Unwind Brighton

In recent and exciting news, my design 'Salt Air' has been shortlisted for the Unwind Brighton Design Competition! The entries have been narrowed down to seven and I'm lucky to be alongside six other gorgeous knits. 

Vote Here for 'Salt Air' by Fiona Alice. 

This scarf is a compilation of fond memories from my first trip to England.  I remember discovering delicious teahouses and being mesmerized by the lace collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum. I have chosen a favourite lace pattern, English Mesh Lace and have paired it with two very aptly named colours from Madelinetosh, Earl Grey and Well Water. I am venturing to England again and I hope this piece will also reflect my summer to come. This delicate and lightweight scarf is an ideal accessory for layering with summer outfits. It is a perfect portable knit to take on an oceanside adventure accompanied by that perfect cup of tea

This infinity scarf is knit with Madelinetosh's Tosh Merino Light. Finishing touches include a wee bit of crochet and seven dainty buttons. The longer version could be unbuttoned and worn as a scarf. 

My pattern even includes a smaller cowl version. I used Astrid Grey and Nectar for this sample.   

If this design is the winner it will be published in Unwind's programme. It will later be made available through Ravelry for free. Thank you for your support and votes! 

Laura's Dream

I made this shawl over the long Easter weekend. The body of the shawl is from a favourite pattern, Mountain Moss Shawl by Beth Kling. With spring just around the corner, I decided to switched up the lace trim and used Eye-Spot Ending from one of Barbara G. Walker's KnittingTreasuries.

I used up a small portion of my Madelinetosh stash. I picked Opaline and Astrid Grey in Tosh Merino Light. This shawl will be donated to Laura's Dream, an event to help raise money and awareness about Metachromatic Leukodystrophy. This event will take place on June 7th, at Brewster Bar & Grill in Bedford this year. 

Here is a quick peek at the before and after blocking process. Blocking knitwear can be a tedious and annoying part of the finishing process. Yet this step always adds a professional finish to each piece. Not only did this shawl grow in size, but it is also softer and drapes beautifully after being washed and stretched. 

This shawl with be a hard piece to part with. I hope whoever takes it home from Laura's Dream will enjoy it immensely. 

Knitco and Other News

Last night I was invited to speak to members of The Nova Scotia Knitting and Cocoa Society (Knitco for short) who meet once a month in Halifax. I was lucky to join the group for an evening of show & tell. I also talked about how I got started at knitting, my education at NSCAD and the Glasgow School of Art and what I'm designing today. It was great to connect with other enthusiastic knitters as well as reconnect with some familiar faces who I see often at the yarn store where I work. Thanks for having me Knitco and for the sweet thank-you card! How did you know I am a cat person? 

In other news, I'm only offering two knitting courses at The Nova Scotia Center of Craft and Design this spring session. Learn to Knit and Knit Cables are both scheduled for May. In the cable class we will be knitting my pattern, Baby's First Cabled Toque, a perfect opportunity to learn about circular needles and how to cable.

I'm also changing up my blog a wee bit. Instead of blogging through Tumblr, I'll be blogging here. I'll still keep my Tumblr account and use it to share photos. However, for behind the scenes, rants, and rambles you can find them here at fionaalice.com or even subscribe and receive updates by e-mail!