Diva out of yarn - No LUFO 2012

I'm out of yarn and the sleeves are not yet ready.

I reknitted the sleeves in fuschia and managed to reach the armholes.

This means I'm out of the contest or the LUFO price for 2012.

I really tried but "things happened" on the way (totally out of my control)

- first knitting the sleeves in the wrong color and then

- the collar "out-side-in" and finally

- running out of yarn.

Maybe it wasn't meant for me to finish it now.

Next step is to start the hunt for extra Hanne Falkenberg yarn in the Fuschia color and hope that the shades hasn't changed much from 2006!

Time to start something new I think!

Saturday in Granhammar and more of Diva

What a day! It was an early start on the local train at 06:41 to catch the train to Örebro at 8 o'clock.

Here is the Diva project on the local train.

We arrived at Granhammar and spend a wonderful day knitting, eating, talking, laughing and occasionally buying yarn. A perfect day indoors and with perfect winter weather outside.







The yarnstore was from heaven. I'm thankful it exist but for my financial situation not within walking distance.

The room (barn) where we sat was beautiful and with Chrsitmas decorations with a theme.

My knitting project, Diva (my LUFO for 2012) in in reverse. I began to think that I didn't have enough yarn to complete it. So I started to look at the pictures and understood that I cannot have the collar and the sleeves in the same color (as the current plan was). More frogging.

At home after one day of knitting the colar I read the SMALL letters (make k2tog TBL). Why didn't I see that (READ it) before spending a full day knitting? While calculating my options and alternatives ways forward I reknit the sleeves in pink. I try to knit fast because I'm affraid that I'll ran out of the pink yarn as well. 

FO November baby cardigan

I've completed the baby cardigan. I can't decide if I like selfstriping yarns when the color effect is so different depending on row length. This turned out OK.

I also heard news so I think I know who to give it to, in due time.

LUFO - Diva in reverse

After struggling with the pattern, both in Danish and English, I finally dared to start with the front/collar of Diva. Short rows and in parallel reduce stiches on the outer edge. It didn't feel like plain "TV knitting". I thought I got the hang of it and had good progress, until I started to look at what I was knitting.
Oops - I forgot some 9 ridges between the short rows.

(in Swedish) - Gör om, gör rätt!

A deep breath, some word not made for printing and two more nights I'm back on track.

The 12under12under2012 LUFO deadline with Lucia (December 13) is approaching fast, luckely for me I have December 8 planned for a knitting day on train and in Granhammar. 

I just hope I have enough yarn.

First reflective hat in progress

With new alpaca and reflective yarn and a super nice weekend with good friends I managed to almost complete the first hat.

A bit small for me but hopefully right for a 6 year old.

Now I just need to knit a second one and finish up the work.

Why not start on mittens instead....................

In the mail

It's here!
The delivery with reflective yarn from Eva i Stäket has arrived and now I just need to figure out what to do first!

Yarn addiction - not me

- "I want to knit with reflective yarn."

I've had this idea a few weeks in my head.
Already last week I tried to buy the yarn at Litet Nystan. With two kids ni the car (A was sleeping) I circled more than 20 minutes around Mariatorget to find a parking space. I was aiming for a legal spot and one close to the store to be able to carry A after I woke her.  I didn't find one!

Today I was better prepared! Play day in the park at Bergsgruvan, lunch at kid restaurant with balloons and gifts and then finally a walk to the store. With 20 minutes to closing the store was full. Balloons and stroller at the door and we went in.

I'm buying for the kids - Yeah - right!
I'm trying to tell myself that but to be honest - I'm buying for myself.
I have yarn, lots of yarn. Buying yarn still makes me happy.

In the bag home I have
- Purple Allino to become a bolero for N
- Alpaca to make hats for A and N
- Nepal just for the fun of it. Maybe mittens and scarfs for A and N.

Of cause the reflective yarn was sold out!

Luckily Eva in Stäket had then in stock and I've saved my day by making an order.

Pippi sweater completed - almost in time

The birthday was yesterday and today the sweater was completed.
The pattern is an own creation inspired by a number of patterns for 10-12 year olds.

I hope it will fit and be liked. Time to wrap it and mail it towards the Kalmar area.

November UFO - baby cardigan

It was ment as a gift for a friend how got a son, but he is now almost 4 years old and more than 105 cm and way too big for the cardigan.
But I guess there will be another baby among friends - better to finish it before hand. The pattern is my favorite Strawberry bud" and the yarn is Regnbågsgarn eco cotton. I think the yarn is a leftover from this cardigan.

Twined mittens, October FO

I managed to complete the October UFO project. My first pair of twined mittens are completed and ready to be worn (when dried). I also managed 4-thread braids.

It has been fun taking up twined knitting and I realised that I have some more yarn at home, already invested. So nothing stops me for (at least) plannnig yet another project.

Isn't this the classical way to get more UFOs. Not that I've run out of them yet but the percentage of larger projects have increased as I've completed some "low hanging fruits".

.

Rainy weekend

During the vacation I promised to knit a Pippi sweater for my daugthers cousin. I bought the yarn in the end of July (last day of Drops super sale). The intention was to make sweater in time for her birthday in November.

Time flyes fast and it is now mid October. I better start and during the rainy weekend I'm now almost done with the body. Time to decide if the sleeves should be made top-down and then have a full sweater in my lap at the end or make the sleeves to be sewn in afterwords.

Twined knitting at Avigmaskan and October UFO

It should be possible for me to finish the pair of mittens  - my first using twined knitting.
This will be my UFO for October.

I made a restart tonight at Avigmaskan, thank you Maria for reminding me how to do a stitch again.

On the way home from the daycare we collected leaves and made an autumn maple leaves bouquet.

Möbius in progress and twined knitting plans?

