I made these mittens just for me. It's been a hectic few months, and with over thirty pairs stitched and sent to others, I thought I'd treat myself to a set of rusty orange wool mittens. They're adorned with simple bows of faded blue, and made with that thick (we're talking windproof, waterproof, radioactive sewage proof kind of thick) Canadian wool I bought at the fair in September.

They'll make the cutest little christmas tree ornaments.

This double breasted baby coat is made with a fair-trade blend of wool and baby bamboo. It's sized for a one - two year old, and each is knitted custom to order.

This panel, inspired by love and laundry, is a special order on it's way to NY.

Three months behind schedule, but better late than never. Happy birthday pudding

Who says gift exchanges have to be about chocolate, booze, and snowman shaped salt and pepper shakers?

I picked up some bargain vintage pattern books this weekend. One, called Canadiana, piqued my interests with its delightful cardigan patterns that made me want to revisit my no-knitting-grown-up-clothes policy. The other was full hats, and I'm tempted to make a few, if only for the giggle factor.

I knitted up this chunky navy scarf to match a new heather grey coat I bought when I was traveling last month. It's made of merino wool, with a seed stitch pattern and tasseled ends.

I spent a few days last week in Berlin. During my short stay, I fell head over heels for Wolfen, a knitwear designer based in the city. Their adorable shop is located Auguststraße. It has a sparse and naked charm; the disarming kind of space where you feel perfectly confident in signing away your life's savings with the swipe of a credit card.

visit Wolfen

I've just dropped off a pile of mittens at the fantastic VICTOIRE!! It's been a long road to October, but I'm very pleased that the first round of anchors and arrows are nestled on their adorable shelves now! The keys and foxes sets will be available early next month. Until then, please enjoy the cuteness that is this spaniel.

With just one set of mittens to go, I'm finally getting to stitching together linings that promise to keep the cold air out this winter. Sewing is not my specialty - tips and tricks would be well appreciated.

This is second set of mittens I've spun up for sale this fall. They're made with eco-friendly wool and are embroidered especially for lovers of sailing, stripes, and burly men in uniform.

to katrina,

they're on the way

regards,

natalie

I'm wrapping up work on a collection of mittens for sale this fall! These key mittens come in brown, beige, black, red, and navy. It's one of four pattens I've been prepping. More to come....

denim mittens?

good idea or bad idea?

made in Canada

I spent the weekend at a county fair an hour’s drive east of Montreal. Amidst the animals, preserves, handicrafts, and everything else that gives a fair its charms, I came across a couple selling home-grown, hand-dyed, hand-spun sheep’s wool. I picked out five beautifully coloured skeins of thick and sturdy yarn from Hatley, QC. This material feels and smells more hearty and natural than any fibre I’ve worked with, and I’m delighted to be adding local wools to my collection.

more knit abuse

knit abuse

Some things are better left un-knitted.

vacation

I'm midway through my summer vacation. It's one week without wake-up calls, set meal times, or deadlines to cloud my schedule. It's also a time designated to suss out new craft ideas, and while I've taken to spending long hours in the sitting room with my nose stuck in a book, I've been devoting equal time to planning new knitting creations.

cross-stitch heaven

I thieved the idea for these wall decorations from the most amazing sweet nothings necklaces designed by In God We Trust. It started as a gift idea, but cross-stitching has quickly become my new obsession. Hankies, dishcloths, doilies - the possibilities are endless. I could happily spend the rest of summer on the porch, cradled in a rocking chair, with my stitching and a cup of tea. Bring on the golden years.

arrows, arrows, arrows

he who holds the key, can unlock my heart

Navy and beige key mittens, also available for sale this fall. For pre-season orders, contact factorybynatalie@gmail.com

all aboard!

Everybody loves a sailor. Here are freshly knitted navy sailor mittens, handemboidered with grey anchors and cream ropes. The thick Peruvian wool will keep your hands warm when your love is out to sea.

thunder and lightning

As the thunderclouds roll over the city and the weather turns afoul, I've been busy wrapping-up a few long-overdue projects that were crowding my knitting basket. I've added red fox mittens, navy key mittens, and navy anchor mittens to my inventory, sold off my remaining cafe latte-coulored baby jacket, and spent a good hour and a half documenting my progress in a latenight photo-taking frenzy. Here are some of the photos

These foxy red and beige mittens are handmade with 100% natural Peruvian wool. They're perfect for keeping small hands warm and cozy, and will be available for sale this fall.

why I love summer

Reason # 28: I spent the weekend out of the city, on a hot sliver of beach an hour west of the capital. I looked a little funny sitting knitting away with my toes hanging over the edge of the dock, but I made two mittens in two days and still managed to toast my whitewashed complexion to a happy shade of caramel.

unravelled

It's a terrible feeling to know that you've made a mistake. The sickening realization that sometime was wrong, desperately wrong, hit me just as I was tying in the last loose end of a project I've been putting together for a friend. Three weeks, four skeins of wool, one giant sigh of relief, and then I noticed the space I had left for the baby's face was about the size of a tennis ball. Thankfully, it was an oversight made during the very final stages of hood construction, and thus rectifiable with relatively minimum effort. But when you knit, it's one continuous strand being twisted, looped, and hooked around itself, and the only way to go back is to tug on that beautiful string and watch your world unravel.

I wish I had a kitten who would have made this process boatloads more adorable.

cupcake patrol

I baked these chocolate cupcakes for a colleague's birthday - topped with vanilla icing, toffee sprinkles, chocolate drizzles and half a local-grown strawberry. The batch made two full trays (far too many for our quaint office staff). Fortunately I had all these friends to help me finish them.

More foxy mittens, knitted with eco-friendly Peruvian wool in brown, black, beige, and navy. Also available in red.

she's a fox

100% natural Peruvian wool, hand embroidered, handled with care