While Emily has been busy finishing up Handmade in the UK, I’ve been busy knitting! Handmade in the UK is a personal project from Emily but I had to dip my hand in just a little, by knitting up a Handmade wardrobe for Hunter. If you are anxiously awaiting the release of Handmade we have a date for you: The ebook and pre-orders for the print copy will be ready Thursday May 16th, mark your calendars!

I’m not just Emily’s design partner, I’m also really her biggest fan. I’m always inspired by her designs, especially their simple but unique constructions and stunning lace. Lush was the first garment she completed for HMUK and as soon as I saw Emily’s pretty orangey-red grown up version I knew I had to whip one up for Hunter. I had a skein of Sweet Georgia Superwash DK on hand in Silver so I cast on. It was the perfect thing for summer, she can wear it over her little tank top and jean skirt just like a little grown up. I chose some yellow rimmed buttons for a bit of whimsy. Lush is knit lace band first, then stitches are picked up to knit the collar and picked up to knit the yoke and body, genius!

Next I wanted a few hats for the Huntress. First up is the Rosewater. Hunter’s grey roses were knit in Sweet Fiber’s Avery Sport in Charcoal. This yarn is amazing! It is made up of 50% silk and 50% merino and it is a shiny soft dream. The yarn knit up with just the right amount of stitch definition to show off those pretty lace roses. I blocked the hat rather aggressively so it’s a pretty slouchy hat. Adorable for my little hipster!

When I took my trip to the UK this last January I got to see Loch in person and I was smitten right away. The adult version is knit up in Skein Queen’s 100% cashmere Opulent and it is buttery soft. So of course I decided my 2 year old needed a little cashmere in her life too! I knit Hunter’s Loch with my own hand dyed yarn, Gourmet Crafter Cashmere, in a new colorway: Stay Golden. In case you are curious I do a little yarn dying on the side but it’s mostly just for fun. Although the hat was inspired by the Loch’s of Scotland, I certainly found the watery stitch pattern relevant to the Pacific Northwest too. The ‘flukes’ remind me of the subtle water movement of Buntzen Lake in the evening.

Last but not least is Windswept. Although the natural shade of Emily’s grown up version is lovely, I needed something bright for Hunter’s pullover. KT from Morgan’s Fine Yarns sent me 2 skeins of Glamorgan in Hunky Dory (a light grey) and 2 skeins of Goldenrod, which I chose of course! I LOVE the lace pattern on this pullover. It is so reminiscent of the craggy coasts and windswept places of Scotland. The yarn is so pretty, with a vibrant color and a super soft combination of alpaca, wool, and silk.

If you are looking forward to handmade in the UK we have a date for you: It will be released Thursday May 16th so mark your calendars!

More lacy goodness from Emily:

It must be Spring because it’s time to start knitting lighter! Think lace or sock weight yarns, lacy stitches, and small needles. While I mostly knit wintry things, Emily’s new collection is making me re-think lacy and light. Bonny anyone? Imagine my excitement when I heard about the Tops, Tanks, and Tees KAL from Luvinthemommyhood. Shannon (the genius behind it all) is just so smart. Her KAL’s are designed for participants to knit up garments for the upcoming season. Tops, Tanks, and Tees finished in time for summer!

I have the distinct pleasure of knowing Shannon from luvinthemommyhood, and I’m excited to get casting on for the KAL. Shannon is not just a knitter and sewer, she is also a curator of beautiful things. I was once reading a blog post of hers and a few minutes later a new (and beautiful) ironing board cover was heading my way. She was talking about how nice it was to have a pretty cover on a utilitarian item, like an ironing board. I thought to myself: yes! I usually have my ironing board out and even though I’m sure I could make an ironing board cover, I just ordered a beautiful one from etsy!

Downton Cowl from VERY SHANNON

Shannon recently began her own line of knitwear design called Very Shannon. Her accessories are photographed to get me drooling. Pretty stitches in simple accessories, a wonderful combination for that precious skein in your stash! She recently released the Lansbury cowl and I had to run upstairs to my craft room to hunt for the perfect yarn! FYI I didn’t find it, I’m still on the hunt.

Lansbury Cowl from VERY SHANNON

Back to the KAL. I will be knitting a Low Tide cardigan for my mummy. I’m even hoping to finish it before Mother’s Day! You can find the KAL details and sign up here, it’s free to join and there are some excellent prizes, including the entire ebook collection from Tin Can Knits! What will you cast on?

