Happy New Knitting Year 2008

I've suffered from very slow knitting during the Holidays. No new projects started nor new FOs. I've been thinking of the mitten pattern that is due January 12 but I havn't started drawing it yet. A new item for knitting came with me home from a walk at Götgatan. 10 gruppen had a sale so now I'm the happy owner of a new knitting bag. T was kind and supported my arguments for the buy.

Slow knitting

Knitting is slow right now, I think everything is slow, and superfast at the same time. Only a few days left to Christmas Eve. First Aid has some progress, I made the second sleeve, the left front and I'm at the armhole of the right front. Maybe it's slow because blocking is gettig closer.

Here is my little assistant - she is cute.

First Aid UFO

Next item from my knitting basket of UFO's is First Aid, a cardigan in Polar from Rowan magazine 32. I bought the yarn at Wincent some years ago and first started another sweater that I ripped out.

I started First Aid last year around Christmas andI remember doing the sleeve during contractions (or between to be more accurate). N was born January 7th, 2007. Then it was moved to the stash pile to mature.

I'm now working on the second sleeve, not fully happy with the yarn or the result. It will need some serious blocking before it's done and I'm not a big fan of doing that. I'll see it as a lesson. Anyway, needle 8 mm and 58 stitches on a row is quite fast. I remember making the back longer, flashing belly is not for me!

Rib reknitted!

Last year my best friend J's man M turned 40 so I made a sweater for him. I got the yarn from Maria, it's 1 thread 2-ply wool (Kampes?) and 1 thread Drops alpacka. I used an old Rowan pattern for a sweater in Magpie as a base.

He liked the colors and the shape, apart from the lining, the sweater turned out a bit too short and since I'd made the lining in moss st. and not a rib, the sweater didn't fall nicely at the back. So for the first time I have now knitted "up-side-down", picking up stitches and making a new lining, this time in rib.

So here it is with a traditional rib lining. I do hope this will fit better.

New book!

T had a discount offer at the local book store (with a fairly good selection of knitting books), buy 4 pay for 3 and he "only needed" 3 so I got a new knitting book with me home. I'm happy!
It's the "400 knitting stitches" - so many patterns, so little time.

Knitting at Deja-vu café

Tuesday I went to Deja vu café and knitted together with Maria, Johanne, Barbro and Nicole. It was the first time I met Barbro, fun to meet the "face behind the blog" I've been reading. Barbro showed an interesting way to knit Fair Isle with one thread in each hand. I'm just learning to have two threads in one hand and not twist as a I knit so I'll wait until I get the hang of that before trying this way. I didn't bring my camera but Maria has put up some pictures on her blog. I brought a few projects and make a second swatch for the Vermont sweater (more to come), I decided for 3.75 mm needles (after making a swatch on 4 and one on 3.5mm). I also made some progress on the scarf for T but I'm not happy about the result so I may start over. I need to sleep on that.

bling bling mittens completed

I've decorated my mittens. I changed my mind about the yarn decoration and used some heart shaped glass beads that I bought last year at the Christmas market at Street. I like them and I do hope that I don't smash the mittens into something and break the beads.

nice and easy

I've completed the embroidery, next step is to figure out what to do now with it. It would be a pity if it just ended up in the knitting basket. Maybe I find a place for it in the office when I'm back from my maternity leave.

Pattern making

I just completed the pattern based on this model. The dress belongs to a friend and she plans to make one for a grand child for Chistmas. She has bought the yarn from Maria and with less than 4 weeks to Christmas I hope she will make it.

Christmas extravaganza at Kulturhuset

Kulturhuset had a night of creating Christmas extravaganzas. I ended up with a embroidery, something I havn't done in many years.

Annika Huett has designed some modern embroideries that are great and the one I made is "Lugn och fin" (similar to Nice and easy). Of cause I made a misstake, the U is a bit too short... but I didn't get the embroidery stuck to my own cloths as someone else did :-)

Milko inspiration sweater

It's not often I look for details in TV commercials but I do like the collar of this one.

Everyone is knitting!

Here is the latest public knitter. This is from the Christmas decorated windows at NK department store in Stockholm.

More Lovikka mittens

I wanted a pair of Lovikka mittens for myself. So I went to Maria's to buy some grey yarn. I followed the Järbo pattern at first but didn't like the top of the mittens (compare the right and left top) so I changed it.....
..... and they tuned out fine.

I used then Sunday and they are warm and nice and now I only should decide if I should decorate them (no owner of the black mittens wanted decorations).

Lovikka mittens

I did a pair of Lovikka mittens last year for my niece F . It's impossible to resist when a girl asks for knitted gifts! She obviously used then a lot and this year she has gotten bigger hands and asks for a new pair. I go to the store and buy more yarn. Coming home from Hurtigs cafe Tuesday night I started on the first mitten and I completed the second one last night. Mittens are fast and 5 mm needles are "faster" than 2,5 :-)


Then came the UFO that I only have pathetic excuses not to have finished (out of yarn and having a baby not included). I also started and almost (99.x%) finished a pair of mittens for T.

67 minutes after I took the first picture I took the second one and T is smiling.

