Happy ending!

The Whirlpool
Originally uploaded by Asplund

I've been house-sitting for my cousins, and their cat Felix likes helping me with my knitting when he isn't busy dancing on the rugs.

Nearly done with the vest: I've picked up stitches along the the two front pieces and across the back of the neck to knit a few rows of garter stitch. I almost prefer the way the wrong side looks, so I've toyed with the idea of trying to make the vest reversible. However, I'm eager to finish it to start new projects (and perhaps finish some old ones) so I won't.

Gott slut! No, that's not a combination of German and English. It's a Swedish expression meaning good/happy ending - what we wish each other between Christmas and New Year's Eve, before it's time to wish each other Gott nytt år (happy new year). When the new year's arrived we say God fortsättning, wishing a happy continuation (of the new year). If used during Christmas it refers to the Christmas holidays.

Complicated? Perhaps, but at least it's well-meaning!

The second time around

Originally uploaded by Asplund

I'm taking liberties with Marianne Isager's design "Honey" from her book Classic Knits, original Danish title Strik à la carte.

Apart from making a vest instead of a cardigan, I've added repeats to the garter stitch bottom border (three instead of one) and made the edging significantly narrower. Now, I love her design, I just like experimenting to see what happens too!

However, I didn't quite like my first version to the left - which is what often happens when I experiment. The bottom border is too similar to the main pattern in stocking stitch, and I wanted the two sections to look slightly more different but still blend. Therefore, I added two rows of purple in the version to the right. Not an enormous change, but all the same I like it a lot better.

Edited to add:

Heureka! I just found my tape measure, which has been missing for a couple of days.

This must have seemed like a good place to keep it safe at the time, but apparently it was a little bit too good.

First pattern published on Ravelry

"Sigge" hat
Originally uploaded by Asplund

and it's free!

You will find it if you look me up on Ravelry; my user name is Asplund.

I've proof-read and proof-knitted the pattern; hopefully there aren't any errors left in it, at least not any serious ones.

Thank you everyone for all your kind and encouraging comments and messages since I started blogging!

Success!

New record this year: we succeeded in having Christmas over and done with in a few hours yesterday afternoon! My ten-year-old nephew is spending the holidays with his paternal grandparents this year, so he and his parents came to my mother's place yesterday afternoon. We had a nice, simple meal together and exchanged gifts. Well, I actually gave my mother her present about a month ago!

I'm extremely pleased with what I got, like Idol Britt-Marie Christoffersson's new inspiration-packed book Knitting - a craft to develop (which was what I had asked for) and some beautiful buttons (which was a lovely surprise). The book is filled with ideas how to combine and play with stitches and colours. A great gift for someone who enjoys swatching, so guess what I'll be doing when others are busy celebrating Christmas the correct dates!

Can you tell the Asplunds prefer minimal to traditional Christmas? Now, we're not really against the holiday itself but rather all the fuss; we just can't be bothered with a lot of preparation, especially not cooking. We're all unusually happy with how it worked out this year, which after all is what counts, so I hope this arrangement will become our tradition.

I also hope you all get to spend the holidays the way you want to!

Sigge wishes you a relaxed Christmas

Christmas Westie
Originally uploaded by Asplund

and so do I!

If you're stressing out about Christmas, why not have a look at Annie Cordy performing Kikadikadékado.

She looks busy, to say the least! Perhaps you don't have to do all those things. Skip the roller skates this year, for example.

I'm swatching with some new wool, Lucca Fino from BC Garn, and plan to make a vest based on Marianne Isager's design Honning/Honey.

Hardly a perfect match

Cuffs
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Isn't it strange and fascinating how different a pattern can turn out if you simply reverse the colours? I thought it would be fun to test and that the pair would match anyway.

It was indeed fun, but I don't think they match. I did think the colours might look slightly different, but didn't expect the pattern to look so hard/sharp (can't think of a better word) in the cuff to the left. Perhaps I could have figured it out, since stitch definitions are so much more visible in light colours and the dark background would show through the big "v" stitches.

Fortunately, there seems to be enough yarn left to make two more, but I'll start with my favourite (the one to the right) to be on the safe side.

"Everyone must be kind at Christmas.

Originally uploaded by Asplund

Those who are capable of it, that is."

I borrowed this lovely magnet from a friend to Christmasize the photo.

This is going to be a pair of cuffs; I'm testing a couple of patterns from sweaters in Design Idol Marianne Isager's delicious book Classic Knits. My plan is to reverse the colours in the second cuff.

Sooner or later

Paul sweater: overlapping neckband
Originally uploaded by Asplund

What did I tell you in my previous post, I do finish most things sooner or later - in this case sooner!

It's annoying how I can't get the colour right in photos; it's a beautiful shade of light brown in reality, not grey. Here's a photo that does it justice.

This yarn, BC Lucca, is really lovely to work with and the knitted fabric is soft, light and warm. However, there's something important about it: the sweater grew when washed and blocked. I've been lucky, because I thought it would be too small for me and thought of others I could give it too, but now it turns out to be my size after all! Good thing I didn't give anyone false hopes.

I should add that I had already started with the sleeves when I uploaded the photo in the previous post, but simply chose my best photo of the project.

The more, the merrier

Originally uploaded by Asplund

In my previous post I forgot to mention that Maria also awarded me a hank of her beautiful hand-dyed sock yarn. Thank you!

It seems like a good yarn for twined knitting; I'm making a swatch that probably will turn into a hat. Or something else.

