Yarnlove

Off topic, but awfully cute...

My sock-idol, former SP and ditto spoilee Theresia just broguht the Socktoberfest to my knowledge, and I immediately joined! Since finishing the Norwegian stockings I've been thinking about entering deeper into the mysteries of sockknitting, especially the toe-up socks, and to make this a true tribute to my idol I'm gonna make Baudelaire from Knitty's summer issue, as is she, in the hot pink sockyarn and with the bamboo DPN's she secretly sent me a few months ago. Theresia, I salute you!

And also, what season could be more appropriate for sockknitting? It's like the month was named with this fact in mind. Socktober. And it works just as well in Swedish. Long live the Germanic languages!

A week ago I couldn't fight it any longer. It's weird, because I've always thought of spinning as a waste of knitting time; when there are perfectly good yarns out there, why spend valuable time making your own? (Strange thoughts coming from a knitter, I know...) I e-mailed Gudrun's ullbod and asked which of their two spindles would be best for a beginner, and obviously the more expensive one is prefered. To be certain not to be alone on this adventure, I also ordered one for Fi, whose birthday is in a couple of weeks. A difficult situation arose when I received the spindles Thursday evening, fell immedately in love and I could neither blog nor tell her about it. My quick fix was to invite her over for coffee and birthday present this afternoon, and we are now two happy and excited newborn spinners. Just look at what I've made:

Two years ago, I bought some white carded wool during our summer vacation on Gotland. It was destined for felting, but as the saleslady had pointed out, I discovered it didn't respond very well to felting. It's been lying around ever since, and finally came out of the fiber treasury Thursday evening. And does this wool make pretty yarn or what? It's got an almost silky shimmer, almost visible in this photo. I wonder what I should do with this beautiful yarn. I was thinking a baby sweater to keep until I have a precious little dumpling myself in a distant future, or maybe mittens (for more immediate use)? But then white isn't the best mitten colour. What do you use to dye this stuff? And where do you buy it? Should it be dyed?

In the shadow of this overwhelming event, I've also finished my Norwegian stockings! This is how pretty they turned out:


Picking up at the heel was the worst part. I didn't lift the first stitch on every row of the heel flap but just knitted it, and then I also picked up one stitch in every row and knitted two together, to avoid holes. It went ok, but this heel flap thing isn't too clever, in my opinion. But hey, I've only knitted one pair of socks in my entire life, so what do I know? It does seem to be the most common technique for heels though, so maybe I just need practice. Any tips, anyone? How do you make pretty heels?

Pattern: Norwegian stockings from "Folk socks" by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Baby og hosegarn from LØVE, 80% wool, 20% polyamid
Yardage: 2 balls dark grey, 1 ball pink (210 m each), scraps of something white
Yarn Source: Yll & Tyll
Needles: The lovely bamboo 2.5 mm I got from my SP
Gauge: 28 st/10 cm?
Modifications: Customized for my feet the hard trial- and error way. Altered two strands of grey yarn under heel for reinforcement.

In my dreams I'm already knitting Ivy, Red herring, Lizard ridge and Sherwood. This issue seems so much better than the last one! Which ones will you knit?

I just got Lion Brand's newsletter with some new designs for the fall. I particularly liked these






and this, but maybe not striped.








The "arm cosies" above are a free pattern, but this little beauty is payware. $3.95 is still not that much... it's so cute! I'm really into cables right now, they are so much fun... Maybe in Drops new/old Angora Tweed? Or perhaps something a bit more firm... Stay tuned!

The most amazing thing happened today. I actually feel like a missionary who's saved a soul. One of my best friends, a regular rock'n'roll gal with leather jacket and no clue on how to boil an egg, called me a week ago and said she wanted to start knitting. I thought she was just making fun of me, but yesterday she actually went to buy yarn (acrylic, but still) and needles, and today I taught her how to cast on over the phone. On the third attempt she got it, and from there it went to here (pic) in just an hour or two!

Over messenger, she has during the last ten minutes delivered eternal truths like "this is so addictive!", "I want to make patterning too", "I'll buy some nicer yarn tomorrow", "exciting!", "next time I come to Stockholm we have to go yarnshopping!" "now I know what to do on the train tomorrow". This is so wonderful I just don't know what to do with myself.
Her knitblog can't be far away... I think I'm gonna cry.

I F'ed the cabled little O today, but because of the birthday plans for it I won't post pics for a while. I did however frog and reknit, and it went swell. I love Lanett and the pattern is tons of fun. I just don't get it though; the Frost Flowers and Leaves shawl is said to be "intermediate" and it's a pain in da butt, but this one is "extraspicy", according to Knitty, and it's almost a piece of cake, apart from the p2togtbl. But they're not too many.

To the list of today's achievements I can also add shoplifting. Yup. I went to buy bread an hour ago, and ended up with so many things in my hands I hung the apple bag around my wrist. I found it when I had paid and was packing the bag. I was immidiately horrified, then I had to bite my lip not to laugh, and then I was very confused and just ran off, also thinking I really needed to spice my day up with some excitement. I guess I did.

Ta-daa! Behold my latest FO, the Karabella Cabled Cardigan:

Pattern: Cabled Cardigan #183 from Karabella Yarns,
Yarn: Kid Classic "Lavender ice" from Rowan
Yardage: 8 balls (140 m each)
Yarn Source: Yll & Tyll
Needles: Mostly 4.5 mm
Gauge: 24 st/10 cm in cables
Modifications: Everything made longer (except for yoke), lifting front edge stitches on bottom ribbing, adding stitches to edges for seaming, 3-needle bind off joining yoke and cardi instead of casting off and sewing together (oh so clever).

What more can I tell you? It took me three weeks to knit this, but it rested for a few days too, so this definitely qualifies as a quick knit. I absolutely love the yarn, which is soft and bouncy and perfect for cables. Also not too expensive (SEK 63), due to its decent yardage: 140 metres a ball.

The pattern is very pretty, but perhaps not really thought through. There are some typos, and I can't understand why there are no side stitches in the pattern. The cables go all the way out, and when joining pieces you actually have to sew in the last stitch of the cables. Affreux! I didn't discover this in time, but on the fronts I moved the cables to I'd have a little extra for seam allowance. I would have liked the same spacing between the cables in the bottom and then increase under arms, instead of having nothing to begin with and ending up with the "right" amount of stitches under the arms, where people normally don't look. It's not the way a yarnlover would do it.

But life, and the knitting, goes on. I've found a nice beret pattern for my greens. I'm going to make it striped and then knit a matching scarf (same stripes, same ribbing) from the rest of the yarn. I have a total of 700 metres, so I think it'll be enough.

The Shedir turned out to be too short, since I made only three pattern repeats (as recommended by many of those who have knitted it) instead of five. Four will be just enough I think. Should I frog or should I cut, knit and graft?

of being sick.

Started a Shedir for birthday purposes the other day, and made it to the middle of my last repeat before decreasing before my ad lib cabling skills bit me in the lower back region. I've been very pleased to learn how to cable one-stitch wide cables without a cable needle, but apparently my new knowledge didn't last over the night. Now I have to frog two rows of tiny cabled stitches. Guess my fever won't go down today either.

Last night as I was knitting along on the couch, E noticed the pattern in my lap, looked at it and then asked me about the note on the designer: "Jenna examines herself regularly". I replied that the pattern comes from a breast cancer awareness issue, and "examines" refers to looking for bumps in your breasts. I must say he looked a bit disappointed.