Mrs Petersson Knits

Summer of workshops

2011-07-30T10:44:00.009+02:00

This year it has been a bit of a working holiday. I have been involved in three very different workshops, and I just love spreading the word about crafts!

The first was on the 19th of June. There was a large youth festival in town with musicians and artists from all over Sweden. This was the final round of a festival that had toured the country and the best acts had qualified for this final meet. Someone on the organizing committee had gotten the idea to have guerilla knitting as one of the workshops. I somehow volunteered and had one weeks notice to do something. I bought bags of bright yarn, collected needles and made a file of great examples on knit graffiti from the internet. On the big day the room, a nice café, was filled with about 30 teens and I asked if anyone could knit. No. OK, look at these pictures, knitting is cool, let me get you started. And they all went to work. Most had knitted once or twice during the compulsory craft lessons in school, and a couple did crochet or finger knitted long strips. After the class I sewed the knitted pieces together to make a long scarf, but I left it to be used at an event the following day and don't know what has become of it.

The week after this it was time for Midsummer, and I help out at a large celebration at the local outdoor museum. Since 2005 me and one other lady have helped visitors to make flower wreaths to wear as they dance around the maypole and celebrate summer. I spend a few hours in the morning picking wild flowers and birch and blueberry twigs. Then we get a couple of long tables out and supply thread and scissors and help for 3-4 hours. I always start out by making demo wreaths for my own children. This is the on my daughter got this year.

Finally last weekend I had to forsake two spinning events because I had promised to host a day of wool at the craft society. I brought samples of different kinds of wool, my yarn and equipment and a pile of woolen shawls. The other lady who worked there brought more knitting and some felted objects. We also showed some tunisian crochet (krokning) and nålbindning. The room was a bit dark, so I photographed my stuff when I got back home instead.

I can do it!

2011-05-01T16:18:00.009+02:00

It's been a while since my last blog post, for many reasons. On of them is that I have been busy learning new skills, and now I have come out the other end of the tunnel and I can call myself a spinner! Today I made my first three ply yarn. It is also the first time I have worked with raw fleece that I have washed and hand carded. It is also my first effect yarn with added goodies. Finally it is the first yarn I make on a spinning wheel, if I don't count the three samples that I will never be able to use.

Let's go back a few steps... In November last year I got my first spinning wheel. It was very old, green and didn't work very well. I then took care of two more old wheels in need of care, but none of them are in order yet. I think that will be a summer project so I can take them apart, clean, grease and straighten them up outdoors. Meanwhile I stumbled across a local girl who had bought a Kromski Prelude last year and decided to sell it again. I got it at a good price and finally had something that worked. I soon realized that my preferences lie towards thin yarns and I fond a dealer, Den Gamla Skolan, who had a faster flyer and extra bobbins. She also had the clever idea to use inexpensive raw fleece to fill the parcel up, and that is how I ended up with 600g of very smelly Gotland wool. This is what it looked like after washing:

After a couple of days of hand carding and spinning I finally had my three bobbins of thread, but before I could ply it I had to figure out where to place the third bobbin since the Prelude only holds two. I asked MrP for suggestions and he said flower support sticks. I actually found one that was just right and then put it between my knees, and it worked perfectly!

When I got my first, green spinning wheel the owner tried to make me take a lot of other stuff, and I came home with a skein winder that I didn't know anything about. I later learned that it is a 'knäpphärvel' and it is just brilliant. It is supposed to make a snapping sound after a certain number of turns, but mine only has a clock-like hand that turns slowly and I still have to count the number of threads in the skein and them multiply that with the circumference of 1.5 m.

Did you see the lamb that just happened to be in the in the background? My son got it at his christening and it is actually a Gotland sheep!

Finally the yarn! I still have some wool left, but so far it is 280g and actually about 280m. I think I have almost 200g for next session. To the wool I have added hand dyed Tencel from Ullaffären (The Wool Business) that I visited last Wednesday. All about that visit can be found in the group Långbacken on Ravelry, so I won't write that here (but the lambs are gorgeous...).

My own spin camp

2010-08-09T10:17:00.007+02:00

Last week Mr P went back to work and I will be at home with the children until school starts. They are quite low in maintenance by now, so I started on a project of my own. After a feeble attempt two years ago it was time do do something about my desire to spin. There was a bag of beginners material in the wardrobe since last time waiting to be spun. Working a couple of hours every day for a week it has now become yarn:

The skeins were spun in the order that they lie in the box, from left to right. No1 is 50g of grey Gotland wool, also known as pälsull. This was easy to work with, but the yarn is a bit stiff. No2 is 100g of brown BFL (Blue faced Leicester). The BFL was soft and bouncy, but harder to control. No3 is 25g of black merino, which was soft and nice to spin but practising chain plying (Navajo) I overplied it. I am thinking of removing some of the twist. No4 finally is 25g of pencil roving in various shades of blue. This was fun to work with and the chain plying worked better this time.

However, this was just the warm up. For the second week of my spin camp there is 1.400g of alpaca waiting for me! Last time I caught the spinning bug I was at a fair showing my knitting and sharing the room with an alpaca breeder. On June 4th this year I gave her a call and asked if she had any wool for me. It turned out that she had sheared her little herd of ten animals before summer and she had three bags of wool left; brown, white and mixed. I bought the mixed bag and it came from the lovely Minita Miniy who was grazing in the paddock waiting for her new foal that was born the following week.

I hope I can do this wool justice, but this time I have to practice some carding as well. My goal is to make myself a cardigan and get some speed and productivity in my spinning. Wish me luck!

Dying at the Symposium

2010-07-26T11:14:00.005+02:00

One of the themes for the classes at the symposium was colour and dying your own yarn was part ot that theme. The most interesting technique was perhaps the use of mushrooms, but the group was full when I registered. Here is a picture of their results:

Since I had never done any dying before and new challenges draw me in I chose two other dying classes, both using acidic dyes. This means there are very few chemicals involved besides the pigment and vinegar. On Monday afternoon we heated water in large pots and made solid colours. The recipes where a bit tricky, but at the end of the day I think I knew the mathematical system. I had to do a lot of calculations because I wanted my heather pink to have different shades so I could make a gradual change across a sweater.

On the last day I went back to the dying, but this time we painted the skeins by hand and set the colours in the microwave oven. This was more fun, but the results were perhaps harder to control for us beginners. I didn't really have a plan, but I wanted the yarns to look good when knitted and not only on the skeins. Therefore I used soft colour changes and for two of the skeins I made very short sections while the last was half and half in pale red and blue.

The green and pink became my homecoming presents for the children. During the past week we have been travelling a bit and their new hats fitted nicely in a small knitting bag. We are going to decorate them later, probably with applications...

Nordiskt Sticksymposium 2010 - Wednesday

2010-07-13T11:58:00.008+02:00

Last week was so amazing that I had to rest for a couple of days to be able to process it and start writing. It was spent with 140 knitters in Härnösand at the 11th Nordic Knitting Symposium and I'm sure we are all bursting with impressions, inspiration, patterns , yarns and new skills. I will divide my recollections in themes and start with the hot and busy excursion to northern Hälsingland last Wednesday. That was also the first day when I remembered to bring the camera, because I slept at home and not at the school.

The first stop was at the Holma-Helsingland linen mill in Forsa. Since there were so many of us we were divided into groups and I started out in the workroom of a conservationist working with wall paintings and old wallpaper. The painted walls are very special in this region and we saw some on location later in the day.

Next I joined a tour of the mill guided by the owner herself. She took us through the steps of processing the yarn. Almost all the yarn is spun on the continent, but here it is dyed on cones as showed on the first picture. Then it is plied into the required thicknesses. The only yarn that is spun here at the moment is their only woolen yarn Lovikka, a heavy 1-ply used for traditional mittens from northern Sweden, which is skeined in the third picture. After the tour it was time to squeeze into the shop and grab some yarn...

After this stop the group was divided in two and sent to look at local museums with traditional houses in Forsa and Delsbo. These pictures show the 300-400-year-old wooden farmhouses in Delsbo and a group of tired travellers stealing a few minutes to knit in the shade.

The next stop was at Forsa folkhögskola, where Håkan Liby lectured on the traditional costumes of the region. Last but not least we went to Mellanfjärden by the coast where we had a selection of local fish dishes for dinner overlooking an old fishing village turned turist paradise.

The main knitting themes during the day were linen yarns and traditional sweaters, but they deserve their own posts because they were also an important part of the classes and lecures throughout the symposium.

Knitting fever

2010-04-26T15:02:00.006+02:00

Today I have been home alone with a stubborn cold. Somehow it is not so bad being ill when you can knit, and today it was actually quite nice. Just days before that volcano erupted I ordered a few things from overseas, and today the first item finally arrived. Prjónaperlur is a book about all the facets of the current knitting fever in Iceland. Women of, literally, all ages present their own patterns and there are classics next to crazy and childish. The patterns are a bit too easy for my taste, but there are a few gems. I just finished reading the presentations and thoughts between the patterns and it warmed my heart almost as much as my own fever. Being half Icelandic I like those moments when I feel part of that community and the book really sucked me in. It will soon be published in English and there is a part two in the making, so if you have an interest in the culture of knitting or a love of Icelandic wool I can recommend it. It is small but has a soul.

Before the post arrived I finished the first project from the huge stash of Icelandic Einband (1-ply) that I brought home last October. It is the fabulous Faux Russian Stole from the book A Gathering of Lace. The yarn only lasted 180 of the 185 cm needed so the last centimetres are slightly paler, but it is like one of the mottoes from Prjónaperlur says: "There has to be a mistake in each project, because then you can see that it is handmade". This is especially true if the result is as amazing as this. This is lace in garter stitch, which I had never made before, and it is actually easier than it looks but requires a lot of patience. Most of it was made during the Christmas holiday, but the problem with the yarn made me wait with the finishing until I had convinced myself how to deal with it.

And a detail...

Sweets

2010-04-05T09:31:00.005+02:00

Last summer I found that I had three shawls named after drinks and this Easter I seem to be into sweets. The first yarn is named Dubbelnogat and it is a tasty, shiny silk. The yarn is from a small collection of hand dyed silk from Färgkraft, where they usually dye lovely, thin woolen yarns in unexpected colourways. I spotted this yarn last summer at Cina's garn and hinted to Mr P that if no one else had bought it by Christmas I wouldn't mind taking care of it. I got two 400m skeins to wrap myself in and after a lot of dreaming about the result it is finally on its way. It is interesting to see what happens to the mix of colours when you start working with a yarn that is hand dyed, so I took pictures of the process from skein to swatch.

The yarn is actually very shiny in silver, gold and bronze but the pictures were too bright for the screen. The pattern is Tuscany by Amy R. Singer from her book No Sheep for You. This pattern is made for silk and suits the drape of the yarn and the pattern works with the colours. The first swatch is on 4mm needles (right) but it was too loose and 3,5mm (left) works much better, I will just have to add som extra repeats at the end.

Another sweet project is the Madli's Shawl by Nancy Bush from Knitted Lace of Estonia. This yarn is Nef Lace from Fyberspates in Toffee Chocolate. I made most of this on my trip to Iceland last year. Short wooden needles worked well on the plane. The yarn is extremely soft and the pattern isn't very well defined so I am not quite sure if I will follow this through to the end

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T10:14:00.009+02:00

This is how we decorate for Easter. The children have filled the plant with coloured feathers, crocheted ornaments from my grand-mother and and new things they have made in school. I put som twigs in a vase in the kitchen like you are supposed to, but they still have no leaves so this is more fun. We use the same plant as a Christmas tree with lights and everything...

We also have a basket of large paper eggs filled with candy, but one of the eggs was also a bit untraditional this year. Two relatives celebrated their birthdays recently so instead of donating money to the postal system we exchange gifts when we meet for the holidays. The egg contained a set with a small bag a top for a four-year-old and socks for her mother.

The orange set is from a DMC crochet kit for beginners. A friend of mine sold the kits in her yarn store, but this one remained unsold. I thought about buying it for my daughter and ended up getting it for free. I didn't start making it until my daugther was too big, so it went to her cousin instead. There is some yarn left, so I will probably make another bag so they can match their outfits. The yarn is called Senso and is of great quality, as you would expect from DMC.

The socks are a beautiful design from the book Sock innovation by Cookie A. called Wanida. It is one of those great patterns that look simple but is quite intricate when you take a closer look. The stripes become more subtle when they are stretched out on the foot but they are also lined with borders of lacey holes. The yarn is Austerman Step, which is usually too stripey for patterned socks but this purple and blue (132) is calmer.

All about my girl

2009-12-19T17:02:00.007+01:00

In my last post I wrote about who inspired and full of energy I felt. A short time after that I slipped and fell badly. After that I could hardly sit for two weeks and lets just say that one part of my body has suffered a permanent dent. Knitting came to a halt, but now I'm back in the game again.

Some projects at this time of year have to wait another week to be revealed here, but I will ad them to Ravelry where my family can't see them. Instead I will focus on some stuff that my daughter has gotten this year. Starting with the most recent project: she got an icelandic dress for her birthday two weeks ago. The pattern is really cute (Teikn from Lopi 28 by Ístex), but what won me over was the yarn. Létt-Lopi colour 1408 is a bright and happy pink and when I saw it on the shelf there was no way to resist it.

Next up are a couple of socks that she picked the yarn for. The pattern is a modified version of Serpentine socks from Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson. In the book they are made from a thicker yarn and the pattern repeat has more rows, but I made them for a 7-year-old and scaled it down and used Regia sock yarn.

Last here, but knitted first, is this sweater that she wore on the last day of school in June. The yarn is Rowan Damask in the colour Lava. The design is from Rowan´s The Organic Cotton Collection and its name is Cherry Pie, which suits the colour very well. This was truly a last minute effort. I literally ran to the school to put on the sweater over her white lace dress only minutes before the program started. What caused the problem was my firm crochet, which made the edges to small and the sewing a nightmare. After redoing it a couple of times I finally got it together.

