Mittens

I haven't yet shown you my first finish for this year. I got these mittens done almost two weeks ago now. I got the yarn from eBay last September and was going to knit long gloves from it. I didn't find any pattern that I would have been happy with, and having never knit gloves I wasn't brave enough to just wing it, so I made mittens instead. I used the flap-top mittens pattern from Handknit Holidays as my guide, but I didn't so the flap.
Since I'd purchased enough yarn for long gloves, but ended up doing normal mittens, I still have about 100g of the yarn left. Gotta find something to knit it into as I really like the yarn!

As for the picture... Well, DH bought a digital systems camera a while ago and we both like to go out and practice using it whenever we can (the rainy and super-cloudy weather we've had for, um, two months now doesn't give us that many opportunities). It rained a lot yesterday, so today we drove up to the rapids near us and they were gorgeous! After watching the rapids and DH photographing them for a while, I just stuck out my hands and told him to take a picture of them :)

Knitting review

In 2007 I knitted the following items:

Moonlight cardigan
Legwarmers
Grace sweater
A Bamboo cardigan
Ballet camisole
A scarf
Breezy cables

The last one is the one I am most proud of as it is the most difficult thing I've knit. Thanks to the warm winter, I've already had a chance to wear it a few times.

It's hard to pick a favourite, though, I use them all quite often. Well, not the leg warmers that much and also the bamboo cardigan hasn't seen the light of day that often as it was sans buttons for most of the summer. I had expected to use the Ballet camisole a lot in summer, but I've actually worn it more often now during autumn and winter. It's great with a long-sleeved T-shirt or with a white dress shirt and a small silk scarf for when I need to look more put together. The Grace sweater and the Moonlight cardi are so warm and I wear them almost constantly (I'm wearing Moonlight right now).

As with last year's cross stitch accomplishments, it's not a lot in numbers, but I'm happy with them all and I think that's enough for me :)

Breezy Cables

It's done! This is Breezy Cables from Interweave Knits Spring 2006 issue. I left the bobbles out but otherwise followed the instructions. I used Novita Isoveli yarn and needed (almost exactly) 750g of it. This has been the most complex and time-consuming knitting project I've ever done but it was still fun to knit and I really like it. First time I've done pockets, too! It has it's share of mistakes, but nothing I can't live with.

In the magazine they called this a jacket, but when I started knitting it, I was sure I could use it as a cardigan on cold winter days. Well, turns out that using a thick wool yarn to knit cables results in a really warm jacket. Even just wearing it for these photos made me hot! And I do usually wear sweaters and wool socks this time of the year. So a jacket it is.



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I completely forgot to take pictures of most of the super-secret Christmas things I've been doing, but I see Nicki has received hers and posted a picture on her blog.

Lovely things

Today I received a lovely surprise from Nicki. She was very generous and gave some of her charts away on her blog a while ago. I was lucky enough to get this beautiful Quaker Style Friendship Sampler by Samplers and Such. She also send me some wonderful fabric! The Silkweaver's Cashel piece would be a good size for the Quaker Sampler. Thank you so much, Nicki! What a wonderful surprise!

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I recently got some new books. I liked these two so much that I wanted to show them to you. First one is a knitting book, Fitted Knits.



Out of the 25 projects, 10 were something I'd be happy to start right away. I can't, of course, so I've had to try to prioritize. These two are the top contenders at the moment and seem like something that would be great to wear in early spring.



This one seems like it would knit up fairly quickly, so it's a definite plus. I've been working on the cabled cardigan for soooo long, quick projects are sounding great at the moment!



But this one is just so beautiful... I'm torn, but luckily I don't have to make the decision yet :)


This is the other wonderful book, Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. This is filled with simple (and not so simple) beautiful projects, arranged by the time it takes to do them. The birds shown on the cover are among my very favourites. Here's also a pic of the back cover, so you can see more of what's inside.