It is so relaxing to have a no-thinking knitting and I'm curious to see the Möbius grow. Then it's also the yarn. A self striping yarn is alway nice to knit with, the thinking is no longer "one more row" it's "one more color". Noro is like that and here - Rowan is no exeption (even is I would be more visible if I could take this knitting "ball" and flatten it out to see the changes).

I have about 160 stitches and I'm making my "cowl" striped from a right and a wrong side perspective.

Depending on light (and maybe my mood) the Rowan Kidsilk Haze stripe is a mix between Autum leaves and Titti Frutti. I'm looking forward to the finished project.

I'm also thinking about the October UFO and after Avigmaskan tomorrow I see if I dare to pick my (tvåändsstickning) twined knitted mittens that lacks a thumb. They are more than 4 years old and I havn't used the techique since. Time for a challange?

September FO - fingerless mittens Fallberry completed

Last day of the month and the September UFO is now a FO. I ended up with changing pattern and restart.
I found the original pattern again on Knitty but couldn't figure out the needle size. Browsing on Knitty I also found Fallberry so I decided to change pattern.

And just in time for Fall I have a new pair of fingerless mittens.

The needle size is 3mm and I used Blue Sky Alpacas (sport Weight?).

Avigmaskans KAL - Lydia socka completed

I'm a bit surprised that I actually finished both of them - and they fit!
I made them a bit longer, 60 instead of 40 rounds.

Julstickning med spinn - I'm on!

I'm going to Granhammar in December for knitting and more. It looks very promising.
Lucky me that have a private travel agent that got train tickets already.

Someting to look forward to.

Möbius knitting at Avigmaskan

Today the theme with Avigmaskan was Möbius. The room was full with knitters and I managed to start, get stuck and then restart my möbius shawl. I'm using Kidsilk Haze stripe fom Rowan and size 5mm needles. I have approx 130 stitches.

This is an interesting way of knitting - some thinking is required.

Restart Diva - LUFO project

- After counting I know that I'm making a size L.
- Needlesize is 3.25 (I think)
- Pattern relocated.

I need to read and think(!) to understand what to do next with collor. So I started a sleeve instead.

No purl stitches in sight - yes! Colors are still great.

Utlottning - Extra garn

Visa Lisa har en utlottning av kit bok+garn Extra garn.

Jag läste om den boken på engelska och villa köpa den för att N skulle börja, det blev inte av men nu när den finns på svenska vill jag gärna ha den för att inspirera fler i familjen att sticka.

Lydia socks - KAL with Avigmaskan

I'm joining Avigmaskans KAL for the Lydia socks. I'm sceptical since my sock-knitting history is not impressive but I must be in some kind of "flow" - the progress is good! Both heels are made (it's a toe-up model) and I get some time every night sitting outside A's room until she falls asleep (being 2+ years many things are more interested than sleeping).

I hope to have time to come to Trassel on Tuesday, to get some help with the finish and to learn more about the Möbius shawl.

September UFO

Time again to dig into the UFO pile and this time I found Fetching, a fingerless mitten that I somehow stopped knitting after the first one - and not even that I completed.

Luckely I found the pattern at Knitty, now the next step is to figure out the needle size and restart.

Mer utlottning

Denna gång den fina boken Brodera på ylle på med nål och tråds blogg.
Bläddrade i den på Liljevalch och skulle gärna se den i min bokhylla.

Visit to Vilnius

I had the opportunity to take a business trip to Vilnius. Very hectic and intrestings days and only a short break to visit a yarn shop.  I went to Merzgimo Zona. It was a very nice shop with a lot of known yarns.

I was focused to get some local yarn. They had linen in many nice shades but I wasn't really prepared to buy (decide color and identify a target model to decide quantity etc.). 

Instead I found some nice local horn buttons (and one german with lace pattern).

 

Utlottning

Sticka på landet har utlottnig av sitt eget garn.
Kurt och Rune. Vackert naturfärgat.

Självklart vill jag vara med i utlottningen.

A day of Inspiration

Today I'm happy!

I first started out with friends att Liljevalchs and saw Hemslöjden 100 år.

 

A lot of inspiration and I'm impressed of all the hours that people around Sweden has put into the leaves. So many ideas and great things that came out. 

 

After lunch at Blå Porten I joined my family at Skansen and saw "Wool and linen at Skansen".

At Oktorpgården I did my very first spinning. This can be really dangerous!!!!

Not a lot of call home for but I can realy understand the joy.

The kids had fun as well. A did some old time washing and N tried to card recycled wool.

Linen at Älvrosgården.

August FO completed

I've completed the cardigan/coat that I started to big sister N some 3.5 years ago.
It is completed "just-in-time" before A is too big I think. But it is the season for wool cardigans.
The yarn is do-redo and bought at Marias garn on a sale some yeras ago.

Alpaca cardigan completed (left to wash)

I've completed the cardigan, just need to wash it again to get the lamp oil stench out and then it should be ready to wear when the fall comes.

The stripes on the sleeves reminds me of this - I didn't planned for it but I like it!

Reminders!

I was so proud - I was knitting from my stash, at least almost all the yarn was there to start. Only 2 skeins was missing - but then I was planning for striped sleeves.

Thing doesn't always turn out the way I plan:

• Just because the fun part (knitting) was over and the finish up part should start doesn't mean the knitting needles should be left at home. The wooden "skewer" (grillpinnar) left wooden trails in the yarn and almost broke it.

• Just because the dyelot were 1102 and 1104 doen't mean they are close in shade. The sleevs are much more yellow - and I think it got worse after washing.

• Just because the knitting (with sharp needles to do the finishing up) should be kept out of reach for children it is NOT a good idea to place it on top of an oil lamp to soke over night. It stinks! Now I need to figure out how to clean it.