Positive thinking

2009-10-29T13:54:00.003+01:00

Dark evenings, grey weather and too much to do... Time for some positive thinking inspired by dear Maria, who has given me a prize.

She asked me to list ten things about myself, and I will list ten things that are good in my life right now:
1. My husband turned 40 last week, and his vest is almost done. Hope to post pics this weekend.
2. My son was 5 the same day, and he is so wonderful. The confidence they have at that age.
3. My daughter who is the perfect person to knit for, style concious, grateful and very small!
4. I actually like the garden when it is getting to rest, the last phase in the changes over the year with great, earthy colours.
5. The yarn stash is in excellent shape, and I feel quite content to draw my knitting inspiration from it for a while.
6. Apart from the vest there are a number of projects that are close to finishing, and since we plan to redecorate my study as soon as I get through the piles of stuff in there I am well motivated to do something about my UFOs.
7. I have a job that gives me energy and I look forward to getting there every morning.
8. I can't believe how lucky I am to be surrounded my so many wonderful people; friends, colleagues and relatives.
9. I am preparing a knitting café about new techniques for cabling on november 19th, and there is just so much we could do but we only have two hours.
10. In a few weeks MrP and I celebrate that it has been ten years since our first date. Amazingly enough I just won a lottery and got a dinner for two at the restaurant where we had our wedding dinner.

I think this just boosted my energy, so back to that pile of UFOs!

Icelandic shopping

2009-10-12T19:59:00.005+02:00

Under a bed in my house there are two big boxes. One is filled with knitted items like shawls, vests and sweaters. The other holds lopi and létt-lopi and some lace yarn. I also have some hand made yarn and buttons from Ullarselid as well an embroidery kit and some of their products made from rabbit wool. So what do I really need to buy? Anything I don't have of course!

There has been some great pattern books coming out in Iceland since my last visit in 2003. Védis Jónsdóttir is a designer who has envigorated the traditional woolen sweaters with a line of booklets from Istex, the leading yarn company. I'm especially glad to get a hold of her patterns for garments in lace yarn, einband. Another favourite is the new book on mittens Hlýjar hendur that is currently the third best selling book, all categories included, in the largest chain if Icelandic book stores.

When it comes to buying yarn there is a limit to what a suitcase can hold. To get the most out of the trip I decided to focus on einband, the lace yarn. I got all the natural wool colours and a few balls each of white, brown and natural black. The large skeins at the back are dyed with herbs in a beautiful, dark green. I also wanted som red, which I found at the Álafoss store where we made a quick stop. There I also couldn't resist getting some unspun, green yarn that will look great with the natural brown in my stash. My brothers got some blankets, and somehow managed to get them into their small bags for the trip home. I had of course planned ahead and brought a half empty, big suitcase.

After reading all my new books I got an idea for a Christmas present and got some more yarn at a supermarket, but that has to remain a secret...

Icelandic wool

2009-10-11T14:15:00.006+02:00

I went to Iceland last week, and although I was there on other business I managed to squeeze in some wool. My cousin owns some 170 sheep and the week before they had been brought down from the mountains were they graze freely during the summer. The farmers still go out on horseback for several days to collect them, but they use airplanes to locate the sheep. Then the sheep are brought to a place where they are held in a circular enclosement and then separated into smaller pens, one for each farm, as seen in the picture. These days they don't have to herd them the last kilometres to the farm, but load them on trailers. After the sheep have been brought home the lambs are slaughtered before the remaining sheep are put in a barn for the winter.

Later that day we went to a local shop where people with an interest in crafts in the western parts of Iceland sell a selection of high quality products. It is called Ullarselid and was started in 1992 on the grounds of the university of agriculture at Hvanneyri. The products are mostly made from wool, but there are also buttons made from bone and horn, stones and other souvenirs. The following three pictures show some of their hand spun or herb dyed yarn, sweaters designed for the hand spun yarn and their special take on the traditional Icelandic sweaters with a patterned yoke.

I made my not so interested brothers come along, and here is what they bought: socks, mittens, a hat and some felted soles. Not as expensive as the larger items but still great quality and perfect gifts to bring home. What I bought? You will see in the next post...

Modern lace

2009-08-12T12:51:00.005+02:00

As you might have guessed by now I've made a few shawls this summer. I blocked six last week and here are the final three.

First up is one that I started to have a nice looking lace project when I represented knitting at a craft exhibition in May. I started out using Morjärv 2-ply, which was far too bulky. Soon after I started on Madli's scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia in Pälsull by Östergötlands ullspinneri, but the lace lacked definition.

Combining the pattern from the shawl to the left with the yarn on the right worked much better. The pattern is Vernal Equinox by Lankakomero. It is a laced up version of the Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi shawl (the number of stitches is dubbled at certain intervals). After a while there are just too many stitches and it was a bit of a struggle to finish it when the top measured 170 cm. I didn't pin out the lace properly because by then I couldn't be bothered, but it still looks OK.

The next shawl was much more fun. I might even make it again since I was a bit cheap and only bought one skein of Noro Kureyon sock in colour 95 and it is more like a scarf than a shawl. I usually don't like the finish of entrelac patterns, but here it is perfect for the pattern and the rustic character of this yarn only makes it better. The pattern is called Dianna and can be downloaded for free on Ravelry.

My final project from the blocking session isn't lace but a very clever garter stitch scarf that was mostly knitted in the car. I made a similar scarf in stockinette a few years ago and it is so practical. This version is called Baktus. The yarn is Hjerte sock 4 and the colours behaved quite well with just enough pooling.

Icelandic lace again

2009-08-11T14:38:00.006+02:00

I blocked a few shawls last week and two of them are from Thríhyrnur og langsjöl, my Icelandic lace book. The first one is my second attempt at Thríhyrna, the cover design. The first version was too tight and small. This time it is too loose and airy, we'll see if I give it a third try some day. The yarn is red Pälsull by Östergötlands ullspinneri and needles 4mm.

The second shawl was truly all about the process. I bought three balls of the sock yarn Raggi mini by Järbo at the supermarket. With each ball I tried a different pattern. Two were then frogged and only the third was finished. The patterns I didn't choose in the end were Lily of the Valley Scarf from Knitted Lace of Estonia, because the pattern didn't show well and it was too bulky, and Ripple from Knitty, a great design but the edging didn't work in this yarn.

The one I chose to finish is Langsjalid Bárur (waves). It is big, soft and the stripes become great waves and are much easier to knit than using 6 colours like the original.

Estonian lace

2009-08-10T13:51:00.005+02:00

This blog was started two years ago when I last visited Tallinn, Estonia. Therefore it is quite fitting that I relaunch after half a year of neglect with another visit to Tallinn. A couple of weeks ago my family and some of our relatives went on a four night cruise on the Baltic Sea. One of the stops was Tallinn and of course we did some knitting related shopping. This is what my kids fell for:

Personally I prefer patterns and yarn, and this time I found a really good selection of books but no yarn that had my name on it. Since my last expedition to the book stores of Estonia several new titles on various traditional crafts had been published. One stood out from the rest and it is one of the best knitting books I have ever seen, even though I can't read the language. (The key to the charts is also given in English.) That is high praise from someone who has collected knitting books for 20 years. The book is Haapsalu sall and it is a collection of lace patterns used for making the superb Haapsalu shawls. These shawls were hand knitted in the seaside resort of Haapsalu where the elite of the Russian empire spent their holidays 100 years ago. The patterns are still very much alive and the shawls are still used as gifts to foreign dignitaries visiting Estonia. Regular turists to Tallinn, like me, will have a hard time finding any but now we can make our own.

I have started out with a sampler with some of my favourite patterns. The yarn is regular Estonian 2-ply that I bought on my last visit. The patterns should be made from much finer yarn, but this is what I had at hand. The shawl was just improvised until I ran out of yarn and then the second edging, which I had knitted earlier, was grafted on. I will post more detailed pictures on Ravelry.

Snow!

2009-02-10T18:24:00.004+01:00

We have had snow since November, but this weekend we got an extra foot of it. Right now it looks like a postcard outside with fresh snow and the days getting long enough to last until we get home in the afternoon. Nice to be able to take pictures outside on a weekday!

To the left the 4-y-o in his We Call Them Pirates hat. The yarn is merino that I got in Estonia last summer. I sewed his name onto the inside of the linig, and he is so proud of the hat that takes it of to show that detail to people. To the right is the 7-y-o in her new Kari/Ola mittens. The pattern comes from a Norwegian book by Lillill Thuve. The yarn is Garnstudio Karisma. I made a pair in Dale Heilo when she was two, and she loved them, but this pair has not been accepted yet.

All for me

2009-02-09T09:01:00.003+01:00

Don't get me wrong, I love being generous and practical and knitting for my family. Lately I have been stressed out and knitting for relaxation, and then I find that gorgeous things for me work best.

During the holidays I was obsessed with Vivian Höxbro's Abstract Stole. Now it has been finished as well. The original has squares of 6-7cm, but mine were 8.5cm before felting and 8cm after. This means that since I made the entire length of the pattern but only five out of nine rows it is very long. The other modification I made was to leave tabs along the lower edge only, instead of the original random pattern. The ends are knitted into the following row as you go along, so there was little finishing. I felted it by washing it in the mashine accompanied with a pair of jeans. I would have liked it to felt more, but since the colours felted very differently I decided to leave it as it is. The pink felted best, but the yellow and orange hardly felted at all. That is the risk with herbal dyes I guess. Thanks mum for the yarn, and for modelling!

I admit that the I have not yet worn the stole myself. It is a bit demanding. The next shawl has been worn for a few days, and I was even stopped by a stranger at the bus stop who liked it. First she wanted to know were I had bought it (knitted it last week...) then she asked for the pattern (Icelandic lace book...) but I could give her the name of the yarn shop (Garnkorgen). I have also promised to translate the pattern for a colleague who has already "copied" the other two scarves I have used this winter. The pattern is called Hyrna Herborgar and I made a smaller version in pale pink before Christmas. This time I used Kauni yarn and 4.5mm needles for a more practical version. I love the way the stripes turned out, I only knew that I wanted the dark purple at the center, but then the purple returned just in time for the edge pattern.

Finally my new pair of Knotty gloves. Knitting these on a long circular needle only took a few nights. They look and feel great, and the purple goes well with my new shawl. The yarn is Ranco multi by Auracania, and it is new favourite. It is not only soft and beautiful, but also seems durable and I have half the skein left.

Three little projects

2009-01-13T16:09:00.003+01:00

Three big projects await blocking, so of course I leave them and work on three small ones instead. First up is one that is finished, and does not need blocking. The last sock of the month of Sockklubben 2008 is off the needles and will be used by my daughter next time she goes skating. The pattern is for an adult, but I subtracted 25% from all numbers and they are just right for a 17 cm foot. They have a twist, in two different directions, and that is why the pattern is called Vortical. The yarn is Tofutsies, a slippery but shiny mix of wool, soysilk, cotton and chitin. The colour is a bit too mixed up for the pattern, but it has the same colours as the original model. I thought about making childrens versions of all the ladies pattern in the club last spring, but this is the first time I got around to it. I will try to do this again, because the kids need more socks than me now.

Still in progress are two winter goodies for me. To the left you can see Knotty gloves in lovely sunset colours in Auracania Ranco. They are a really quick knit on a long circular needle, and I hope I can wear them next week. To the right is a new try at Hyrna Herborgar in a heavier yarn. Garntrollet had the same idea, without me knowing about it until I had decided to make this. Hers is not the same colour as mine, but I hope I will get the same size and look.

Höxbro and yarn

2009-01-04T18:34:00.005+01:00

This knitting addiction is getting worse every day now. This holiday I have knitted what feels like half a blanket, but still the stash is growing...

The blanket is actually a stole, but the yarn is so much thicker than the original Shetland type yarn that it is getting really big. I do not think I will have enough yarn to make the whole width though, and after a spin in the washer to shrink it I will probably have a large scarf. The pattern is from Knit to be square by Vivian Höxbro and it is the reason I got the book. The yarn was bought by my parents a few years ago from a local artisan who had dyed it using herbs, and a lot of them were in the yarn. You know how some woolen yarn has a lot of grass and stuff in it, well multiply that by 20 and you have some idea what my kitchen loooked like after making these balls. It is also rather coarse, but this project is still highly addictive and I have stuck to it most of the holidays.

I first came across Vivian Höxbro, who is Danish, when she taught a class at the Nordic Knitting Symposium in Härnösand in 2002. I had not chosen her class, but I bought some booklets and a kit and tried the techniques from her then new book Domino Knitting when I got home. The kit has not been completed, but now I feel like giving it another try. It is a children's jacket called Lakridskonfekt (Licorice AllSorts) and I made half the back panel before deciding that it required too much concentration.

Vivian has also published Shadow Knitting, and I gave that a go earlier this autumn since it is based on one of the Japanese techniques that I taught in October. I had some idea that I was going to wear this vest it during the course, but it was not done in time and now it awaits new inspiration. It is knitted in stripes, but the texture makes part of the stripes pop out and form another pattern.

Even though I knit a lot, I plan even more and the stash is growing. Here is most of the yarn from the past month, which has been a little exceptional.

First I was waiting around for my family and ended up in Hemslöjden in Härnösand. I restrained myself and only got some material for Sockklubben 2009 (bottom left). The next weekend I rushed through a Christmas market and found some amazing, natural wool from Kristians gård in Delsbo (top left). For a few years I have been on the lookout for cotton that grows in various shades of green and brown, and now I have found a Pakucho yarn from Strik in Denmark that has a few retailers in Sweden and bought some sample skeins. I think I will get more (bottom center). The purple ball will become a larger Hyrna Herborgar shawl for me (top center). Finally my visit to Garnkorgen yesterday also resulted in a lot of lovely red Ranco from Auracania. One skein is variegated and will become gloves and the solid red will become a sweater for me. I was planning to concentrate on practical clothes for me this year, and not buy as much yarn candy...

