Sunday 24 June 2012

My favourite spot

My favourite spot by Asplund
My favourite spot, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.
Right now I'm into needlepoint rather than knitting; this is a design from Ehrman by Elian McCready. Lilies are probably the flowers I like best, and all the vibrant colours made it quite irresistible! It's quite relaxing simply filling in the colours somebody else has decided. It's funny, though, how stitching is so enjoyable when sewing a single button in place is so mind-blowingly tedious.

I bought the kit about half a year ago, but it has been too dark to stitch most of the months since then - I need daylight not to mix up all the shades.

This is my favourite place to knit and stitch. Perfect daylight from behind, a comfortable chair (a shawl-chair swap with my aunt) not to mention often listening to my SO playing the harpsichord (yes!) in the living room.

Feel free to envy me - I practically do myself! ;-)

Just nu är det roligare med stramaljbroderi än stickning - och med semester och dagsljus går det betydligt bättre att se skillnad på alla nyanserna än under de mörka vintermånaderna. I den här stolen sitter jag perfekt: otroligt bekvämt och med dagsljus i ryggen. (Jag bytte den till mig för ett par år sedan: en stol mot en sjal.) Dessutom får jag ofta njuta av cembalomusik när min sambo sitter och spelar i rummet intill! Ja, jag har det oförskämt bra.

Tuesday 19 June 2012

The Conscientious Shopper

Untitled by Asplund
a photo by Asplund on Flickr.
A couple of months ago I spotted The Haapsalu Shawl in a bookstore, but thought it was too expensive to buy at once. And expensive enough to remain on the shelf waiting for me for another few months!

Last weekend I went back, and it was still there - and still expensive. However, I spotted a cheap book (about a tenth of the shawl book) on the same shelf, a reprint of a crochet book from 1848. I bought them both, of course, divided the sum by two and pretended they cost the same.

True, it would have been easier to buy the shawl book at once, but I actually sort of enjoy this kind of justification game.


Not that I think I will ever try to crochet anything from the book (no diagrams but written instructions only),
but I just can't resist books with designs like this one.

My grandmother who taught me how to knit would have turned 92 today, so I'm sending her some extra thoughts.

Friday 1 June 2012

No knitting tonight

Untitled by Asplund
Untitled, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.
First of all, thanks for all your comments about the sweater and cardigan I knitted for Nicolas Ottersten's graduation show! Sooner or later I'm certain I will get more photos to show details of them, but I'm equally certain he is too busy for that right now.

I've knitted yet another "Haruni" shawl, this time with Drops lace (a blend of alpaca and silk) and in a different shape: it consists of three triangles instead of two.

There won't be any time for knitting tonight, but there's no need to feel sorry for me ;-)

I'm going to an 18th century party with live music and a lot of dancing! I've attended a course this spring learning (trying to learn) some dances from that period. Keep your fingers crossed I won't mix them (or my feet) up! My favourite is Mr Beveridge's Maggot, seen here in a clip from Emma.