Baby knits

These fabulous little balls of yarn came in a kit from Socktopus all wrapped up in pretty pink tissue paper in a silver package. It's the Tulip Baby Cardigan made from Dream in Colour Smooshy yarn. And smooshy it is ! It's so soft , perfect for a little baby.

No I'm not making this for myself , althoug I almost wished it was. It's so cute ! I was hoping to get a reason to make this little cardigan ever since i first saw this and now there is one. There is a new baby girl in the family so I ordered the kit Monday morning and got it on Wednesday. Shipping from the UK is normally very quick but this was super quick ! I cast on right away and now have this finished so far. The sleeves still have to be made but I had to wait for some dpn's in the right size that I didn't have. So Wolhalla came to my rescue and send them to me right away, they came in the mail today.

I'm in a kind of hurry to finish this in time because next week we will be visiting our family and I want to give it to them then. Isn't it cute ? Or did I say that already ?

More colourful knitting was done. This is the Double Dayflower Scarf made in Noro Silk Garden color 228. If you want the pattern you can visit Nancy. She made 2 beautiful versions of it herself and made a free pdf file of the pattern.

The knitting on Imogen was on a little hold because ( again) I didn't have the right size circulars for this one. Luckily I found out that I could order KnitPicks needles at Get Knitted in the UK . It's impossible to order from KnitPicks if you don't live in the US or have an adress in the US to send it to. Unfortunately when I ordered them there was a Postal strike in the UK so I had to wait a little longer to get them. I do have a basic set of interchangeble needles because my FIL visited the US early this year and brought them for me but the size I needed wasn't in it.

The leg is doing MUCH better, so now I can walk around again. Which is a good thing because next week we will be going to Brugge in Belgium for the weekend. A gift from our daughters because we were married for....25 years. Yeah that's right, 25 years together already with my hubby (and still love him to bits). And isn't this such a sweet gift from them, 2 nights in a hotel with breakfast, such luxury !

Just wanted to show you my youngest daredevil, isn't this a great picture ?

New starts

After finishing the Drops Jacket I really felt like making myself another cardigan or sweater. While reading through one of my favorite blogs http://seedstitch.blogspot.com/ I stumbled upon the Imogen cardigan from Perl Grey. It´s knitted in one piece and sideways, so after it's finished it will be quite a gamble if it fits or not. Scary ! I ordered it from Ebay in the color Mineral.


The back is already finished and now I have to start the sleeves . This is on size 10 needles , 6 mm. The yarn has wonderful colors of browns and greys, the picture really doesn't do it justice. !
And a joy to knit with too ! It's Aran Alpaca from Fleece Artist, a wool/alpaca blend and very soft. The stripes will be showing sideways.



Right now I have a lot of time to knit. Forced knitting time really, because I have to sit a lot due to a injury on my leg. I tore a muscle in my calf and walking is quite painful at the moment. How this happened ? Nothing spectacular, just a little step backwards and auch ! So while I sit and knit the rest of the family has to take over some of my tasks, like doing the groceries and cleaning the house a bit. I love to see others work don't you ? No, I'm not a slavedriver, really I'm not !

And what about this ? Oh, it's nothing, really, just another little cardigan I started too.

It´s Brier from Rowan Magazine nr. 36 in Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply in Slate and Dale of Norway Baby Ull in Black held together. The back is knitted in two halves and sewn together later with the seams facing. The back is ready and the left front is on the needles now.

Told you I had lots of knitting time right now !

P.S.

I was tagged for a book meme by Wanda from http://fiberjoy.wordpress.com/

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why ? Hardcover books are my favorite, they tend to stay neater, no floppy ears and such things.

2. If I were to own a book shop , I would call it....I really have no idea, but I love those old English bookshops, so it would definitely look like one of those.

3. My favorite quote from a book ( mention the title ) is... This is a quote from Deepak Chopra that really appeals to me : A man's goodness is truly measured by what he is, not what he does.

4. The author ( alive or deceased ) I would love to have lunch with would be... Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot. I really love her sense of humor AND she could teach me something about knitting too ! I recently bought her book Knitting Rules , very funny.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except for the SAS survvival guide, it would be... It's not really a book, but I would bring my little album where a lot of people,who I loved and have now passed away, have written a little poem in. It's from my childhood and very, very dear to me....

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that... would hold up the book and turn the pages for me when I'm in bed , reading and tucked away under the blankets......

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of...the holidays spent with my grandmother where I visited the library almost every day. I read loads of books when I was a child.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book ( mention the title ), it would be...nobody I guess. I am perfectly happy with the life that I live.

9. The most overestimated book of all times is...probably the Da Vinci Code ?

10. I hate it when a book ...... has many errors in it, or is badly written. It also bothers me when I borrow a book from the library and it is filthy , people should ought to have some respect for books.