Blog life

2008-12-22T14:02:00.003+01:00

I confess, I've not been a very social blogger, or knitter, lately. This autumn has been too hectic and it has been hard to find the time and energy. I've worked and studied more than full time while taking care of my family and having an infection that has taken far too much energy. It is good to know that someone is thinking of you at times like these, so I'll try to be a little social now.

I've gotten two blog awards that really warmed my heart. I hope you excuse me if I don't pass them on, but I'm not that good at keeping track of blogs these days, and a lot of the people I do know have already recieved them.

The first one is from my new knitting friend Nata, who joined the local knitting café group this summer. You are an inspirational and fearless knitter!

The second blog award was actually given to me a while ago, but I wasn't writing much then. It's from Knitted Gems, who writes an amazing blog about many creative interests. I'm honored to be on your list of reading.

Finally Maria, who both knits and plays folk music with me but hasn't seen me much lately, has sent me some questions. I will answer them from the knitting pespective...

What are your 8 favourite TV programs?
I prefer knitting in front of:

* All day sports events, like the Olympics or skiing
* A good film that I've seen before
* Whatever the kids watch on a Sunday morning
* House, because I can mostly listen to the dialogue
* Saturday Night Live, keeps me up for late night knitting
* Anything MrP likes, for the company
* Documentaries, so I can learn and knit
* News, like radio on TV

8 things I did yesterday

* Almost finished knitting my daughters dress
* Knitted a few rows on my Sockklubben december sock
* Found a red, knitted doily among the Christmas textiles
* Looked through my new book of Japanese patterns again
* Spent too much time on Ravelry
* Got the laundry done so I can use the room for blocking
* Wore handknitted socks all day
* Bought a new bookcase so I can free some space for more knitting books

8 things I am looking forward to
* Opening all my presents with yarn in them :-)
* Making a sweater from Pakucho colour growing cotton
* Visiting Kristians Gård in Delsbo, and get more of their wool
* Finishing my last sock in this years Sockklubben
* Seeing my daughter in her new, knitted dress
* Making more clothes for myself next year
* Making a blanket from my mothers yarn dyed with herbs
* Going to the knitting café much more next year

8 favourite restaurants
Only go to knitting cafés or take the kids for hamburgers these days...

8 things on my list of wishes
* More Addi circulars, I want them in all sizes
* A set of carding-brushes
* An Icelandic, upright spinning wheel
* A week to finish all UFO:s
* A bigger living room so I can invite all you great knitting friends over
* That the two shawls I sent in the mail arrive safely
* That I get more students for my knitting class this spring
* That my stash doesn't grow but shrink next year

8 people I challenge
I will skip this one for the reasons listed earlier.

Back to last minute knitting!

Hat parade

2008-12-14T19:15:00.004+01:00

With a view like this from the kitchen window, it's easy to get inspired for winter knitting. I love using those single skeins of luxurious yarns for hats, and here are a few examples.

This was so much fun I couldn't put it down, it took three evenings. Short rows and cables in the "wrong" direction makes it look wierd, but the pattern is easy to follow. It comes from Knitty winter 2007 and is called Bloody Stupid Johnson, named after a character in a fantasy book. The yarn is Manos Silk Blend, and it is so good it is almost unreal - soft and a joy to knit. I made one modification, a Japanese cast on for 2x2 rib that is a lot like a tubular cast on and very comfortable. The hat is a little small in height, but it hasn't been blocked yet. Looking forward to using it, and making a scarf to go with it.

This hat is about a month old, and great for tucking in my wet hair after swimming. The pattern is called Frances and comes from The Inside Loop. I used larger needles since I couldn't find the right size and couldn't wait getting started, but the edge is firm and holds it in place because I used both colours from the start. The Fair Isle pattern is cleverly designed using Rowan Tapestry with built in colour changes on a background of Felted Tweed. It was hard to pick a colourway, because they all looked beautiful, but I got some help in the end and like the result.

A few years ago I ordered four skeins from Virtual Yarns, Alice Starmore's online store. They also became a hat, but here the contrast wasn't enough to show off the pattern Stjärnmönstrad mössa by Anita Gunnars.

I wouldn't mind getting more of all these yarns in the future. I feel like I have gotten to know them, and I have hats for half the days of the week...

I have also finished the third of my shawls from the previous post. It is just as wonderful as I thought it would be, but a bit too small for my taste. I will make a good X-mas present for someone, while I plan what yarn I could use to make a larger version for myself.

Lace and drinks

2008-11-04T14:06:00.005+01:00

No, I don't recommend drinking and knitting, especially not lace. When I was preparing to write this post I discovered that all the lace shawls I'm working on have colours named after drinks. The first two are finished, and this is how yummy they looked before blocking:

Let's start with the green one. It is designed by Jane Sowerby and it is a variation on a pattern from her book Victorian Lace. This version appeared in Knitter's Magazine summer 2008. A free version will be on their website, but it isn't up yet. The original is knitted in Zazu by Twisted Sisters in a colour called Blue Curacao, but I'm more familiar with the green version of the drink so I made it in a nameless green lacewool from Fyberspates that is hereby named Green Curacao. As you can see it is very thin and transparent, but the yarn feels strong and when I wrap it around my neck it is warm enough. I like the shawl and it was fun to make, but there is one problem. I knitted it during the Olympics, from opening until the closing cermony. Then it got stuck because the ruffle meant there were 1925 (!) stitches to bind off, and with added picots there were 2053 actual stitches. Then a thread had to be sewn through all the picots for blocking... I don't think I will make more ruffles for a while.

The next drink is Sangria, which tastes very good on a warm Spanish night. Red wine with slices of oranges is also a fiery colourway so I thought it was just right for Icarus from Interweave Knits. The yarn is Suri Blue from Fleece Artist and it turned out to be more pink and less red than what it looked like on the skein, but it is still beautiful and so soft. This was all quick and easy and since this will be a Christmas present I might make one for me as well. I used larger needles, 4mm, and the shawl measures over 2m across the top, which made it almost to big for the bed I use for blocking.

Last night I cast on for my third drink. This is Rosé by Färgkraft, a soft pink dyed on a light grey yarn. When I bought it I thought it would be an Icarus, but when it came home it wanted to be Hyrna Herborgar from Thrihyrnur og langsjöl instead. I've loved this pattern since I got it in 1991, but I had a bit of a problem with the table cloth look of the pattern and it was hard to find a yarn that could counteract that. I think this will be just right, and it will look great with my coat. The skulls in the background is my table cloth in the kitchen, left from my son's Halloween/birthday party last week. I hadn't planned the picture, but it is sort of right with the pink and the lace.

Japanese knitting

2008-10-13T08:32:00.003+02:00

What a weekend! I've been teaching Japanese knitting techniques for three days. It is the first time I've done this professionally, I've only hosted free evening seminars before and never about this subject. Now that I've worked through the material and tried it out I can't wait to get a chance to do it again. I only had four students, but they were all hard working and enthusiastic and they kept me busy. I hope they are as pleased with themselves as I am with their work.

So what is Japanese knitting? The story behind this goes back to the eighties when Mieko Yano from Japan started giving classes in her new homeland, Sweden. She spread the innovative and modern way of knitting that has been developed in Japan, were there is little tradition and much creativity on the subject. She also taught new instructors who spread the techniques all over the country. Unfortunately she died after a few years, and the eighties knitting boom came to an end soon after. Now when knitting is growing in popularity a new generation is starting to show an interest in all aspects of knitting, and Japanese knitting books are becoming available again. A few months ago I heard that Medborgarskolan was looking for a new teacher. Since I learned the basics a few years ago and was eager to learn more, I vounteered to do it.

I looked through the material I had, and went to see a former teacher who worked on this in the eighties. She had a lot of material, samples and advice and lent me some books. I picked out the sections that felt most useful and interesting to me and created my own plan and material. The first half of my course is about basic techniques, like casting on and binding off, finishing and reading charts. The second part is more about decorative patterns and new ways of knitting. In the next picture you can see some of my samples, such as double knitting, pleats, illusion patterns, mosaic patterns and short rows.

Finally I want to thank Mr P, who has been very supportive and provided me with the perfect soundtrack for the weekend. He gave me "The Knitter" by Cheri Knight, a collection of rock ballads with a great cover and a song all about knitting.

Knits for the kids

2008-09-26T08:49:00.004+02:00

This summer I thought about my reasons for knitting, and realized that I should think more about the result and less about the process and make things that someone would need, want and use. I'm still very much a process knitter, and I have to find the work interesting, but I have tried to be more practical. One top priority is to involve my children more. I made a pile of baby garments for them, but they were big and could hardly use them. Since then I have made very little for them, because it felt like a waste of time. Now they have shown some interest in what I'm doing and I've tried to listen to their ideas.

Some time in July my daughter asked why I didn't knit for her. She has strong opinions, so I told her to make me a drawing of what she had in mind. She came back a few minutes later with a picture of a dress with long sleeves. I immediately thought about the pattern Sand Dollar from The Children's Collection by Alice & Jade Starmore and showed it to her, and she approved. A few days later we went to the LYS to pick a yarn that was light and cool and not too expensive, and most importantly very red. We chose Blend/Tendens by Hjertegarn in cotton and acrylic. The deadline for this project is her birthday in December, so I havn't worked that much on it yet but it is small and quick to knit even if the pattern is extensive.

A couple of weeks ago I came across a Spiderman blanket made by Liisa. I had seen the pattern before, but I hadn't realized just how big and beautiful it was. When my son saw the picture he was spellbound and asked me to make one for him, so now I'm knitting as fast as I can without letting him see it. I hope to have it finished for his fourth birthday in three weeks.

Finally the best news of all. My 6-y-o daughter knits! Maybe it is because she gets hot chocolate at the knitting café and not at home, but I don't care. I gave her some cotton to start with, but it split and was hard to work with. Then we went shopping for something funnier and more suitable, and got some printed, heavy sock yarn for a scarf. Her brother wanted a ball too, for when he learned to knit. I said that might be a while but then his sister offered to make a scarf for him too. I volunteered to make his scarf, otherwise it might take a few years, and he got his favourite colour as well. I knitted half of his scarf in the car last weekend, but my daughter made slow progress and needed some more encouragement. This week I got her some domino needles that made it easier to knit with small hands

Brown and blocks

2008-09-15T17:47:00.004+02:00

There has been so much going on in my life this past month that I havn't had the time or energy to blog, but I have been knitting! And shopping! There is so much to write about that I will save some for later, but these are some of my favourite knitting events since last time.

I'm back on track with Sockklubben, having finished the September socks. This is my favourite pattern and yarn so far, so I'm really happy about the result. When I tried them on for the first time they stayed on all evening and I even slept in them. The pattern is Oak Leaf from Knotions, the great new free pattern magazine. It is a bit tricky to get all the twists right, and I had to knit the first leg twice to get it right, but it isn't really difficult. The yarn is the wonderful Regia Silk, a lovely quality but not really my palette of colours except this one. I used 2.5 dpns and the size is the largest, but not very long.

I bought this yarn, as well as the beautiful Färgkraft skeins in the next picture, at the "new" shop in town. Cina has taken over an old shop here in Sundsvall and redecorated and renewed it in many ways (great pics here). Great job Cina and good luck! The Färgkraft line is the most noticable addition to the stock so far, and I think every knitter I know in town has bought some. I recently made a shawl in this quality, but this time I have something else in mind... The colours have poetic names, and mine are Bärnsten (Amber) and Choklad.

Finally a few words about a great new book. Despite new issues of Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, knitty.com and knotions.com I had to buy some new books. I got Folk Hats, which was mostly wierd, No Sheep For You, both educational and great patterns, but the book you can glimpse in the picture above is my number one inspiration so far this autumn. Danish Vivian Höxbro has taken here special Domino technique a few steps further in Knit to be Square. I bought it because I knew her spectacular Abstract Stole would be in it, but a few other ideas look very tempting as well. I have just cast on for a vest from her previous book Shadow Knitting, but that is another story.

This and that

2008-08-16T17:15:00.004+02:00

After the sweater race earlier this summer I've made a few small things that only took a couple of days. First up are the Pomatomus socks, July in Sockklubben. This is probably the first yarn I actually bought for the club, one that is interesting without hiding the lace etc. that these socks always have (Opal Fantasie 1914). I didn't like the patten at first, and spent a week trying to knit them without the yarnovers, but finally got tired of ripping and reknitting and made them according to the instructions. I even got hold of 2.75 mm dpns a while ago so I could use the right size needles. They are a bit big, and I should probably have used 2.5 mm for a better fit, but who says I have to keep them. They are modelled by Mr P who had taken this modelling position on the sofa, all I had to do was put on the socks. He has inherited my cold that kept me away from this weeks knitting café, now I've missed three weeks in a row...

Last weekend I was at a birthday party for a friend in my folk music group. Since I wasn't sure if we were getting her anything from the group, I made her a couple of wrist warmers just in case. They are good to have if you play the fiddle outdoors, like we often do. The yarn is Sandnes Lanett in charcoal grey, leftovers from when I made piles of baby clothes from their lovely patterns. The pattern is Berta from the booklet Muddar from Sticka!, and had I followed the written instructions the would have looked very diffrent form the picture, I had to make several changes to get the lace edge right. I think the first one took five times as long to make as the second. ( Really nice party by the way, thanks K.!)

Finally my knitting for the Olympics. I didn't register for any KAL, because I wasn't sure how much time I would have, but I cast on just in time for the opening cermony and it looks like it will be finished on schedule. It is a shawl by Jane Sowerby, but not from her book on Victorian lace, but a variation on the Spider's web pattern for Knitter's magazine. There will be another variation free on their website, but last time I checked it wasn't published yet. In the picture you can see the half hexagon center, but the edge is what makes it special and I will be getting back to that now. Finished this part to the men's tennis double final, where Sweden got the silver.

