Monday 31 December 2012

Happy New Yarn

The knitted 2012: My finished projects.
Or it should be: Happy New Year to all of you. I so appreciate all your comments, all your advices and that you even read my blog. I have never thought it should be this fun to share my creative life.

When I saw how much I have knitted in 2012 I took the time to make a mosaic from it. I do not dare to count the meters of yarn used. Nor do I dare put it on the weight. Because, joy can not be measured. The delight feeling of starting a project, casting on and see the garment grow can not be numbered.

I count my blessings - they are all free. They are all the light and fun in my life. Thank you for taking part in that.

I hope you have a lovely start on your new year. With a lot of blessings and creative moments.

Thursday 27 December 2012

One Of Those Projects


When I first saw the pattern for this sweater I thought it was just me. After knitting it I realized it was not me. I found it too small and the stripes does not do me justice...

UGH, just not me...
When Rauma visited my local LYS I tried their model. The only problem was that I was told the model was in size M when it really was in size L.

So I knitted it too small and there is nothing worse than a woolen sweater that is too tight. It gets too warm and uncomfortable to wear.

I was supposed to knit a hood for it. But I did not bother doing that. I do not think I am going to wear this much.

I will try and find someone else who looks better in it and would like to wear it.

It is not often I knit something that comes out in a wrong fit. But I manage to finish it after realizing that.

And I learned something: Always check the pattern and the sizes....

But the yarn is so lovely, and I believe it would be a very lovely sweater to wear.

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Mitu
Needles: 3.5mm, 4mm
Pattern: Fana genser
My Ravelry Page: Fana In The Hood

Saturday 22 December 2012

Winter Is Back

- I said: LET ME INSIDE - NOOOOOOW!!!!
Just to assure you - Gismo is inside cuddling up in the sofa... This is how he expressed himself when I opened a window. Who says that a cat has no personality - he sure tell me what he means. In this own way.

Only one week after the blizzard - it seems to have returned. Snow and storm is sure keeping the knitting needles warm. And with my cat besides me I must say that every thing is ok just now.

I wish all of you a blessed christmas. Take care of your self - and spent time just breathing.

Friday 21 December 2012

Something For A Cowl Girl

Nothing is like knitting something in a few hours. Working on long term projects is very satisfying. At least when they are finished - but those short ones sort of keep the long projects going.

And they keep me motivated. I knitted two cowls in two days. I discovered the pattern when I saw Meretes cowl on her blog. She had found it online - and had knitted one up very fast.

I was in need of an instant project and rushed to my LYS to get some of that yarn. The cowls are so soft and warm. And so nice wearing. The yarn Eskimo is ok but it grows a lot when washed. For this project it sort of works.

Good to put under the jacket - and under one of my scarves... In that case I can use several of my knitted garments - and have some very good explanations about why I knit so many of them.

Anyway, if you are in desperate need of an instant cowl you can check out The Purl Bee where the pattern is free.

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Eskimo (used 1.5 skeins of each color)
Needles: 9mm
Pattern: Garter Gaiter


Tuesday 18 December 2012

The Final Finish

The gift is finally complete. I knitted a dress and a hat for a little girl for christmas. To make the gift personal - not that it is personal to get something hand made - I ordered some personalized buttons and a tote bag with the name on. 

The dress and hat is going into the tote bag and then gift wrapped. I have a lot of fun finding those small but significant things that makes a present stand out even more.

Just wanted to show you these little things. And of course share where you can find them. I found out about the buttons on another blog. What would we do with out internet?

The tote bag is to be found in Hannah Stevens Etsy shop. If you need some buttons too, you visit a shop in Hong Kong - also on Etsy. You find Yukis shop here.

So there you are - some little items I am sure every one will love. At least I do....
Personalized buttons is a nice addition to any outfit.

Saturday 15 December 2012

Just Winter

Adviced to stay inside - but there were no way of getting out either....
The weather forecast told every one to stay inside today. During the night a lot of snow, along with some strong wind, sort of stopped my part of the country.

Quite beautiful in winter wonderland.
But hey, I have my knitting, my coffee and no reason to complain. This is how it looked this morning. And now the rain is pouring down....
Oh, where did i put that snow shuffle....

Friday 14 December 2012

What I Prefer

Or should I say Work In Progress? My cat prefer to step on them - I thought I should get things done and let my cat prepare for the snow storm that are supposed to hit us this evening.

