Hi again!

I am still here, believe it or not! So much has happened since I last blogged that I hardly know where to start... Brace yourself for a huge post!

I have almost knit a sweater. Sheri at The Loopy Ewe started a Dream In Color sweater KAL with a 20% discount on the yarn, DIC Classy. After much agonising over what colour to get (and they colours were selling out fast!) I ordered six lovely skeins of Some Summer Sky. I figured that six skeins would be enough for any sweater.

Then I had to decide on a pattern... Twist by Bonne Marie Burns won at last. I have knit all the pieces and blocked them this weekend.


Blocking was a bit scary. I decided to wet-block and the even though I tried to be really careful with the wet pieces they wanted to streeeeetch like mad! I had to leave them for a while and then tried to push them together again to the right size. I think I managed to get them about right. Button bands and collar (I'm not doing the hood) will be begun Real Soon. Spring has started for real this time (I sincerely hope!) and Twist will be perfect as outerwear for a while.

H's Party Sweater has grown a bit but Twist has been more fun so it's not done yet. Though when I work on it it grows really fast, 3 sts and 5 rows to the inch, say no more.


Thi is an old pic, I have almost finished the body and 1/3 of a sleeve. It is great to be able to try it on as I go! There has been some ripping and adjusting. First I made it too big before splitting for sleeves, then the sleeve got too narrow. I hope I don't have to rip back any more now, I want this thing finished!

I have blocked other things as well. The Zenzi scarf has been patiently waiting since October...


Pattern: Woodland shawl, scarf version
Size: 41 sts, about 150 cm long
Yarn: Wollmeise sockenwolle, colour Zenzi
Needles: 3,5 mm
Verdict: Nice pattern, easy to learn by heart. I prefer to knit from a chart and made my own. Now there is one linked from the pattern page. There were one or two small errors in the pattern but they have been corrected. The stitch pattern is of course somewhat lost in this busy yarn but I like it anyway. The brown black and white reminds me of birch bark.
The yarn is a bit odd, it feels almost like cotton even though it is 100% wool. It is also a bit splitty. It blocked just fine, and softened too. I have to make socks from this yarn (I have a few more skeins) and see how it behaves then.


Obstacles is also done.


Pattern: Obstacles by Anne Hanson
Yarn: Dream In Color Smooshy, 2 skeins Ruby River
Needles: 4,5 and 5 mm
Verdict: Mmmm. Lovely pattern, great texture to the stitch pattern, easy to learn by heart. I love Anne's designs!
The yarn is really nice too and it got a lovely drape after blocking. The second skein was more varegiated than the first one but I don't mind.


The shawl fits little girls too!



What else? Lets see... Oh yes, socks! I finished the Tall Tibetan socks over Easter (at the cottage. This fireplace is the main heat source. Very cosy)


Pattern: Tall Tibetan socks from New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi.
Size: 50 sts
Yarn: Schaefer Lola in Raspberry Mocha
Needles: 2.75 mm
Verdict: I like knitting this pattern but the fit isn't so good for feet with high insteps like mine. The sock is a bit inelastic just there.
The yarn is nice to work with (and sportweight yarn make quick socks :-) but I'm not really happy with the pooling. The light brown is my least favourite colour in the yarn and of course it wanted to show itself off in big streaks...

I started a new pair of socks too (even though I have two other OTN) I saw someones striped Noro socks and just *had* to...

I'm using colours S40 and S102 of the Kureyon sock yarn, two rounds of each, and Wendy's toe-up slip-stitch heel pattern. I am almost at the start of the gusset. The yarn isn't very nice to work with, tight and a bit rough and splitty with my 2 mm needles, slow going. But it softens as you work with it and it is fun to watch the colors change :-)

And when Spring Knitty came I just had to cast on this:


The Lace Ribbon scarf. I am making it a little narrower than the pattern suggests, 44 sts instead of 53. The yarn is from Gypsy Girl Creations, fingering weight in Blueberries and Cream.

Spinning: I spun some lovely top from Squoosh, merino called Kiss. Here is the fiber


the singles

and the yarn

185 meters of two-ply, about sport weight or DK I think.

Then there was the Spunky club fiber for February, Think Spring. Fiber


singles


yarn




4 oz/110 g South African Fine, Navajo plied (my first. That took some concentration!) 100 m/110 yds of worsted weight. I have 12 more ounces of this (I got 8 ounces from Spunky, then someone on my mailing list wanted to sell her 8 ounces and I jumped) I haven't decided if I want to treat the rest of the fiber the same or if I should experiment.

