What was I thinking?

Sometimes I find yarn from my stash that makes me wonder if I make yarn purchases while asleep. There's no other explanation. Really. Look at this:
Beautiful lace weight blend of silk and merino but the colour?? It's beyond me. I cannot understand how and why I have bought it. But because I'm me, I decided to knit it into Elizabeth Zimmermann's Pi shawl. Maybe the colour will grow on me? Or maybe it will be really striking and beautiful when finished? I do not know. But I really want to think that it *will* be gorgeous when finished.

Now tell me that this is reasonable thinking.

That baby cardigan

Pattern: my own
Yarn: less than 100g Novita Florica and little bit of RYC Cashsoft 4ply
Needles: 3.25mm

So I changed my mind and knitted it in just plain stockinette after all. But I did some cool plaited cabling to raglan increase "seams" (not really seams as I knitted the whole thing seamlessly top-down...) that continue all way down to hem and sleeve. Just enough detail for my taste. (not to mention something to do every other row instead of mind-numbing knit 1 row, purl 1 row...)

Edges have a very simple picot finishing knitted with dark red RYC Cashsoft 4ply (wonderful yarn BTW!)

Lamour my love

It's been finished a few days now but only now I get round to show it of...

Pattern: Lamour slipover by Sarah Hatton (from Rowan magazine #44)

Yarn: approx 350g Jaeger Roma in Cinnamon

Needles: 3.25mm & 4mm

Jaeger Roma is a very stretchy viscose/angora blend (now discontinued, which is just crazy!) that goes really well with this pattern. Leaf lace was very simple to knit and the end result has nice depth to it. It's beautiful how light and shade play in the surface of this lace pattern. All in all a nice and wearable layering piece with a vintage touch. Lovely - methinks.

oh yes - I made the tab detachable, so that I can wear my slipover with or without it. Turned out pretty well. :-)

As for the baby cardi -decided to knit it in plain stockinette with cabling in raglan sleeve "seams". Have already knitted the body and one sleeve and am my way of knitting the other sleeve. Then I'm planning to finish it with some dark red picot edges. Maybe. Not sure yet.

Frost

Last night temperature sank below 0 degrees and it was so beautiful when I went to my usual morning stroll... I had to take some photos.

So that this post wouldn't be completely without knitting content-
I began a new project. Or I should say I got this idea to knit something for my youngest daughter (10months) to be worn on top of the dress in a wedding party (not mine - I've been married for 6 years) that is in less than 2 weeks time. I have some Novita Florica and RYC Cashsoft 4ply in my stash and I was thinking something in lines of a short cardi, with some cabling & maybe basketweave, knitted top-down... I have no idea if it is going to work but I did swatch yesterday and that looked encouraging enough for me to begin knitting it. Only time will tell...
As for my dress for that wedding... I'm still working on it. All fabric has been cut out and I've managed to do a part of sewing but it still needs a lot of work before it is a dress...

Slouchy beret

This was a very fast knit. It took less than 3 hours to make. Very cute pattern - will definitely make more of these. (also - it is big enough for me - I have a big head!)

Pattern: Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson
Yarn: Noro Kochoran (used approx 80g)
Needles: 6, 7 & 8mm

Pentagons are so cool

and so is this pullover!

Pattern: Swirled pentagon pullover by Norah Gaughan from Knitting Nature

Yarn: Approx. 605g (I just needed to begin 7th skein to finish 2nd sleeve) New Lanark Aran in Natural Black

Needles: 5mm

I loved knitting this. I've been knitting for more than 25years and I have to say Norah Gaughan is one of the few designers that really never stops to impress me. Her designs are so special and distinctive. There is this mathemathical/ geometric side in them that makes them different from any other designers' work. I enjoyed knitting those pentagons, seeing them grow into perfectly fitting yoke and then keeping rest of the pullover really simple - just stockinette and some 2-by-2 ribbing.

I liked the pattern so much that I hardly did any changes to it. Of course I needed to recalculate all stitch counts as my gauge was way off, but apart from that I only changed edge ribbings from 1*1-rib to 2*2.rib, and added some really subtle shaping to body. And I knitted the whole thing round. Sleeves too. The original pullover in the book is made from some soft angora-blend, but I wanted a wholesome, outdoorsy pullover that could take years and years of wear. So I chose New Lanark Aran as yarn. It is a very coarse yarn. Which is why I think it was perfect for this particular pattern. Colour is good as well - undyed "black", which is dark brown in real life. Spartan but nice.

Iceland in crisis

lately it's been all bad news when it comes to Iceland. Banks are falling. Money trouble everywhere. Country on the verge of banktruptcy.

Very fitting indeed that my next knitting project is apptly named Iceland from Rowan magazine #42 . Knitted in pitch black Novita Polaris...