There are many reasons I enjoy working for SweetGeorgia: learning new technology, being involved in the fibre arts community, seeing sneak peaks of new yarn colourways, and hoarding mountains of yarn! But, one of the best things I have found about being a part of this company is the positive environment. As Felicia has mentioned in a previous blog post, every month there is a “Food Challenge” where each staff member brings a dish to a potluck based on a certain theme. Another activity I enjoy is our SweetGeorgia staff knit-alongs. A handful of our employees will decide on a pattern or theme and then we will post pictures in our Slack channel or get together each Friday to take progress photos. I’ve found these KALs to be a great motivator to set aside time each day for knitting and to be creative in order to use up some of my stash yarn.
In the summer, we chose the Birds of a Feather shawl. In the fall, we participated in SweetGeorgia’s first mystery knit-along with the Cederburg shawl. But what to do about November? It was going to be an odd month jammed between the excitement of the MKAL and the launch of the SweetGeorgia Advent Calendar on December 1st, not to mention that it had to be a theme that would fit in with everyone’s Christmas knitting plans. It was ultimately decided that toques would be the perfect fit for our odd in-between month. (For our non-Canadian readers, a toque is a hat or beanie! Cute eh?) Misty decreed that this epic hat making month would be known as #toquegether. Here are some of our finished projects from that month.
I’ve always admired my co-worker Charlotte for her ability to churn out projects at an insane speed, her friendly nature, and her acts of charity. For #toquegether, Charlotte knit Lighthouse hats for her church to be given to the less fortunate. I am hopeful that the bright, cheerful colours and the love in which they were crafted will bring some warmth and comfort to those in need this holiday season.
My co-worker Brigid is our Customer Care Associate & Administrative Assistant at our studio and I can’t think of a better person for the job. She is bubbly, outgoing, and always has a smile on her face. She knit 2 matching toques for her nephews using our Superwash Sport in Marine and our November 2017 club yarn, Wobble. I love how the striking and fun colours of Wobble are highlighted by pairing it with a navy blue. Brigid has finished these hats off with adorable pompoms on top to make it the perfect winter hat.
The first hats I knit for #toquegether were a couple of Barley hats for my nephews. I have knit this pattern a few times before, but I always find myself coming back to it due to its simplicity and charm. I used Tough Love Sock held double which created a cool marled effect. The first hat I knit I used Island Time, a sock club yarn I’d had in my stash since 2015! For the second hat, I used some Mint Julep and Deep Cove that had been hanging about. I whipped these two bad boys up in no time and topped them off with pompoms. I think these hats were a success as, when I gave them to my nephews, they promptly put them on and then started running around the house like maniacs.
The last hat I knit was a special gift for my family doctor. As I’ve talked about before, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in December of 2016. This chronic illness means lots and lots of doctor visits and, at the time of diagnosis, I had no family doctor. Luckily, my husband was able to find me a female doctor who was accepting patients in January of 2017. She has been an amazing support for me this past year so I wanted to show her how much I appreciated her. I knit her a Corduroy Road hat using our Mohair Silk DK in Magician since I noticed that she always liked wearing shades of purple. On a recent appointment, I shyly handed her the hat and thanked her for her support and care. Her face lit up and she gave me a big bear hug. I can’t put into words how essential her support has been in my recovery so I’m thankful I had my knitting to speak for me.
Interestingly, all of our toques are trying to communicate one message: “I care about you”. Be it family members, associates, or even complete strangers, each project was crafted with love in the hopes that that feeling would reach whomever is wearing it. I hope that you have enjoyed your gift knitting this winter and are surrounded with love and warmth this holiday season!
— Leah
We Want to See Your Instagram Pics!
Have you knit any toques this winter using SweetGeorgia yarns? Please use the hashtags #sweetgeorgiayarns and #toquegether so we can find your projects!
