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.