I am happy to say that a few years ago I stopped having qualms about starting new projects before finishing what I'm already working on. I do finish almost everything eventually; why not simply allow myself to knit whatever I'm in the mood to make, especially since I want to knit for the joy of knitting?

It's similar with books: I'm usually in the middle of several ones of different kinds, so I can pick whatever suits me at the moment.

Here's yet another project I've added to my collection of works in progress, a sweater to be. This is my all-time favourite cable pattern, "Arrowhead Cable" in Vogue Dictionary of Knitting Stitches by Anne Matthews. I've knitted it several times before, and I just don't get tired of it, neither knitting it nor looking at it. The yarn is BC Lucca, a joy to work with.

Mission accomplished

Moses mosaic
Originally uploaded by Asplund

About a month ago I won a competition! Maria posted a photo of a skein of horror yarn and asked for disco-esque ideas how to use it.

In a sudden flash of inspiration I suggested a pair of hotpants. Little did I know...

The prize turned out to be the yarn and the challenge to knit what I had suggested!

So, here's Moses (he was once found in a bucket of water) proudly sporting his haute couture hotpants at my aunt's place.

Hope you like the results, Maria!

My knits on display at Marias garn

Show at Marias garn, Stockholm
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Today was a wonderful first day of my show at yarn shop Marias garn in Stockholm. So many friendly, talented and creative people I've met: thanks everone for a great day!

Some were friends that I haven't met for a couple years, like fellow Ravelers katarina and findus, whom I've stayed in touch with since we met at a knitting camp in the summer of 2007, where we had a great time.

I was also thrilled to get to meet borntoknit in person for the first time! I've admired her work since I first discovered her talents on Flickr a few years ago and then looked her up on Ravelry, which took me to her blog.

Another amazing textile artist that turned up was Flickr's Feltangel. Check out her wonderful needlefelted dogs and other items on Flickr and her site "Ull och krull"!

Let me tell you, it's quite tempting spending hours in a yarn shop. Still, I managed not to buy a single skein of yarn! However, that's mainly because I bought enough for a sweater yesterday after arranging all the items in the window.

My cousins' cairn terrier Asta.

An appetizer

"Kungsängslilja"
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Here's a vest made especially for the show at Marias garn, Stockholm, which starts on Saturday at 11 am. Welcome!

The colours made me think of a flower I love, Fritillaria meleagris, and therefore I tried to make a pattern that would be slightly similar to it.

In Swedish this flower is called Kungsängslilja, which means "Lily of the Royal Meadow" (we like compound words!) and it is a symbol of the region of Uppland.

Fair Isle jacket: shoulder join

Fair Isle jacket: shoulder
Originally uploaded by Asplund

After all, I decided to abandon the idea of a saddle with yellow and white square and/or rectangles, mainly because the yellow drowned in this shade of brown. (Which I wanted to use since it was next in turn of the background colours.)

Not particularly surprisingly, Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting provided inspiration. I changed this simple but elegant leaf pattern only sligthly (adding a couple of rows) and used two of my three shades of green in it; I knitted one half of the pattern on each piece to be joined in the middle.

First I thought of grafting the two pieces, but in that case the pattern halves wouldn't have matched completely but would have been half a stitch off (shock horror!) so I cast them off together.

I liked the leaves so much I made them the first sleeve pattern too. The russet squares wasn't a good idea as the darkest background colour suddenly looked very dark and dominant placed vertically against the borders. I should have taken a photo of how it looked before I unravelled those rows, but unfortunately didn't. (Too eager to knit more leaves!) Here's a photo of the steek instead. The crocheted chain probably could have been closer to the body but perhaps it doesn't make much difference.

Finally, here's the hat I started to have something completely different to focus on. It weighs next to nothing, but all the floats on the wrong side make it warm.

Fair Isle jacket: back and front done

WIP: Fair isle jacket
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Top left: the armhole is slightly shaped. There could be more decreases, but I want the pattern to end in the middle of the big X on each side: I like symmetry, and there's already so much going on in this garment that I believe it's important the "frame" of it is right (so you don't notice it).

Top right: steek stitches secured with a crochet hook. I'm not completely sure where I got this idea from, but am fairly certain it was En till who told me about it. Thank you!

Bottom left: front shaping of neck. I knitted back and forth using wrap-and-turn short rows. The back of the neck is shaped too and about half as deep. Purling with two colours isn't my favourite hobby, but I do it as fast as possible to have it over and done with.

Bottom right: removing provisional cast-on stitches. I like putting all the stitches on the needle first, so I don't drop them or accidentally pull the wrong yarn.

Before I can move on there are quite a few decisions to make. Most important, how to join the shoulders: grafting, casting off together or knitting a saddle. I like the saddle idea best, but that involves more decisions: how wide, what colour(s), a pattern... Perhaps light brown background with yellow and beige squares.

I have to work with something completely different to let my brain work with the jacket project without my noticing it. There's enough yarn from other projects to make a hat. This is also Shetlandsuld, but how different it turns out in dark grey and white stripes!

From a feast to an orgy of colours

WIP: Fair Isle jacket
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Why have I been so afraid of playing with colours before, usually restricting myself to two or possibly three in a project? This yarn makes a difference, of course; there's no such thing as an ugly combination, at least not with this array of colours.

It's both fun and useful seeing how the colours "react" to each other; also, I'm certain all the combinations will make this jacket great for future reference.

Perhaps I'm overdoing it, testing so many things in one project, but this is so exciting and rewarding I don't mind! Still, there are quite a few things in the composition of shades and shapes to try to keep it together in spite of all the variation. However, I will have to write about how I have planned the patterns (and how I have been revising my plans) some other time. Got to knit!