Utmaning (challenge)

2008-08-11T10:01:00.002+02:00

I've been asked by Maria to answer some questions, and since my policy is to stick to knitting and write in English, I will translate the questions and do my best to find a knitting angle...

Jag har blivit utmanad av Maria att svara på några frågor, och eftersom jag har bestämt mig för att hålla mig till stickning ska jag försöka vinkla det dit...

* Hur ser din att-göra-lista ut i fem punkter för idag?
1. Skriva lite på bloggen
2. Åka och titta på persienner till vardagsrummet, så jag kan sitta där mitt på dagen och sticka
3. Kontakta dagis och fritids inför höstterminsstarten
4. Göra klart min första Pomatomus, juli i Sockklubben
5. Laga en god middag till min man som börjar jobba igen efter semestern idag

* Vad gjorde du för 10 år sen?
Bodde själv i Kramfors det året och for till Island med familjen på sommaren. Köpte mönster och material till två islandströjor, en till min lillebror som inte kunde följa med och en till mig. Brorsans var ljusgrå med keltiska slingor i brunt på oket och den fick han i julklapp. Min supersnygga har jag inte börjat på än... Den största upplevelsen på resan var nog annars att se musikalen Grease på isländska med min tremänning. Vi bestämde det med hjälp av e-post, första gången jag använde det som jag kommer ihåg. Under året kandiderade jag i kommunvalet, spelade i klassisk orkester och lärde mig konversera på franska också...

* Vilka platser har du bott på?
Fränsta, Umeå, Kramfors, Sörberge och Sundsvall, alla i mitten av Sverige utom Umeå som ligger lite nordligare. Sommartid i Rinna i Östergötland tills jag var 15 år, inte så långt från Östergötlands ullspinneri, men det fanns nog inte då.

*Fem saker du skulle göra som biljonär!
1. Utbilda mig till textilkonstnär och skapa och hålla kurser
2. Skapa stipendier för andra som vill ägna sig åt sitt hantverk på heltid
3. Resa på långresor; hyra hus i Frankrike, Irland och andra platser som lockar
4. Fixa till huset lite lagom och skaffa en pålitligare bil
5. Skämma bort mina föräldrar, men inte barnen

Regler som följer med utmaningen:

- Svara på alla frågor

- Välj ut fyra personer som du vill skall svara och utmana dem i deras bloggar

- Låt personen som utmanade dig veta när du svarat på utmaningen

Jag skickar utmaningen vidare till några jag är nyfiken på: Eva, Cessi, Emma och Ulrica.

Hade tänk skriva om alla mina nya stickningar, men det får bli nästa gång.

And in English...
* What five items are on your to-do-list today?
1. Write something on my blog
2. Go and look at blinds for the living room, so I can knit there during daytime
3. Get in touch with day care for the children for the coming semester
4. Finish my first Pomatomus, July in Sockklubben
5. Prepare a nice dinner for Mr P, who started work again today after his vacation

* What did you do ten years ago?
Lived by myself in Kramfors that year, and and went to Iceland with my family in the summer. Bought patterns and yarn for two Icelandic sweaters, one for my younger brother who couldn't join us and one for me. My brother´s was light grey with a brown, Celtic pattern on the yoke and he got it for Christmas. My superb sweater hasn't been started yet... The greatest experience on the trip was probably seeing the musical Grease in Icelandic with my second cousin. We arranged it over e-mail, the first time I used it as far as I can recall. During that year I was also a candidate in a local election, played in a classical orchestra and improved my French.

* In what places have you lived?
Fränsta, Umeå, Kramfors, Sörberge and Sundsvall, all in central Sweden except Umeå which is more notherly. Summertime in Rinna in Östergötland until I was 15 y o, not far from Östergötlands ullspinneri, but don't think they had started back then.

*Five things you would do as a billionaire!
1. Educate myself in textiles and become an artist and give workshops
2. Create sholarships for others who would like to work full time in crafts
3. Go for long trips; rent houses in France, Ireland and other fascinating places
4. Do some work on the house and get a more reliable car
5. Spoil my parents, but not my children

Had planned to write about all the new things I'm knitting, but that will have to wait until next time.

Family summer

2008-08-04T11:04:00.008+02:00

This year we have stayed close to home and had our relatives come here to visit us. This has meant more work around the house, many short excursions in the area and nights spent over long dinners rather than knitting in the sofa. This has given me more time to reflect on what I really want to knit, rather than just starting new things all the time. I really want to get back to knitting more traditional patterns, with my own modifications and modernisations. I also want to look more at what the family wants and needs and not just fall for new yarns and patterns. All the craft shops I've seen this summer have inspired me to think about what I could knit and sell. It would have to be of high quality but affordable and quick to make, and not something that is already out there. I have an idea, but I'm not sure I have the time to do it...

Another thought that I have had for some time is to start spinning. As I wrote last time I have made my first serious attempt, and here is the result.

After spinning, plying and washing my 50 g of corriedale wool left me with 27 m of bulky yarn. I need to work on making it more even and with less twist, but I think I got the general idea of it. I also ended up with a z-twist since I used the "wrong hand" compared to the directions, so I'll try it the other way next time and see how that works. My favourite part was the plying, when those unruly strands suddenly became yarn. I used a center pull ball and my hand spindle and it was so much easier than the spinning, but I should have used the larger spindle because it got so much more volume compared to the first thread.

I've also finished my "late night easy knitting" again. Even though I have other things I should work on that easy piece by the sofa gets all my attention these days. This is the lovely Cheshire Cat Stole made in Färgkraft 1-ply in the colour Sommarnatt (Summer Night). The yarn started out in a more complicated pattern, but the colours dominated and it needed something with cleaner lines. One skein was enough for a 170 x 50 cm stole. Since the yarn is heavier than the original I made it narrower by making one repeat less, and then just knitted until I ran out of yarn.

Finally a picture taken outdoors which does the colours more justice. The shawl is modelled by my mother-in-law. She got a pair of socks for her trouble, those red Seduction Socks that where too small for me.

Knitting among friends

2008-07-21T18:08:00.006+02:00

Lately I've had many reminders of the how great it is to be able to say that we are part of a "knitting community". Saturday the 12th I got a lot of knitting energy when Cina opened her house for a night of knitting, thanks! Then last Wednesday I went to our weekly knitting café and the group had gotten a few new interesting members during the weeks I had been away. I think it is good that we can keep the group open and diverse.

On the web I have also had a few interesting experiences. I've been corresponding with Jody at Knotions magazine about her design Unwrapped that I finished last week, and now she has posted my picture on the site blog. I can ad that I wore it all day yesterday, and it was very comfortable on a hot and humid day. Also the blanket I made for my new niece last month has gotten a life of it's own on Ravelry with an amazing response. If you weren't around to see it, here is another picture of it.

Yesterday I showed about 57 pieces of knitting at a summer feast at the local museum in my home village. I tried to find as many different techniques as possible, like two-end knitting, Moebius shawls, double knitting, lace shawls and also traditional sweaters from Scandinavia and the British Isles. My father was one of the organizers and asked if I could help out with an exhibition, and it was fun to go back home and show old friends what I'm doing these days.

I shared the room with a family that has just bought ten alpacas and they had some wool and textile samples and a lot of pictures. They hope to get proper production going next summer. There was also a woman who demonstrated spinning on a handspindle, and she taught the 8-y-o-daughter of the alpaca family how to do it. Only days before I had bought a beginners kit at Spinspiration and the girl borrowed my little spindle, and her father will be making one for her a.s.a.p . When I got back home I was really inspired and I spun most of the white Corriedale wool in the picture on the little spindle last night. The bigger handspindle is my mother's and she has used that model for plying the yarn that her father spun when she was a child in Iceland. Now it is my turn to try out plying my yarn, and it is fun to be an eager beginner every now and then.

And then there were three

2008-07-19T13:44:00.005+02:00

Third sweater finished. Well, I only made the sleeves and finishing this week, the body was knitted about five years ago, probably when I was on maternity leave, and has been in the UFO pile since.

The pattern is a traditional Danish Nattröje (night sweater) from a book on Nordic knitting by Susanne Pagoldh, with a few modifications. It is knitted in flat pieces and the sleeves are shortened for comfort. I also used the same border on both body and sleeves. The yarn is far from the thin wool of the original. It is the cotton yarn Muskat Soft by Garnstudio from an old stash of about 40 balls in various colours that I got from a closed down yarn store. The pin at the neck is a traditional Estonian model in bronze.

In my study there are now some plastic boxes with about 55 projects on their way to my little exhibition tomorrow. Back to work on that...

Two sweaters so far

2008-07-17T14:04:00.003+02:00

Finally! I've bit of a bit more than I could chew lately by trying to make family gifts, sweaters for me and planning an exhibition that is due this Sunday (report on that next week). On Monday I sewed up the final ends on two sweaters and now they are blocked, dried and photographed.

First up is Unwrapped from Knotions. This is a fitted modell that has many neat details, like the linen stitch edges and the diagonal line that imitates a wrap model. I enjoyed making it and was happy to get help from the designer on a few unclear parts of the pattern. The yarn is 100% linen from Garnstudio, and this is the first time I use this material for a top and it looks just as I wanted, rough and shiny at the same time. I made the belt to go with it, but I liked the look better without it in the end.

The second finished sweater is a very cropped version of the February Lady Sweater. I used all the Silke Alpaca I had and this is as far as I got, and it is quite a wearable experiment. The yarn is extremly comfortable, but too much of the red colour spilled over on the off-white parts in the washing and gave it a slightly pink tone. Maybe that is a good thing, because when my 3-y-o son saw me when I first tried it on, he said that now I just had to make a hat as well. When I asked him why, he said that would make me look even more like Santa Claus...

Right now I'm working on an old UFO from five years ago that needs sleeves before Sunday, so I had better get back to that if I'm going to finish three sweaters this week.

February is late this year

2008-07-11T09:00:00.003+02:00

Couldn't resist any longer. Last Christmas Mr P gave me a challenge when he bought me 12 balls of Garnstudio Silke Alpaca, 7 red and 5 white. I decided to use them all in one project, but it is not quite enough for a sweater. Have been searching for a vest or bolero pattern since then. Then the February Lady Sweater came along, and after seeing Marias sweater half done I realized that it would work just fine in two colours and could be made with short sleeves. Last week I finished knitting Unwrapped, but it needs a little finishing before I can show it. Three days ago I cast on for February Lady "Vest" and this is what it looked like yesterday morning when I divided the stitches for the sleeves and tried it on. It fit perfectly!

Some technical notes: I'm making it in large, but at a slightly looser gauge. I cast on a couple of times before I got it right with a knitted cast on recommended in Alice Starmore's books. The one row button holes are neat but a bit tricky and I learned how to make them in a class with Britt-Marie Christoffersson. After the eyelet row I only knitted the compulsory three rows of garter stitch, after hearing about bulkiness at the armholes. Then I made one purl row across the white part only before starting the pattern, for a neat colour transition. Now I'm working a little bit more of the body, but I will make the (short) sleeves before continuing so I can use up the yarn as efficiantly as possible.

Red seduction

2008-06-29T12:19:00.004+02:00

Finally my summer vacation has started. Has been working hard this week to get everything finished at work with a cold on its way. When I got home on Friday I slept for twelve hours, but woke up to find this behind a curtain, where it should have rested quietly until Christmas.

I'm not sure what I'm doing right, but I've had this amaryllis for four years and it usually gives me two stalks with 6-10 flowers each every winter. This year I've treated it worse than usual by forgetting to give it new soil, and this is the result.

However this is not why I named this post red seduction. In between extra naps yesterday I completed the Sockklubben sock for May, which was Seduction Socks by Ann Budd in red Opal Bambu. They are a bit small, but improved with blocking. The pattern is nice, but not that special. The best part is the yarn, which is really great; soft, durable and beautiful. I will be looking for more!

Finishing the socks I should have turned to Unwrapped, which is in its finishing stages, but my brain capacity wasn't good enough. Instead I made a few more rows on Cheshire Cat Stole, which was a better choice for this yarn than the Laminaria I tried earlier but decided to frog.

Now I'm just waiting for my brain to start working better again. Slept another nine hours tonight, but my sinus infection isn't gone yet and tomorrow MrP has to go to work so I'll be home alone with the kids. I hope it gets better by then, and that I can finally get my new top done.

Family holidays

2008-06-16T20:34:00.010+02:00

It's really been a busy couple of weeks. First my mother had a big birthday party with the family and some of her old classmates from Iceland who where making a trip to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their graduation. I finally got a chance to deliver the top from Poetry in Stitches that I made for my sister-in-law a while ago. It's a little too big, but I think it will work.

I also managed to get a picture of a shawl I made for her a couple of years ago, before I had a decent digital camera. It is the pattern "Langsjal ad vestan" from Thrihyrnur og langsjöl, a book on Icelandic lace that I bought in 1991. In the book the shawl is in solid white, but I had a selection of Icelandic kambgarn in diffrent shades and used up what I had in natural colours. By felting the ends together when changing colours I was left with minimal finishing and a neat result.

When I got home from that great weekend it was time to prepare for the next party. I've spent countless hours this past week getting the Rainbow Blanket ready for the Christening of my husband's niece. When the week started I still had one section and the edge left, but I made it! The final meter of I-cord was done in the car on the road to Stockholm last Friday, but I had blocked the coloured parts the day before.

The blanket measures 110 x 110 cm and consists of five sections knitted in rainbow yarn from Kauni on needles 3.5 mm using the pattern for the Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf. I've knitted the pattern over 70 stitches. The second section starts with a stitch picked up at a courner of the first stripe and the pieces are knitted together by slipping the last stitch before the joining, picking up a stitch through the ridge on the previous stripe and then lifting the slipped stitch over the picked up stitch. The blanket is reversible, but with a slight difference along the joined edges. Finally the blanket was edged by a black line of I-cord over four stitches on 3 mm dpns in a similar quality to finish of the edges and hold the design together.

