100 % satisfied

I can`t say very often that I am 100 % satisfied with the things I make, but with this one I am. When I saw Kirsten Kapur`s (Through the loops) pattern Ulmus, I decided right away to make it in my favourite colours blue and brown. I knew what kind of blue and browns I wanted, but had to order online - and was not sure whether or not they would match each other like I had planned. Luckily they did, and the yarn was lovely (Socks that rock - new to me). 

I knitted this during the summer. It took a while, but only because I had several other projects going on at the same time. The pattern is easy - maybe too easy for skilled lace knitters. But this is only my third shawl, so I didn`t mind a mindless knit during the holidays. My only modification was to knit the last three rows in contrast colour - something I am very happy with. 

Pattern: Ulmus by Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: Blue moon fiber arts Socks that Rock lightweight

Colourway: Spinel and Meet Brown Joe

Needles: 4 mm

Yarn used: one skein of each colour

Size: small

Ravelled here

Boring, boring knit

I am afraid that I am a very boring blogger right now - not only am I posting very seldom, but when I do, I present the same baby gifts over and over... 

This is a blanket I started back when I was pregnant. It was meant for my own baby, but wasn`t finished until she didn`t need it anymore. When two good friends of mine recently had a baby boy, I decided they should have it. I made a brown Milo vest as well, and made a matching brown edging on the blanket. 

I think it ended up beeing a nice gift, and they were very happy about it. But I don`t think I can ever make such a blanket again - it was the most boring knit ever. Which is a shame, because these airy woolen blankets are fantastic to use with little babies.

Both pieces are knitted with yarn from Bånsull in Norway.

Scary things

Yesterday I read this post in a great blog that focuses on crafting with reclaimed and recycled materials. It made me remember a favourite song I had almost forgotten: Everybody`s free aka The sunscreen song by Baz Luhrmann:

A lot of good advices there, I especially like the quote "Do one thing every day that scares you" (by Eleanor Roosevelt). I can`t say that I do that every day, but I try to push myself to do scary things every now and then because it is very rewarding and fun (at least afterwards).

Last week I did something quite scary - I went to visit the Stitch`n`bitch in a foreign town where I knew nobody, and they all knew each other quite well. It was interesting, and I have met some nice people who I now follow via blogs and Ravelry. Thanks Kaos, for giving me a warm welcome, and to the others who I spoke with in Oslo.

What scares you?

Absent

If anyone`s still following my blog, I have to apologize for being so absent lately. My life has turned in unexpected directions, and there are a lot of things going on that are out of my control. That means that I won`t be able to blog a lot this fall, but I`ll pop in whenever I have the chance to. I have been knitting a lot, even though I haven`t showed it here. 

This sweater was finished just as the summer began, and fitted me quite perfectly. It was a well written, easy and quick pattern, and I like the sweater a lot. The yarn was new to me, and was very nice to knit with. Unfortunately, the sweater did start to pill/fluff (I`m not sure what`s the right english word for the norwegian nuppe) after just a few days - very irritating.

The only adjustment I made to the pattern was to knit 10 rows extra after the increases on the body, because I wanted it a little bit longer. 

Pattern: Ingenue by Wendy Bernard aka Knit & Tonic from the book Custom Knits

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ecological Wool

Colourway: chocolate

Needles: 5 mm

Yarn used: almost 500 grams

Size: small

Ravelled here

Knitting on the road

I didn`t get as much knitting done as I thought I would during my holidays (I never do), but at least I got to knit a lot of different places - in the car, plane, ferry, garden, boat, porch, beach and by the fire. The knitting is a soothing activity for my restless spirit - it gives me the feeling of doing something useful where I otherwise would have been bored fast.

I hope you all had a great holiday!

PS: Check out this crazy/funny/inspiring wedding dress - not to mention the sheep! (found in Smoking Hot Needles` blog)

Yarn heaven

This was waiting for me when I got back from holiday. I am in yarn heaven! And some of it was even a gift. Now let me introduce you to these beauties: To the right you see a skein of superwash merino sock yarn from Indie Dyer, ordered from USA. It does not have the fantastic colours and softness as the other sock yarns I have, but it will make a fun pair of socks.

This is Kirkaldy 2-ply in beautiful colours from Malsen & Mor. I won a contest at her blog, and she sent me four skeins of this wool which I haven`t tried before. Can`t wait to use these. Thank you so much Malsen!

Over to a yarn I have been curious about, because I have read about it in several blogs. I stumbled across The Sanguine Gryphon site the day she sold new yarn, and scored two skeins of Little Traveller yarn, in these two lovely colourways, Arakan Yoma to the right, and Rangoon to the left. A very squishy, soft yarn which will make lovely shawls I hope.

And then this - probably the most beautiful yarn I have ever owned. It is my last shipment from The Plucky Yarn sock club, a skein of silk merino fingering yarn, in the colourway Nora Charles. The merino makes it incredible soft, the silk makes it shine, and the colour is divine. This will also become a shawl - for me only.
And then I accidentally brought home a lot of skeins of Muskat yarn from Garnstudio, which is on a 40 % sale right now. I want to knit myself this dress, but am not sure if it is a wise thing to do. It is a big thing to knit, and I am not very fond of knitting with cotton. Time will show what happens...

The linen yarn from Garnstudio was also on sale, so I bought a couple of skeins. I have never knitted with linen yarn before, and am wondering how it will feel/look. It is very shiny, so I think it will look good in a shawl. 

Now off to knitting!

Holiday products

The first part of my holiday is over, and I have been knitting a bit. To be able to knit as much as possible, I brought with me different projects. The one above is the Ulmus shawl (pattern by Kirsten Kapur, yarn is Socks that rock). A pattern that is easy enough to be knitted in company of others, but still interesting for a shawl beginner like me. I like the pattern and yarn a lot, and absolutely love the colours. I am so looking forward to finish and wear this. I am working on the lace border right now, more details on this when it is finished.

This project was perfect car-knitting - my second Milo (unblocked). This time with a giant cable and Nøstebarn yarn held double. A great way to use hours spent as a passenger. In order to not get car sick, I practised on knitting without looking - and made great progress (but also found out it is a lot easier if knitting with one thread instead of two).

I haven`t given up on socks yet, and bought some reasonable, happy-coloured sock yarn while on holiday. I used the pattern that followed the yarn, and managed to finish the first sock pretty fast without trouble (I am working on a toe up sock at home, it was a lot more fuzz with that). I would love to keep these socks for myself, but they are a bit too big, so maybe I`ve made my first Christmas gift already.

The smallest sock is not meant for feet at all, but for my pocket camera. My daughter didn`t agree on that, she put the camera sock on her foot and wanted to be in the picture too.