolls
This hat was made for Amelia's doll. The pattern is exactly the same as in the 'real' one. Then this 'girl' got a coat .
Frozen?
February, but no snow again on Harbourfront - fun anyways! 
Let it go! Let it go! .....' (Amelia's favourite song from Frozen)

Ice and Colours
February, be fabulous! and sweet! and colourful! like these marshmallows in Ottawa!
Happy knitting!!

January Knit 
January has arrived, and even though we still don't have any snow by the lake, it's coming.
​And on these snow days you need something to snuggle. Snuggle is an affectionate hug.
What can be a better hug than a soft mohair and silk wrap?  :-)

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.