KT of Morgan’s Fine Yarns will be representing Tin Can Knits at the Vancouver Island Fibre Fest May 3rd-5th in Campbell River. She will have books and samples from Tin Can Knits as well as her own stunning yarns. Morgan’s Fine come in a unique rainbow of hand dyed colors and a variety of weights and fibres. You won’t be able to choose just one!

Montgomery Singles Fingering in Firefly

I first met KT when I was teaching classes at Urban Yarns a few years ago. We hit it off and have been knitting buddies ever since, frequenting knit night together, swapping techniques and inspiration. KT is the type of knitter I aspire to be. Her projects are well thought out, with impeccable choices in combining yarn and patterns. She is also a finisher. That’s right, she appears to be that rare breed of knitter who actually FINISHES ALL HER PROJECTS! I am always impressed.

KT’s Antler

A cute little goad from the farm

When KT moved to the island (like many of my favorite knitters have done in the past….Emily I’m looking at you) to start a goat farm with her husband I was sad to lose her. Whose projects would I copycat now? The island life seems to agree with her though, their farm is picturesque (I recently ordered some of their first cheese) and she started dying Morgan’s Fine Yarns.

The Whole Gang

In my personal collection I have 2 skeins of the Montgomery Singles Worsted in Andie (electric pink) and 2 skeins of Glamorgan in Hunky Dory (soft grey). I am currently working on a Windswept for Hunter in the Glamorgan as well in Goldenrod (pics coming soon!).

Brecknock Sock in Goldenrod

The Montgomery Singles are so squishy, soft, and light. I have to confess I have been gazing at the two pink skeins for quite some time trying to decide on a pattern that would do them justice! Glamorgan is a sumptuous mix of merino, alpaca, and silk. It is loosely spun and super soft as well.

Montgomery Singles Worsted in Andie

I think my favorite thing about Morgan’s fine yarn is the color. Each skein has a rich depth of color with a subtle hand dyed contrast to make it shine. KT has carefully considered her beautiful array of colors for a combination that packs a real visual punch.

Stop by her booth to say hi and check out Morgan’s Fine Yarn in person if you happen to be in Campbell River. If not, don’t fret, she does sell her yarn on her website here.

Tin Can Knits patterns that would be perfect in Morgan’s Fine Yarns:

This past weekend I hopped in the car with a couple of knitting buddies and headed down to Seattle for Vogue Knitting Live! I went with Emily, our lovely model and dear friend, and Ashley from Purly Purly, a regular attendee of Urban Yarn’s Knit Night.

Andrea from Apple Yarns was kind enough to host me at her booth. She made Emily and I feel right at home standing in front of a wall of SweetGeorgia! After a day of signing books, gawking at the catwalk, and shopping (of course) we had a lovely meal with Amanda and Fiona of Knit Social. What a great weekend! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to say hello. Here is a photo essay of our day:

the I-5

Emily watching the road

Ashley knitting in the back seat

Andrea wearing her SweetGeorgia cowl

Instagram with Jane Richmond over lunch

Enthusiastic Shannon (from luvinthemommyhood)!

Loot from Hazel Knits yarns (shhh, it’s Emily R’s birthday present)

More loot from Hazel Yarns (this will be a sweater for Hunter)

Loot for me from Hazel Yarns!

Meeting Jared Flood, knitting hero.

Want to say hello to Tin Can knits in person? An up-to-date list of our upcoming events and shows can be found on our website here and if you get our email updates we will keep you in the loop!

Tin Can Knits patterns that would be perfect for Hazel Knits yarn:

The weather is finally turning here in wet Vancouver, the sun is shining occasionally, and my little ones Hunter and Jones are itching to get outside.

It is still a bit chilly, so I’m keeping them well wrapped up in woolies. For Hunter I have designed a bright and bubbly new number:  the Goldfish cardigan.

My hubby Gary recently started a quest. Harmless enough at first, he began with a small fish tank in his office. Gary and Hunter feed the fish and change the water together, and Jones watches them swim in that weird zoned-out way that babies watch moving things.  This father-kiddie bonding ritual is all good right? Nope. There is now a 120 gallon tank in the garage, that will soon be taking up most of the office (which we actually need for work!).  Innocent interest has become a growing obsession!