The mysterious knitted roll

The mysterious knitted roll is nothing exciting, just a plain scarf. But I like it :)And I still can't believe how quickly I did it! A bit on Saturday evening and a lot on Sunday and that was it. I had about 150g of the yarn and used 7mm needles. The yarn is Finnish and from this firm. The colors are a bit off in the photos because it was so dark. The actual color of the scarf is a very light grey. As I understood it this yarn has not been colored, so it's the natural color of the wool.

Craft fair

This past weekend I went to Tampere to visit a friend and a craft fair. It was so much fun! As always. We've been going there for years now.

No photographs from the actual fair, but it was packed full of people. And there's always so much to see and do. Glean new ideas, get to know new crafts, admire the products of the artisans selling their stuff there (and buy some), browse new books and, of course, shop for craft supplies. This year my loot wasn't that sizeable, but I'm very happy with it :)



I got this French cross stitch mag from my favourite Finnish online cross stitch store. I was hoping to meet the owner, Lennu, who is a fellow blogger, but unfortunately she was having her lunch at the time I was in that area. I did meet her mom, though :)

I also got a bit of felting fleece. I saw these cute heart-shaped ornaments there and thought I'd give them a try. I've only felted once before and that was years and years ago in junior high.



I also got this. Or rather, the big skein of Finnish wool from which I knit this during Saturday evening and Sunday. I still need to steam it before I can show it to you properly.

Update

I wasn't able to participate on the Winter's Eve SAL this Monday. I have had problems with my right shoulder for two months now. Initally the doctor I saw just ordered rest and painkillers (tablets and gel) and icepacks. Well, it helped but the pain didn't go away completely. After x-rays and ultrasound, he tought it best to give me a cortisone injection. And he did that on Monday. By evening, the anesthetic had worn off and the whole of my right arm was really really sore (from the shot). I couldn't do anything. Moving it was so painful I almost cried, but at the same time, I couldn't help laughing. I felt so silly not being able to turn the pages of a magazine or dry my face in a towel -everyday things really that don't even require strenght! Now I'm feeling MUCH better and I'm fairly optimistic that by the end of the week, the shoulder will finally feel normal.



Before that, though, I had a sudden urge to stitch something small for fall / Halloween. So, I stitched up the small ornament you see here on the left. I sewed it up today along with the needleroll (which I stitched last October). The ornament was a freebie on the Homespun Elegance website some years back and the Spooky Time is by Lavender Wings (also a free pattern). I just reread the post where I had just finished it and where I mention that "I think I'll sew it up into an ornament tomorrow." Well, that didn't quite happen! Lol, the best of intention...



And here's where I got to in my autumn needleroll last week.


And finally, here's a picture of my knitting project. The back is finished and the left front is started. This is taking a bit longer than I expected, but I'm enjoying it very much! The pattern is called Breezy Cables and it's from Interweave Knits Spring 2006.

New knitting projects

Finally back to feeling normal! While I've been away, I have done the occasional stitch (I did take part in the Monday SAL with Nicki), but got so little done, it wasn't worth photographing. And I've been knitting a bit too. Here's the beginning of a cabled cardigan.



And here's what I will do after I have it done. Long gloves. Yes, I did cast on already, but it was only to test the yarn. I'm honestly not going to work on it until the cardigan is done! :) The yarn was a find from eBay. It's 100% cashmere! (So, you see, I just had to try it!)



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I'll try to catch up with everyone's blogs in the next couple of days :)

Ballet camisole

I finished the yellow top on Saturday (and wore it on Sunday).

The pattern is from MagKnits. I didn't do the gathering at the neckline. I tried to, several times, but I couldn't get it to look nice. I used Debbie Bliss Cotton Cashmere and really liked the yarn (I used about 5 and a half balls). It's a bit softer than 100% cotton and it's also surprisingly warm. I think I'll wear it in fall and winter too with a shirt underneath.

Fall knitting

This week I got the newest Rowan magazine in the mail. And I love it! I'm so glad I ordered it, because it has so many patterns I want to make.

It also got me thinking about my fall knitting. I went through all the mags and books I have and chose the ones I most want to make, keeping in mind also the current fashions. And I compiled a list. From the new Rowan mag this dress got on it:



And also this thing, called Helsinki Hat Scarf. How can I resist a pattern like that? :) In addition to the great name, it looks very interesting, pretty and warm. The name already tells you it's a mix between a hat and a scarf, but I'd also add a vest in there too! Hope I have the time to make it!