Last but certainly not least, some superwash merino handpainted by Aija of Zero. I won't show the fiber because I couldn't get a colour correct photo of it. Here are the singles:

and the yarn:



I really liked spinning this. The fiber was pretty, and the yarn is oh so much prettier. The colourway is called Glass Nyctimene and it really looks like glass. The colours are translucent somehow and they go together so well. I am happy! This is 115 m/125 yds of DK weight 2-ply.

And today my four year old H learned to ride a bike without training wheels! On the first go! She is amazing. She wanted to try her friend's bike without training wheels and I said sure, I'll hold on to you. But I didn't have to. She figured out how to start all by herself too. Turning corners is still a litte difficult, but I bet she'll have that down pat when we get to daycare tomorrow.
Here she comes with her big brother E (who was a year older when we coaxed him to shed the training wheels)

Wrooooom
She was smiling so wide I thought her head would burst :-)

Six months

From this...


to this...

Yes, he is lying in the same chair. (And yes, I am right beside him)

Little A has grown quite a bit! Just about doubled his birthweight actually.
He is scooting around on the floor (not crawling properly but nevertheless going where he wants to), trying solid foods (still nursing like anything, though), cooing, laughing, pulling your hair. And he sprouted a tooth almost a month ago. So yes, he bites (not while nursing, thankfully!), and laughs when you say Aj!

Unseason

We have no season. Last year we had spring, summer, autumn. Autumn never ended (because winter means freezing temps for seven days) until the meteorologists decided that autumn can't go on longer than until February 14 and spring can start at February 15 at the earliest. Spring starts when the mean temperature over 24 hours has been above freezing for seven days in a row. We just had a couple of frost nights and cold days, sooo it is not spring. And not autumn. And definitely not winter. Unseason.

It may be fitting that I finished my Fire & Ice socks yesterday.

Pattern: Dove socks (Upstream architecture) from New Pathways for Sock Knitters book one.
Yarn: Cider Moon Icicle in Grand Canyon, but I think it looks like flames, 74 grams. I have 30 grams left which will be plenty for baby socks for A.
Needles: 2 mm Addi Turbos, magic loop
Mods: My gauge was much smaller so I reworked the pattern to 72 stitches. I made the diamond 6 purls wide instead of four. I made my own toe. I made the leg continue a bit above the diamond.
Verdict: Lovely yarn. A tiny bit of pooling in the gussets, otherwise lovely stripes. Great fit, good length (6,5" above heel flap) I started these in August and it is so good that they are done!

One frog and two FO's

I picked up a very old UFO today. A beutiful stranded sweater from Solsilke (I can't find it on the site though) I bought it as a kit at a market I think, many years ago. The sweater is inspired by an old woven cloth at a museum. It is worked in the round, on 2,5 mm needles, and most of the body is done.


It is too small. Beyond help. The body is supposed to be 115 cm (45") around. This sweater is about 90 cm (35"). I am about 96 cm (38"). I cannot block out a stranded sweater 25 cm. Sure, I am still losing weight, but to ever fit into a 90 cm sweater? No way.

The gauge should be 32 sts/10 cm (4"). My gauge appears to be about 38 sts instead. I can't believe that I didn't check the gauge as I went along! It even says so in the pattern. Multiple times.
So I will frog the sweater, reskein the yarn, bathe the yarn, dry the yarn. And start all over again. On larger needles. Checking my gauge as I go.

I have finished objects!
Three days or so before H's fourth birthday (which was this Saturday) I realised that she needed a birthday hat. With skulls. I made H a We Call Them Pirates hat for his last birthday. Sure that hat is fairly quick but I have made two of them and I didn't feel like making another one. Then I found the Thorpe hat. Enter Pirate Thorpe:


Pattern: Thorpe, with skulls from We Call Them Pirates
Yarn: Garnstudio Karisma Superwash, a little more than 1 skein grey and Idena Juvel 1 skein red.
Needles: 5 mm DPN's
Verdict: Fast and fun. It took me three evenings, not a lot of knitting time at all. She likes it.


I also finished the Sherwood sweater for E.

Pattern: Sherwood from Knitty
Yarn: Cascade 220, 3 skeins in 2448, Petrol blue
Needles: 4 mm circ and DPN's
Mods: My gauge is 22 sts/24 rounds for 4” instead of 24 sts/28 rounds, so I’m following the directions for size 4 years to get size 6-8 years. I knit the first row 12 times instead of 6 to make the sweater a little longer.
I made the neck opening a little smaller than the pattern says, 28 sts on hold for the front neck instead of 32. It is still a bit too wide, I think. Knit neck 10 rounds instead of 6.
No cables on sleeves, just the ribbing. Decrease every 4 rows until 36 sts + 3 rounds = 13.5” from shoulder. Sleeves are rather long, on purpose.
I am very happy with this sweater.