HV homework 3 (part 1)

I'm in a knitting class, the "Knitting Basics" at HV school this fall and I've so far been to three great weekends. Just to sit and knit for 2 full days and get to know more skilled knitters. I'll tell more about what the weekends have been filled with later.
For the next occation we should prepare some sock and mitten "stubs" to use next time. I'm now done with the required number so the mechanical part of the homework is now completed. Now it's time to start to think about the more creative part and that is to design an own patterns for a pair of mittens. The yarn is Spelsau from Norway, the needles are 2,5 mm dpn.

First use of sock yarn sweater

Today was the first day that N had on the sweater I completed this summer. I was inspired by Druttknits to buy the the Opal sock yarn in colors that makes you happy and I cannot help thinking about ice cream. I was given the pattern in the store, it's in Swedish and is called Gunillas barntröja. I think the sleeves are too long and the body may be too tight later. It was fun and fast to knit but I had to do some calculations to have the stripes on the sleeves match the body.

Kaffe Fassett Sock yarn cardi completed

Kaffe Fassett has designed a sock yarn for Regia and Maria took it into the store. Of cause I had to buy some, the Landscape Earth colorway for future socks for me and the Caribbean colors for a cardican for N. I bought one of the Landscape (striped) and one of the Mirage (multi colors). I used the Strawberry Bud pattern, one of my favorites.

To have the stripes on the front and the back in the same width I used two threads on the back. I first thought that the strips should be at random but when I did the left front it matched the back perfectly, so then I made an effort on the right front.

I knitted it in September but then it matured in the knitting basket until this weekend. Now with a neckband, buttons and label.

Front of the Cardigan:

and the back of it:

Candle Flame completed

I started Candle Flame last Fall and I think I finished knitting it sometime during the Spring. I used two full skeins of green "Pälsull" (wool) and I also added in thread of golden silk. I followed the pattern with the change that I had 3 stiches between the flames instead of two as the pattern states. I was advised to do this to widen it faster. I have not blocked and I don't intend to but I have at least put my label on it so now it is officially completed.

Tant Anna Cardigan

I bought the cotton yarn at the spring sale at Marias and knitted the cardigan this summer. It is an old pattern and is named Tant Annas kofta (Aunt Anna's cardigan). It was really fun knitting, fast and made in one piece. The size is for 6 months so it fitted when I finished knitting it. Then it ended up in my basket without buttons and label. It is of cause too small now so it will be a gift for a newborn baby girl in the family.

Ticking off some UFOs

I have so many projects - ongoing, UFOs (from this year or last), hibernating (more than two years) and especially future project in my mind/stash. My knitting basket is full so to make room to start on the new yearn I invested in I decided to finish up som UFOs this weekend. Each to be presented in separate posts.

Yesterday I took N for a walk along Årstaviken, it can be beautiful even in November.

Ravelry

I'me now also on Ravelry.
I still need to figure out were to put what information - here or there or both!
My name there is annakbs.

Trellis completed

I have now put in the label also in the Trellis cardigan that I made for N earlier this month. I made it in size 1 year. I used double thread of a Rowan yarn Donegal Lambswool that I bought at Wincent earlier this year. I found them in the sales basket and I needed 7 skeins.

The cardigan was really fun to make and I can imagine doing one in cotton in the next size for the spring.

Färgkraft Amber shawl completed

...and it's ready! Now I just need to gift wrap it and give it away. I've even sawn on my label. Blocking however is not done - this time either.

The colors are not as sharp in daylight as in the picture, taken with a flash.

Uppsala Friday night

We were invited to a dinner in Uppsala Friday night. I must have been very nice since T suggested that we should leave earlier so I could visit Yll o Tyll (LYS in Uppsala). It's a very nice store and I ended up buying eco cotton to make things to N, especially this cardigan. The poster contains baby patterns from the 80-ies and I just had to have it.

After the dinner I had time to knit along on the shawl.

Unexpected guest

Today N brought home a guest (unknowingly I hope!) from Maria when we visited her. I've promised Maria to bring him back to his friends at the store.

However, we all had a nice evening together.

I've been knitting along on the shawl to my sister. It's difficult to see the progress on the needles but I've got 55 grams left to knit (out of 100). Since the birthday dinner is on Sunday I have to speed up a bit.

Tip of the day! Check out my friend's blog - Inger C. Super cool stuff!!

Why wait?

Why knit on the already ongoing projects when it is possible to start new ones using the new yarn? I just had to start.

On the big needles (7 mm) is Färgkraft's Softblend G in color Bärnsten (Swedish for amber). Probably a bithday present for me sister. On the other needles (addi 4 mm) is the start of a scarf for T, it is the same yarn as above but in color Bronsglöd (bronze glow). The grey is a swatch for the Vermont sweater for T from the wonderful book The natural knitter.

Syfestival 2007

Today I went to Syfestivalen in Sollentuna with N. My intention was only to watch (why even have that thought?). I'm now happy owner of 4 skeins of wool från Färgkraft in beautiful colors, 5 skeins of gray wool from Solkustens Spinnverkstad and tapestry needles to last a lifetime.

First start!

Some things take time, some times a long time, maybe almost too long. I first got a blog created in 2006 and then this one beginning of summer this year. Then came vacation and almost 3 months without a computer. Now it's time to start. Here I am, a happy knitter with quite a few projects on the needles and many more in my mind.