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.

Smokin' Socks

I finished grandmothers socks in good time for Christmas. Yay!


Pattern: Smokin' Socks by Knitspot
Yarn: J. Knits Sperwash Me Sock in Boston, from The Loopy Ewe of course :-)
Needles: 2.25 mm Knitpicks circ
Mods: I made an in-between size, 66 sts instad of 60 or 72 as the pattern suggests. In hindsight I think that 60 sts would have been ok, but as I don't have grandmother's foot measurements just her shoe size I didn't want to make them too tight. I did the heel over 34 sts using Cat Bordhi's wrapped stitches.
Verdict: The yarn, hmm. I love the colour and the variation, and the knitted fabric looks and feel very nice. But the yarn is a bit splitty, it is tricky to pick up a dropped stitch. At one point I ripped a few rounds at the toe and it was No Fun to pick up the stitches again.


I love the stitch pattern. I will certainly use it again, for me. It is easy to knit, yet it looks and feels really nice.

Wheeeee...

...eeeel! As in spinning wheel. As in I got one. Ooops.



It's a used Louet S10, with a skein winder. It looks like a windmill with the skein winder on... Kind of fitting for a Dutch wheel maybe. I got it off ebay, from a Dutch seller that seems to buy ands refurbish old wheels and put them up for sale one by one. I was a bit nervous about making my first ebay purchase. I mean, you hear so much about being tricked into buying a box of bricks or whatever... But I checked the seller as best as I could and all went well. So I have a nice little wheel and I'm making yarn!


These are my first skeins of yarn from the wheel. BFL top (or roving? I'm not sure about the difference) from Spunky Eclectic. I bought a spindle kit from her ages ago with a nice little Cascade spindle and this and one other roving. I have spun a bit on the spindle but I find it very difficult to do anything but park and draft, and very little drafting at that! Maybe if I learn to draft properly on the wheel the spindle may be easier. I find it difficult to keep the spindle spinning for very long, but treadling the wheel is easy. We have an old spinning wheel at the cottage, and as kids we used to play with it and treadle, treadly, treadle. Seems like my foot remembers how to keep the wheel turning!


I managed to spin 66 grams (2,3 oz) into 19 meters (20 yards) of rather fat yarn, 5 or 6 wpi. The smaller skein is 13 grams (0,5 oz) and 3,5 meters (3,8 yards) . It's a start...
My current yarn is turning out thinner.


But drafting is still very difficult for me. This is a Corriedale top from Funky Carolina. I have split it in thin strips and predrafted before spinning but of course I would like to be able to do the drafting on the fly. I have two more rovings (4 oz each) after this one, and a few more on order from etsy sellers. I think I want a fleece for Christmas... Cleaned and carded, please, even though I got a pair of hand carders with the wheel, and I know how to use them. Or indeed any larger amount of wool to practice on. It would be nice to be able to have enough yarn of one kind to actually knit something! I have no idea where to get good wool here in Sweden though. Anyone know?

Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning arrived in the mail today. It seems to be a very good beginner's book. Especially if you, like me, have no one to show you.

Christmas knitting (dare I say the word?)
I'm not doing much of that actually. Knitting deadlines stresses me out and then it's no fun to knit, it turns into a chore. I much prefer to dole things out as I finish them.
Still, I am knitting a couple of items for Christmas presents. A pair of socks for my grandmother. She is 87 and fell and broke her leg in June, had surgery which didn't take and now had her hip joint replaced instead the other day. So she needs cosy socks.

The first one is done and the second one is at the heel. It's a fairly quick pattern (Smokin' socks by Anne at Knitspot) so I'm confident that I will finish them on time.


The Fire & Ice socks are on hiatus until Grandmother's socks are done. First one is done and looks like this:

The second sock is almost at the start of the gusset increases. They are sooo comfy, I'm really happy with them!

The second (and last!) Christmas item is a Pirate hat for H. She immediately wanted one when she saw the one that E got for his birthday, and I was planning on knitting her one anyway. So two knit presents this year. If I don't spin to much... Though I *may* knit an iPod sock for M... This pattern (that I found through the Daily Chum) is so cute :-)

I am 8 rows in on the bee swarm section of the Bee Fields shawl (also by Anne at Knitspot). So I have one neat row of bees :-) Or is it one and a half? Not sure yet.

Anyway, I love this shawl. And the yarn (The Plucky Knitter Merino laceweight) And it's not that difficult to knit either. Granted, this section has patterning on both right and wrong side rows and I haven't done that before, but I'm learning to read the pattern from the back too.


For some strange reason I haven't worked on it since the wheel arrived though. Hmm.

BTW, I just had to start an Obstacles shawl as well. I am in some sort of Knitspot period I think.

Lovely pattern! I'm using two skeins of Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn in Ruby River. Yum!

Baby mittens

A needed mittens so I made some from the same yarn as his djevellue. I just love how they striped!

Size: 3-9 months
Yarn: Thickish fingering yarn, 65 meters/70 yards
Gauge: 32 sts/10 cm (4”)
Needles: 3 mm (US 2,5) needles or size to get gauge

Cuff: CO 32 sts (I use long-tail CO) join for knitting in the round. Rib k1, p1 for 4 cm/1,5”, 13 rounds.
Hand: Switch to stocking st. Increase 8 sts evenly on the first round (k1bf, k3 around), 40 sts. When hand measures 8 cm/3,25”, 30 rounds after increase round, decrease for top:
Round 1: k2, k2tog around, 30 sts
Round 2: knit
Round 3: k1, k2tog around, 20 sts
Round 4: knit
Round 5: k2tog around, 10 sts
Round 6: knit
Round 7: k2tog around, 5 sts

Cut yarn and thread through the remaining sts, weave in ends. Make another mitten. Make an i-cord or crochet chain about 67 cm/27” long and sew one mitten to each end. Thread through sleeves to avoid loosing mittens.