I'm off

...leaving my guilty conscience behind, and going here -

Finally FOs

I dragged the boyfriend out of the bed this morning to have a photoshoot of my two finished sweaters. Please click for bigger photos (and they work now, too!).


Pattern: Serafias Vinter, by Geilsk
Yarn: Geilsk 100% uld
Needles: 3.5 mm
Date started: June 22, 2008
Date finished: September, 2008
Mods: Knit the rib section a bit longer...



Comments: Bought as kit at Sommerfuglen in Copenhagen. I liked the pattern, the yarn is lovely (smells great and the texture and colour is lovely), and I got great service from Geilsk.
I doesn't really look that bad in these photos, but I think it is a bit large. When it has just been washed/blocked, it's okay, but it grows quickly with wear. I'm considering getting my mum to try it, she's a tad taller than me and it might fit her better. I thought I'd got gauge, but 2x2 rib is difficult to measure... :( A bit disappointing, as I'd really looked forward to wearing this thing a lot! And I was going to knit the Livstykke by Geilsk as well...

I am, however, going to knit a lace shawl for my Grandmother in the Geilsk 100% uld yarn, in the colour 10 - red. I haven't decided on a pattern yet (it's sooo hard!! - please help!), you can see the alternatives here in my queue. Please have a look.


Pattern: Wicked (worsted weight version), by Sarah & Rachel /Zephyr Style
Yarn: Madil Loden
Needles: 4.0 mm and 5.0 mm
Date started: October 3, 2008
Date finished: October 30, 2008
Mods: No pocket, seed st sleeve hems. A bit longer.

Comments: I frogged my Phildar vest for this sweater.
The pattern is really clear. I had to frog around 10-20 cm of the body, as it turned out to wide, especially the sleeves. Went back and did a couple less raglan increases than I started out with. I did much more waist shaping than suggested in the pattern.
It was meant to be 3/4 sleeves, but they are a bit short. I have some yarn leftover, and it would be great to use all of it, so I'll probably undo the bind off and continue the sleeves to I run out of yarn.
I think it fits me quite good, and with longer sleeves it will probably be a favourite sweater!


I also got some action shots with the boyfriend scarf, that I've been wearing a lot lately (it suddenly got COLD). I like it, its warm! And it goes quite well with my new sweater, don't you think?

Handmade Holidays 2008

Today is the start of Sew Mama Sew's 2nd annual Handmade Holidays - every day in November they post gift ideas and tutorials for sewing gifts.

This year each day is dedicated to a gift recipient - starting out with "Teens & Tweens".

I loved following the Handmade Holidays last year, tons of great ideas and photos - so you should definately check it out!

Considering new project(s)

As I finished Serafias Vinter Friday night (sprained my ankle on Thursday and got some extra knitting time!), and blocked it yesterday (pictures are coming!), I have started looking for a new project. I have been going through my ravelry queue, which is far to large, but I try to keep the first page (20-30 patterns) fairly accurate, with patterns I am quite sure that I will make in the foreseeable future. One of the smaller crochet projects are earmarked for the plane flight to Gran Canaria in November, though (no knitting needles from Copenhagen, unfortunately...).

I also have a few patterns not in my ravelry queue. A couple of weeks ago, Danish magazine Hendes Verden (meaning "Her World"), came with a small pattern book, with updated versions of vintage patterns from their database. I don't usually buy the magazine, but from time to time they do have these knitting brochures enclosed, and they usually have a couple of cute patterns.

These are my favourites from the 'Klassisk Vintage Strik' issue. I am considering making the cape next, but I'm not really sure if I have any suitable yarn, and I should really be knitting from my stash at the moment.

I was going to make my bf a helmetliner, but he seems kind of 'meh' at the opportunities that I'm showing him. I would like one for myself too, but would probably like one more like this or this - as I would like to be able to use different kinds of hats with it. It's really cold when biking during late fall and winter (I usually buy a bus pas from around November to February though, don't like to take risks in ice and snow) - and my nose and face can get totally frozen in the Danish winds.

I would rather make something prettier/more exiting, though, like Bottoms up in linen yarn, or Wicked - I was thinking of unravelling my purple Phildar vest for that... But both of them feels a little overwhelming at the moment, so I really don't know where to start. I guess I could make this pretty scarf, in the leftover yarn from Serafia, but I think I'll get bored using the same yarn...even though it does smell delicious!

I would be really happy for suggestions and inspiration from you!

Summer socks in a fall garden - or was it the other way around

I had almost forgotten that I'd had a photo shoot for my Summery socks (well they are maybe more like fall socks now that I think about it, aren't they?) a couple of weeks ago. I was back home in Norway for a friend's wedding, wove in the ends of the socks on the flight up, and then literally took my new socks for a walk in our summer house garden.

It's my first time photographing socks (the cable footies doesn't really count, as I didn't really put any effort into those photos), so I had to try out some different things.