After all it is christmas soon and time to wish for new works in progress.

Photo from pamphlet.
For some reason there are always some of them lying around for quite a while.

As this Fana sweater. I must admit, it is a really boring knit.

And when the pattern was way off and I had to unravel the first sleeve - I had to convince my self that it is always a good idea to finish a project.

So now I have finished the first sleeve. I dropped the patterns directions and it was a very good idea.

I did not decrease after knitting the rib, and increased stitches evenly until I knitted the star pattern. Also a good idea to go up 0.5mm in needle size - or the sleeves gets too narrow.

In addition to this project I have a couple of shawls, a cowl and a scarf on my needles. Need I say more??


The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Mitu
Needles: 3.4mm, 4mm
Pattern: Fana Genser
My Ravelry Page: Fana In The Hood

Wednesday 5 December 2012

A Gifted Dress


Well, it is soon christmas and every norwegian are supposed to use 10.000 norwegian kroner (about $1.800) on gifts, food and a lot of other things.

I have spent a lot of hours and some money on yarn for a baby dress and a hat to go with it. I prefer to think that handmade gifts are much better and the quality is very special. In fact, things that comes from the heart are priceless.

But, I always wonder why handmade gifts so often are accompanied with department store gifts.

We tend to create lovely things and then run off to the shop to buy one more thing. As if our handmade things are not good enough. I have done it myself a lot of times - and it is rather strange.

So back to that dress. It is knitted from the norwegian knitting book Strikk til nøstebarn. Knitted with double yarn it knits up faster than I thought.

I had to choose some rather neutral colors to be sure. But I took it out on the buttons. They made the dress stand out in spite of the color.

I knitted a little hat to go with it. I have ordered a tote with the name of the child on, to put it all in. I will show it off when it arrives. I really hope it will be used a lot.

So, what do you think? Should I run off to a store and buy some department store thing in addition? I think I will give this away thinking I have knitted my time, love and patience into it. And what more could I give?

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Sandnes garn Lanett held double
Needles: 4mm
Pattern for dress: Hel dress i dobbelt 2-tråds garn
Pattern for hat: Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap (also in english)
My Ravelry Page: Dress For A Girl


Wednesday 28 November 2012

Rings, Stripes And Beads

Oh, just an urge to knit another little scarf from stash in bright colors. And once more with rings on the ends. So far so good. I was planing to knit only with two colors.

I do not seem to make that no matter what. To sparkle the scarf up I added some turquoise too. I think I like it.

These scarves are so easy to knit and to experiment with. I have made a three meter long Stash And Stripes inspired from that pattern.

It is so popular on Ravelry and there are nearly 8.000 projects made from it. It is so much fun to see all the colors.

I like the shape of them and they are so versatile. And so comfortable to wear. And the ends makes a finish that makes them hang better.

I have published the pattern for the rings and how to attach them on my project page on Ravelry. Feel free to knit rings and have a go on it.

Ok, but I did not stop when the scarf was finished. I picked out my polymer clay to make a matching bracelet.

When finished I discovered that I had used the wrong green color. So, back to the table again.

I made a new one in the right colors and I am very pleased with the set. The matching is really not the issue. I like to wear accessories that gives a sparkle in every day life. And that are not department store alike. It is really about having fun creating something that makes me smile.

I wish you a lovely day - and that you can create things that makes you smile and dance inside.

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: 2.5mm
Pattern: Baktus
My Ravelry Page: Baktus von Stripes
Other: Knitted rings in various sizes (find my pattern here)
Handmade polymer clay bracelet to go with my new scarf.

Wednesday 21 November 2012

With Needles And Tomatoes

 No, this is not about cooking and knitting at the same time. Is that even possible?? LOL!!

It is simply about a new shawlette and a color named tomato. I am very excited about this knit. The german designer Marita Behm has these technical patterns that demands some attention and again in garter stitch. 

I have knitted her Hitchhiking and I had a great time knitting it. The patterns are so well explained and I am a big fan of that.

So, when she launched the pattern for this shawlette I was on. But I had not decided the yarn. It is actually meant for stash yarn. 

Stash is no problem AT ALL!!! But I wanted a lovely yarn. I had some Madelinetosh merino light in cobalt blue in the stash. 