Among the patterns that I wish to get to one day is this absolutely gorgeous long coat:



One of the collections was called "Highlander" (the dress and coat are from it), and the photographs were so beautiful! I really have to get to Scotland some day.

More about the trip

Okay, I think I’ve now caught up on every blog on my Favourites folder. If I haven’t left a comment, I apologise, but there was a lot to read! Everyone’s been really busy and productive this past month!

During our trip, I didn’t get to do much crafting. I didn’t take any stitching with me (I know, gasp!, but I can’t stitch in a moving car without getting carsick). I did take two knitting projects with me anticipating to get a lot of knitting done during all that driving from one place to another, but surprisingly I was too engrossed in the landscapes to dig my needles out. I only got a small start on this top (most of what you see here has been done during the few days we’ve been home):



But I did not forget my dear hobbies! I knew there was a Zweigart factory oulet somewhere in Germany and before we left I emailed them for directions and opening times (it’s near Stuttgart in a town called Sindelfingen). And then, one morning we were there! And it was wonderful! One wall was lined up with all the possible colors of linen and Lugana… Truly a lovely sight to see (why didn’t I take a picture??) and just anything and everything that Zweigart does. What I found the most interesting though, were the discount baskets (and there were lots of those too) and as you can see from the picture, I took a bundle of them home :)



I was surprised to see that they also sold knitting yarn there and I picked up there 100% alpaca balls for a bargain price of 1.50€ each (why oh why didn’t I buy more?). I also got some dinner napkins (I think they are cotton or cotton-linen) for 1€/each, which I thought was a good price.

It was a wonderful experience visiting that store, and my dear husband didn’t once complain that I was taking too long (or buying too much!). :)

I didn’t see any (other) cross stitch stores on our trip, but I did see quite a lot of yarn stores. The sad thing is, I only saw them when they were closed. But the good thing (?) is that most of what I saw through the windows were yarns that I can get here as well. It made me quite happy to realize that even if we are the worst country in the world when it comes to stitching supplies (I might be exaggerating here a bit, but not much), we have it pretty good in terms of knitting supplies (except American yarn, which is virtually non-existent here).

New knitting project

Here's the new knitting project I mentioned yesterday. The pattern is from a Finnish knitting magazine (Novita). It'll be another cardigan, this time with 3/4 sleeves. And the yarn is a bamboo-cotton mix. Wonderfully soft!

And this is my sorry excuse of an ornament for the Ornament SAL. It seems that frogs have come in a flock to my home... But this time I tried to be clever and fight them! I started with the square, and it turned out too small. I count 28 stitches on the pattern and do 24. Logical, huh? And only notice it after I've done the trees and am wondering how I'm supposed to squeeze the word "Christmas" on top of it. The Elizabeth's Designs pattern had a fancy border around as well. I tried to modify it to suit my smaller square, but just kept continually counting wrong, so I gave up. So what I'm left with is this teeny tiny thing. :) (I'm trying to smile about it, but it still bugs me and I'm terrified I'll make another mistake on Winter's Eve tonight...)

Grace

Here it is, finally!
I sewed the final seem on Saturday evening. It's simple and comfortable and very warm! Something I will for sure appreciate in October. At the moment it's almost +20C and sunny :)

The pattern is from Rowan magazzine #30. I did size S and ran out of yarn (hence the lack of edging on the neck) just a couple of rows short of finishing the second sleeve. You can't tell from the finished sweater, thankfully. So, I would definitely recommend that you get an extra ball if you're doing this!

Sorry for the short post. I got lumbago on Sunday and although I'm already feeling alot better, I can't sit for very long. Because of this I don't think I'll be able to participate in the SAL today... My apologies to Nicki.

Nothing

Since I last posted I've made another set of the coaster for another friend (also as a birthday present), but forgot to take a picture before I sent them off.

My wrist has been hurting a lot, so haven't done much knitting or crochet. Just a row here and there on Grace, and I did manage to finish of the last half of the second sleeve. Now I just need to put it all together.