Goldfish is really as much about the colours as it is about fishes and bubbles.  I used Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK in the ‘seabreeze’ and ‘orange blossom’. The orange is reminiscent of both real goldfish and those charming crackers small people seem to love. It was the perfect combination for a fun little sweater. I also designed the North Shore pullover in this beautiful hard-wearing superwash yarn, and I am totally hooked!  You can admire the rest of Tanis’s fabulous colours here.

This cute and simple cardigan is knit from the top down, with fair isle motifs in the yoke and a whimsical bubble cable at the hem.  Although I am often warned that mothers do not like many buttons on their children’s sweaters, I threw caution to the wind because a million mismatching buttons was too cute to pass up in the name of practicality!

GOLDFISH CARDIGAN – $6 CAD – buy it here
Sizing: 0-6 mo (6-12 mo, 1-2 yrs, 2-4 yrs, 5-6 yrs, 7-8 yrs, 9-10 yrs)
Finished Chest: 18 (21.5, 21.5, 23.5, 26, 28, 29.5) inches
Materials: DK Weight yarn in 2 colours
Main Colour: 300 (325, 350, 400, 500, 600, 700) yds
Contrast Colour: 50 (50, 60, 60, 60, 70, 70) yds
sample shown in Tanis Fiber Arts Yellow Label DK in ‘seabreeze’ and ‘orange blossom’
a plethora of little buttons – the exact number of buttons will depend on the length of your sweater, but approximately 16 (18, 20, 22, 24, 28, 32)
Construction: goldfish is knit seamlessly from the top down, in rows through yoke and body, with sleeves knit in the round.

Other Fun Kiddie Knits:

Emily R and her Low Tide

 This past weekend I had a blast at Fibres West. I was signing books, mingling with knitters, and of course, knitting! Emily R, our model extraordinaire, Jones and I woke up with the sun on Friday and hit the road for Cloverdale. Ok, it’s only 45 minutes away but it feels far because it’s farm country. The event was held in a great big barn and there was yarn and fiber stacked high!

Jones spend most of the day sleeping (what a darling child he is) or smiling from his little bumbo seat and making eyes at the knitters walking by. He was in fine form on Friday! Emily was our live mannequin answering questions and chatting with knitters. She spent much of her time knitting her Low Tide cardigan and dispelling the myth that she is Emily Wessel. It’s confusing. Emily R is our model, Emily W is our designer. Clear as mud?

I had a bit of my own hand dyed yarn as well. Instead of my usual colorways, based on photos I’ve taken around Vancouver,  I dyed up a range of kettle dyes in whichever colors tickled my fancy. They are ‘Just for Fun’! I had Gourmet Worsted and Sock (80/10/10 Merino/Cashmere/Nylon) and DK Cashmere (100% cashmere).

I had a chance on Saturday to see the sights. I dropped by Sweet Georgia‘s booth to see the lovely Felicia (we did not escape unscathed, Emily left the show with 3 beautiful skeins of Merino Silk Fine in Silver).

Then I hit the Rain City Knits booth. This was something new to me, I had heard of Rain City Knits (they stock her yarn at Baaad Annas), but the experience of Krista’s vibrant rainbow in person was something else! Her beautiful singly ply worsted had me hooked and I picked up this pretty blue/green cake. Her sister Rena is Red Fox and Gown designs, check out the adorable boot cuffs!

My loot….

Patterns that would be perfect for Rain City Knits yarn:

Angora is a special kind of fibre; much more exotic and ‘animal’ than wool, due to its unstoppable furriness!  I love lace, graphic patterns, and the details of hand-knitted fabric, so it took some time for me to come around to knitting with angora, because the halo of angora lends itself to simpler projects focused on silhouette and colour.

A beautiful skein of Orkney Angora yarn changed my mind and inspired a new shawl design for my upcoming collection Handmade in the UK.

This feature is the fourth in a series of posts featuring the dyers and yarn companies who have contributed to Handmade in the UK.  A full list of features can be found below.

Orkney Angora : business inspired by island lifestyle

Orkney Angora was founded in 1982 by William and Elizabeth Sichel.  I spoke with William last week, and he told me the fascinating story of his business, which has evolved over the past 30 years.