When a knitting friend showed me her skein of the color tomato I ordered some of that. Just the perfect color for that cobalt one. 

Complementary colors are after all my favorite color combination. I just love the colors and the knitting. This is going to be so good.

I started knitting the leaf - not the back ground color. I think it looks better and gives a nice finish. A lot of knitters has done the same so I found some help on Ravelry. You should check all the projects for this pattern - there are so many creative color combinations.

It is really fun to knit. And I can dream about summer and fresh tomatoes. Right now it is foggy and rainy as it has been for ever. At least it feels like it. 

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Madelinetosh Merino Light (Tomato and Cobalt)
Needles: 2mm
Pattern: Leftie
My Ravelry Page: Love And Tomatoes


Wednesday 14 November 2012

Not Afraid Of Colors


In Ireland they use colors on houses - and not the traditional white, red and brown. They use bright colors in a way that the streets looks like candy lanes. Oh, how I wish I could live in such a place where colors are a part of every day life.

The photo is taken in Kinsale a little fishing village in the south of Ireland this summer. This small village has a population of a little under 3.000 people. But during the summer time it increases substantially and the village is filled with tourists from all parts of the world. The place is known for its gourmet restaurants and I must say: This is the place to go if you are not on a diet. LOL!!

I enjoyed everything about staying there and wish to go back. Not only for the colors of their houses but also for the colors of the irish. They are the most loving people - do not take them selves seriously and always has a lot of humor.

I just wanted to share this photo with all the colors with you. Right now I have a lot of knitting projects that do not seem to get finished. Must be the dark and rainy weather....

Enjoy your day - and give it a little color. What ever that might be!!!
Another street in Kinsale.

Thursday 8 November 2012

I Am So Lucky


To win a giveaway is so special to me. There is something magic about getting something in the mail from an artist far away. I should have shown this earlier but here it is. Roxanne Handelong has an extraordinary way of expressing her art. And she was so generous to donate one of her ACEOs for Stacys giveaway on her birthday.

The painting is called "She Belongs". And I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. There is just something special about it that I can not put words to. You should check out Roxannes blog and see more of her art. She also has an Etsy shop

Thank you Stacy for winning this painting - and thank you Roxanne for sharing your art in this way!!

Well, this should be more than enough. But I was lucky again. I won a knitting book from Meretes giveaway and I could nearly not believe it. 

The book has just been released and is all about jackets with a huge amount of various patterns and shapes. 

Eye candy and it makes the fingers wanting to just hit the needles. 

Thank you so much Merete. Her blog is really worth a visit - she is such a skilled knitter and I always enjoy reading her posts. A light in the daily life.

Lucky me - I am so thankful for winning such wonderful gifts. Thank you both very much!!!

Thursday 1 November 2012

With Stripes And Joy

Never underestimate the joy over a finished project.
Sometimes the happiness about a finished project takes over. As my new shawl was washed without bleeding I was so happy. I added some tassels with beads this time too - I seem to add tassels to what ever shawl I am knitting. I must have become a tassel freak...

After the hideous bleeding yarn, Drops delight, destroyed my previous Josephine shawl I had to knit another one from the same pattern.

It is such a lovely mindless project and I am so surprised about the Noro yarn. This is my first large project with the yarn. It has been living in a box for some time - it was about time to let it out in the winter.

After washing and blocking, the yarn is soft and very nice wearing. And the colors are amazing. The yarn is quite uneven but for a shawl it does not matter.

Before binding off I had 317 stitches on my needles. I had to use a circular needle that is 120cm long.

What would we do without circular needles? In the old days they used dpns when knitting in the round. One after the other - I could never have done that. Up to 20 needles for a sweater...

Anyway, this is after all not knitted in the round. Simply garter stitch back and forth. And with a yarn that does all the color work. I feel great!!!

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock (color 304), Pt Panda (white)
Needles: 2.5mm
Size: 193cm x 87cm
Pattern: Josephine shawl (free)
My Ravelry Page: Josephine And Noro

Thursday 25 October 2012

Birds In The Hand



Is worth two in the bush. Well, there are few advantages about these beads. But they were once a bracelet that had never seen the day. 

When I made it I used some really terrible spacer beads and the bracelet just ended up at the bottom of a box.

Right now the birds has flown to keep warm during the winter. And I could really use some reminder about them coming back again. 

So I decided it was time to get those birds out and have a turn around my arm.