The socks were made with the Knitty toe-up-generator, as I only had one skein of the variegated yarn, I figured toe-up was the way to go. The pattern was good, and I know a short row toe and heel by heart now (had to redo the first toe a couple of times, as I wasn't paying attention). I'll probably use the pattern again, when I need a mindless, portable project.
The socks turned out a little looser than I would have hoped, even though I swatched and everything. Hopefully a wash will help. I should probably measure the gauge on the actual socks, to see if anything's changed from the gauge swatch.
The yarn, Filacolana Arwetta, is really soft and I think the colours are kinda cool, even though the pooling is a bit weird. Now I'm on the lookout for REAL self-striping yarn, as in will turn out stripy. I have actually bought a few packs of Kool Aid from koolaid.co.uk, so I might try my hand on some self striping myself one day.

Serafias Vinter - progress at last

I have been knitting a lot on my Serafias Vinter lately, I was stuck for a while not knowing when to finish the rib - the pattern said to knit rib with maximum one skein of yarn - but at 18 cm I still had half a skein left ad didn't really know how to continue. I talked to the designer, who luckily was able to help me out. After I was done with the ever-lasting rib the project has been so much more motivating, I can really see it growing now! I usually only manage about 3 or 4 rows during a movie - but as the rows are getting shorter, they are fortunately also getting quicker, I have about 30 rows left now, I think.






And I was wearing my brown vest out on Friday, sushi night with friends. Enjoy the action shot!

The necklace I am wearing was custom made for me by Henriette Hastrup. It was a bachelor degree present from my boyfriend!

New banner!

I've finally finished my blog banner. The colour scheme has been present for a while now, and I started the banner to go with it in the beginning of my summer holidays. The cat and yarn was drawn in Adobe Illustrator.

"Fft fft" is how an alley cat (kitten) speaks, according to the Aristocats (in the Norwegian version, at least).

I'm not 100% sure about the text colour, but it'll stay like that for a while.

Hope you like it!

Yarn shopping, again

I stopped by Wilfert's on my way to work on Thursday. I don't usually shop there, but as I had gotten a newsletter saying they were having a sale, I decided to have a look.

I ended up with 6 skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed, in the colour oat. I am going to use it for Daylight, by Martin Storey, as I think it looks beautiful in white. I have had that pattern in my queue for a while, and bought the book, 'Rowan Kasbah Collection' this spring.
I had originally planned to use Madil Loden for it, as I couldn't afford the Summer Tweed, but now I got 6 skeins for 200 Danish Kroner (around 40USD) - I am so happy, because the feel of the yarn is really different from the Loden. It's lighter, and much better for summer.

Then, yesterday, I decided to go back to have a look at the 'take 10 skeins for 100 or 20 skeins for 150'-basket. I ended up with 20... (big surprise!) 14 of them are a linen yarn from Løve Garn - Lima, in five different colours - that I would like to one day make a blanket from.

The remaining 6 skeins were 4 of Rowan Classic Natural Silk Aran, in a beautiful shade of light green (not entirely sure what it's for, but probably some kind of summery top), one skein Louisa Harding Kashmir aran (for the Bainbridge scarf, another neckwarmer or a pair of wristwarmers) and one skein of the really soft GGH Soft Kid.



What a bargain! I have only one skein of Rowan yarn previously, the Ribbon Twist that I have no idea what to use for. I'm really looking forward to knit with one of the silk yarns. Yum!


In other news, I have finished my vest from 'Feminin Strik', by Lene Holme Samsøe.
I knitted it all in one piece, with 'fake seams' on each side. It's a tad on the smallish side, but I haven't blocked it yet. It's also missing buttons, and for now, it stays closed with a ribbon.

I was really happy to make it in one piece!! And I knit much tighter this time around (I tried making this vest once before, it turned out far too large, and I hated doing it in three parts).

The summery socks are coming along, I'm about halfway on the leg of the first one. It has been really quiet at work this week, so I have knitted a tiny bit in between, when my fingers aren't all covered in paint. It took some courage pulling out the knitting the first time, but I think I'm okay with it now.
Today I got the day of - it's raining, a lot.

I love finishing things! And knitting in public! And yarn! Yay :)

Oh - and the summer vacation pictures are coming (it's just that my hard disk is almost full...)

The Pratchgan 2008 - it's outrageous & over-the-top & brilliant

Ramblings of a yarn junkie: The Pratchgan 2008 - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!:

"He said it's outrageous & over-the-top & brilliant & he's gonna put it on his bed."


I'm so proud of what we've done, and that it was received so well!!! And the pictures are great! I nearly cried looking at them!

Pratchgan

Pratchgan
Originally uploaded by cherryred2001

The afghan we made for Terry Pratchett is finally done! The Ankh Morpork Knitters Guild on Ravelry decided to make him an afghan after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last winter. Everyone made one square with a motif from one of his books, and cherryred put it all together. Hopefully, she will be able to hand it over to Terry in person in Edinburgh in a couple of weeks.

My square is on the second row from the bottom, number 7 from the left. It's feegles.

It turned out great, and I'm really proud to be a part of this project!