On Monday I was happily stitching away on Winter's Eve. I finished part 3 (the gold backstitch) and moved onto part 4. Happily, that is until I noticed I'd made a mistake and not seen it... The mistake is indicated by the red arrow. I made four stitches when I should have done five. And as a result of making that mistake and not catching it sooner, I have to undo all those stitches inside the red line. It might not seem like a lot, but it did take me quite a while to do them (I find Kreinik braid very slow to stitch with). I didn't want to deal with it then so had to put it away. I took this picture yesterday, and I'm ashamed to say, I still haven't done anything to it. Maybe tomorrow. Definitely before next Monday.

New fabric and WIP

The fabir is new, the WIP is not :)
I finally got the fabric that I ordered with the Silkweaver's GC Christine gave me for my birthday. It's Lugana and the color is Smoky Blue. A really beautiful blue color. Here it is with the Waterlilies and Kreiniks that are used in Mirabilia's My Lady's Garden. Aren't the Waterlilies yummy?


And here's a WIP pic of Grace. The back is done and the front halfway. I had thought I'd had more done by now.. But I'm still loving it :) The colors look a bit dull in this pic, it's quite vibrant in real life.

Been busy

I've been busy in a good way and in a bad way. And I've been tired and lazy. I've been a bad blogger and a bad crafter :) Or rather, when I've been knitting or stitching or doing something else with my hands, I've been working on my bigger projects and there's nothing new to show you. A week ago on Monday I did stitch on Winter's Eve, but so little I didn't think it worth a photo. This past Monday I was madly knitting away, as it dawned on me on Sunday that my cousin's baby girl is going to be one-year-old tomorrow and I just had to get her a present in the mail today. I knit her a small hat. And as it happens, forgot to take a picture of it.

So all I've got to show for you are these smaller than small Easter chicks I did recently (the directions adapted from Martha Stewart). This week, I think, I'm going to be showing you WIP photos of the various things I've got going. Maybe that'll be an insentive to do something :) I'm probably going to do a bit of sewing as well. I've got the material for another apron and I think I'd like to do a skirt too.

New projects

I've been working on some new projects lately (besides stitching my WIPs).


First, there's this. My ripple blanket. Inspired by the two lovely blankets made by Jane of Yarnstorm and by Alicia's humongous bedspread. It's wonderful and so simple. I'm using the odd balls from my stash and some I've bought specifically for this project. Most of what I had was different shades of blue and green and I wanted to add a bit of pink and yellow too.


The second project is this. A sweater from one of the Rowan magazines. I'm using Kid Classic in Sandstone and I love both the feel and look of the yarn as well as the color (although it may be more appropriate for autumn than spring). This'll be my last "warm" knit for now. After this I'm doing some spring and summer projects. Or that's the plan, anyway.

Legwarmers

I finally finished them yesterday! I made up the pattern. First a bit a K2P2 rib, then ribbon holes and then just plain stockinette stitch, 20 stitches per needle. The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (I love this yarn!) and I used 3.5mm bamboo double point needles. I used exactly 3 skeins of yarn. I still need to buy ribbon to go through the ribbon holes, but these can be used without it as well. It's just for decoration :)

I wear a lot of skirts and these will be great to wear around the house during the colder days of winter.

Guess which colors I like :)

Yesterday I wore these. A pink striped dress shirt and a muted green knit skirt (My mom had it custom made when she first started working. And it's still in immaculate condition!).

Yesterday I was at my knit club meeting and we learned about thrumming and how to use your yarn scraps to make fringe yarn. I had taken some of my left-over balls of yarn with me and here's my try-out:



I almost burst out laughing when all of sudden while knitting, I noticed the yarns I had taken with me completely matched my outfit!

Another surprise

Just yesterday I wrote about the wonderful gift I got from Christine and today I got another lovely surprise in the mail! Nicki sent me humbug that she had made (look how beautiful it is!) and two lovely magazines. An Australian knitting magazine and a decorating magazine from New Zealand! Thank you so much, Nicki!