Family holidays

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.