A happy knitter

2008-06-04T20:06:00.005+02:00

I have never been this quick to start knitting a sweater! I just knew I had to make Unwrapped, and since my LYS owner went away on a long vacation the day I wrote my last post I rushed there to get yarn, and kept them 5 min passed closing… Anyway I’m using Garnstudio Lin in 100% linen and I got 10 balls at 120m to be on the safe side for a size 46. I've been busy working on a present that needs to be finished next week, but today my daughter was ill and I could stay home from work and finish the top down raglan yoke.

The yarn is soft and easy to work with, considering it is linen. It will be great to wear. I don't make much clothes, but this is quick and fun as well as technical and timeless. Today I saw a preview of the next Knotions raglan pattern, and I think it will be next on my list.

The next picture is what I got in my two birthday presents this morning. The yarn is a bag my father picked up at a charity auction and it is mostly Garnstudio Paris. It was accompanied by an invitation to a boat trip to a nice restaurant on an island that I really like, Ulvön off the High Coast a couple of hours drive north of here. The yarn found a home in the bowl my husband got for me. It is Swedish Grace by Rörstrand and the pattern is supposed to be wheat, but I think you can all see why it is my favourite porcelain design.

Knitting news

2008-05-21T13:25:00.003+02:00

Yesterday I found a great pattern for a top on Ravelry, then I found that the pattern belonged to a new online knitting magazine! It's called Knotions and it looks really good. They have posted a few patterns from Magknits (sadly missed), and so far there is one new pattern- the best top I've seen in a long time. The magazine has the motto "knit smarter", and an explanation of the name that makes a linguist like me feel just at home. They only have a few things up so far, but I feel that I will be a frequent visitor judging from the plans they present for the future. Here I can learn more about designing garments, not just picking details that look good but actually making something that fits as well.

Last night I also did some knitspotting. The artists from Boznia & Herzegovina in the Eurovision Song Contest semi final had a chorus of three girls dressed as brides and knitting! It made my day. If you missed it they made it through to the finals on Saturday.

Slippery and colourful

2008-05-18T16:56:00.004+02:00

The April pattern in Sockklubben, Slippery Socks from Knitty, has been completed. The yarn is Opal Hundertwasser in colour 1434 Wartende Häuser. It is a fun pattern to knit and very easy to follow through all the braids and details. Since this was the most "manly" pattern so far I made them for my husband, who fortunately uses the same sock size as me, and all the patterns so far, a women's medium. I'm still waiting for patterns in other sizes for children and other family members, because my sock drawer is filling up quickly.

Next up are Seduction Socks from Interweave. I've started knitting them in Opal Bambu, but I'm not sure it will show off the braids very well since it is doesn't have the right volume. I'll make a few more rows before I decide if I carry on or start over.

Light and breezy

2008-05-12T18:31:00.004+02:00

My very first Mystery knitting has been completed. Here are the pictures to prove it. The first one shows the colours well and the second shows the pattern better. The pattern is the Mystic Light Shawl by Anna Dalvi that was issued in five parts during five weeks this spring. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino and the colourway is from a sample line called "pot luck". The second skein had slightly stronger colours, which gave the "flames" more definition. The needles used where Addi Lace 4 mm.

I'm happy about the pattern and the yarn and the size is perfect (84 cm down the middle). It feels really lacy, but would probably look even better with more definition and body; my yarn was a little bit too thin. The pattern had the theme "fire" but mine is more about spring and flowers, which makes it just right for a couple of family parties coming up in June...

Back on track

2008-05-11T15:11:00.006+02:00

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last entry. I could blame it on springtime gardening, sick kids, Mr P. away on business, spending time with my parents, too many evenings bocked up, a lot of new stuff going on at work and four people queing for one computer. Or I could just get on with knit-blogging.

Despite it all I have been knitting most days as usual. This is what's in the basket at the moment:
(the basket is in felt and was bought at Village in Sundsvall, perfect by the sofa)

The Slippery socks and Rainbow blanket are moving along nicely, and will be finished on schedule (I hope). My only new project since the last entry is the Laminaria shawl from Knitty.
I'm making a medium size in Färgkraft 1-ply Sommarnatt. So far it doesn't look like much, but I think it will turn out well in the end.

Last weekend was a bit longer than usual, so I took the time to shop at Garnkorgen to lift my spirits and find inspiration. I found it.

I prepared a list at home by the computer, and I actually managed to stick to it and only buy half of the things I wanted to check out, which was quite enough. This includes Fyberspates Bluefaced Lace Yarn in greens, Fleece Artist Suri Blue in sangria and Manos Silk Blend in green/4635. They are all delicious and I don't think I will be able to keep my hands off them for very long. Not in the picture is a japanese book of 250 surface patterns that I have read about five times so far. I also got a Perl grey pin in pewter, a must with all the shawls in progress.

There is also something that has been completed this past month. My Mystic Light shawl was finished in four days after I got the last clue and has been waiting a couple of weeks for blocking. The light isn't too good in my blocking area, so pictures will have to wait until it has dried and can be taken out of there.

Spring clearing part two

2008-04-06T11:58:00.009+02:00

I've behaved this week and only started one new sock, but finished a few things. It feels good, but my thoughts keep wandering off to new things all the time. I will try to resist them a bit longer, because the state of my room is really improving.

First thing off the needles this week is a top by designer Solveig Hisdal from the book Poetry in Stitches (Sv. Dikt i maskor). I've used the original yarn, for once, which is Hifa Luxor in 100% cotton. It required just over 300g. The rest of my 400g will probably be combined with some leftovers from Regnbågen and become a matching top for a 2yo. This is for you H. , hope you like it and that I got the size right this time!

Next is a really sad UFO that finally became a cardigan. I started this over two years ago, but it wasn't my cup of tea. The yarn is Tilda by Svarta Fåret in 50/50 cotton and acrylic, and it is nice and soft for kids. The size is 4-6 years, not too demanding. The pattern is also OK. It is based on the old fishermen´s sweaters from Gotland and I love traditional patterns most of the time. The most common version of this pattern is in natural white with red and blue stripes and knitted in 2/2 rib. It became famous in the sixties when Pippi Longstocking wore it in the films that were shot in Gotland, hence the name "Pippitröja". I think this colourway is more practical though. The problem I had with this design was this: it is knit in five parts using ten balls of blue with added borders and numerous stripes=an infinite number it ends to fasten. I hated that part and put it off for over a year after the knitting was done. Fortunately my daughter is really small and her comment when she tried it on was:"I like it, but the sleeves are a bit too long". She was four when I cast on and now she is six.

By the way I'm quite happy with the buttons. The top looks classy with mother-of-pearl and the cardigan has little folded newspaper boats on each button.

Next, my only new project this week (so far, there are a few hours left...). I've cast on for the April socks in Sockklubben, Slippery Socks from Knitty. The pictures showed a very bright yarn, so I decided to use Opal Hundertwasser. I like the look, a bit like Argyle diamonds.

Finally, a look at clue 2 of Mystic Light. There were no new elements this week, so it was rather quick even if you have to look at the chart all the time.

Life after clue one

2008-03-31T11:41:00.003+02:00

This is part one of my Mystic Light. I really love the way the colours turned out and the pattern was really creative, hope it keeps surprising me.

Now it is time to get on with my Spring clearing project, that will hopefully allow me to see the floor of my study better in a few weeks. Right now it is a clutter of bags and baskets, half of which should actually be in the closet, which is also full... Today I'm home with a sick daughter and plan so sew on about 20 buttons on a few different items.

Finally I've posted my portrait! It is a picture taken at my wedding when I wore my Icelandic national costume. To see it, and read a bit more about me, go to knitmore.com (stickamera.se in English). I'm Interview of the month for April. I love this page, it makes sure I keep up with the knitting world, like signing up for KAL:s on time. On the Swedish version of the page is the Sockklubben KAL, where I'm a little bit behind at the moment, but the pattern for April is just what I like.

Take off

2008-03-26T14:27:00.004+01:00

Finally the Mystic Light Shawl KAL is starting. I'm all set for the first section which was released today. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in merino.

Spring clearing

2008-03-25T11:04:00.004+01:00

I've spent Easter digging my way through almost-finished-knittings (is there an abbreviation for that?). Often there is an edge, buttons or a seam left and it can lie about for years in that state. So far two projects are finished and approved, and I hope there will be at least three more by the end of the week.

This is the sweater in Icelandic lambs wool that I started in November. It's not that old, but has been waiting for finishing since Christmas. If you read my previous post you might recall that I promised to knit it for the grand-daughter of a friend of an acquaintance of my mothers. I haven't made any modifications, but ran out of brown yarn with half the neckline and all the seams left. It's a good thing I have a little stash of similar yarn and could find exactly the right colour in a thinner quality for the sewing. The inside of the neck became white and that doesn't show when it is worn. The only thing I don't like about the finished sweater is the bulkiness of the seams when the openings for the sleeves are cut open.

The design and yarn aren't the usual for Icelandic sweaters, but more like Faroese knitting or bulky Norwegian. The horses are popular in Icelandic designs from recent years, because these warm garments can only be worn outside, eg. by people who work with horses. This sweater will be going back to Iceland this spring on one of those horse lovers.

The next item on my list this week is a Baby Surprise Jacket designed by E. Zimmerman. The yarn is two shades of Fabel by Garnstudio. I know it isn't finished in the picture, but the whole point of this one piece design shows better in this half finished state. At the moment it only awaits the buttons I got this weekend. The baby it is intended for was born last Monday, but I only got word of it last Thursday and didn't have time to wrap it up before the holiday. Hopefully it will be in the mail tomorrow. The only problem is that all the newborns in my family weigh over 4kg, so it might be too small, but it will look good on a doll as well. I'll make something nicer for her later on, when she stays the same size longer.

Mostly shopping

2008-03-13T18:28:00.008+01:00

Finally back in business! I went to Syfestivalen in Sollentuna almost two weeks ago, and came home with a bad back. I couldn't sit properly for a week and avoided computers. Then Blogger didn't work, then Mr P. decided to get a new screen, which didn't work too well at first...

I had planned to report from Sollentuna, but that is old news by now so I'll mostly just show off my newest yarn. I got what I had planned to buy, and not much else. Since there was a storm coming and we had a long drive home my time for shopping was a bit short, but it helped me to stick to the budget. The others in our group from Sundsvall did a bit of shopping too. Check what one of them got at Cina's.

Clockwise from top left:

Opal sock yarn in beige. A calm colour for lace socks in Sockklubben. Attached to the ball is a wooden shawl pin from Ullomera.

Opal bamboo in red. Shinier and softer for even more socks.

Färgkraft handdyed wool in Sommarnatt (Summer night). Will become a shawl, maybe Icarus from Interweave knits.

Färgkraft again in Veronagrönt (Verona green). Enough for a sweater.

Kalinka from Karin Öberg, 100% flax in olive green for a summer top.

Then there are a few things I really liked but didn't buy this time. Huskroken had a lovely, thick 1-ply in wonderful wool, and a book coming later this spring about knitting from Gotland. Ullcentrum sold a really nice flaxen yarn with one strand of cotton mixed in. I forgot to go back to Stäket and get som Yak wool. And off course I should have gotten some dye from Färgkraft and painted a few skeins of natural wool from Naturgarn, just for fun. Apparently there where people there who sold fabrics, paints and other items, but somehow I was totally blind to that. Some kind of system overload...

I had also planned to show you what I was going to wear, but I never did. If you attended the meeting with Sticka! you might have layed your eyes on me, and this is what I wore:

I discovered that my Christmas shawl in Sea silk yarn looked just as good with spring green as with the black top I wore during the holiday. Lucky me!

Miniatures

2008-02-23T18:12:00.005+01:00

This week everything has turned out small. Baby Born is wearing her new Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood from Interweave Holiday 2007. It is a very clever and good looking pattern inspired by arcitecture. The yarn is (as always...) Visjö by Östergötlands ullspinneri. I had planned to make this for a 2-y-o since the needles and number of stitches matched another pattern that I had knitted in this yarn, but I hadn't expected this pattern to be so tight. Maybe I will make a bigger one later. It is really brilliant and it only takes one evening to complete, provided you make the braids without the extra needle because there are many crossings.

The cardigan is one of my first proper knits. I think I was about 11 when I made this at school. My children could only wear it for about a week before it was too small, but they were quite big. It looks much better on a doll than it did on them. It is a great short row design from the 60's book Sticka med Hemslöjden. Last weekend I made another 60's baby cardigan in garter, Baby Surprize by Elizabeth Zimmerman, but it still needs some finishing.

Finally Barbie's friend Derek is wearing a sample for a crochet class I attended last Tuesday. It looked like an egg-warmer but will probably be of more use to the dolls. Around here we call this technique påtning or smygmaskvirkning, but I don't know the English term, if there is one. It is made in the round using slip stitches through either the front or back loop. Great for warm mittens in medium weight wool on a 5-7 mm hook. This picture shows the details better:

Next Saturday I will be going to Syfestivalen in Sollentuna, an event with a lot do for textile fanatics. I hope I will get some amazing yarn, meet some interesting people and have a great time. I'm thinking about posting some mark of identification if any of you readers would like to recognize me, but I haven't decided yet...

Book review

2008-02-20T20:56:00.007+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I got an offer I couldn't resist. Taunton press asked me if I would like a preview copy of their new book on felted knitting. All I had to do was review it on my blog, which I do anyway when I get hold of an interesting book. Of course I will tell you my honest opinion. Unfortunately the company that handled the last step of the delivery tried to deliver it to my door when I was at work and it took a few days extra to finally get hold of the parcel. Last night, the day the book was published, it finally reached my hands. Since then it has accompanied me to work and two knitting cafés, but tonight I finally have the time to write down what I, and some of my friends and colleagues, thought about it.