I have been spinning a little lately. This is the Party Dress top from Spunky Fiber Club in December. 8 ounces of superwash Corriedale in very vivid colours.


And this is the yarn.


I split the top into separate colours and spun them in sequence red, green, blue, green, red, green, and so on. So the yarn is self striping. I plied it with some superwash merino I got from Wingham Wool Work to tone down the colours a little.

This was the first time I tried to spin a certain weight, and apparently I'm not very good at it. I aimed for a worsted weight but this yarn is bulky, about 7 wpi, 315 meters and 515 grams. Bulky.

I started a top-down raglan sweater for H with it.


I hope I have enough yarn. If not, I have more of the white merino. Just have to figure out how to make it white in the middle, with stripey cuffs and yoke. Of course the easiest would be to just knit until I run out of yarn, but white cuffs on a kids' sweater?

What to do with sock yarn leftovers

Baby socks, of course! And just in time for SAM5 too. I was getting a bit worried... I started these so I would have socks for January. Then I accidentally left them at my parents last Friday. Ack! I finally got them back yesterday and finished them last night. Phew!

Yarn: Regia Mini Ringel Color in 5211, leftover from FIL's Wendelin socks.
Needle: Knit Picks 2.25 mm circ, Magic Loop.
Pattern: My own. Judy's magic CO, 2x2 rib on instep and leg, short-row heel, elastic BO. I ran out of yarn, so the leg of the second sock is slightly shorter than the first one...

More socks yarn leftovers can turn into a shawl.


The Pi shawl by Elizabeth Zimmermann, on a 60 cm circ. I am a bit further along now. This is a really fun knit! I am doing the version with yo, k2tog rounds every six rounds. These yarns don't need any more detail than that... The hole rounds makes the knitting seem faster, there are never more than six rounds until the next action. At the same time it is easy to remember what comes next.

You Make My Day Award

I received this award from Nina at Knit In Denmark. Thank you so much, Nina! It is nice to know that my blog is appreciated :-)

I couldn't find the origins of the award, does anyone know? However, here are the rules:

“Give the award to up to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.”

I actually found several set of rules. Some tells you to give the award to 5 people, some to 10 and some to up to 10. I'm going with the up to 10-variety! So, here are my winners, my absolute favourite blogging people, in no particular order:

Stephanie @ Yarn Harlot
Franklin @ The Panopticon
Anne @ Knitspot
Julie @ Samurai knitter
Probably Jane @ Jane's Probably Knitting
Elemmaciltur @ Númenna - Nan Annûn
Aija @ sock prØn
Jared @ brooklyntweed

Visit them!
I will do so immediately, to tell them about the award.

Startitis, and a FO

New projects galore over here. First I started a pair of socks for Mum, Veil of Leaves from New Pathways for Socks Knitters (which I am not sure that I like, may frog them). Then when I ripped the top down cardi I started ages ago and got bored of E came by and loved the yarn so I promised him a sweater. Which I promptly cast on. Sherwood from Knitty. I am about halfway through it and I really like how it is turning out. My gauge is slightly off so I am getting away with the number of stitches for the 4 year size and still getting the 6-8 year size, and that is plenty big for my small and skinny six year old.


Of course this means a sweater for H in the near future.

Then I got stressed out by not having a pair of January socks for SAM5 yet, so I started a pair of baby socks for A. The fist one is almost done. I think he likes it!


Oh, yes the FO. I misplaced my Knucks so I decided I needed a new pair of fingerless things. Some Ravelry surfing resulted in the Vanilla Mitts. Started Sunday evening, finished Tuesday morning. I used some Claudia Handpainted fingering that I bought to make a scarf. Don't know what I as thinking, a scarf from only 100 g of fingering. Plus that I don't really like the Santa Fe colourway.


Pattern: Vanilla Mitts
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Fingering in Santa Fe and Ingrid's Blues, one strand of each. About 60 g in total.
Needles: 3,35 mm circ, Magic Loop
Mods: I cast on 36 sts instead of 40 or 44. I put the thumb stitches on a piece of yarn instead of knitting the thumb at the same time as the hand. That seemed too fiddly! The thumb was huge so after the first two rounds I decrease two stitches each round until I had 12 stitches left (I started out with 22) Both hand and thumb are finished with 4 rounds of 2x2 ribbing.
Verdict: Me like! The fabric is firm and thick, almost windproof. And they where quick to make.


I have hardly touched the Fire&Ice socks, the Bee Fields shawl, and the Obstacles shawl...

Oh, and I have spinning to show off! Look at this: my best effort so far.

4 ounces of BFL roving from Spunky Eclectic turned into 300 meters of fingering wieght two-ply. Lovely sea-green colour. I don't know if I will turn it into socks or a small shawl.