Isle of Sanday – copyright 2003-2006 Team SchottlandPortal / Wolfgang Schlick

William and Elizabeth moved from the south of England to Sanday in the early 80′s, each looking for a change of lifestyle.  Elizabeth had bought an old croft with a ruin of a farm building.  Kindred spirits, the couple met, married, and proceeded to figure out how to support themselves in their new far-flung home.  William and Elizabeth were among many people who moved north at that time following Scottish Island Dream, a version of the ‘back to the land’ movement popularized in shows like ‘The Good Life‘.

The croft – then and now

As romantic as the island lifestyle may seem in concept, William describes the early years as quite difficult and lonely, as they lived in a caravan with no TV, no phone line, and no running water. The local shop was the main link to civilization and the centre of the community. While many of the would-be island dwellers soon left, Elizabeth and William remained. Over time they gradually rebuilt the property, moving into the farm building and refurbishing it into a beautiful home, one room at a time.

William at work, with some colourful hand-dyed skeins

The business evolved over time as well, in step with their home and family.  In the early years, they raised rabbits for meat, then moved into angora production.  They did some hand-spinning in the 80′s, but over time developed a mail-order business selling hand-dyed yarn.

With the mail-order business established they were well positioned to move onto the internet, and Orkney Angora yarns are now carried by several shops in the UK and North America, and also sold directly via the website.

The yarns (blends of angora, wool, and cashmere) are spun to specifications in the UK and overseas, and hand-dyed in small batches on Sanday.  Learn more about angora here.

Aurora in ‘scarlet’

Orkney Angora Aurora is an exquisite blend of 70% angora and 30% wool in a 4-ply weight.  It gains the characteristic angora halo with washing and wearing, and is ultra-soft.  While I sometimes find angora in garments to be a bit prickly, this angora is as soft as my kitten’s belly.

The yarn is dyed to a colourway called scarlet, but I find on the angora blend the result is more of a soft coral.  Very lovely, and perfect for a floral-inspired lace design!

Botany is a semi-circular shawl pattern, with options to knit a smaller shawlette, or larger shawl.  Because the yarn blooms beautifully, this piece is designed to be knit at a looser gauge than normal for a 4-ply lace pattern.

Handmade in the UK will be available as an ebook (including single pattern downloads) in late April 2012, and print copies will ship a month later.  If you are itching to get started, the Lush cardigan is available now, as a sneaky pre-release!  Be sure to sign up for our email updates and we will notify you when the book is ready.

Other yarns used in Handmade in the UK:

I am fortunate to have the support of several UK dyers and yarn producers on this project.  In the process of writing the book, I am speaking with and blogging about each of these great businesses – click the links to learn more!

Skein Queen ::: Juno Fibre Arts ::: The Uncommon Thread :::
Orkney Angora ::: Old Maiden Aunt ::: Shilasdair Yarns :::
Jamieson and Smith :::

Patterns that would be beautiful in Orkney Angora Yarns:

Yarn shows bring thousands of knitters into the same place at the same time, with amazing energy, excitement, and beautiful fibre products on display.  This weekend’s Edinburgh Yarn Festival was my first show as an exhibitor, and it was fabulous to chat with knitters, meet other folks in the industry, and do a bit of shopping!

I signed books, talked about seamless sweater construction, made recommendations about lace (photosynthesis and sunflower work well for your first triangular shawl project), and twirled and posed to show off the new Lush cardigan!

I got a signed copy of Ysolda’s sweater book Little Red in the City, (very exciting as I am a big fan of her work), and picked out some beautiful yarns from Skein Queen and The Yarn Yard.

The Edinburgh Yarn Festival was the first experience that my kind and supportive husband John has had of the yarniverse (the unseen masses of knitters that come out of the woodwork for events like this).  Prior to this, I don’t think he truly believed there are other people who are as obsessed as I am about yarn and knitting!  Slightly out-of-his element he smiled, made change and just generally looked adorable!

John manning the booth

If you didn’t get your print copy at the Festival, order here.

Emily wearing Lush and Louise wearing Antler

Kits Kerchief, Thistle stole, Branching Out shawl, and Botany shawl (in Handmade in the UK)

While most of our knitted samples reside in Vancouver, here in Edinburgh I have a lot of lace and a small sampling of garment samples; several from our upcoming lace collection Handmade in the UK.  The UK based trunk show is gradually growing!

This is Tin Can Knits : complete with last-minute hand-lettered sign! (I knew my architectural training would come in handy at some point…)

The LOOT: impulse buying is important sometimes!