The book is I love felt by Kathleen Taylor. The title is just right, because all through the book, in designs, layout and the text there is a feeling of joy. You believe in the writer when she tells you that this is easy, inspiring and fun. My colleague the teacher of textile handicraft, who is usually not a fan of knitting, looked like she was going to steal the book and use it with the kids. My second reaction, and that of my friends at the knitting cafés, is that this isn't so much about the knitting, which is fairly basic, but a good course on felting knits and a source of ideas. If you know more about what you are doing and have a wider range of techniques available, felting becomes more fun.

Like the writer, I have knitted huge, plain objects and tossed them in the washing machine just to watch the miracle of felting. It gives you a nice fabric, but the knitting isn't that inspiring. I have two Norwegian books on the topic which are about making garments in stockinette and felting them, and that is about it. On the other hand I had a look at Nicky Epstein's book on felted knitting last summer, and it was totally amazing but looked so advanced it could be intimidating even for the experienced knitter. I love felt is somewhere inbetween these extremes. It is not as amazing as the promotional texts imply, but it gets you started on new ways of thinking about felting. It is very easy to understand, detailed and thorough in its instructions but still friendly and fun.

The patterns are nice but not all that special. For me they could serve as a basis for understanding the technique and a source of easy-to-make gifts. My favourite is the intarsia bag with grazing sheep, but I would add a knitted strap and probably change the proportions (and feel confident doing it). There is another design that might soon end up on my needles and that is the beaded crown and wands (the stars in the picture below). My little girl was very excited when she saw them. It might be a way to make her try knitting herself...

In conclusion I'm glad I read this book and it as taught me a few things I didn't know about eg. felting multicoloured knits. It is not a book that would have caught my eye under other circumstances, since I'm usually a more traditional knitter. I'm not sure I will make any of the projects, but it I might have gotten confident enough about felting to try making that bag I saw in a magazine last year. The only problem is that Kathleen Taylor says I have to get a top-loading washing machine, well I probably need a new one anyway...

Girlie stuff

2008-02-12T18:09:00.000+01:00

This is a picture of my sister-in-laws top before frogging. As I wrote the other day I had to start over on larger needles, which I have, but it will take a few days work to get it this big again. It is from the wonderful book Poetry in Stitches by Solveig Hisdal and it is a modern copy of an old piece of underwear. It is knit sideways and the buttonholes are at the bottom of the picture. The yarn is the original from the book, 100% cotton from Hifa. It looks like natural linen and has a great shine. I asked my 6-y-o what colour it was and she said it was grey and brown with both gold and silver, but try getting that into the picture...

Waiting for the Mystic Light shawl KAL, starting 26 mars, I had to get some lace under my fingers right away. This is another super yarn that has been waiting around for the perfect pattern, Östergötlands Pälsull in red. I used the blue skein last year, but I never wear blue and saved this one for myself. Last night I finally settled on a pattern: North Roë shawl . It is in French, with most of it translated into English, but I find the French easier to read even though I have never used a French pattern before. It has fewer abbreviations and is rather logical. The pattern is very lacy and will make the yarn last well. My biggest problem now is that all three knittings by my chair are on 3.5mm needles and I would like to use my 80cm circular from Garnstudio for all of them. (The third one is the Rainbow Blanket.) Time to get some more. Realized that 90% of my knitting is on 2.5-3.5mm needles so an investment might be necessary.

Creamy wool and silk

2008-02-09T18:41:00.000+01:00

The socks for Februari are done! Like last month's socks for the KAL Sockklubben these where made two at the same time on Magic Loop. I'm hooked! They where quite similar in design, a nice basic model with a lace pattern, but the look is more robust this time. The heel also has an added reinforcement with lifted and twisted stitches (like my grandmother did on a pair of socks for me in the same colour once...). I followed the pattern, but added eight
stitches to make them in large. The yarn is Opal uni in cream/beige.

And here is the finished result, modelled by my mother. Now I hope the next pattern will be something new, maybe with more room for colours or for kids/men...

While on the subject of presents for my mother, here is another story. While I was learning to knit in my teens many of my sweaters were too large for me and ended up on her. I thought I had moved past this, but this Christmas I did it again. This sweater is the finished Irish Moss by Nancy Bush that I wrote about during the fall. The knitting went fast and easy and I thought I had gotten the size right for my sister-in-law, who is a medium. Then I tried to block it according to the rulebook, but that was a huge mistake. The yarn, Silke Tweed from Garnstudio, wasn't supposed to be soaked and it greeeeew. After sewing the last seems I tried it on and it was about two sizes too big for me. Another unexpected gift for my mother. The sister-in-law is getting well compensated with a top from the book Poetry in Stitches. So far I have made one front side, but I will start over again after writing this because I knitted it too tight...

Major events week

2008-01-28T19:20:00.000+01:00

This has been a very exciting week in my life as a knitter. It started last Tuesday when a local TV-show invited my knitting club as guests for a 25 minute program. I'm only sitting in the background, but it was still fun to see how it was all done. Those who were interviewed did a great job, as well as our speed knitter who had to knit the opponent's design. Check it out here.

The next day I got an e-mail from a big publishing company. They asked if I wanted to review a book for them if they sent me a free copy. How could I refuse? The review will appear around the date when the book is due to be released. It's a book I could have bought anyway and my expectations are high, but more about that next month. I´m a commercial blogger!

Yes, I have knitted a little too. I needed something I couldn't mess up and that would look good on TV, so I started on a little blanket. I still had to rip the TV part, but now it is growing fast. As I wrote last week I tried entrelac and a few other ideas, but it didn't look good. Finally I resorted to a pattern that I had already tried and that I had seen in this yarn. It is actually a scarf, but I'm making five sections 20X100 cm and knitting them all in one piece. If my math is right I won't have to break the yarn at all and I will need about 1.5 km of thread.

Tonight I also cast on for the new pattern at Sockklubben, but so far it is just the same rib as last month so I can't say much about it yet. This time I am going to make it large enough for my mother so I added 8 stitches. Hope it will work.

Mittens and books

2008-01-20T14:32:00.001+01:00

Last weekend Mr P took the daughter skiing, and she came back with cold fingers and agreed that gloves are not as good as real woolen mittens. Her brother had taken over the ones she had last year, but recently Barbro published this pattern and they are really as practical as can be. These are made in Visjö, the same colour as the Wasp hat I made for her last winter. I am planning to make another pair for the boy, but he has requested a cat.

This weekend I have knitted a lot, but ripped it all. I am testing entrelac techniques, but haven't found the ultimate one yet. Planning to make a small blanket in Kauni EQ (rainbow), but there is no hurry.

I also recieved some books this week. Best of Knitter's Shawls and scarves was even better than expected. It is a 2007 reprint of a collection of designs from the magazine between 1985 and 1998. Lots of techniques and traditions, but also some new ideas. There was no design that I had to make, but several that I might. Rowan's Little knits is totally diffrent. It is a story book that I can read to my children but with patterns for all the sweaters in the illustrations. Lovely book and a nice idea, but not quite my style to make a Kid mohair lace coat for a child of 3-10. The boy's designs are more realistic and again I might knit something from this book when my kids stop sitting in the sandbox.

We moved the baby bed out of our bedroom during the holiday and replaced it with our other darlings, hobby books. Mr P collects books about the history of warfare and weapons, while I focus on crafts and especially knitting. The two center rows to the right contain some of my best knitting books. Today there were 77 titles, 31 of them were listed on Ravelry and can be seen on my page there. The rest are books in Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic and a few other languages, mostly about traditional knitting in these areas. Books with other techniques, like crochet, and those with spiral backs etc. are in my study. It's been really nice to be able to pick a book at night to look at when I'm too tired to read. On the bottom shelf I keep my ongoing subscriptions; Interweave, Knitter's, Vogue and Hemslöjden.

January socks done

2008-01-13T15:14:00.001+01:00

Here they are, my first pair of socks on Magic Loop. The pattern is Monkey from Knitty and they turned out almost as I expected. I thought they were going to be bigger and longer, so I could give them to my mother but they fit me just fine. I don't really need them, so we'll see were they end up. The pattern is relaxing to knit and the Magic Loop might get a few more chances...

Vi tar det på svenska också till alla Sockklubbor: Här är mina Monkey stickade samtidigt på en lång rundsticka. Det gick lätt och tekniken gav mersmak. Garnet är Opal petticoat och lite väl randigt, men det blev rätt bra ändå, och ett nystan mindre i lagret. De blev dock mindre är jag hade trott, så jag får hitta en ny mottagare...

News from the holidays

2008-01-12T12:58:00.000+01:00

Every time I go to see my in-laws I decide not to bring a knitting, then I have to go and buy something to keep my hands busy. This time I got some Garnstudio Fabel in dark red and some 2.5 dpns. Then I made a drawing of my hand and cast on for a pair of gloves, and now all the ends have been sewn in.

They are very easy to make because they are made in double knitting. I made them with the right side out, but according to Annemor Sundbö's book where I found the idea they are even easier to make inside out. For instructions on double knitting see my Patterns and techniques section.
This is how they were made:
1. Three rounds of garter knit on two dpns.
2. Join in the round and knit a wavy pattern, decreases only on last pattern row.
3. Lay the piece double and start double knitting on two dpns across the palm.
4. Knit in a separate thread over 1/3 of stitches for thumb, then go back and knit the stitches with the regular yarn and continue to the fingers.
5. Use 1/4 of stitches for the little finger. Double knit to the right length and then knit two stitches together at each turn until 4 stitches remain. Pull yarn through.
6. For the other fingers use 1/4 of the stitches for each finger but also pick up a couple of stitches on the side of the last finger knitted.
7. Pull out the thread at the thumb, pick up the stitches and one extra at each side. Knit as fingers.

There have also been a few additions to my stash lately. These are two favourites:

Garnstudio Silke Alpaca, 5 white and 7 red balls. Mr P gave me these and he chose them carefully and all by himself. I think it would be cheating to get more, so I'm planning a vest or a cardigan with short sleeves. There are a few good ideas in the summer collection at Garnstudio, but all the patterns aren't out yet so I'll wait a bit to make a decision.

Then I heard that Garnkorgen had recieved a big box of odd coluors from Cherry Tree Hill and went for a look. There were two skeins of each colour and these got to go home with me. They are two versions of "water" and they will either be used for baby gifts for a couple of new cousins we are expecting this spring, or they will become socks in Sockklubben.

Sockklubben at Stickamera started this January and will present a new pattern every month. The first one is Monkey from Knitty. I saw that Eva i Halmstad hade made hers on Magic Loop, and decided to practise that a bit more. The pattern is easy and after about an inch I stopped being nervous. Now they are almost done! The yarn is Opal Petticoat and a bit to striped for the pattern, but I have to use what I aldready have sometimes.

Socialist socks

2008-01-07T16:02:00.000+01:00

As you might have seen I did a lot of knitting this Christmas. I really wanted to make these socks for my father as well, but there wasn't enough time so I gave him the ball of yarn and a promise to knit socks for him. This also gave me the opportunity to measure his size before starting.

Today they were finished just in time for his visit here. The model is very basic, but it has to be with a yarn like this. I knew I had to buy this Opal colour when I saw the name of it. It is based on a painting by the German painter Hundertwasser called Die Strasse zum Sozialismus (The Road to Socialism). Fun to knit for an old right-wing politician :-)
P.S. Note the lovely sheep he is resting his feet on. It was a present for my son at his christening.

Pink Alpaca

2008-01-04T15:47:00.000+01:00

Sometimes the timing isn't right, like last winter when I made this hat for my daughter. She had a serious case of summer-dressing-in-the-winter, and didn't like putting things on her head. It remained in the pile of things to finish until this Christmas and hopefully it will get a chance this season.

The model is "Romantic hat" from Med stickor och fantasi by Lisbeth Björndal. The original is for an adult and more like a beret, but I changed the size and proportions. The material is 40g of Garnstudio Alpaca knit on straight 2.5mm needles and sewn together at the back. I like the change in direction with a knitted lace as a starting point and then picking up the stitches for the top along the lace. The yarn is delicious, and best of all I have more than two balls left, because making the girl wear a scarf as well as I first planned will take a few more years.

Presents revealed

2007-12-27T15:40:00.000+01:00

Finally knitting life can get back to normal. Seven homemade gifts and a shawl for me were ready by Christmas Eve. Some have been seen here earlier, but a few were not ready before we left the house last week. Here are a few late entries:

This is a family kit in soft, 100% wool Visjö by Östergötlands ullspinneri. Mother gets wrist warmers in crochet with two colours and loops designed by Maria Gullberg for the Hemslöjden magazine and her new book. Father gets the Henry scarf from Knitty fall 07, but with this yarn I got away with five repeats instead of seven for 20 x 160 cm. The son will be very warm in Katarina Brieditis' wasp design. My own kids have hats in blue and purple and they wore them all last winter. The mother hinted that she liked all the pieces and might be wearing them as a set...

The next picture is from the singing and dancing we did before opening the presents. I'm wearing my new Sea Silk shawl in Sangria red. There will be a better picture, and maybe a pattern, later. (Click the picture to make it bigger)

Busy, busy

2007-12-18T21:42:00.000+01:00

This month has been very hectic, knitwise and otherwise. One birthday party, one knitting party, one Christmas market day... and that was just one weekend. Most of the knitting this time of year is secret as well, so I hope I can reveal all next week. At least five knitted gifts and one in crochet await wrapping at the moment, and the Sea Silk shawl for me is almost done. Back to work.

Have a great Christmas and see you soon!

I'm in love

2007-12-06T20:40:00.000+01:00

Sometimes a pattern just hits you, and this one is a dream come true for me. Go check out Jeanie!