I picked out the spacer beads and added a few more beads - that also were just lying there. And it sort of worked.

The beads are made of polymer clay. I made a rainbow cane and added slices to logs of clay.

They were then shaped as birds. After curing in the oven the beads was sanded with six different sand papers and then polished by hand.

With all that work it is a pity to let the beads just lying there.

Anyway, it always seems like it takes a lot of time to get a little job done. I am not quite that happy about the birds.

There are something about the shape of them that does not work. The colors are fine and I actually think I am going to use it now. Who can go wrong with a bit of a rainbow around the arm?


Saturday 20 October 2012

The Bleeding Shawl

The final stitch was bind off, the four ends was wowed in. I filled cold water and Soak into the basin - and loaded my shawl into it. At the same time the colors started bleeding. All dark colors like red and brown started to run over the white stripes.

I pulled it out fast and realized that the yarn Drops Delight looks great before washing. And that a lot of hours had gone into a shawl I had no idea what to do with.

As I managed to get it out of the water in an instant most of the white stripes are still somewhat white. In some places they look dirty and that annoys me.

I started experimenting with vinegar, cold and warm water and other detergents. Nothing helped - the bleeding continued.

Well, this was not the worst thing. My scarf Wool For A Star is knitted with the same yarn but in another color way.

I knitted a swatch and dipped it into cold water. Same thing happend. All colors started to run into the water.

That scarf took me forever to knit and I love it. In addition I really started to regret using that terrible yarn.

A friend told me about some cloth called color catcher and advised me to put the scarf in the washer with the cloths.

Saved with Color Catcher.
I was terrified - this was either hours thrown into nothing or keeping my scarf. So I washed it - and the colors were running like mad. But when the machine stopped I saw the cloths had picked up a lot of the colors and the scarf was saved.

I was so relieved - I can see the bleeding on some of the white. But not enough to destroy the work I have done.

The shawl is really not in my colors and were just some mindless knitting. But still, yarn are not supposed to bleed no matter what.

As a comfort I started a new shawl from the same pattern in Noro Silk Garden Sock from my stash and Panda. I love the pattern - totally mindless but fun to knit and Noro makes it shine. I hope it is not bleeding....

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Drops Delight (bleeding nightmare), Pt2 Panda
Needles: 2.5mm
PatternJosephine Shawl (free)
My Ravelry PageStripe By Stripe
Wrong side of the shawl -  the bleeding is not easy to see...

Friday 12 October 2012

From Stash To Gold


Well, this post is mostly about the stashed yarn and the fact that it turned out to be gold. I just had to use it the right way and see things differently. Learning about using color in knitting has helped me using my stash to create just what I love: A lot of colors playing together in my garments and things I knit.

This is my scarf knitted entirely from stash.
This collection is made of stashed yarn - and you are right. I should stop buying yarn, knit more and give more to charity.

How many shawls or scarves does a person need? A million? Thousands? Hundreds? I think it must be the last... LOL.

I tend to think that we way too often in life judge people and things before even bother to find out what they are.

And way too often the verdict is simply to throw it all away. Or tell people to get lost.

Well a lot of people were told that they were a lost cause. But if anybody had bothered to look closer they may have seen the hidden treasure inside.

And I often think about that when I dive into a pile of stashed yarn or beads. I can make the yarn shine if I take the right choices.

Just like we can make a person shine - if we look closer.

Have a lovely weekend - I hope you will be seen as you are.


Monday 8 October 2012

Using Up Stash Beads

You can see my large stripy scarf here.
It is not only stash yarn that have been used lately. All these polymer clay disks where just lying there. They are all left overs from my colorful braclets. So, since I am stash busting all the time so I can get more stash to fill up the space left from the stash used (!!!), I found out that these beads should be used.

The beads in the S for Stash...
I have this very long striped shawl or scarf that I really love wearing. I so love all the colors and the fact that I used so much stash.

And bought some more to get the right colors. Well, enough about that stash - LOL!!!

I took out all the beads left overs and started to put them together the way I knitted the stripes.

I could have made some more - but that would be an extremely bad excuse to make even more beads.

And even more stashed beads.

So, to make a long story short: Here is the bracelet. Quick and easy and a fun thing to wear with my striped stash buster. Oh no, there is that word again: Stash...