Danielle ( knittingmom) you are hereby tagged !

Let me show you...

the finished Drops jacket !

This took me longer than expected, despite the fact that it was knit on big needles and the pattern was very easy.

It's almost 3 weeks ago since my last blog post and this is almost the only thing I knitted on during that time. I felt there wasn't anything worth to show you exept some dull grey unfinished parts. Knitting this wasn't very inspiring to me really. First there was the issue with the yarn, it's a kind of a loose fiber, with hairs flying around if you unwind it. This started to make my eyes become sore ( like there was sand in them) and my hands red and itchy. So I had to stop after shorts periods of knitting and let it rest for a while. I still liked the effect of it though so I thought I'd better move along with it. What else to do with such a big amount of bulky yarn ?

Then I had to redo the back part because it came out too big, despite the fact that my gauge was correct. Lucily I was only about halfway when I discovered this. So then the front parts and 1 sleeve and the knitting was done except the collar. So I thought...

When I went looking for buttons I found out that I forgot to make the buttonholes ! Really how stupid can you be ? So I ripped back one of the fronts and made some buttonholes. Finally ready to seam it together and to block it.

I gave it a good soak in Eucalan, but boy what a smell came out of it ! Very sheepish ! Some rinsing and another soak didn't change things much so I decided to just let it dry and hope the best of it. After 3 whole days of drying it still wasn't quite dry. I took it out and left it to dry a bit on a drying rack so things would speed up a little. Finally I was able to put the buttons on and take some pictures of it in it's finished state.

Some details.


And a picture youngest daughter took of me. I don't look really hope in it, want to know the reason why ? The sun was shining directly in my eyes AND I had to keep an eye on Hubert who was planning to jump up at me with his dirty hooves. Besides I always look awful in pictures, really I do ! That's one of the reasons I don't have many of myself, and because I'm mostly the one taking the pictures.

Beware of the monster goat !

I'm not sure about the result yet, maybe it's just too bulky for me. I DO like the pattern though, I only found out after I already bought the yarn for this that there is also a version in this pattern with thinner yarn. Maybe I will try again some day and then I will make the sleeves a bit shorter too. Now they are something in between 3/4 and full lenght. I don't feel sorry about it being not quite what I expected it to be though. It really was a good experience and it's good and warm for wearing outside, but it's far too hot for inside wear.

Pattern specifications:

pattern: Drops 103-1 jacket in Eskimo

yarn: Garnstudio Eskimo, color 14 Dark Grey

needles: US 11, 8 mm.

Just couldn't resist.

The temptation was just too big ! When I saw this jacket at Ravelry I was immediately taken with it. Before I knew it I had orderded the yarn ( really I couldn't help myself ) on sunday evening. This morning the package arrived and I just HAD to cast on ! I made a swatch first just to be sure it was right. It is the yarn that is used in the pattern but you never know !
This is going to be the Drops 103-1 jacket http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=103&d_id=1 I am using the Drops Eskimo in color Dark Grey # 14.
The finished versions are very nice, it's a very versatile jacket, to be worn casual on jeans but also nice on a skirt. Besides this knits up VERY quick, this is the result of less than 1 hour work.

The yarn is a 100% wool and is very soft and fuzzy. I don't know how spinners call this but it seems like fiber straight from the batt to me.



The Tangle Yoke isn't forgotten, I just started a sleeve on 2 circulars. This is the first time I am knitting in the round, so it's not going very fast yet....

BTW the stitch markers from the last post are from Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5130205 go and take a look.

Middle daughter is doing fine ! So are we.....

Empty nest

It's quiet in the house. Oldest daughter is back from her holiday but went to college the day after so will only be home in the weekends. Youngest daugther is back to school and middle daughter has left the nest. She is now living in her own little house. It's very close by but still...it's so strange to have one leaving for good. I'm happy for her, she was ready for it but I guess I wasn't yet. I'll get used to it but it will take some time.

The last two weeks were hectic, helping her to move and clean. Some shopping had to be done for all the things she needed. She was kind of lonely too so we went to the animal shelter and took home a sweet cat for her. It was my gift to her for her new home, so I was sure she wouldn't be lonely.

And look what came in the mail ! Yes, it's the VERY LONG AWAITED yarn !

I could hardly believe it when I opened the envelope ( sorry no picture of it, I was in too much of a hurry to open it ) but there they were, the yarns I ordered almost 7 months ago.


The middle one is not quite what I expected it to be, it was described as silver/dark blue but it is a silver/purple yarn. It is still beautiful though. The one at the bottom is a verly lovely silvery green, called Eucalyptus. Very nice and soft, I could make a lovely shawl out of that one.




This one is also not quite the color I ordered but I got one extra little hank of cashmere in the same color to compensate for that.

