Thursday 26 April 2012

A Thing About Stripes


There are many of them and they are so soft and warm. Once again I have made a large scarf with stripes. This time in alpaca.

As I started out I planned to use only three colors: Turquoise, magenta and yellowgreen. After a while it got really boring and I added some other colors just to spark it up. Knitting has to be fun - no matter what.

You can see it on the photo above: I started from the left with magenta and turquoise.

Then some yellowgreen and some orange. There were no way back - more colors as bright as possible.

It did not take long before I was in this stripy business of getting the most out of the colors.

The scarf is not as bright as the Stash And Stripes - there are simply not that many bright colors in the yarn I chose.

And it is a bit shorter. That makes it fine to put inside a jacket. After blocking it was even more soft and lovely.

I never thought I should love knitting stripes that much.The spit splicing really made it so much easier and better looking.

It is so fun to see what happens with the colors as they are knitted together. Most of the colors I used here, are the same I put together in my Meadow Scarf. They were already in my stash.... I added a couple more colors in my effort to get it brighter.

What can I say? I count my blessings every day. And there are a lot of them. If I start counting my stripes - I will never get finished.
My name and the year this i knitted. A really old tradition on Norway - which I think is so nice. 

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Tynn alpakka, from Du Store Alpakka
Needles: 2mm
Size: 260 x 47cm
Pattern: Improvised
Other materials: None
Ravelry link: Stripes On My Brain

Friday 20 April 2012

All Together Woolly

So far there are four of them. I should never say never. I may knit another one when it gets cooler next autumn. But for now I think I will manage through the summer with these four woolly beaded shawls.

Just wanted to show them all together. I have a bad habit to repeat patterns and shape.

Who knows how many mice I have made in polymer clay. I do not dare count them all.

And who knows how many shawls I will knit from the pattern used for the four of these.

As with my mice I seem to fancy a pattern or a shape to use trying out different techniques or yarn or whatever it is.

And to find some way of making the things a little or much out of the box nourish my creativity.

I saw the movie "Fried green tomatoes" and one of the characters said "Never say never to me". I applaud that.

It is so much fun to see the things come out completely different all though they fit the same pattern. One good thing can not be repeated too often. What ever it may be.

Enjoy your weekend - repeat something you like to do - and relax knowing that you are not alone in the business of repeating.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

I Won A Book Of Joy

I have been following the wonderful blog Mrs Moen by Nina Lise Moen for some time. And I am so amazed by her work in quilting. Her work is so personal. She just recently released her book "Gledesspredere" or spreaders of joy in english.

When she arranged a giveaway for her new book I hoped to win. And guess what - I did. I was so happy about it. I could not believe to be so lucky.

A little glimpse of the inside of the book.
When the book arrived I sat down immediately to read it. First of all Nina Lise had wrote a lovely personal comment in the book.

As I knew about her work I was sure this was going to be a special book.

But it is even more than that. I really can not imagine how it is possible to be so expressive with fabric and mixed media in quilting.

The book is filled with the most wonderful quilts. I feel I have entered a whole new world.

And for everyone of the 50 quilts there are a little personal story about how the idea came to Nina Lise. The colors, the motifs and layout is really lovely. And I realise that you can say anything with a quilt.

Thank you so much Nina Lise. I will treasure your book forever - it really is what it says: A book full of joy, hope and your love for the art you create. Congratulations on your book!!!!

Friday 13 April 2012

All We Knit Is Love

Someone once asked: Why do you knit? I could not come up with a very good answer to it. And I have been thinking of it since. And I discovered that there are a lot of things that make me create something with a string of yarn - or several of them.

First of all it is so satisfying to create something that I can wear and that keep me warm. And it unfolds the creativity in so many levels. Secondly it is a way of expressing my self and sort of go my way in color choice and shape.

The danish knit designer Christel Seyfarth said that the colors we choose is a mind photo of us.

I do not know if that is right - but she certainly has a point. I refuse to dress in grey and black just because it is suitable or because "that is what we do here during winter time". Simply because I would look more dead than alive in those colors. I am alive - and knitting keeps me smiling, happy and makes my soul dance. And I think my soul is in color...

What makes your soul dance?

Have a lovely weekend every one of you.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Green Is For Hope

And this time my hope is that I can manage not to knit another of these shawls. This is the fourth in the same yarn. And the tenth from the same pattern. I could not come up with a nice name for it. Just number ten.

Anyway, I like these shawls so much. Warm, soft and large.

Maybe a blue one - for next winter. I should wait until autumn before starting. Maybe, or not or whatever....

I moderated the pattern so I increase 4 stitches on each row after there are about 160 stitches on my needles.

That makes a wide wingspan and the shawl do not get too deep. As before this is knitted with interchangeable needles with a 10mm and a 4mm needle.

I love the pattern and the outcome of the shawls I knitted from the german pattern. I use them a lot.

Knitting should be fun and this is sure so much fun that I could not stop knitting them. All we knit is love and shawls.

The Stitch Story
Yarn: 6 skeins of Mitu and 2.5 skeins of Plum from Rauma
Needles: Interchangeable with one 4mm and one 10mm needle
Size: 235 x 64 cm
PatternSchultertuch
Other materials: Handmade glass beads, commercial beads
Ravelry linkNumber Ten

I have the jewelry to go with the shawl. Handmade pendant and ring in polymer clay. 

Sunday 8 April 2012

With A Little Secret

Inside a chrysalis a little miracle occurs when the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. Inside this polymer clay pendant there is a written secret that forever will be hidden from the world.

It is sealed within the chrysalis and I really love the idea wearing a prayer, an appreciation, a wish or a hope for something. I imagine that it will spread it´s wings and fly off to come true.

The chrysalis is made from a tutorial by the artist Lori Wilkes  published in the magazine Belle Armoire Jewelry.

I love her idea of the metamorphosis and the stages the caterpillar goes through to become truly beautiful and able to fly.

I made a few of these pendants earlier and you can see them here. This one has the word create on it.

I honor the ability to create and express myself through what I make. To me it is a gift.

I applied some slices of an old cane on it. The colors are made using a skinner blend and the chrysalis is textured and painted after baking.

I happen to be very pleased with the colors. All that learning about colors in knitting has certainly paid off!!!

I made a ring from the leftovers to fit the chrysalis.

It is so nice to create in polymer clay. I will never ever regret learning that. I always go back to it and enjoy every minute.

Monday 2 April 2012

With A Little Sparrow

I thought spring had arrived. But now it is frosty in the night and cold wind. Anyway, a lot of the birds are back from a vacation where the sun always shine. Or something like that.

A while ago I made this little sparrow from a tutorial Lori Wilkes had in the magazine Belle Armoire Jewelry.

He is made of polymer clay and antiqued with acrylic paint after curing. He is about 7cm from tail to bead.

A rather large pendant, but I like my pendants large.

I think he is cute - and thankfully he will not fly away. It is perfectly warm where he is - and that is inside.

Since my knitting has taken over there are not much time for polymer clay.

But once in a while I manage my way to my studio and create something.

I love claying and all the things I have strived to learn, is well stored in my brain.

Polymer clay is simply joy in a little package. Combined with a pasta machine there are no limits.

Hope you are having a lovely easter and manage to spread your wings a little.