Keep Calm And Stash Down
Me
Stringed and ready to be a bracelet. I use stretch magic 1.5mm for these heavy bracelets.

Friday 5 October 2012

A Heart Of Wool

What could be better than a heart of wool? Soft, warm and everlasting - right from the needles. I bought the book Med hjerte for strikk or With a heart for knitting in english by Sidsel Presterud Røvik. The book is in norwegian - but I believe it is possible to knit from it without knowing norwegian. The charts are simple to understand.

Anyway, I love this book. You can really see the author has her heart in it, literally.

And the hearts she has designed are lovely. It may not be a knitting revoloution but it certainly has great ideas for knitting a heart as one desires.

She has used paper, wool and wire and even included pages so you can design your own heart. You can knit pillows, penguins, jewelry and hearts for the christmas tree. There are endless possibilities.

The photos are really good and the book is a joy just to read and get inspired from.

I had to try out one of the patterns just to see how it worked. It was a bit fiddling with only five stitches to begin with.

But after a couple of rounds it is ok. I used a fingering yarn and one of the charts for a kind of norwegian look. I will try more of the patterns - the hearts has a nice shape and is not as round as you often see knitted hearts.

A warm heart makes the world a better place. Even if it is knitted. Have a lovely heart warming weekend.

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: 1.75mm dpn
Pattern: From the book Med hjerte for strikk
My Raverly Page: Heart Of Wool
A little heart in my hands - together with my new mittens.

Friday 28 September 2012

Me Love Mittens

I am about to really really love knitting mittens. Especially when I can use up some stash in a lot of colors. I wanted some colorful finger warmers for the winter that would be a match to all my knitted scarves and shawls. Yes, I need a new closet. And some good arguments to knit even more. Anyone having some good ones??

Anyway, I found this pattern in a rather expensive mittens book in swedish, Solveigs vantar. I bought it because a lot of people were praising it. And it really has a lot of wonderful motifs.

But, I was so dissapointed. Why does a skilled knitter publish a knitting book without gauge, measure or yarn suggestions?

Only a 2ply yarn is suggested. And what is that??? I searched Ravelry for it - and came up with lace yarn. Excuse me, but this is like a cook book where you have to guess your ingredients and how much to use.

For this pattern I was told to use 60st, but there were only 58 in the chart. And with no gauge I was lost.

I discovered I had to knit more pattern for the mittens to cover my fingers. All in all I am pleased with my mittens and I may knit more from the book.

In spite of being a really bad knitting book. I just have to use a lot of guessing and some luck.

Anyway, why bother being annoyed about that book. When there are so many good english knitting books with proper patterns and explanations. Why is it always the small things in life that annoys the most?

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace
Victor Hugo


The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull, Pt2 (Colors from stash)
Needles: 1.75mm, 2mm
Pattern: Irma
My Ravelry Page: Stashy Mittens
The mittens works fine with my heart warming alpaca scarf. Ready for winter...

Friday 21 September 2012

Stripes From Stash

The necklace is made of polymer clay by me. 
The sweater pattern that hit Norway this summer has practically emptied yarn stores for the colors grey, brown and beige. As I look really sick in those colors, I soon found out that it would be a nice idea to use some of all the stash.

So i picked out my complementary colors and started knitting this sweater with absolutely no shape other than straight down.

I added a strand of mohair to the wool and that did the trick. It got so soft. I sort of followed the pattern but cast on 90st instead of 80st.

I also knitted the sleeves shorter and not that wide. Not fun to get food in your woolly sweater when the sleeves are hanging into your spaghetti sauce...

I did not have any thoughts about the striping other than the colors should match. I made it up as I knitted.

As I used my stash I knitted in the round - one row knit and one row purl. Yes, that is boring but it was ok once I got started.

That was to get both back and front alike in the colors.

The neck got too deep - but I picked up stitches and knitted a short edge. Unraveling is not fun when using mohair. I knitted the sleeves top down to avoid sewing.

The polymer clay necklace that will go with the sweater.
So, here we are. Ready to hit a party back in the 80s. All I need is a heavy perm, pink denim trousers (I actually had one of those) and white tennis socks. Need I say more??

Have a lovely weekend!

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull, Pt2, Plum, Plumet
Needles: 6mm
PatternSkappelgenser (norwegian)Sweater (english)
My Ravelry PageOversized Stash
My little fury friend is always curious.