February Lady Sweater

Finally finished!

Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Autum Forest, approx 450g
Needles: 5mm

I had to knit left sleeve three times before I was happy with it. Yarn pooled so badly on sleeves... But the outcome is nice. And Malabrigo worsted was a real pleasure to knit with. Will definitely use this yarn again - and again.

Too tempting -

couldn't resist. I had sort of decided that I wouldn't cast on any other projects before finishing the current ones but I just had to cast on for Lamour slipover. Could not help it. I'm knitting it up in Jager Roma- which is a wonderful yarn - I cannot believe they went and discontinued it. Along with some other great yarns. I might need to stock up while it's still possible to get more of Roma from cucumberpatch... Oh yes. that's it. More yarn!

Snack-time

I love knitting fast little knits that can be finished in a matter of hours, not days or months. Every now and then there comes an opportunity - or in this case - a need to have something small knitted up in a hurry. This time it was new babysocks for my youngest daughter. So what to do? I wanted to make them soft and knit them fast so I went through my stash and found some yarn left from my February Lady sweater and some grey Karaoke by SWTC and that was it - a couple of hours later I had these:

Soft, warm and seriously cozy socks for M. I'm really happy how they turned out. Very unlike my Ugly Babysocks (raveled).

Shocking Pink

Finally managed to knit a sweater for Amanda that I've been promising for her for months. Big sister got hers (with stripes) last spring and I've been planning to make one for A as well. I don't enjoy knitting with Novita Havaiji, maybe that's why I have post-poned knitting this one. (also, pink is just not my colour, but girls like it... so pink it is! )


End result is actually better than the first one. I almost like this one. And the wearer looks happy - so who am I to complain.

Also - the weather has been amazing for the last few days. It is late September and the sun is shining and temperatures rise during the day to 17 C !! Wonderful!


(which is good as the news lately have been truly sad reading. ref. Kauhajoki tragedy, Truly Awful. cannot even find words to say how bad that feels. And it is already second similar case within one year.)

Bling-bling Skull scarf

Here's something fun I whipped up. Chenille scarf with sequin-skull. Inspiration came when my two oldest daughters were stringing beads for bracelets. I got an urge to make something with beads and sequins as well and ended up using part of my skein of Araucania Quellón to knit a little soft scarf. Then embroidered it with sequins and beads. Had so much fun as I haven't been sewing beads since I made my wedding gown over 6 years ago... What a laugh!

The end result is fun and really camp. Just makes me smile.

Just arrived

Look what postman delivered! I've been leafing through these two now for a couple of days and I absolutely need to knit some of the patterns there. Debbie Bliss Magazine is a new one - this is the first issue ever (as far as I know) and it is really a nice and calm and zen-like read. Love the cardigan with cabled peplum. One of those "gotta-have-it" knits. Also liked grey cabled vests. Although I'm not going to knit them with grey but I'm sure they'll look just as fabulous in my colours (read: green, orange, brown, purple...)

As for VK. I was suprised how many wearable knits there were this time. I've been buying every single issue of VK since the Spring 2005 and many times it seems to work only as a spring-board for my own knits. Inspiration. And that is fine but this time there were some knits that I could imagine knitting without alterations - and that is a very rare thing indeed.

Oh Ms. Gaughan -

how I love your designs.

I've been a happy owner of Knitting Nature for a year or so and knitted Nautilus Poncho, Ram's Horn Jacket and Target Wave Mittens.


Your designs are so clever. So different from any other. Now I've begun knitting Swirled Pentagon Pullover from New Lanark Aran in Natural Black. It's so coarse. It's rough on fingers. And yet somehow it feels so good. Maybe I have a little bit of masochist in me (?) .
This yarn is so scratchy that I needed to do an itch-test - so I made one pentagon, washed it (which softened the handle considerably) and wore it inside my bra for a whole day. No problems - so I started knitting .

Those pentagons were bit of a wrestle - partly because I only had 5 dpns and used a short circular as 6th needle. Also I needed to recalculate all stitch counts as my cauge is off few stitches from the original. So far I've managed to knit all pentagons and it looks good. Am really excited beginning the lower body - which I'm going to knit round. After this project I need to (ok, not really - but I want to anyway) order Norah Gaughan vol 3 as there are some knits I just got to have.


ps. This sweater makes me think of Ireland. Don't know why. I love Ireland and have been backpacking there for some weeks (years ago) and I have to go back someday. I remember walking on a beach somewhere in Donegal and thinking that I could live there...

Kimono socks

I finished these last week but forgot that I have a blog... (I know... I blame breastfeeding - it seems to drain all my brain cells)

This was a seriously fun pattern to knit. I had to send a message to designer - Star Athena, to say thanks. I mean - look at them: So simple, yet there is this little "something" (those neat knitted-in ties and the wrap-over effect gained by simple yo's and k2tog's) Just gotta love them.

I also fell head over heels for that yarn - it is Ranco from Araucania. Just beautiful to knit with and I hope it will last longer as it has some nylon in it (I'll never ever knit socks with a yarn that has no nylon in it. Done that and those socks had holes in them within one week!! )

- and I ordered "some" more Ranco from UK. Still waiting for them to arrive...

Apples and more apples...and a couple of FOs

It's September. And we are drowning on apples. Seriously.

How much is too much?

This?

Thing is - we have nine very old apple trees that seem to make awful lot of apples every other year. Last year we didn't get enough to make a decent apple pie and this year trees are filled with them. We are trying to offer them to anyone who possibly would want them. And still there is far too much...

and then next year there probably are no apples. Go figure. I'm not a much of a gardener.

In the meanwhile - I've managed to finish couple of projects that I began before olympic project.

First of all - that Flower petal shawl that almost ended up way too small, but I swallowed my pride and frogged and then knitted three extra pattern repeats and then re-knit the border. And blocked it. Which turned my wrinkled mass of lace to this:

A pretty shawl.

I'm quite happy with it - although it is quite romantic and pale for my usual taste but the yarn is so fabulous that I just gotta love it. Am definitely going to knit something else with the same yarn in future.

Then there are my Marigold socks.

Whipped up in mixed-green Fabel - they are actually pretty nice. Colour matches birch trees with their early autumn dresses - greens, yellow, black/grey and white.