I also started on the December fiber from the Spunky Club, Party Dress. A very colourful superwash Corriedale in red, blue and electric green.


Not something I would have bought myself... Though I like the fiber.
Someone in the club plied hers with white and that looks rather nice so I am doing the same. I have ordered some white superwash merino to ply it with. The yarn will be a sweater for H. Top-down raglan I think.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas (or whatever you celebrate at this time of year)

We spent Christmas at our cottage in the woods with my parents and my paternal grandmother. Forest all around, no street lights, no passing cars, fire in the fireplace and kitchen stove at all times, lots of good food. Very cosy. No snow though, but there usually isn't any at Christmas. As H said: "It was a grey Christmas".

But in the dark afternoon of Christmas Eve, there was suddenly a lantern outside the window. Someone came walking over the field. Jultomten!


The children where all big eyes and nervous eagerness. Everyone was accounted for, so it had to be the real Santa! And he brought presents!

They let him in this time. Two years ago when he last visited E was terrified (and four) and refused to let him in. Santa had to leave the sack of presents and leave... Last year we where in Australia with my sister and her family and our kids where excited to leave milk and gingerbread for Santa by the fireplace in the evening and see that there were only crumbs the next morning. He had actually come down the chimney! And left presents in stockings! They still talk about it.

I only did one knitted present this year, Grandmother's socks (they fit and she loves them. Yay!) But I finished a hat for M on Boxing Day (can someone *please* tell me why it is called Boxing Day!?)


Pattern: Zeebee
Yarn: Drops Alpaca in a dark blue, 2 balls.
Needle: 3.75 mm Knit Picks circ
Verdict: Fun pattern, even though it is a bit boring with back and forth garter stitch. Luckily there is short row shaping on every row to keep you awake.
M wanted a hat to fit under his bicycle helmet and I think this one does the trick. It is plain and long enough to cover the ears. And when the helmet comes off you can fold up the brim if you want to.


H picked up a dreadful cold at daycarethe week before Christmas, so she spent Christmas coughing and coughing. Then she passed it on to baby A. He has been most unhappy with a stuffy nose, running eyes and much coughing. I spent all Saturday afternoon at the hospital to get some meds for him. He seems to be on the mend now, thankfully.

I must show off my latest spinning! This is Sunrise:


Fiber: 4 ounces of Blue Faced Leicester (sp?) roving from Funky Carolina, colourway Sunrise (I think)
Yarn: 110 m/120 yards of approximately DK weight yarn, about 11 wpi.
What I did: I split the roving in two equal lengths, one for each ply. Then I split it many times lengthwise but I didn't predraft. I spun it as thinly as I could, and plied it. Amazingly, I had less than one meter left on the other bobbin when I ran out of single on the first one!


And this is Manly:


Fiber: 4 ounces of superwash merino roving from Squoosh, colourway Manly. This fiber is So Soft!


Yarn: 112 m/122 yards of approximately DK weight yarn, about 11 wpi.
What I did: I split the roving in two equal lengths, one for each ply. Then I split it in eight lengthwise strips but I didn't predraft. I spun it as thinly as I could, and plied it. This time I really tried not to overtwist the single. I had a bit more left over from plying this time so I tried Handy Plying the rest. OK, very easy to wind the single around my hand. But not so easy to ply from the thing. It tangled rather badly and it took me quite some time to untangle it. But I managed to ply a baby skein.


I have nothing on the wheel right now but I think that my other roving from Squoosh is next in line.

It is merino but not superwash. Colourway Kiss.

I joined the Spunky Fiber Club, December was my first shipment. So now I have to decide how to spin this very bright thing:

8 ounces of superwash Corriedale in *very* bright colours. One looong length of green, and two shorter lengths of blue and red. Someone plied hers with white, that looked nice and not quite so bright. I may do that too. Anyway I think this is destined to be something for the kids.

Now when Grandmother's socks are done I have continued to work on the Fire & Ice socks again. This is the second one:

I have just started the arch increases.

The second project that I really work on is the Obstacles shawl.

I have done 11 repeats, a little more than a third of the length according to the pattern. I plan to make it as long as the yarn allows. I still have a good bit left on the first of my two balls, so about 30 repeats is a good guess. The colour is a bit off in this picture, it is really a dark rich red. I love this pattern! The texture is interesting and I have managed to learn the pattern by heart so it makes good TV knitting now. At least when I don't hold baby A...

And because socks are socks, I couldn't resist my new Noro Sock yarn...


But I may resist it a bit now, I really want to make a pair of socks for my mum first. She has some health issues right now and I want to make her something. I have both yarn and pattern picked out, I just have to make some calculations before I start.