Shawl plans

2007-12-01T11:50:00.000+01:00

I'm not going to tell you all about may planning of the Sea Silk shawl, but here are at least my conclusions.

one skein will have to be enough at this prize
make it as large as possible
triangular rather than rectangular
have some solid parts to show of the yarn
the colour isn't right for leaves etc. in the pattern
geometrical but not boring
easy to memorize and not too slow

And here is the pattern sample (in baby acrylic):

The pattern was found here . The original is rectangular and I spent all of last night making it triangular. I got stuck trying to work from side to side, but that didn't work at all. When the children were in bed my brain started working again and the pattern worked out just perfect from the point and up with only minor modifications. The edges will not look quite like this, but that is easier to fix. Teddy Brown was a good model, but he then passed the shawl on to Barbie who is using it as a turban at the moment. Now I'm ready for SILK!

Grey and colours

2007-11-30T18:21:00.000+01:00

Finally! Since last Thursday the members of my family have been fighting a bad cold. Today I found the energy so assemble my Russian coat, and it looks almost as planned.

The change I made from the original pattern was to shorten it. Instead of 412 sts for the skirt made as five large triangles meeting at center back, this version has 290 sts in the bottom half and triangles only at the front. Definitely easier to wear. The sleeves are a bit too long, but there is one blocking left to do and if that doesn't help it should be easy to fold them in since there is no hem.

Lately I have made three grey knits (one is an X-mas secret), and COLOURS are badly needed. The leftovers from the Rainbow socks have gotten some company in apple green. It is Regia stretch and this will become socks, or most likely double knit gloves...

The other colour temptation is a skein of Handmaiden Sea Silk in Sangria. For about a month I have been looking through my books and searched the internet for the perfect pattern, and I'm getting closer... There is a sample in progress and if it works I'll cast on tomorrow.

Hexagons completed

2007-11-19T09:52:00.000+01:00

The fun is over. This is the sholder and sleeve section of the Russian coat. I decided to block it before sewing the sleeve seams and picking up the collar, because it was very bubbly and wierd looking. Now it is more presentable and I hope it stays that way when it dries. I've made an attempt to get the shades of gray symmetrical, but other than that I'm true to the pattern so far. My yarn is very different from the original though, it is probably much softer and to get 19st/10cm I use needles 4mm instead of 6mm as the pattern says. I hope the end result will work out well anyway, as I'm thinking more of a shrug than a coat.

Here is a closer look:

I found a picture of the finished Russian coat here. I'm not going to make the back that long, because I don't think it would look good on me and I don't want to buy more yarn. So far I've used almost 2/3 of the 600g in my stash. Besides, it was the shoulder section that caught my eye and it is stunning enough with a shorter back. I will shorten the pattern by knitting a triangle at each side but make the hem straight at the back.

When I ran out of hexagons yesterday I started on another Christmas project. After Cina's complaints about the endlessness of Henry I decided that it would provide mindless, bring-along knitting for a long time. The yarn is my favourite, Visjö by Östergötlands ullspinneri, and it might become a little bigger than the original, but not much.

Knitting for pleasure

2007-11-14T12:28:00.000+01:00

Lately I've been needing to knit to reduce stress. Finishing things and being useful and productive come further down the list. This weekend I started on a true feel good project. I even missed my knitting so much when I took a bath on Sunday that I asked Mr P to get it for me, but it wasn't very comfortable. I would also like to be able to knit in bed, but that doesn't work either.

So what is it? I brought it with me to knit during my daughters gymnastics on Monday night, and after that I went to my music group, and during coffee I pulled out something that looked like this.

Faces lit up around the table when someone suggested it was a nursing bra for cold days, but no. All the pieces I've made so far look like this.

And the correct answer is Russian coat by Norah Gaughan from Vogue Knitting holiday issue 2007 that I recieved last Friday. The yarn I'm using is a great wool yarn from Yllet, that I bought in Gotland last year. Since that is an island halfway between Sweden and Russia that somehow felt appropriate for this model, even though it was ment for a big shawl.

I have been a little practical too lately, and worked the pattern section of the Icelandic lambs wool sweater. Someone is actually waiting for this one, so it would be nice to get it done. I don't like knitting charted patterns like this with long floats to handle all the time, but now it is done and the rest is made in the small pattern repeat.

Variations on a pattern

2007-11-04T11:31:00.000+01:00

Recovering form my plunge into double knitting, I've been knitting something light and easy this week. It actually started in May, when I got my hands on three skeins of Färgkraft Pälsblend 1-ply in Isgrönt (Ice green). As usual the pictures don't do the colour justice, but it's got a glacier green feeling with a hint of gray. I bought the yarn at the Hemslöjden store in Leksand and I think I got it at half the price because I was in such a hurry that I stressed out the sales lady. I'm a bit ashamed about that, but I had left town when I suspected it was wrong. The stress that day was because I was actually there to play at a folk dance with a group of about a dozen ladies that I play with every other week. I hadn't been to rehearsals all spring term, only gotten the sheet music the week before and now I was skipping the last rehearsal to by yarn... It's all about priorities. Anyway the group will perform at another dance on November 17th and I thought I should be wearing the cardigan then to make up for my past sins, but practising the tunes would probably be better use of time.

The general layout of the project is inspired by Doreen L. Marquart:Top Down Sweaters. I used her calculation for the raglan, but I've changed the texture, edges, armholes...

The texture is moss stitch as that is a good way to make the 1-ply yarn behave and not twist and pull the fabric and keep it light. I also like the way it blends the colours. Under the arms I put in Gansey style gussets to improve the fit. The are decreased towards the sleeves, but down the side the "seems" just move together without decreases.

Last night I finished the sleeves and now I'm pondering the possibilities for the rest of the body. How many buttons should there be? I've used I-cord cast off for the sleeves, should that be used all over? Straight edges, rounded courners or A-line with wedges of stockinette? I don't know yet, but I like knitting this way and make it up as I go along. Sometimes the result is really bad, but with a yarn this soft and expensive I try to plan ahead more before actually knitting. Here is the result so far. The sleves are a bit big, but I plan to felt it ever so little at the end to fix that and make it more durable.

Double knitting and wierd socks

2007-10-29T10:17:00.000+01:00

The instructions for double knitting are know available in English. If you know of any other methods, patterns or finished projects in this technique, please let me know! I'm sure there is a lot more to learn and see out there.

If you liked the assymetrical feeling of my version of Magknit's Rainbow socks, check out these. Sorted my sock yarns last week, and I think there are enough leftovers for quite a few versions.

New techniques

2007-10-28T20:28:00.000+01:00

Today my shawl page has been illustrated and translated. Double knitting is next in line for translation, but now my kids need to be put in bed, so maybe tomorrow...

Lots and lots of hats

2007-10-27T18:33:00.000+02:00

This week I've been working on my Christmas presents. This hat is for my brother G., and since he chose the colour and style I might as well show it. The yarn is Visjö and the needles are 2,5 and 3mm. I usually hate using 40cm circulars, but most of my double pins were otherwise engaged, so I had to, and my hands only ached for the first couple of days. Right now I'm making a sleeve on 40cm circs and it hardly hurts at all... Modelling the hat is my son, who turned 3yo last week. His head measures 54,5cm, but this is really one size fits all. It looks good on my 59cm head too.

The pattern can be found in Gro Sandvik, Strikk tilbehör. I seem to turn to this book whenever I need a pattern for basic accessories. I've made this model before in redish handdyed yarn. I also made the version without the cables for MrP. last winter. The yarn I used then was Kauni, but he insisted on blue and it really didn't have much contrast. The scarf took forever to change colour, not quite what I had planned when I had seen this model knit in rainbow colours. The scarf pattern is so much fun and can be found at Barbro's knitting.

Finally the rest of my hat archive. As I've mentioned before I collected some of my knits for an small exhibition this summer, and since I'm new to digital photos, and therefore blogging, I took some pictures of old stuff to get me started. This is the last of those pictures, so from now on I have to knit new stuff if I'm going to blog.

The twins at the top are designed by Katarina Brieditis for Östergötlands Ullspinneri, and they sell them as kits. The bees are knit at the same time as the hat and really clever. The kids love them as well. Bottom left is my own design(!). MrP. wanted something to keep him warm under his bicycle helmet, so it had to be thin and have ear flaps. The edge is crocheted backwards and the pattern is Fair Isle. The yarn is Heilo by Dale, leftovers from his Norwegian sweater. Finally to the right is a design from Anita Gunnars, Vantar, mössor, sockar och sjalar. This is the hat I mentioned before that is made of the sample skeins form Virtual Yarns. It's very warm and super soft, and I have a soft spot for tweedy colours.

Double knitting

2007-10-25T10:32:00.000+02:00

Last night a dozen experienced knitters tried out double knitting, and some said it was like learning to knit again. However, they soon got the hang of it. It looks more advanced than it is, as it often is with knitting. I first came across this technique in 2002 and I have been on the lookout for more information about it since then, but I haven't found much. One of the ladies last night said she had done something similar in school 50 years ago, but that was about it.

My first attempt was this pocket on my collection of samples of patterns by Britt-Marie Christoffersson.

The next attempt came when I wanted to make a set to go with my second Moebius scarf. I didn't have the right needles to knit them in the round, and I avoid sewing whenever I can. Instead I made them in double knitting on two needles, but no one can tell.

A more intriguing way to use the method is to knit a reversible fabric in two colours. The colour not used on the front side will appear on the back. More examples of this can be found in the Patterns and techniques section to the right.

New section

2007-10-18T09:56:00.000+02:00

Today I have started on a new section called Patterns and techniques. Here you will find things I have written in other contexts, such as technical explanations and attempts at pattern construction. The first two items are educational texts that I have made for a knitting café that I sometimes host. Next week I will teach double knitting there, and while I am preparing samples and instructions I found these texts from previous years. I haven't had the time to translate them yet, but I will as soon as I can.

Icelandic lace

2007-10-14T09:59:00.001+02:00

This weekend has been about finishing my lace projects. Last summer (2006) I started on a scarf/shawl in Pälsull by Östergötlands ullspinneri. It has been the kind of knitting one could always bring along, but never knit for long. The pattern is from Sigrídur Halldórsdóttir:Thríhyrnur og langsjöl. It is the central panel from Hvítt sjal and the pattern is called köngulóarprjón (spider knitting). Maybe because each diamond has eight legs?

The finished work measures 45 x125cm, so it is a small shawl or a big scarf, that is up to the wearer. Someone I know will get this for Christmas, because I never wear blue even if it is this soft. I bought a skein in red for me...

The next shawl was actually the first one I made from the same book, and I knitted Langsjal ad vestan in between, but I gave that away BC (before camera). This is Thríhyrna, the cover design. I had the right yarn, Icelandic kambgarn, but different colours, so the stripes have been changed. I got a big bag of this yarn from my aunt who had been using it for weaving, but most of it is small amounts of many, very different colours. I also used the same needles, which was a huge mistake. Since this was my first real lace project I didn't know that my knitting was too firm and the resulting shawl was blocked to 130 x 65cm instead of 150 x 75cm. Before blocking I thought it would be even smaller, so it has spent over a year in a box before I gave it the proper treatment.

Finally, here is my daughter under our apple tree. I think the size is perfect on her, but she is only about 110cm tall. Some of the snow you could see behind the blue shawl, photgraphed yesterday, has melted away, but it is still cold.

Finished Rainbow Socks

2007-10-12T15:23:00.001+02:00

We got some snow last night, and it hasn't quite melted away even though the sun is shining today. Here is a sunny picture of the completed socks. Number one is at the bottom and number two is at the top, shown from the front. The turning points aren't quite even, but they look better when the socks get on the feet and stretch out a little.

I have been home a lot this week, because of a cold, but when I missed the weekly knitting café I had to dive into my knitting baskets. I fond a lot of UFO:s, some I had almost forgotten. One motivation to start blogging was to be able to record my finished projects, so I am not allowing myself to write about old UFO:s until they are finished. Better get back to knitting...

It's all in a days work

2007-10-06T21:05:00.000+02:00

Today I have been a bit ill. Enough to avoid cleaning the house, but not enough to stop me from knitting.

Since several members of my knitting club have bought the same colour of Kaffe Fasset's Regia I was so happy when I found this special and perfect pattern for it.The entire sock is knitted in short rows, except the cuff and toe. I think it really gives it more of a "landscape" feel than straight stripes. The pattern is called Rainbow Socks and can be found at Magknits , October 2007.

Tomorrow I hope I will be feeling better so I can go to Garnkorgen and spend the afternoon knitting the second sock and practise resisting the temptation to buy too much yarn. Maybe I need more needles...

Error

2007-10-03T22:53:00.000+02:00

Unfortunately my settings haven't been working as I thought, so comments have been restricted to registered users. I hope I have fixed this for the last time, but please e-mail me if it happens again.

Style guide

2007-10-02T15:41:00.000+02:00

Two years ago I made a Moebius shawl in Estonian variegated wool. When I was done I didn't have anything to wear it with. As a dedicated knitter I went out on a search for a coat to match my knitting, and found a wool coat in just the right colour. Another important criteria when buying clothes these days is no velcro. Unfortunately this is very hard when it comes to jackets and overalls for the children. Another problem is when you give knits away. Do the recipients understand these rules?

Challenge

2007-10-01T11:55:00.000+02:00

I've been challenged, and asked to give out some personal information. Thanks Cina now I´ll probably think about your underwear every time I see you... Fun though that we started our cross stitch careers in the same way. Since I promised myself to write this blog in English and stick to knitting, I will translate the text and try to get the knitting in there whenever I can. Being a new blogger, I don't know who to challenge and I'm not too found of chain letters... so I'll stick to answering. Here we go.

1. I met my husband on the net in1999. Since we lived close to each other and turned out to have a lot in common we soon met IRL.

2. Next benefit of computers: when we moved in together and I was at home with our first child in 2001 I found his computer very useful and spent my days knitting and surfing.