So this is a closed case now. I can knit with it if I want to, but I just don't know if I want to yet. Anyway, Im glad it's finally here.

This is what I have been knitting on for the last two weeks ( oh boy, it's been two whole weeks since my last post, I've been a bad blogger lately) the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from the last IK issue. It has been ripped a few times because I had some troubles with the gauge. If I was to knit it on the gauge that was stated I had to go down 1 needle size but I didn't like how it felt then. This is a yarn that is not quite easy to unravel, it is clinging to each other and if you knit this in a dense way I'm afraid it will be a felted cardigan after a few washes. They didn't call it Felted Tweed for nothing I guess. Now I did the ribbing on the size of needles to get gauge ( 1 size down) because I didn't want to rip this out AGAIN and the stockinette part on the size suggested. This meant I had to decrease in the first row of stockinette because it would have been to big otherwise. Hope this till makes sense. I'm also making it a bit longer because it will be a bit short for me otherwise. I really prefer a cardigan that goes OVER the waistband of my trousers.

I really like my stitchmarkers : coffeebeans !

* The yarn I am using for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan is Felted Tweed from Rowan, color Cocoa.
The ones that I got in the mail are Tess' Designer Yarns.

The Bolero

There was a deadline for finishing this. It had to be done before oldest daughter left for a holiday to Turkey.
So I knitted like crazy to finish it, and just made it in time. Pffff, I'm still wiping the sweat of my brows..

Pattern: Bolero from the book Feminin Strik ( a Danish book ) by Lene Holme Samsoe

Yarn: Lima from HP Gruppen, a linen/cotton/viscose blend.

Needles: 2,5 mm and 3,5 mm .

After not having made a cardigan or sweater in a adult size for , well let's say 20 years, I am quite pleased with the result. It actually fits, and that was more than I had hoped for. I had a hard time following the minimal directions given in the book. There are no diagrams, no measurements given so there was some frogging. Finding the right color ribbon also turned out quite difficult, there was not a single one that matched the color of the yarn. So I had to be a little creative, I dyed it in tea. Normal teablends didn't give the right color, still too brownish. BUT I had a little teabag that was a gift with something in a Cherryblend which was just right. The tea looked a lot like blood, so if you have any Vampire feelings I will gladly give you the brand. Not my cup of tea ...

I didn't block it, it didn't need it but there also was no time.

A close-up of the ribbon closure.

After she had left, with the bolero, I took some time to relax ( an hour or so ) and cast on for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. But somehow I only managed to knit a couple of rows so there isn't really something to show yet. Instead I will show something else that I made and designed a while ago. A little bear. I used to make bears a couple of years ago but I haven't made one for a while now. I don't know why, because they are really fun to make. But this one seemed in need of a scarf and hat so I made hime some.

I thing he looks quite pleased with them.

Yes, I know he has big feet !

Clowning around.

It's so much fun to watch our goats, they're always clowning around. Always up to something, like stealing apples from the tree.

This is Hubert in action, mommy Fleur is watching and encouraging her son. "Come on boy, you can do it ! Oh, and pick me one too !"

Hubert is 5 years old now and we all loved him since the day he was born. He loved to jump on your lap and take a nap there. Now, you really don't want him to do that anymore because he is HUGE !. We had him neutered so he could stay with us as we were very attached to him. And believe me a non neutered male goats really smells so poor Huub had to undergo this to be able to stay. Yeah, I know, I felt sorry for him too !
When they are neutered they grow a lot bigger than normal , see what I mean ?


You really don't want this on your lap do you ?


Always in for a little snack ! Hubert is on the right, Fleur his mommy in the middle and Daisy on the left. She is their niece, her mom passed away a couple of years ago.

Hubert, trying to eat my Crocs.

The grass is always greener on the other side !


And there are also times to relax, that is when they are not trying to brake through the fence, or try to molest the trees or..... you name it.

The little bolero is almost finished, a half sleeve to go and then the edging has to be done. I would like to have this finished by tomorrow before she leaves for a holiday to Turkey.

These lovely yarns came a little while ago and I hadn't showed them yet. Some more Plucky goodnesses. Merino/silk laceweight in Patinum Blonde from Sarah. you can find her Etsy Shop here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=106560

This is Platinum Blonde.

And some more in Wuthering Heights, a deep red crimson color. Just lovely !

An update on my last post : I called the lady in question yesterday and she promised to send them ASAP. Keeping my fingers crossed !

I did ask her for a refund in my emails but she never responded to any of them lately so I decided to call her. She said she didn't check her emails regularly, can you believe that with a yarn business ? She was all apologisies and she had been sick and very busy and kept talking abut how sorry she was. I just wasn't tough enough to ask her for a refund on the phone. Coward !