Rearing one's missing head

"Marzipan sweater" on display, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

At last I've emerged from Grade Swamp: 331 this time, which is a new personal record I'd be deeply sorry to break. Fortunately, first day of the Christmas holidays coincided with an 18th century party, which was exactly what I needed. Not to mention sharing a bottle of champagne with two friends I've made taking classes to learn some of the dances from the period. (I don't teach mathematics, but let me assure you three people and a bottle of champagne is a top-drawer equation.)

My twined "Marzipan" sweater (Ravelry link) has been my knit-alter ego during the past few weeks: it's on display at my local yarn shop Litet nystan. It's difficult to take pictures of it with all the reflections, but I rather like this photo anyway - and it made me smile to discover my legs in the right place.

Two dear ones of mine have been busier with their needles lately. I showed the boy how to knit a few years ago when he was six, and he could barely wait for his younger sister to come home from kindergarten so he could show her.

Teacher and student.

And look at them now, both busy in front of the television! (No, they're not my children - not biologically, that is, but I've spent so much time with them I feel they're mine too. The boy is knitting a scarf for his father.)

To each his/her own knitting.

Vintage knitting

Vintage knitting, a photo by Asplund on Flickr.

The other day I found the perfect yarn for a cardigan I've been planning to make for some time, a design from a 1947 magazine. I made a grey swatch to test the pattern, but the garment will be green.

I don't follow the instructions in detail but use the cable pattern in a cardigan that will have a similar shape. It's fun to knit, especially after I transferred the written instructions to graph paper.

Far from a shopaholic (yarn and books don't count, do they?) I found myself in sudden need of a little biggish something last weekend at Hallwylska museet. Exactly what I need to keep my swatches in! And exactly what I need to look at now that winter is here: minus 10 degrees today and few hours of daylight.

Thanks for your comments on my previous post! The poncho keeps growing, but the rows are very long now. It is probably getting time to stop increasing - and to think of a new pattern shape for the bottom border.

Ron: ha ha, I see what you mean about knitting in the round! I do prefer knitting in the round as much as possible (best way to avoid seaming) and always do when it comes to fairisle and twined knitting. Purling with two colours, for example, feels like a punishment.

However (you could see that word coming) I prefer knitting cable patterns back and forth, finding it easier to keep track of when to make the cables when they're on right-side rows only. Some 15 years ago I knitted an aran sweater back and forth until I reached the armholes and then joined all four pieces to knit the yoke in the round. It was a bit tricky, but worth it - a lot more comfortable than raglan seams would have been, and it looks nice with the cables.

This won't be a raglan cardigan, though, so I will pick up stitches around the armholes and knit the sleeves back and forth. It's a really inspiring challenge trying to recreate a garment!





Förra helgen kunde jag inte motstå en perfekt provlappsburk i Hallwylskas museibutik. Den är inte dum att vila ögonen på heller nu när det är mörkt och kallt. "Jag blev pålurad av mig själv," som morfar sade en gång när han oväntat kom hem med något verktyg. En sekatör har jag för mig.

Jag har påbörjat ett kul projekt, att försöka återskapa en kofta från 40-talet. Kombinationen av flätor och slätstickade rutor mellan rätstickade tvärränder är riktig lyckad, tycker jag - men jag började med att göra om den löpande texten till ett diagram. Jag kommer inte att följa mönstret slaviskt, men ändå göra plagget så likt bilden som möjligt.

Precis som med spetsstickning föredrar jag att sticka flätmönster fram och tillbaka; på så vis är det lättare att hålla reda på när det är dags för flätvridningar. Det har hänt att jag har stickat flätmönster på rundsticka, men då har jag haft med mosstickning för att lättare hålla reda på udda och jämna varv. Generellt sett stickar jag oftast runt (ju mindre monteringsarbete desto bättre) och definitivt om det är tvåändsstickning eller färgmönster.