"Haruni" shawl addition

"Haruni" shawl
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Here is a rather blurred picture where you can see the border I added along the hypotenuse. I wanted something similar to the other egdes and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

A couple of days ago I stumbled upon a sale at my LYS, and returned home with a kilo of beautiful grey yarn. I'm making (and modifying) a design by Marianne Isager, Munken/Monk from her book Classic Knits. This is what my project looks like so far. I can't even remember when I last knitted intarsia, but it was probably some twenty years ago.

"Haruni" shawl by Emily Ross

WIP: Haruni shawl
Originally uploaded by Asplund

It's really exciting casting off some 700 stitches crowded on a needle: suddenly it's possible to actually see what the project looks like!

My modifications:

1. This shawl is 18x2 repeats wide (instead of the original 12x2). One of the many things I like about the design is that the size is easy to change.

2. Instead of casting of by crocheting and adding chains, I simply cast off as usual but very loosely.

3. In the middle there are three stitches instead of one, simply because I wanted a chunkier "stem" for the leaves. Contrary to what I expected it wasn't necessary to make a double decrease when changing charts for the border.

4. Instead of garter stitch at the beginning and end, I have used stocking stitch and slipped the first stitch. The reason for this is:

5. I just picked up stitches along the hypotenuse to add a border and will turn to Victorian Lace Today for inspiration.

It seems two skeins of wool-silk "Viva" from Wetterhoff will be sufficient. So, what do you do when you have bought three? Return one? Of course not; you buy one more to have enough for another shawl. Plus two skeins of another colour you can't resist.

Nominated for a Bobby Award!

Guess who's in high spirits!

I just discovered that one of my projects has been nominated for a Bobby Award on Ravelry in the category "Best Use of Texture in a Project". Thrilled to pieces!

This is a sweater I knitted in 2008 using the old Scandinavian twined knitting technique, which I had learnt about a year earlier from Anne-Maj Ling. I wrote a short entry about the technique in October last year.

My "Marzipan" sweater is a personal favourite project of mine, a lot of work (it's a time-consuming technique) but also a lot of fun. I don't think I've ever learnt so much from a single project.

Another thing I'm excited about is my new job. I just started teaching at a school in dear old Uppsala, where I studied in the 90s. Here's a photo of the street where the school is. Not bad, eh?

Slipping through my fingers

"Christoffer" neckwarmer
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Here's a neck warmer I finished for myself yesterday (it's cold!) with some "Lucca" wool from BC Garn.

It was perfect for testing a slip-stitch pattern, a technique I was eager to make use of after seeing some glorious examples of patterns in Britt-Marie Christoffersson's new book Stickning - ett hantverk att utveckla.

This triangle pattern is practically one of hers except I resized it and turned it upside down. Why? To see how it would turn out! Well, also to make it blend with the 3x3 ribbing I had decided on. It's a great book, a kind of stitch-technique-inspiration treasury.

It's a wonderful technique in many ways; what I like best is that you get a lot of effect with minimal effort. I also like it that it's so subtle and that the floats on the wrong side make it warm. However, it's not very elastic. Not that it matters much in this kind of garment (in my opinion, it's actually an advantage here) , but in a sweater it would be important to keep it in mind.

After finishing it I cast on my First Real Knitting Treat of 2010. (Let there be many!) I've promised my friend and former colleague Karin a triangular shawl; about a month ago I found the perfect yarn for it, a wool-silk blend from Finnish Wetterhoff, and the other day I came across a beautiful free pattern on Ravelry: Haruni by Emily Ross.

Needless to say, I couldn't resist testing a couple of modifications, but I'll get back to them some other day.

A promising start to the new year?

Static
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Has anyone else experienced wool getting static?

This picture doesn't do the surprise show justice, I'm afraid; all of a sudden the vest looked like a terrified but almost bald hedgehog (or chunk of bacon) trying to cling to the wall with a tentacle.

The sight also reminded me of what a neighbour, an expert at mixing up words, once said:

I vacuumed the carpet, and it got all ecstatic!

(Original Swedish words: Jag dammsög mattan, och den blev alldeles extatisk!)

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!