3. Special talent: I'm ambidextrous. This means I can do things with both hands, like knit "backwards". Very useful.

4. I speak English, Swedish, French and Icelandic and I get by in Danish and Norwegian and I have tried out German, Latin, Russian and Faroese. If you need help with a translation, let me know.

5. For nine years I took lessons in classical piano, then I abandoned the piano and started playing folk music on the violin. After 20 years I'm thinking of trying to improve my violin technique, since I hardly have any.

6. I'm the only person I know who has lost lots of kilos by getting pregnant. About five of them have stayed off.

7. I learned to knit at five, and for the first five years I knitted the same green ball of acrylic over and over again. Then I started to learn more knitting in school and at 13 I made my first sweater. In the same acrylic, but another shade of green.

8. My knitting dream is to be a master of traditional patterns, and I'm slowly working my way through the styles of northern Europe. Next in line is the bold patterns from Delsbo in central Sweden. I have promised my mother-in-law a cardigan in silke tweed by Garnstudio. Just have to get a few other things finished first...

Icelandic lambs wool

2007-10-01T09:22:00.000+02:00

Last weekend this project fell into my lap. An old friend of the family had promised to knit a kit for a woman who bought a sweater to match her horses, but couldn't knit it. The intended knitter couldn't knit it either, because of the foreign language pattern and recent illness. So who do you call? An Icelandic woman known to be a good knitter, my mother. She doesn't knit much these days, so she passed it on to me.

As you can see it starts out with a basic Scandinavian geometrical pattern. Further up there will be some horses and larger squares. It knits quick and easy, and it is interesting to knit Icelandic lambs wool. I have never come across a yarn like this before. It is a lot like Lópi light, but it has two strands. If I didn't know it was lambs wool I would never have guessed it, because it is almost as coarse as regular Icelandic wool, but it has a little more shine. It comes from a small company called Frú Lára.

My favourite yarn

2007-09-28T10:15:00.000+02:00

After revealing my favourite designer and inspiration, it's time for my favourite yarn. It is Visjö by Östergötlands ullspinneri. There are many reasons for this:

100% swedish wool
family business run in a small barn in the middle of nowhere, with sheep around the corner
made on a real Spinning Jenny machine
soft enough for children
knits at gauges between 23-30 sts/10 cm
great for multicoloured knits
available in many solid colours
several variegated colourways, three of which are shown in my picture

I hope they can carry on for many years to come. Meanwhile I delight in their super soft Pälsull, that is so thin that my shawl never gets finished, but I hope it will be done before Christmas. I was too clever and bought it in blue, which I never wear, so I would have to give it away. If that makes me too sad, I have a skein in red as well. I won't take a picture of it until it is done, that way I might get to the end of it soon.

Starmore in green

2007-09-27T10:41:00.001+02:00

I have many favourites, but the top designer I wish I could imitate the most is Alice Starmore. I own six of her books and one by her daughter Jade, and I read them over and over again. My aim is to have knitted something from every book I have, but that is a longterm project in this case. The first book I found was Fishermen's sweaters, because it was translated into Swedish.
The pale ladies' model comes from this book, and it was a joy to knit this classic gansey with a modern touch. The men's and child's Arans are found in The Aran Collection.

If we take a closer look at the details, you can see how fine the ladies' model is. The yarn is Cortina by Solsilke, a delicate mix with e.g. cashmire. The Arans are made from regular Aran yarn and variegated sock yarn. The child sweater involved a bit too much sewing for my taste, but there is hardly a sewn stitch in the ladies' model and only side seams for the men's Aran. The most difficult part was the braids in single twisted stitches on the men's sweater, but otherwise the patterns are very detailed and user friendly even if they are long. If you want to take a look at more Starmore designs, check out her shop at Virtual yarns. Most of her books are really hard to find, but some of the kits include patterns. I ordered a few skeins of their yarn, and it was soft, tweedy and made a very warm hat.

Family portrait

2007-09-13T20:13:00.001+02:00

Last winter I went a bit sock crazy, and now there is a new addition. Let me show you a few examples.

On the left is Mr P. in toe-up-socks by Barbro. The yarn is the leftovers from his Aran sweater, that you will see soon. On these socks the toe and heel are made in the same way, with short rows, so by measuring the toe section it is easy to know when it is time to start the heel.

Next you see the latest project. These are Ann Budd's toe-up-socks from Interweave summer 2007. The toe is clever, but a bit bulky in the smallest size. Maybe I will try making a larger version. The short row heel is really neat, and I will probably use Budd's technique next time I use Barbro's pattern. The yarns in these and the ones to the right are all from Opal. The purple is from a test collection, the pale green is from the Rainforest line and the brown is Opal smoke.

The Rainforest caterpillar socks are made from the same pattern as Mr P's, but only have rib at the top. With this pair I learned to twist the knit stitches and bind off by sewing. Both methods worked really well, especially the bind off because it isn't tight at all.

Finally you see my own feet. They are dressed in Broken Cable Rib socks, also by Ann Budd for Interweave. They look really good, but the cables make the leg a bit tight and I'm afraid I will tear something when I put them on.

A warm red

2007-08-25T10:57:00.000+02:00

Sometimes it takes unusual measures to get a project finished. This week my litte boy had been coughing for a couple of nights, and finally I had to escape to the guest room. I really needed the sleep and didn't want to get up in the morning, until I saw a shawl in need of blocking by the end of the bed (it's more of a knitting room than a guest room).

This shawl is made from the very first Kauni yarn that I bought from Garnkorgen last autumn before she was even on the net. It is very fine and it took a while to find the right use for it. In Cheryl Oberle: Folk Shawls I found this great combination of garter stitch and feather and fan. It is from the chapter on Iceland and it's originally made in unspun icelandic wool. Instead I used my red yarn double, and it worked well with one strand from each skein. The final result is 220cm at top edge and 90cm at the point, which is almost as big as the original even though I had to skip a few pattern repeats here and there to get the most out of my yarn.

Feather and fan is called krónuprjón (crown knitting) in Icelandic and it is very common in scarfs and langsjöl (long shawls) that are knitted for sale. I even have a lace sweater in this pattern that my mother wore in the sixties.

Off the needles

2007-08-19T14:09:00.000+02:00

Now it's a vest, and the sleeves have just been started. Like with the front and back pieces I make them both at the same time. The collar is a really great model where you start out with the neck stitches and pick up a few new stitches on each side every time you reach the end of a row. The pattern is really quick to knit, and I think I will be able to stick to this project until it's finished, which rarely happens when I knit. Well, there are some knee socks from the toe up from last Interweave in the basket too, but I hardly ever touch them.

A vest with the bag

2007-08-10T20:37:00.001+02:00

My very first post here was a felted bag. The yarn was actually the leftovers from a vest, that is finally finished.

I really wanted to try this great model, found at Barbros stickning. It starts at the back of the neck and continues down the front, round the back, up again and returns to the back of the neck. It really takes a yarn like this for the design to be visible. I cheated a bit and started to use the colours in reverse order at the middle of the back to get it symmetrical. The white that I saved from the back became I-cord bind off, which I made quite firm to tighten up the look. Maybe I should also add that the original design is for needles 5mm, but this version was made on 3,5mm and with 50% more stitches. I think I used about 400g of yarn for the vest and 200g for the bag. My only problem right now is if I should use this matching set together , or if that is a bit too much...

Scandinavian sweaters

2007-08-09T10:41:00.000+02:00

This July I hosted a small exhibition to promote a local crafts society that arranges cafés and classes for knitters. For this purpose I collected some of my projects from the last fifteen years, and I will present some of them here.

These are my two-coloured favourites. The top sweater is shown from the back where you can see my husband's initials. The front has a 15 cm opening with three hooks. It's a classic norwegian model in Heilo by Dale. I knitted it for our second Christmas together, and when he opened the present his mother spontaneously said "That's love".

On the left is a true scandinavian mix. The pattern is a basic norwegian Setesdal without the "lus", because the owner didn't like them. The yarn is icelandic Létt Lópi by Álafoss, which is a lot thicker than the original, so I simply took a pattern for a child and without any changes the result became XXL. Finally the buttons show the symbol of the Medelpad region in Sweden, where I live.

Last, but definitely not the least work, my own cardigan from the west coast of Sweden. I wanted it wearable and washable, so instead of wool it's made from Mandarin Petit by Sandnes, a yarn for babies and summer in 100% cotton. Like with the others I have changed the colourway, this time into my two favourite colours emerald and dark red. All the sweaters where originally made in combinations of red, blue, black or white.

On the needles

2007-08-08T09:32:00.000+02:00

A while ago H. told me that moths had damaged her wool cardigan. It was a "viking" design by Elsebeth Lavold made in Peer Gynt. I originally knitted it for my grandmother but H. inherited it because she was the only family member who could get into it. Off course I immediately offered to make her a new one. This time she got to choose pattern and yarn from my shelves, and this is the result:

The pattern is from The Best of Knitter's: Arans and Celtics and designed by Nancy Bush. The cables are all made by knitting the stitches in reverse order and/or twisting them. Quick and clever. The original is called "Irish moss" and made from soft wool and mohair. My version is crisper and made in Garnstudio's Silke Tweed in silk and lambs wool. Since it is a little thinner I have added 20% to all numbers of stitches. It should work, I usually have to do that when I run out of sizes or change the yarns. To keep track of the numbers I make front and back at the same time, and so far I'm at the armholes.

Holiday shopping

2007-08-07T09:53:00.000+02:00

Finally back in business. After an 11 day trip to Estonia and stopovers with some relatives I have had trouble connecting to the internet. Today it works, so let's get on with the report.

After reading the fabulous book Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush, and stopping by Tallinn on a kick-off cruise in 2005, I persuaded my family to rent a house in Tallinn for a week. Apart from regular beach life, great restaurants and other holiday musts I found some knitting here and there. Tallinn is full of markets and shops with loads of knitted goods, but finding things to knit myself was a lot trickier. Searching bookshops and museums I found a few books with patterns and/or writing about Estonian knitting traditions in English. Mostly they were booklets about mittens. Amazing fact: a bride in Estonia had to knit 50 pairs, on average, of gloves and mittens for her wedding guests (see picture). These mittens had extensive patterns and very fine gauge. I also found a new book about sweaters on the Estonian islands. They were similar to other Scandinavian patterns but also inspired by the 19th century mittens. Unfortunately Riina Tomberg:Vatt, Troi, Vamsa doesn't contain any patterns, only pictures and research.

Finding locally produced yarns proved even more difficult. Since I can get Evilla and Kauni with colored sections in Sweden I wanted something else. Finally I found some nice Evilla in a varigated pale red/orange. Half of it has got one thread in white, while the other half is all coloured yarn. Now I just have to figure out if I should make stripes, squares, patchwork...
The rest of the yarn is perfect for mittens. Liisu by Elotroi is very fine 100% wool and Austraalia Merinovillaga by Arvita is mixed with some, you guessed it, Australian merino.

A few days after we got home, my parents went on to Norway. I couldn't help myself and asked them to look for some books I wanted. Off course they bought them all. I especially wanted to read Annemor Sundbö: Usynlege trådar i strikkekonsten. She owns a factory for recycling wool and this is her third report from the wool piles. Amazing. This book is largely about the culture of knitting, but it has some interesting pictures and patterns too. Strikk og tov by Gerd Fjellanger is filled with projects to felt in the washing machine. I love the hats! And maybe we need more socks, and sweaters for the kids... Finally my mother had to buy Alison Hansel: Charmed Knits featuring knits as seen in Harry Potter. Mostly basic school uniform style, but a few things with a twist, such as a wizard robe, an owl and wand cozies + some nice bags. This book will probably come in handy in a few years when my children are old enough to discover Harry P.

Time out already

2007-07-13T14:19:00.000+02:00

Just a couple of days old, my blog will take a holiday time out. I'm going abroad for ten days to buy more yarn!

One skein

2007-07-13T14:07:00.000+02:00

A few weeks ago I went to buy some needles at Garnkorgen and came home with one skein of Fleece Artist merino in Seashore. It´s like golden sand and mother-of-pearl and so soft. I couldn´t keep my hands of it for more than a day and made a little vest for my 5-y-o daughter. It's based on a model in Elsebeth Lavold:Stickat med I-snoddar. I changed the edges and made moss stitch with i-cord bind of. An extra short row along the front made that part of the edge wide enough for some mother-of-pearl buttons. On the back there is a moss stitch heart from an old Sandnes baby pattern that I made for her when she was a baby. It warmed her heart so much that she mostly wears it backwards to get the heart shape over her heart.

The only problem was that I never seemed to run out of yarn. So my sister-in-law will get these wrist warmers as a late birthday present this weekend. And there is still a little bit left... The pattern is in Birgitta Adolfsson: Pulsvärmare.

Two end knitting

2007-07-11T23:40:00.000+02:00

This is the inside of my new hat. To see the pattern and read more about it, check out this.

Starting with a ba(n)g

2007-07-11T10:22:00.001+02:00

Grand opening!
This is a blog about knitting, focused on techniques and traditions. I am Swedish/Icelandic with a strong interest in history. At the same time I love problem solving and discovering new solutions (but they are often old, just new to me). I have been using internet for knitting adventures since 2001. Sometimes I have taken part in discussions, sometimes just looked for inspiration. Now I have a working camera, and it is about time I started blogging!

First item: my first knitted bag!
A favourite among my knitting friends is this bag called Mettes kaffetaske from bendixgarn.dk. I listened to their comments and made it 30% bigger, using almost 190g of Kauni from Garnkorgen and needles 5.5mm. I also felted it hard, first in 40, then in 60 degrees C. The measurements before were 35cm across the bottom and 47cm from bottom to under the handle, after felting it is 25x27cm. I also sewed the handle down well using the same yarn. I love it, and it´s coming with me to Wayne´s Coffee in Sundsvall for our knitting café tonight. It needs a lining too, but that will have to wait.