One of the perks to working as a pattern designer is that dyers and yarn companies are usually happy to provide yarn support (free yarn to be used in published designs) because patterns sell yarn, so it is a good deal all around.  Thus Alexa and I get to work in exotic and luxurious yarns by amazing hand-dyers.  But requesting yarn support means planning ahead, making design proposals, and following through on designs… so it is not always the most satisfying method of yarn procurement!  At the festival I allowed myself a generous yarn budget, left John to hold the fort, and zoomed around to impulse-buy some beautiful yarns, with blissfully little thought to project or design!

Loot: Skein Queen Entwist in lemon yellow and pale blue, The Yarn Yarn BFL and Merino Sock in 2 colours of green.

Upcoming Shows: Fibres West in Abbotsford (Alexa) and Fibre East in Bedford (Emily)

Alexa will be at Fibres West next Friday or Saturday March 22-23.  She has the lions share of our knitted samples, so stop by the booth to try on or fondle the Low Tide cardigan or the Antler Cardigan (in ladies & babies sizes), the North Shore and Snowflake pullovers, the Rosebud Shawl, and many more accessories.  She will be signing books, selling single patterns, and she will have some of her beautiful hand-dyed yarn too!

Emily will take the Tin Can Knits show on the road to Fibre East in Bedford on 27th and 28th July 2013.  For more info on upcoming shows and other events, check our website.

What will you knit next?  Join us for the Lush KAL on the Ravelry group, and be sure to sign up for our email updates if you don’t already receive them!

Popular Tin Can Knits patterns:

Many of our friends, fans, and fellow knitters are excited about the Lush cardigan… So we are offering it as an early-release pattern to keep you busy while you await the official release of Handmade in the UK, our new lace book.

The Deal: Get Lush now, and when the book is launched we will send you a coupon for $6 off the price of the complete collection!

Lush is a special design with some unique features, so I want to let you know a bit more about the details of sizing, yarn, and construction and offer a few useful tips on how to achieve the perfect spring cardigan!

Lush Cardigan – Ladies size M (36″) shown on my 39″ bust = 3″ negative ease

SIZING ::: cute on tiny tots and vavavoom on voluptuous ladies

Like the best of Tin Can Knits’ patterns, Lush includes an impressive 16 sizes: 0-6 months to ladies 4XL.  I think it is absolutely adorable on Alexa’s daughter Hunter, and love how it looks on me too!  Complete sizing and yardage info is available here.

Everyone has a personal preference when it comes to sweater sizing, and I understand not everyone wears their sweaters as tight as I do!  I am a 39″ bust, and I am wearing the size M (36″), which is 3″ negative ease.  For a form-grazing but not so tight look, I suggest working a size that is 1.5-2 inches smaller than your actual bust measurement.  For more info on how our patterns are sized, and how to adjust for a perfect fit, see this tutorial.

PERFECT FIT ::: top-down construction makes adjustments easy

This design is knit yoke first (then body and arms) so you can try it on as you go to check sizing.  It is easy to adjust the total stitch count at the bust or upper arms (just increase or decreasing a few stitches) if it seems like the garment will be a bit too big or too small.  You may choose to work waist shaping so the sweater hugs your curves, or simply knit straight to the hem; the pattern includes instructions for both options!

Baby & Adult versions of the Lush Cardigan made by test-knitters: carolbuz, vaninea, and dbbstitch. See more here.

YARN CHOICE ::: DK or light worsted weight yarn

The gauge for this design is 20 sts / 4″.  For the ladies sample, I used Skein Queen Voluptuous in ‘persimmon’ [more about Skein Queen Yarns here]. Voluptuous is a fairly heavy DK weight, which knits quite naturally at 20 sts / 4″.  Alexa knit the 2-4 year old size using Sweet Georgia Superwash DK in ‘silver’.  You may choose to work in a DK weight or a lighter worsted weight (for example Cascade 220 would work well), as the pattern is quite flexible.  For the lace panel to really ‘shine’ and hold its shape well, I recommend using a wool or wool blend yarn.  Yardage requirements and suggested needle sizes are listed here.

CONSTRUCTION ::: knit seamlessly from the middle up and down

Lush has a unique construction, but it is not too complicated – and it’s fun!  First you knit the lace yoke band.  You start with a provisional cast-on – I suggest using the crochet chain provisional cast-on [see the tutorial here].

After completing the right-hand side of the band you unpick the provisional cast-on, place stitches back on needles, and work the left-hand side of the band in the same manner.  Do not slip the first stitch of the row, as you will need the right number of rows to pick up in.

Wet block the completed band; if you have blocking wires I suggest you use them to even out the edges of the lace band.  As you see, I didn’t have mine nearby… and so a lot of pins were required!

After blocking the lace yoke band,  you will pick up stitches and work up to the collar.  Ladies sizes have a fairly wide neck with some short-rows to shape the back of neck.  Child sizes are similar, but omit short-row shaping at back of neck.  If you prefer a higher neckline, work a few more stockinette stitch rows before the ribbing, or a few more short-rows.

Once you have completed the collar, pick up along the bottom edge of the lace band and work down the yoke to the point where body and sleeves separate.  Then work the body in rows, and the arms in the round to cuffs. Ladies sizes XS – 4XL include optional waist shaping instructions.

FINAL ADJUSTMENTS ::: spend a bit of time looking at yourself in the mirror!

Before working the button bands you should confirm that you are happy with the fit.  You may want to block the cardigan at this point.  If you decide you would like to make the neckline higher you can work more rows of ribbing, or incorporate a few more short-rows to raise the back of the neck.  For a tighter neckline, you can decrease further and work the ribbing on a smaller number of stitches, or simply try a smaller needle size or tighter bind-off method.  This is purely a personal choice, and you may need to experiment to find out what works best for you!

Lastly, work the button bands by picking up stitches along the edges of the cardigan opening [tutorial here].  I suggest working the non-buttonhole side first so you can plan how many buttons you want to have, what size they should be, and what the spacing should be before working the buttonhole side.  Finishing up, you will want to spend some time searching for the perfect button!  I absolutely LOVE the little yellow buttons that Alexa put on Hunter’s cardigan!

KNIT-A-LONG WITH US :::

If you are thinking about knitting the Lush cardigan for yourself, or a little cutie you know, you should join us on the Tin Can Knits Ravelry group for a Lush KAL.  It will be fun, you will probably to learn something (or teach us something new), and there will be prizes!  We hope to see you there.

Want to know when the Handmade in the UK ebook & print book are available for purchase?  Sign up for our email updates, and we’ll send you a note when it is ready!

Sweater patterns that are adorable on Baby and Momma:

 When I finish a cardigan or buttony cowl (or anything that needs a button really) I can’t wait to head downtown and pick out my buttons. Will I choose something simple and make the knitting the star? Or maybe something that boldly stands out to have the knitting showcase a fabulous button. A button can change the whole feel of a sweater or scarf, transforming it into something new! Vancouver Knitters are just so lucky to have a cute little shop just for their buttony needs. Button Button is the place to be for buttons in Vancouver.

Having recently finished a few items in need of buttons I sent Hunter out with Grandpa and Jones and I headed down to Button Button. Toddlers, babies, and scores of buttons don’t mix well so it had been a while since I had the pleasure of visiting Button Button. It was just as I remembered, but with even more buttons!Looking around the room at all the tubes, bowls, drawers, divided trays, and buckets full to the brim with buttons I was so excited to find the perfect ones for my sweaters….and probably a few more for the button stash.

I laid out the 2 cardigans I was picking buttons for and started my search. Soon I had Colleen, owner and expert button curator, making suggestions and searching for the right number of buttons. I don’t know if she ever takes a day off but she has been in the shop every time I’ve been there, always eager to pull that perfect button from way in the back or hidden in a drawer, or really right out in the open. It’s amazing how a button can transform a knit!

Take the Antler Cardigan for example. Knit in a neutral ecru with matching antler buttons it’s an earthy and timeless sweater. Choose a bold orangey red and some bright white buttons and you’ve got something a little less sophisticated but a lot more fun. Lastly I knit the tiny little Antler sweater below for Jones and the mismatching buttons add a touch of whimsy to an otherwise simple cardigan. What’s in a button you ask? Sometimes it’s everything!

I also increased the button stash by a few while I was there. A few fabric covered buttons, some wood, and a magnificent little $2 bag of colorful buttons, just the sort of thing for a rainy button day. Do you have a button stash? Tell us all about it!

More Buttony Knits: