Mustaa villaa

There once was a woman, who knit obsessively for five years, and lived to tell

2009-11-04T22:39:00.002+02:00

A few people have asked about my whereabouts, and I thought I would drop in and tell that I'm fine. Still knitting, but here's the thing: I don't live and breath knitting anymore. I don't really know what happened, but suddenly I just noticed that I could live without checking the knit blogs and Ravelry every night. I could watch tv without knitting. I could even knit something and give it away without taking photos of it. I feel… free. :-D

So I don't think I'm gonna blog anymore. I've used all my words, and cannot really find anything interesting to say about the umpteenth pair of socks I've made. It's been really fun though, and that's because of you! If you're interested, you can still find me on Flickr and on Ravelry. Happy knitting, and thanks for reading!

Peppermint stripes

2009-03-23T19:15:00.004+02:00

Baktus Scarf
by Strikkelise
Pattern source: Strikkelise's patterns
Yarn: Elann Peruvian Baby Cashmere, about 50 grams of both red and white
Needles: 3,5 mm
Modifications: I moved the shaping from the beginning of the row to the end of the row, just to keep the edge where I changed colours neater

I'm ridiculously happy with this little gem of a scarf. It's just everything it needs to be – small enough to wear comfortably under the coat, yet very warm, and cute and stylish too! I feel chic wearing it. French, somehow. Quite an achievement from a simple little scarf don't you think.

I'm already planning my next Baktus(es): maybe a navy blue and white one, in cotton for summer… and perhaps one with stronger colours, like green and violet? Hehee. I'm in stripy garter stitch heaven.

I want to thank all of you who left so nice and encouraging comments on my previous post. It's a good thing that there are so many of us worriers out there, just think if I had to worry about the whole world all by myself! Seriously though, your kind words meant a lot to me, and really helped too. Thank you.

All my troubles and some socks too

2009-02-21T19:19:00.011+02:00

If there's one thing I'm really, really good at, it's worrying. I specialize in worrying about things that I have very little to no control over, and if I'm not careful, I can bring myself to tears thinking about something that has not yet happened or is not even likely to happen. One time my husband found me crying, and let me tell you, he was very puzzled when he found out that I was crying over his untimely death.

So, thank god for knitting! It has been a lifesaver for me – I can usually put a stop to my obsessive worrying by working a few rows. The last few weeks have given me the opportunity to research knitting's stress-relieving qualities in full measure, and the results are interesting, to me at least. It appeared that different kind of worries were eased with different types of projects. You don't necessarily need heavy garter stitch therapy to make you forget the six extra pounds on your waist.

Gentleman's Sock for Evening Wear
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Yarn Workshop Footscray, dyed with food colourings
Needles: 2,25 mm
Modifications: added decreases to both leg and foot to make the sock smaller, made a flat toe instead of star toe

More photos

Minor worries (like those six extra pounds) can be easily forgotten with a good Nancy Bush pattern. This one was perfect – the need for slight modifications kept me glued to the sofa, which also made me happily forget the fact that I could have been exercising instead of knitting.

Pigeonroof Socks
Pattern: 48 stitches (increased to 58 sts for the calf) toe up, short-row toe and heel
Yarn: Pigeonroof Studios handspun, in Lichen

Needles: 2,75 mm

More photos

Medium worries (like work related issues that have made me grind my teeth in the bus all the way home) are best fought with the combination of a simple project and luxurious yarn. For some reason I had been saving Krista's beautiful handspun instead of knitting with it – stupid really, because knitting these socks on my commutes made me come home much calmer and happier. My husband and son thank you too, Krista!

8-square Socks
Pattern source: Käspaikka
Yarn: Sock yarn leftovers, held doubled
Needles: 3,5 mm

More photos

For major worries (like anything that has to do with my son. If I'm worrying about him, it's always major. Even if it's actually something not that serious. I blame that love thing.) there's really only one thing that works: garter stitch. The ultimate garter stitch therepy: knitting small squares with brightly coloured leftover yarns, so you can feel thrifty too. The sad thing is that I've now used almost all of my sock yarn leftovers, so I better not encounter anything major before I have knit more socks.

– – –

Right now, I'm back to knitting some Nancy Bush socks, so all's well. Worrying is such a waste of time, and I'm actually really trying to learn not to let it ruin my life. Trying to think positive and enjoy my life. And knit a little too.

Keeping the family warm

2009-01-26T19:58:00.003+02:00

The weather's been great for wearing handknits. Last weekend we went skating, and for the first time ever, I decided to wear my Norwegian Stockings. They are too thick to wear with boots, but just perfect with skates, and they kept my feet nice and warm. And stylish too, which is important especially when your skating skills leave a little something to be desired.

Onni skated too – obviously we both need some more practice. :-)

I've been on a smaller knits kick lately. I've knit a neckwarmer for mom (because she liked mine):

Wham Bam Thank You Lamb
by Insaknitty
Pattern source: Insaknitty (Ravelry link)
Yarn: two strands of Rowan All Seasons Cotton and one strand of Lopo Xavier Phoebus held together
Needles: 7 mm

Little socks for my goddaughter:

Kaffe Fassett Socks
Pattern: 52 sts
Yarn: Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Design Line Kaffe Fassett, 1 x 50 g
Needles: 2,5 mm

And a hat for my sister:

Simple Pleasures Hat
by Whit's Knits
Pattern source: The Purl Bee
Yarn: Classic Elite Yarns Lush, 1,5 x 50 g
Needles: 4,5 and 5 mm
Modifications: cast on 86 sts

Hopefully these little knits keep my loved ones warm!

Let's get this sock year started

2009-01-20T14:21:00.009+02:00

Loksins!
by Cassie Thoreson
Pattern source: Too Much Wool
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino, shade 4000
Needles: 2,5 mm

Mmm, Koigu... don't these socks look delicious enough to eat? I love Koigu. Our affair started with my very first pair of adult socks, knitted almost exactly three years ago. (The yarn for those first socks was sent to me by Cassie, who is the designer of these socks.) This is my fourth pair using Koigu, and our love is still going strong. I could even go as far as declaring that it is my favourite sock yarn.

I think these are definitely among the prettiest socks I've knit. I just love how the stocking stitch panel looks with the pretty little cables and the lace pattern. I also like how there's no cuff – it makes the socks look more delicate. The only modification I made was to add two pattern repeats to the leg. I guess I wanted to live dangerously, because I was well aware of Koigu's skimpy yardage. Luckily I had just enough, with almost no leftovers.

So, all in all, a good start for 2009! More to come soon, because I've been a busy little knitter, and I have three more FO's just waiting to be blogged. Happy knitting to all!

Simple pleasures

2008-12-31T20:33:00.002+02:00

~ snow and ice, so beautiful and pure (and delicious to eat I'm told) ~

~ sausages and rye bread with herring, eaten outside with cold fingers ~

~ simple, soft bamboo socks for my beautiful boy ~

~ and some chunky garter stitch goodness ~

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Socks gone wrong

2008-12-08T20:04:00.002+02:00

I'm usually quite good at ripping. If the project doesn't feel right, it meets its end pretty quickly. But sometimes it just happens that I find myself having finished something that I'm not at all happy about. And there are times (yeah that means you, November) when that kind of thing happens twice.

Exhibit A: Maarja's Socks from Folk Knitting in Estonia

This started out as a sock, but was quickly realized to be too small. Here, I should have ripped, but I was in love with the combination of the yarn and the pattern and the colours, and wanted desperately to make it work. Hence, a wrist warmer! Halfway through the second one I'm suddenly pretty sure that I would never wear these.

Exhibit B: Two-Yarn Resoable Socks from Favorite Socks

Looking at this photo I actually quite like this sock. It looks cute! I was so happy with my choice of yarns: handspun for the cuff and instep, and commercial, sturdy yarn for the heel and sole. Works fine in theory, but somehow I ended up with a much tighter gauge at the sole, and that makes the sock fit quite oddly. I would perhaps still knit the other one, had the knitting not been so fiddly and annoying. Boo to this one too.

– – –

Thank you so much for your very kind comments on my Blanket Cardigan! I've worn it twice in public already, and that's two times more than most of my handknit sweaters get. :-D

Security blanket

2008-12-01T14:33:00.005+02:00

Blanket Cardigan
by Sarah Dallas
Pattern source: Sarah Dallas Knitting
Yarn: Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK, 14 x 50 grams for size S
Needles: 3,5 and 4 mm

Boy did I drag my feet with this one. But now that this ocean of stockinette is finally done, I couldn't be happier with it! (Happiness not pictured. It was so dark, that when I tried to smile, my face turned out all blurry.) This cardigan is everything I hoped it would be when I started: it's big, warm and cozy, and I think it looks quite stylish even.

The reason it took me 6 months from start to finish was that I didn't like knitting with this yarn. Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK is wonderfully soft, but it's just too stretchy for a tight knitter like me. I'm quite happy with the yarn now that all the knitting is done though, it feels lovely and looks beautiful, and it better wear well too.

Modifications: I made the sleeves a bit wider, knit the collar in moss stitch (instead of garter stitch), and knit 6 rows of moss stitch after casting on to prevent the rolling. I ended up using 14 balls, which is odd, as the pattern says 10 balls for my size, and the Rowan Wool Cotton that's used in the book has less yardage than Jaeger Extra Fine Merino. Even with the wider sleeves, four more balls of yarn is quite a lot I think. So if you want to knit this one, I would recommend buying more yarn than the pattern states.

Another odd thing is the name. There are two almost similar cardigans in this book, the only difference between them being that the other one is knit with one strand of Wool Cotton, and the other with two strands. In my copy of the book, the name of my sweater (that's knit with one strand) is Wrap Cardigan. But in Ravelry (and as it seems, in some copies of the book), the names are opposite. Doesn't matter really, just thought to mention it.

My secret weapon

2008-11-27T20:25:00.002+02:00

Flammegarn Socks
by Nancy Bush
Pattern sorce: Folk Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino Sock 2/6, in shade Moss
Needles: 2,25 mm

I don't really have much to say about these socks (I like them very much), so instead you get a handy tip. Here goes:

Everytime I wear these shoes someone asks me how I manage to keep them so white. The secret weapon is an eraser, people. After every use I erase away all the stains. Some of my friends find this very amusing. But I don't care – I like my shoes clean. End of tip.

11 more days

2008-11-18T20:11:00.006+02:00

Oh November. One must buy yarn to get through you. Of course one could also eat a lot of chocolate (and to tell you the truth one has tried that too), but I recommend buying yarn. It doesn't make you fat and pimple-faced.

From left to right: Sunnyside Ellen sock yarn in shade Mermaid, Malabrigo sock yarn in shade Eggplant, from Socktopus, and Squoosh Fat Sock in shade Goldenrod.

Shiny, pretty, good-smelling new skeins… they really make the gray, rainy days feel a bit easier.

Then, to keep my little Lutheran world in balance, I dug out the box of odds and ends, and knit my boy a pair of slippers.

Onni hates them. He only agreed to model them because I gave him chocolate (miraculously there was some left). ”These are itchy and hot”, said the little ungrateful person. I blame November.

8-square socks
Pattern source: Käspaikka
Yarn: leftovers of various dk-weight yarns
Needles: 3,25 mm

Obviously mom still thinks it's Socktober

2008-11-01T16:57:00.005+02:00

"Mom, I want to go out."

"Mom?"

"MOOOOOM!"

So out we went.

And my feet were very happy in my new socks. :-)

Bockstark Socks
Pattern: 40 stitches, toe up, short-row toe and heel
Yarn: Bockstark Knits handspun, in Chocolate & Raspberries
Needles: 3,25 mm

These socks are all about the lovely handspun yarn that I got from Kris. I love knitting with handspun, and I think these socks turned out so cute! Thanks again, Kris! The pattern is my standard toe up sock pattern, with short-row toe and heel from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. I used every inch of the yarn – I had to cast off the second sock with another yarn (the one that ends with raspberry colour) but I don't think it's too noticeable.

The socks are knit with 40 stitches. I don't know if you can actually see it from this photo, but I made two increases on both sides of the sock before the heel, and then decreased the stitches after the heel. The short row heel is often too tight for me, and the increases made the sock fit much better.

I hope you all noticed that these are not Nancy Bush socks? I still have hope I guess. Thanks so much for all the lovely and funny comments in my previous post! I sometimes feel like I have nothing more to write about socks that would interest anyone anymore, so your comments really mean a lot. Thank you!

Billy and Nancy

2008-10-27T22:51:00.008+02:00

(Heelless) Sleeping Socks
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: The Yarn Yard Hug, in shade Gaskell
Needles: 2,75 mm

Confession time: my biggest celebrity crush ever was Billy Idol. Oh was I sweet sixteen! Thousand times, over and over again, I listened to that song. At that time I was also madly in love with a boy who looked a lot like Billy. (That, surprisingly, didn't work out. I was too shy to let him know about my undying love for him.) Well today Billy Idol is 52 (yikes!), and I'm a knitting lady approaching her forties who is clearly in need for a more suitable celebrity crush.*

I don't think Nancy Bush should actually be afraid of me, but I've definitely developed some sort of obsession for her work. Take these socks for example: is it healthy that I was more excited to have another one of her patterns done and added to my "I love Nancy Bush" album over at Flickr than of the socks themselves? I'm reluctant to choose patterns from other designers because that would take time away from Nancy-patterns. I'm collecting her socks – there are times when I think that knitting every single sock pattern she has ever designed is entirely possible and totally reasonable. I'm not kissing her photo every night before going to bed, yet, but I'm reading her sock patterns more often than I'm willing to confess.

… and now I've read that last chapter again and I'm thinking that maybe some hobby other than knitting would do me good for a change. Unless you all keep posters of Elizabeth Zimmermann and Kaffe Fassett on your walls and just don't tell. Am I crazy, or are we all?

A few more pictures of the socks, and some information about my modifications, here on Flickr.

*I still have the hots for Daniel Craig.

SIPs and the Stash

2008-10-18T22:08:00.003+03:00

I was trying my very hardest to have these socks done by this weekend, but alas, it did not happen. Almost there though. With bigger needles and yarn than what I normally use, these have been a breeze to knit. The pattern is Heelless Sleeping Socks from Knitting Vintage Socks, and the yarn is The Yarn Yard Hug. I got it from Lin – I won a contest on her blog, and she sent me the most awesome package ever. Thanks again Lin!

I could have had a finished pair to show today had I not cast on for two other socks at the same time.

This is the Two-Yarn Resoleable Sock from Favorite Socks. I'm knitting the cuff and instep in my godmother's naturally dyed handspun yarn, and I'm gonna use a sturdier wool for the heel and sole. I'm pretty excited to see how the two parts of the sock are going to be joined.

Here's the third project, Flammegarn Socks from Folk Socks, in Fleece Artist Merino Sock 2/6. Nothing much to say about this one just yet, except that I'm really loving how the yarn and the simple slip stitch pattern look together.

So, lots of sock knitting going on here! I've done 13 pairs this year so far, and for the most part I've been knitting from the stash. I was starting to feel like there's not that much sock yarn left anymore…

… but turned out I still have yarn for 18 more pairs! It's funny that two years ago my sock yarn stash was about the same size as it is now – this must be a good amount for me. What do you think? What would be the ideal amount for you? And how much sock yarn do you have? I would love to know.

Let the festivities begin

2008-10-11T13:38:00.005+03:00

Gentleman's Sock in Railway Stitch
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Handarbeitskram by Selana Handpainted sockyarn (overdyed with food colouring), Patons Patonyle for the stripes
Needles: 2,25 mm (2 mm for the heels)

It's Socktober, so here's a pair for you. I'm thinking about knitting only socks this month, but we'll see how that goes… every time I publicly announce something here in my blog, the next day I find myself wanting to do the opposite. Like, during the first Socktoberfest, while knitting a pair of baby socks with very little motivation, I wrote: "Now I know for sure that I don't like knitting socks. But I'm trying to finish these by Christmas, and then I can forget the sock knitting for forever." Tee-hee.

These socks are for my dad. It's a good thing I love him so much, because otherwise I would be very tempted to keep these myself… but that would be kinda wrong seeing that I already have a drawer filled with unworn hand-knit socks. There's just something about those cute stripes that makes me feel very Gollum-like. I love Nancy Bush's gentleman socks, the simple knit and purl patterns are so beautiful, and the patterns usually have calf shaping which I think all sock patterns should have.

The yarn was a Ravelry-trade. Although it was not the softest sock yarn I've tried, I really enjoyed knitting with it, and most importantly, my wrists liked it too. The more tightly twisted yarns, like Koigu and Jitterbug for example, though lovely and soft and bouncy, make my wrists act up pretty soon. And these socks definitely feel soft enough when worn. I love them! Let's hope my dad likes them too.

The perfect weekend

2008-09-29T12:07:00.002+03:00

Although I love autumn, the last visit to the summer cottage before winter always feels a bit bittersweet, and leaves you with a slightly melancholic feeling. Our weekend was lovely, the weather was cold but sunny, the sauna felt like heaven and the water in the lake was already ice-cold. Very refreshing!

Garter Rib Socks
by Charlene Schurch
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Size: 56 sts
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Sisu
Needles: 2,5 mm

Onni wore his new socks, which were very much needed and kept his feet all nice and warm. And I felt like a good mama. My boy has big feet – I think I have to cast on 60 stitches for the next pair I'm gonna knit for him.

I never travel without my wool socks. Before we got the fire going though, the floor in the cottage was so cold, that I went searching for another pair to keep my feet from freezing, and found these old socks. Aren't they cute?

My mom told me later that these socks used to belong to her own mother. I don't remember my grandmother that well – she died when I was six years old – but the thought of wearing the same socks that she did warmes my mind like the socks warmed my feet.

And now we're back home again, doing the laundry and getting ready for another work week. Before we left, my dad gave us a huge bag of apples. I think that an apple pie is just what I need to get over this post weekend blues.

Happy autumn, everyone!

One last bark

2008-09-17T13:19:00.004+03:00

Bark #3
by Anna Tillman
Pattern source: Rowan 38
Yarn: All kinds of green, purple and brown yarns from stash, and Rowan Big Wool Tuft (1,5 x Rugged 058) for the edging
Hook: 5 mm

There's nothing much about this pattern I haven't said already. This one's knit with finer yarns (roughly aran-weight) and smaller hook than the previous two, making it a bit more malleable. But crochet makes a sturdy fabric, so this is really more like a cowl than a shawl. A very, very warm cowl - although it's been cold here in Finland lately, I don't think I'll get to use this one for quite some time.

Thank you all for your suggestions on what to do with Onni's socks. The reason I wasn't happy with that poor sock was that it looked somehow like a cheap sport sock to me. But in the end I was too lazy to rip the sock - as I said, the weather's been cold, and I just don't want to wake up one morning with snow on the ground and my little boy without warm socks because his mummy was obsessing about colours. So, I'm knitting the dang socks, and to soothe my apparently very sensitive colour sense, I cast on for another pair, pretty this time.

Gentleman's Sock in Railway Stitch in Handarbeitskram by Selana

Pretty socks! And one not so.

2008-09-05T14:40:00.006+03:00

Country Socks
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Folk Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Mama Blue Knitting Goods Simple Merino Sock, shade Lagoon
Needles: 2,25 mm

I'm so very happy with these socks! The pattern in it's simplicity appeals to me so much – I like the clean columns of stockinette with some simple patterning in between. Perfection. And Mama Blue's yarn is gorgeous! I just loved knitting with it. Aren't I lucky to have two more skeins of her yarn in my stash?

I followed the pattern for the most part, just lenghtening the leg by an inch and replacing the star toe with a round one. Did I already say that I like these very very much? And yay, first Christmas gift done! 'Cause you know, there are only 108 days 'til Christmas.

Speaking of socks, someone in this household is in dire need of a new pair for the winter. I decided to be thrifty and use the leftovers from my Norwegian Stockings. Didn't work out quite like I imagined though…

Not that pretty, eh? And now I can't decide whether to just knit on and have an ugly but perfectly serviceable pair of socks for Onni to wear in his winter boots, or to rip and knit something nice instead. Hmmm. Good thing I have the whole day to make this important decision.

How the vest was won

2008-09-02T18:34:00.003+03:00

Kaino
by Norah Gaughan
Pattern source: Norah Gaughan Vol. 1
Yarn: Rowan Kid Classic in shade Reed, 6,5 x 50 g
Needles: 4,5 and 4 mm

Boy it felt odd to block and seam something. Haven't done that in a while. But it also felt really, really good to finish something bigger for a change – I think the sweater mojo is finally returning, and I welcome it back with open arms. Those evil socks: they can really ruin your sweater knitting career if you aren't careful.

This was a nice, straight-forward project. Would've been quick too if I hadn't abandoned it for months in between. But then I found a new sweater pattern to obsess over (more about that later), and decided to finish my hibernating projects before starting any new. This is only my second garment of 2008, and the funny thing is that both of the garments I've knit this year are vests by Norah Gaughan.

The only modification I made with this one was with the collar: the back of the collar comes to a point, which looked kinda odd to me, so I decided to make it rounder. I could have made it even rounder – and I should have also used short rows and grafting to make it look neater. My seaming looks a bit clumsy. Luckily I can't see it myself, so it doesn't bother me enought to do it again.

So, overall I'm pretty happy with my new vest. It fits, it feels comfortable on, and the colour looks good on me. It's just that I'm not good at all at wearing anything but black or grey or really dark colours – my inner goth girl writhes in pain in a green vest I guess. Another slight minus is the yarn. I'm not a big fan of Kid Classic – I find it very disappointing that a yarn that looks this fluffy, isn't actually soft. It itches! And I hate the shedding! No more mohair yarns for me thankyouverymuch.

P.S. My yarn diet has come to an end. That's all I have to say about that.

The hermit holiday

2008-08-20T11:41:00.006+03:00

Oy. Can't believe my holiday is soon over. I'm so good at doing nothing – I've spent the last six weeks doing just that, and I'm not a least bit bored. Two things I love about holidays: I don't have to meet people, and I don't have to wear make-up. I hate hate HATE putting up make-up. Maybe soon I'll be old and courageous enough not to wear any and be the pale ghost that I am.

1. Handarbeitskram by Selana, 2. Yarn Workshop Footscray, 3. Debbie Bliss Merino DK

There have been some productive days too. I've dyed some yarn with food colourings, and I'm pretty happy with the outcome. The two blue skeins were overdyed (the Selana-yarn was grey-blue, and the Debbie Bliss turquoise), but the green one was originally white, and I'm especially happy that I didn't ruin that one!

Baby Socks
Pattern: 48 stitches, top down, short row heel, round toe
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Watercolor, overdyed with food colourings
Needles: 2,25 mm

This made me the happiest though. After dyeing the three skeins above, I still had some dye left, and I decided to overdye what I had left of this yarn. I think it turned out great! I had just enough yarn to knit these little socks for my cousin's new baby. I think I made too many short rows for the heel, but they seemed to fit fine anyway.

(Pardon my dirty pants. I do occasionally change my clothes, even when on holiday.)

I was thinking of saving this next one to another post, but what the heck. You never know when I get the urge to post again, so here:

Bark #2
by Anna Tillman
Pattern source: Rowan 38
Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print (2 x Native 072, 0,5 x Corinthian 083, 0,5 x Pit 080), Rowan Kid Classic (2 x Thyme 826) and Rowan Big Wool Tuft (1,5 x Rugged 058)
Hook: 7 mm

Yes, another! I used the leftovers from the first one + two skeins of Rowan Kid Classic in shade Thyme, held doubled. I was gonna give this to my sister, but now that it's done, I might even like this one better. I've started a third one (which makes me barking mad eh?), but I'm not quite sure about the colours I chose so I might rip back and start again.

Here's a photo of the overall shape. It's not symmetric, which made me doubt my pattern reading skills when I did the first one. But the second one turned out to be the exact same shape, so I guess that's the way it should be.

And last, thanks so much for all the lovely comments on my previous post, they really are appreciated!

More holiday crafting

2008-08-03T11:54:00.002+03:00

Weaver's Wool Mini Shawl
by Peggy Pignato
Pattern source: Knitlist
Yarn: Garnstudio Alaska, 5 skeins (45 light green, 44 green, 51 dark green, 50 brown, 6 black
Needles: 7 mm

I know I've said this million times already, but garter stitch = ultimate knitting bliss. I wanted something mindless to knit during our stay at the cottage, so I went checking my Ravelry queue, and this seemed perfect. The yarn has been in my stash for quite some time now. I had bought it to make a striped scarf, but never got around knitting it. I won't be wearing this as a shawl though, so I guess I got my stripey scarf after all.

This is a historical post for me, because: another FO!

Jitterbug Socks
Pattern: 60 stitches, toe-up. Short-row toe and heel from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. Increased 6 stitches for the calf.
The instruction for the Vikkel Braid is from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road (page 69)
Yarn: Colinette Jitterbug in Summer Berries + some mystery yarn from the stash for the toes
Needles: 2,5 mm

I now totally get the Jitterbug craze. It's a gorgeous yarn! And I really like this crazy colourway too, especially after I figured out a way to stop the pooling. Just before casting on for these socks, I had tried to knit the Spey Valley socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. They didn't work out (they were too small for me), but I really liked the Vikkel Braids. So, when the Jitterbug started behaving badly, I decided to add some braids, and they worked like magic.

I'm so happy with both of these projects. I hope your knitting's going well too – and if not, may I suggest some garter stitch therapy? Trust me, it works.

More photos of both projects over at Flickr.

16 squares

2008-07-31T19:58:00.005+03:00

ETA: Thanks so much for your lovely comments! I've added some more information about the sizing of the slippers to the end of this post.

We are home again. But what a wonderful week we had at the cottage – this time the weather was perfect, so warm and lovely that most of our time there was spent in the lake. Onni practiced his swimming skills and did really well.

While my boy was resting from all the swimming and jumping*, I was busy knitting my holiday project. My mom has a pair of slippers like these (her sister has knit them for her), and after some unsuccessfull attempts to figure out the construction on my own, I went a-googling and found the pattern here.

8-square socks
Pattern source: Käspaikka
Size: 8,5 x 8,5 cm squares
Yarn: Sock yarn leftovers, held doubled
Needles: 3,5 mm

These were done in no time. The only downside is that 16 different coloured squares mean 32 yarn ends… But, if you're like me and don't mind a little seaming and end-weaving, this is a great little project. Interesting too, it was fun to see how the strip of squares started to look like a slipper when I began to sew it together.

The size of the finished slippers depends on how big you make your squares (the pattern gives you four sizes: from baby (vauvan) to mens (miesten)), and I chose to make my squares slightly bigger than in the womens' size. They fit pretty well, although the slippers are really stretchy and would probably fit smaller feet nicely too.

* This photo is staged. 6 year old boys, it seems, do not need any rest.

Ok, here's some more information about the sizing:

Sizes: Baby / Child / Woman / Man
Square sizes: 4 x 4 / 6 x 6 / 8 x 8 / 10 x 10 cm
The diagonal of the square: ~ 5,7 / 8,6 / 11,4 / 14,3 cm

The widht of the slipper: 1 x the diagonal of the square
The lenght of the slipper: 2 x the diagonal of the square

The slippers are really stretchy. If you decide calculate the needed size according to the actual length of your feet, you can subtract 15 - 20 % of your measurement.

I hope this makes sense!

My precious

2008-07-19T16:46:00.002+03:00

Welsh Country Stockings
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Folk Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Patons Patonyle 4ply, 75 grams of brown (1006), 35 grams of white (1003)
Needles: 2,25 mm

During the last few weeks, my knitting self esteem has sunk to an all-time low. All my bigger projects seem to hate me, even sweet Liesl was too small. Oh you should've seen me ripping it – knitting is clearly the new kick-boxing. All the other Liesl knitters were able to knit this little sweater in one afternoon with charming results, but not me. Maybe they swatched? (Crazy, I know.)

But when sweater knitting kicks you in the head, it's time to knit a pair of socks.

Can you feel the love? I adore these socks – they are perfect in every way. I made a few modifications to the pattern: I left out the contrasting heel, and added the fair isle motif to the toe too. There's an old photo in the book on page 25 with socks like this, and I liked them better. I really like that tiny bit of colourwork – enough to make the socks pretty, but not enough to make you go crazy knitting it.

The yarn, Patons Patonyle 4ply, was sent to me for my opinion by Patons. Luckily this was an easy job – I loved this yarn! It's incredibly soft, it's easy on the hands and knits up just beautifully. With 20 % nylon content it should wear well too. I even found a group in Ravelry dedicated to this yarn, so clearly I'm not the only one who likes it. It doesn't show on the Patons website just yet, but it should be available sometime next winter.

We'll be heading out to the summer cottage next week, so I'll leave you with a sneak peek at my next sock project. For the sake of peace and happiness of all beings, there won't be any sweater projects in my bag.

On the needles and off the hook

2008-07-05T21:06:00.003+03:00

Here's the first Welsh Country Stocking. I love it dearly. And look how nice it looks with my freshly painted toenails! A sign of a true lady: her nail polish matches her sock in progress.

I was so fed up with the Blanket Cardi that I decided to cast on for another sweater. And cast on I did, 7 times! I'm knitting Liesl, a design by Ysolda Teague, and although I had some trouble in the beginning (it proved to be extremely hard for me to cast on loosely enough), it's been smooth sailing ever since. I'm knitting this as quickly as I can so it will be finished before I can figure out a way to mess it up too.

G9 Stripes
a small pouch for my small camera
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton
Hook: 4 mm

I finished my crocheted camera pouch. It's a silly little thing, and I'm not totally happy with it, (there's something unsatisfactory about the combination of colours and texture, I can't quite say what) but it's just for protecting my camera when I toss it in my bag, so it'll do for now. The ribbon is sewn into the bottom of the pouch with just a few stitches, so it will be easy to take it off when I don't feel this girly.

Yarn dieting made easy

2008-06-28T15:54:00.002+03:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been on a yarn diet for six months now. That's half a year people! I'm very impressed by myself. I did get new yarn for the Bark shawl, but I don't think it counts because a) I traded the yarn for it and b) it's all knit up already. Knitting from the stash has actually been quite fun, and I've even been able to use up all kinds of odds and ends.

Bockstark Knits Handspun, Handgefaerbt Sockenwolle

Despite the extreme funniness and reasonableness of using the stash, lists of dreamy yarns I'm allowed to buy next year have been made. I'm gonna buy Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light for Norah Gaughan's Kukka, and Rowan Bamboo Tape for Granite from the latest Rowan Magazine. I'm dreaming of all kinds of wonderful sock yarns: The Knittery's Slim and Chubby sock yarns, mamablue's Sea Merino, Madelinetosh's Glazed Sock, Dream in Color's Smooshy, Fleece Artist's Somoko... the list goes on and on and on. And I'm definitely gonna order some handspun from Pigeonroof Studios – I love her yarns! Oh dear. Six more months to go.

Cleckheaton Country 8ply and Country Silk 8ply, Patons Patonyle

Maybe I'll survive though, especially after receiving four packages of yarn during the last month. First I won a contest over at Bockstark Knits, and Kris sent me a skein of her gorgeous handspun yarn, and a skein of pretty sock yarn too. Yay! Thanks Kris! Then I got a package all the way from Australia – Patons (who are part of Australian Country Spinners) are relaunching a sock yarn called Patonyle, and they asked me if I would be willing to review it. (Doesn't that sound so professional? Teehee.)

Welsh Country Stockings from Folk Socks, in Patons Patonyle 4ply

I wanted to start my assignment right away, and cast on for a pair of socks for my dad. He has, in record time, worn holes to both pairs of socks I've knit for him so far, so he's an excellent test person to wear the review socks. Luckily for me, I like this yarn a lot – it knits up beautifully and is very very soft. The first sock is already finished, and I'm hoping to get the second one done before we go to see my parents in two weeks.

Handarbeitskram by Selana, Yarn Workshop Footscray

The third package was a Ravelry trade with Maverick, I sent her my unloved Kid Silk Haze balls, and I got a skein of lovely sock yarn in return. And the last one was a gift from Ingrid – she sells undyed yarns for hand dyers (check them out here), and she sent me a skein of Footscray, which is a fingering weight superwash sock yarn. This is a lovely yarn, and although I'm a bit afraid of ruining it, I'm gonna try dyeing it during my summer holiday. Wish me luck!

In addition to all this severe dieting business, I haven't been up to much recently. The love affair with Blanket Cardigan has been on hold after I noticed that the green stripe in the front piece is two rows higher than in the back piece. This made me quite mad actually – there's one tiny little design detail in this whole stocking stitch desert, and I was able to mess it up. To cool my nerves, I switched to crocheting. I'm making a small bag for my camera, and also testing some colour combinations – I'm thinking about crocheting a summer bag with similar colours. We'll see just how much comforting my poor nerves need.

Lastly, thank you so much to all of you lovely people who were kind enough to say nice things about my meh socks! You caught me on one thing: I never wash and block my socks. I've always thought that putting the socks on takes care of the blocking, and I'll just wash them when they get dirty. But yeah, I'm gonna try the wash'n block with these socks, and I'll let you know what happens. As soon as I can bare to look at them again.

Mehhy Meh Socks

2008-06-17T15:59:00.003+03:00

Fancy Silk Sock
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka
Needles: 2,5 mm for the upper leg and 2,25 mm for the rest of the sock

Modifications: The scalloped edge was a bit too much for me, so I replaced it with k1 p1 ribbing, and added two purl rows to separate the ribbing from the leg pattern. The old photo in the book actually has this purl ridge, so it was surprising to find out that the pattern did not. I also added one pattern repeat to the leg, and made the heel a few rows longer. This is a nice, well-written pattern, but I don't know... perhaps a bit too fancy for me?

So, feeling a bit disappointed with these socks, but mainly because of the yarn. It's not a nice wool, it's scratchy and sticky, and an especially bad choice for this delicate lace design. I should have stopped after the first sock, but I was stubborn and wanted this yarn out of my stash. And now I have a pair of socks that I'm not that crazy about, and I've wasted valuable time knitting something I did not enjoy knitting at all. Do you do this, or am I the only one? It didn't even occur to me until now that I could've ripped the first sock and tossed the yarn away.

One thing's for sure: my next project will be knitted with something nice and soft and lovely. I think I've deserved that.

An old love

2008-06-05T20:50:00.004+03:00

It's a funny thing that of all the things I've knit and bragged about on this here blog, I haven't shown you the one that I've worn most. Well, here it is, a cardigan I knit twelve years ago. It's an ugly old thing, over-sized, knit with crappy yarn, and the finishing is quite unspeakable. And yet I wear it all the time – it's warm, comfortable, and fits over several layers of clothing. I love it.

A week or so ago I was sitting on the sofa, knitting Ward and not really enjoying it all that much. I had made several modifications to the pattern, changed the ribbings, added lenght and waist shaping, and as I was knitting, I had to stay really focused to what I was doing.

I had also started to have those seconds thoughts about the sweater: doesn't it actually look too big/small/oddly shaped/stupid etc. I was wearing The Old Ugly, and suddenly the thought just popped into my head: why not make another comfortable, simple sweater, that I could just knit and knit and knit and not worry about keeping track of anything, and in the end I would have something to wear around the house that wouldn't be quite that ugly?

And just like that, I ripped Ward and cast on for another sweater. This is the Blanket Cardigan from Sarah Dallas Knitting. We are in love – I'm almost done with the back piece. One should not forget one's love for mindless stockinette.

Gloria Cowl
by Orinda5
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton, 1 skein of coffee rich and beechnut
Needles: 3,5 and 4 mm
Modifications: cast on 114 stitches, did a garter stitch edging.

Oh, I almost forgot: I joined the world-wide cowlgirl movement. My sock yarn stash is trembling…

They are fancy! They are silky!*

2008-05-19T19:20:00.003+03:00

They are the Fancy Silk Socks! Thank you all so much for taking part in my little contest!

Out of 67 guesses there were 6 correct ones. So, six names went into a hat, and one was picked out: the winner is Heidi, congratulations! Could you please email me your address, and there will be yarn coming your way. :-)

*Actually, they are neither. More of that next time.

Socks. And a contest!

2008-05-09T14:30:00.003+03:00

Conwy
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: The Knittery 4ply Sock: Merino Cashmere, in shade midnight
Needles: 2,5 mm

Hey, I'm a cashmere girl after all! What a relief. I may not have enjoyed knitting these socks that much, but wearing these makes it all worth the pain. The stickiness of the yarn and the tightness of my knitting actually made my wrists hurt. Many of you suggested metal dpn's, and I would have tried them, but I don't own any. If something, I'm a bamboo girl, through and through.

But yeah, now that the socks are done, I like them very much! They are extremely soft and warm, and they are for my dear aunt, who has knit me many, many socks. She definitely deserves some cashmere goodness.

Lolly asked me whether I've already knit all the Nancy Bush's socks. I'm trying hard, but nope, not even halfway there yet! The Conwys are actually my first socks from Knitting on the Road. Cauchy, the sock queen over at Flickr, is knitting all the socks from Favorite Socks, and I just might copy her and try the same thing with Knitting Vintage Socks. (Although I wouldn't be the first one to do this.) I've knit six pairs so far, and the seventh is on the needles as of yesterday.

I've been thinking about having a blog contest for a while, and finally figured out what to ask. So: would you like guess which pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks I'm knitting now? If you are a sock knitter and a fellow Nancy Bush fan, you can also share your favourite Nancy Bush pattern. If there are more than one correct answer, I'll put the names in a hat and have Onni pick one. His name means luck (happiness too!) in Finnish, so I think it's approriate. :-) The winner gets a yarny prize from my stash. Good luck everyone!

Now I feel ten feet tall

2008-04-23T11:10:00.011+03:00

Well, wow. You guys really know how to make a girl feel better. A bit embarrassed too - next time I feel like deleting my blog I'll just keep it to myself without making such a fuss about it. But seriously: thank you so much for your wonderful, encouraging words. I am humbled and thankful, and so not worthy. (I'm still gonna print out all the comments, laminate them and carry them with me all the time. Ahem.)

One more thing about perfectionism: doesn't it suck that it usually does not extend to all parts of your life? Like, I feel perfectly fine not vacuuming under the carpets.

Let's talk some yarn for a change!

I started a new pair of socks (the pattern is Conwy from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road). I wanted to try out the other Knittery yarn I had in my stash, since I liked the merino one so much. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you that in my last post: I really, really liked the yarn I used for the Gentleman's Shooting Stockings. It's a bit thinner than your average sock yarn, resulting socks wonderfully light and comfy. It's discontinued, but the new Merino Slim Sock has approximately the same yardage, and I'm seriously tempted to try that one next. The Merino Chubby Sock sounds very yummy too...

The yarn I'm using for these socks is 4Ply Sock: Merino Cashmere, in shade Midnight. I was browsing Ravelry to see what other people have said about this yarn, and mostly all just said how wonderful and soft this yarn is. It is - but I'm not sure I like knitting with it. The yarn is so soft that it feels somehow sticky on the needles, and it's also quite a bit heavier than the other sock yarns I've knit with.

Part of my problem with this yarn could be the colour. I bought this yarn to knit socks for someone very special, and although I'm sure she'll love this colourway, the dusky pinks and lilacs are so not my cup of tea, and make me feel like I'm knitting someone else's project. I do think that these will be very warm and amazingly soft and luxurious socks when finished, so I'll keep knitting. Maybe – and here's a depressing thought – I'm just not a cashmere kinda girl?

With and without

2008-04-21T21:49:00.002+03:00

Gentleman's Shooting Stockings
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: The Knittery 4ply Sock: Merino, in shade chocolate
Needles: 2,25 mm

I've been struggling with blogging lately. I don't know... should I be blogging if the only thing I can think of writing is "I've made two pairs of socks, one with heels and toes, and one without"? Yeah, I don't think so either. But still, here I am.

Yoga Socks
by Claire Herne
Pattern source: Yarns International
Yarn: Sock yarn scraps
Needles: 2,5 mm
Modifications: Cast on 60 sts instead of 48

I've been fantasizing about deleting the whole thing. My old entries make me cringe – so much bad writing, especially if I've tried to be funny. (Eww. I'm so sorry about all the bad jokes!) And yes, this is my stupid "no use of trying if you can't be perfect" side kicking in. That same annoying side that made me stop drawing, and playing the piano. Because others do it better. (I'll be 36 this year, shouldn't I know better already? Please don't answer this question.)

But even with having absolutely nothing to say, I still can't bring myself to delete this little blog of mine. Can't live with it, can't live without it I suppose. But if some day my perfectionism takes over, and this blog stops being, I just want to let you know that it survived this long because of you. Thank you all for reading, and commenting, and being such nice people.

And hey, guess what – now I have a whole entry without any real content! Amazing!

Oh the weather outside is… lovely? OH NO!!!

2008-04-03T18:57:00.003+03:00

Bark
by Anna Tillman
Pattern source: Rowan 38
Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print (Native 072, Corinthian 083, Pit 080, Pebble Dash 078) and Rowan Big Wool Tuft (Rugged 058)
Hook: 7 mm

Lovely Bark, finally you're mine! I've loved this pattern ever since I first saw it (I blogged about it here), but since the yarn would've cost a fortune, I never really thought of actually knitting it.

But then I saw this. Ooooh! I assume Ann somehow guessed from my enthusiastic comment that I would love to make one too, so she very kindly offered to buy the yarn for me. Rowan Chunky Print is now discontinued, so it was quite cheap, and some colours were already out of stock. Luckily I was able to get the missing colours as Ravelry trades – thank you so much to both Kandace and Mira for helping me out!

After I got the yarn, the rest was easy. Crocheting with a size 7 mm hook is super quick and super fun. And I kinda didn't even break my yarn diet: Ann said that since I'll be able to crochet this shawl in no time, it will be as if the yarn itself never existed. She was right: I finished the shawl in three evenings. The yarn didn't even touch my stash. Clever, that Ann.

Final verdict: I LOVE this shawl. Loved making it, love wearing it. Dear Finnish Spring, don't let me down: please send me one little snowstorm so that I could wear my new shawl at least once before summer. Thank you.

… and if not, I'll just wear my other new neck warmer thingie:

Tudora
by Cheryl Marling
Pattern source: Knitty, Winter 2007
Yarn: One strand of Novita Wool and two strands of Knit Picks Shadow, held together
Needles: 4 mm

Another quick'n fun project. Warm, but not overly so. Makes your neck look longer. Really, make one: you'll probably have something suitable in your stash. And you'll get to use your favourite big button. Happy April, everyone!

Tweedy ruffles

2008-03-24T09:17:00.004+02:00

Garter Ruffle Shawl
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, 3 x 50 g cocoa, 2 x 50 g charcoal
Needles: 4 mm

This is a modified version of Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls, author Cheryl Oberle. I replaced the lace edge with a simple garter stitch ruffle.

Sometimes things just fall in place perfectly. I think I've knit my favourite thing ever – I love this shawl so, so much. It's light as a feather, yet very warm, it drapes beautifully around my shoulders, and the tweedy yarn prevents it looking too fancy. The downside? It is meant for my mom. She deserves it of course, I'm just afraid she won't love it like it's supposed to be loved, deeply and passionately that is.

The shawl used up my entire stash of Felted Tweed, three balls of lighter brown and two of the darker for the ruffle. When I changed colours, I just increased one stitch every two stitches for one row, and then it was all knitknitknitting again until there was no yarn left. I blocked the shawl by soaking it and then pinning it out as big as I could, which made it nice and airy. I couldn't figure out how the block the ruffle though, so after the shawl had dried, I ironed the edge gently, and that really made all the difference.

I'm kinda on a yarn diet right now, but I'm seriously contemplating on buying more Felted Tweed so that I can make a Garter Ruffle Shawl for myself too. Or maybe I'll just ask my mom whether she would like a pair of socks better...

Any Meidas out there?

2008-03-21T12:23:00.007+02:00

Meida's Mittens
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Folk Knitting in Estonia / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Vuorelma Satakieli (901 gray, 964 blue, 088 dark blue) + sock yarn scraps
Needles: 2,25 mm (for the cuff) + 2 mm

Modifications: Decreased 4 stitches after cuff, made the mittens longer and the top rounded

I'll start with the good.

I think this is a beautiful pattern. I love the fair-isle cuff, and I'm pretty happy with the colours I chose for it. I also like the yarn. Satakieli is not very smooth when knitting, but after washing and blocking it really blooms and softens, and the finished fabric looks really beautiful.

But.

I have no idea why in the world I decided to knit mittens. I never wear mittens! Gloves are much more practical, and when it's cold, I prefer wearing my thick leather mittens. I realized this after having knitted the first one, and that, to put it mildly, caused some motivation problems. That, and the fact that the mitten was just a tiny bit too small for me. To top it off, the long break in between knitting these two caused the other mitten to be even smaller. Not much, but still. Oh well.

(ETA: Gone to Piua!) Still, I'm happy I persevered. They are pretty! But knowing that I'd never wear these, I'm offering my mittens up for graps: if there's someone out there who likes wearing mittens and have medium sized hands (preferably one smaller than another), please say so in the comments. I would love to see my mittens find a good home.

She's serving leftovers, again!

2008-03-16T17:12:00.004+02:00

The great thing about knitting hats is that you can have a FO or two every week. But alas, I've not been knitting hats, so you'll have to make do with a WIP post instead. So, let's get on with it, shall we?

I've finally cast on for the second Meida's Mitten. I didn't feel like it, at all, but then again, I didn't feel like ripping the first one either. I'm determined to not have any UFO's around here, so it's either ripping or finishing. Luckily I decided to block the first mitten before deciding whether to rip or not, because the stitches evened out so beautifully that I just had to cast on for it's mate. And now I'm quite anxious to get these done.

My second WIP is this brown blob, formerly known as Wool Peddler's Shawl. I didn't like how the lace edging looked in this yarn, so I'm knitting a simple ruffled edge instead. This is almost done too – I have one ball of Felted Tweed left, and after that's gone, the shawl is ready. No leftovers!

And then there's a Nancy Bush sock, Gentleman's Shooting Stocking from Knitting Vintage Socks, knitted with The Knittery sock yarn that is h e a v e n l y. But quite thin too, so this is a slow-going project.

Only three works-in-progress! Such a good girl I am. But of course, there are plans:

Stripey socks for Onni, in my favourite colours, all leftovers from Nancy Bush socks. I know that I've been all about using the yarn leftovers and the stash lately – please bare with me. It can't be long before I start buying yarn left and right, so I'll just enjoy this as long as it lasts.

Ward, from Heartfelt - The Dark House Collection by Kim Hargreaves. I'm planning on making it longer and with different ribbings. I've been so terribly good and boring that I've even swatched.

And that's enough of this boringness. Next time: a finished object that's not a hat. Promise!

The latest from the hat knitting front

2008-03-09T12:43:00.003+02:00

Felicity
by Wanett Clyde
Pattern source: Available as a free Ravelry download
Yarn: Knit with one strand of Rowan 4 Ply Soft and two strands of Knit Picks Shadow held together
Needles: 4 and 4,5 mm
Mods: Cast on 80 sts instead of 70

Raisin Beret
by Raven Jakubowski
Pattern source: Snowball Crafts in Hell
Yarn: Garnstudio Alaska, 2 x 50 g
Needles: 3,25 and 6 mm
Mods: The hat is turned inside out.

I'm ridiculously happy with these two hats! Happy happy happy! I think they look very nice with my black coats, the only problem is which one to wear first. Both patterns were very clearly written, quick to knit, and free! Nothing more to say I guess – I'm off to fill my Ravelry queue with more beret patterns. Happy Sunday! Go knit yourself a hat!

One more for the road

2008-03-02T12:21:00.003+02:00

Greenie
for the Finnish Red Cross
Pattern: my own
Yarn: leftovers from various projects
Needles: 3 mm and 3,5 mm

Obviously I was not quite done with hats yet. Who knew that hat knitting can be as addictive as knitting socks? And compared to socks, hats have one major advantage: you only need to make one.

For this hat I used leftovers from my favourite green projects (from the brim up): Debbie Bliss Merino DK from Wisconsin Winter Scarf, Wetterhoff Sivilla from Ene's Scarf, Ohut Pirkkalanka from Sunrise Circle Jacket and Koigu Premium Merino from Go With the Flow socks, and two shades of turquoise. The lighter is Debbie Bliss Merino DK and the darker is just something found from the stash, unlabeled, so I have no idea what it is, or was, since it's all gone now. Yay for that.

I'm happy with this one. I like the colours, and if it was a different shape, I might actually wear it. And hey, there's a thought – I could make a hat that I would wear! Which would be a beret, because that's the only style that looks good on me. Sometimes these things just take time, right?

Three reasons to love Garter Stripe Beanies

2008-02-24T00:26:00.003+02:00

1. The colours.
I really, really love knitting with colours. I had kinda forgotten this, because what I don't love is wearing colours – maybe I should stop knitting for myself? Socks don't count, of course. But yeah, this was fun!

2. The stash busting.
Maybe even more fun was getting to put all those tiny leftover yarn balls and socks yarn scraps to good use! The garter stitch edging is quite forgiving gaugewise – I used all kinds of different yarn, roughly DK weight, and socks yarns held doubled. There are quite a few ends to be woven in, but I think the effect is worth it.

3. The charity aspect.
Should I be ashamed that this one's only third on my list? I have not knit much for charity (I made one blanket years ago), but it does feel good to knit for others. Highly recommended.

Garter Stripe Beanies
for the Finnish Red Cross
Pattern: my own
Yarn: Novita Wool (white), Debbie Bliss Merino DK (green and turquoise), Tricots Brancal Escocesa (black), handspun (pink and olive green) + various leftover yarns
Needles: 3 mm (for the edging) and 3,5 mm

What I did (please note that this is not a proper pattern, knitting at your own risk only)

Circumference: 46 centimeters / 18 inches, to fit a child
Gauge: 24 sts = 10 centimeters / 4 inches

Using straight needles, CO 112 stitches. Change yarn, and knit garter stitch for 24 rows, change colour every 2 rows.

Join to begin working in the round, and knit stocking stitch for about 8 centimeters (3 inches), or as long as you like.

Place markers: [K28, place marker] 4 times.

Decrease Round: [K2tog, k to 2 sts before next marker, ssk] 4 times. Repeat this round every other round until 16 stitches remain. Repeat decrease round only until 8 stitches remain.

Break yarn, draw through remaining sts and pull tight. Weave in ends.

The hat knitting continues

2008-02-11T11:13:00.000+02:00

Onni is very disappointed with this winter. Where is the snow, promised for him for months? And the ice? All the skis and skates and sledges sit unused. And all mum's doing is knitting those stupid, scratchy hats, which he is SO not going to model anymore.

Poor Onni. He's right - I've been quite absorbed in hat knitting lately. I'm having so much fun!

Red Cross Beanies
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Limbo, Novita Wool, Tricots Brancal Escocesa
Needles: 3 and 3,5 mm

I'm also not that sad about this rainy weather we've been having. I get to wear my lovely pink wellies! Happiness all around!

Knitting for others

2008-02-03T22:21:00.000+02:00

Red Cross Beanies
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Limbo
Needles: 3 and 3,5 mm

The Finnish Red Cross*, together with Tekstiiliteollisuus and The Moda Magazine, are collecting knitted socks and hats for people living in cold-climate regions in Asia and South America. I found out about this campaign from Neja's blog (she has made lots of hats already), and for some unknown reason I felt a sudden urge to knit hats. This was strange – I am a selfish knitter who knits mostly for herself (even when I'm knitting for others I trick myself by thinking that I'm knitting for me instead), and I very rarely knit hats. Hats kinda accentuate my nose (as you can see).

But yay! the hat's not for me, so I don't care. This was a fun little project. I dug out the leftovers from these projects, cast on 112 stitches, and knit some random stripes. I think it will look cute on someone with more hair and less nose.

And then I knit another one with just a few stripes, which made the knitting much more boring, but the end result is quite stylish I think. Onni hated it though (he's extremely sensitive for anything even slightly scratchy), so it's a good thing it's not for him either.

I'm thinking about sending the We Call Them Pirates -hat to this campaign too. Although I love the hat, it's too scratchy for Onni even with its cotton lining, so it's useless here. But I'm having second thoughts: is it odd to send a skull-patterned hat to charity? I think the hat is cute and lovely, but could it be offending to some people? What do you think?

I'm off to knit more hats. Knitting for the Red Cross fits nicely with this month's Project Spectrum colours too. :-)

* You can find the campaign page (in Finnish) here.

The secrets of the Stash

2008-02-02T13:28:00.000+02:00

I had this post all written up in my head. How I like the elements theme of this year's Project Spectrum, and how I'm going to participate – but how problematic the first two months would be for me, because I have absolutely no red, pink, or orange yarn. But, as it turned out, my stash is full of surprises. Just look at this:

Who knew? I even have some orange yarn, even though I could have sworn that I've never ever had any.

I'm not a big fan of these colours, so I'm starting with just one row of red stitches. Baby steps, you know.

Onni is participating too. Hundreds of cars, and not a single pink one to be found. What's up with that?

Red Monk

2008-01-27T14:28:00.000+02:00

Thelonious
by Cookie A
Size: S
Pattern source: Cookie A Knitwear Designs
Yarn: Gjestal Baby Ull, kool-aid dyed
Needles: 2,5 mm

I'm not as happy with these socks as I hoped to be. Don't get me wrong – it's not the pattern's fault, it's mine. I actually liked the pattern very much, it was enjoyable and interesting to knit, and I didn't find any errors. And I think the socks are pretty. I just chose a wrong yarn for this project. Baby Ull is not really a sock yarn, and it shows, the socks are slouchy and they strech too much when worn. Boo. I also like my socks longer than these. As you can see from the first photo, my feet are big, so longer legs make my feet look smaller, more in proportion somehow.

But, they're done and pretty and ready to be gifted to someone who is not as choosey about her socks as I am. And I get to start a new pair! Believe it or not, my WIP count is down to two. I'm shocked, and desperately missing Nancy again…

Random photos and favourite bloggers

2008-01-25T15:07:00.000+02:00

Thelonious sock number two, almost done.

I've gotten more You make my day -awards! I’m very honored and humbled – thank you all so much! I had already decided not to tag anyone in particular, because, like everyone else, I read hundreds of great blogs and it would be very hard to pick just ten. But then I started thinking about how happy these awards have made me, so I decided to make my list after all. Here goes:

We saw some blue sky today! Lovely.

100% Pura Lana
I consider Mari my knitting twin: every single thing on her FO list could be on mine too. In addition to great taste in knitting patterns, she is also a fellow Nancy Bush fan club member. Perfect.

Good Knit's Road - Hyvänneuleentie 7

Annu is the kind of knitter I wish I could be some day. Lots of lovely original patterns, enough for a knitting book, I think. And what a lovely book it would be, because her photos are just as beautiful as her knitting.

JaanaMaa
Amazing amount of gorgeous sweaters, and everything else too. Just check out her 2007 FO's. I know I said it already, but: amazing.

Pikku-Kettu Knits
Incredients for a great blog: charming blog name (Pikku-Kettu means Little-Fox), gorgeous knitting, beautiful photography, fluent writing, and a cute dog. And lots of socks!

No snow or ice will stop us if we want to ride our bike. That's my old bike, btw.

b r o o k ly n t w e e d
Well. You know. No need to make the man embarrassed.

Craftoholic

Steph is my style guru. Her knitting is perfect, and her taste is impeccable. I love her blog so much.

Grumperina goes to local yarn shops and Home Depot

If Mari is my twin, Kathy is my opposite. She is a knitting genius, her perseverence and skill have left me speechless many times. Remember Mountainash? Or Grumpeque? Yeah, not for the faint of heart. And definitely not for the lazy and comfort-loving knitters amongst us. Ahem.

Elliphantom Knits

Great projects, beautiful photos and such a delightful way of writing, Elli always makes me smile. Also, the Herringbone Mittens with Poms are the cutest mittens in the world.

Lolly Knitting Around

As an eternal pessimist I really enjoy reading Lauren's blog. Her blog makes me happy – it's nice to know that there are people like her, who make the world a better place.

mind of winter

I always think Julia as a knitting movie star. She certainly looks like one, and she lives in California! Well, I think she does, and she might be a movie star too for what I know. These are just my fancies, mind you. I love the name of her blog (wouldn't it make a great movie title?), but for me her knitting is always filled with sun and warmth and happiness.

I guess that's it. Ladies and Jared, thank you for making my day each and every time you post.

Bye for now, see you next week!

A good FO, some resolutions and many thanks

2008-01-18T11:55:00.000+02:00

Anais

by Norah Gaughan
Pattern source: Berroco Norah Gaughan Volume 1

Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Alpaca, 3,5 skeins, and Knit Picks Shadow, 1,5 skeins, held doubled

Needles: 3,5 and 3,75 mm

This year is proving to be so much better than the last one! The first (and the last!) sweater of 2007 was a disaster, and it pretty much made me stop knitting anything but socks all together. But now I'm starting to feel the old love again. Before diving into the world of knitting socks, I used to knit mainly sweaters, and I hope to knit at least a few this year. Anais is a good start.

I'm very happy with this vest for several reasons. First of all, it fits. And that was not just a lucky coincidence, like usually – this time I actually measured myself, measured my favourite vests that fit just right and did the math. I did the math, people! I was right between sizes 34 and 38, so it was not too difficult to figure out the numbers for a size 36.

Resolution number one: Don't be lazy. Do the math!

Secondly, I'm quite proud of my inventive use of stash yarns. I couldn't get gauge with Drops Alpaca alone, but doubled with the laceweight Knit Picks Shadow, the gauge was spot on.

Resolution number two: Don't be greedy. Try to make do with what you have!

And last, I really really like this one! The style is very "me". I think I'm even gonna wear this one in public, not just during the photoshoot, which is a nice bonus, don't you think? Looking back to the sweaters I've done during the time I've blogged, there are only two I wear: Raspy and Sunrise Circle Jacket. That's two out of ten. Meaning that 80 % of my sweater projects have been failures of some sort. They have been either too big (Heather), too small (Punch), too short (Shona) or too ugly and ridiculously warm (The Big Blue Sweater), totally wrong for my body type (China, Dawn) or not my style at all (Brier, Martha). Simple things – choosing the right pattern for me, for my shape and size and style – and yet so very difficult, it seems.

Resolution number three: Knit for yourself, not for the model in the magazine.

But also, enjoy the knitting! I'm so excited about my next sweater project – I'm still at the swatching stage – and I've ripped all the wips that I didn't love anymore. Didn't feel bad at all.

– – –

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments about the Spina di Pesce socks! I've finally come to realize that as much as I would love to, I simply do not have the time to answer each comment by email anymore. This makes me sad, but I hope you understand – I work full time, and I very much like to spend some time with my family too, so something must go. I'm gonna answer your questions in the comments section, so please, check there, if you're waiting for an answer. But otherwise, thank you for taking the time to comment, I really do appreciate it!

Oh, and thank you SO much for all the "You make my day" awards! It's nice to know, that although I've been struggling with blogging lately, there are still people who enjoy reading my ramblings. Even in English. Thank you.

Happy New Socks!

2008-01-11T16:56:00.000+02:00

Spina di Pesce
by Marjan Hammink
Pattern source: Yarnissima
Yarn: Wollmeise Sockenwolle, Tiefer See
Needles: 2,25 and 2,5 mm

When Marjan first asked me whether I would be interested to test knit one of her sock patterns, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't deal well with deadlines (as you might remember from my last post), I'm not big on learning and trying out new things, and I'm definitely not one who could be described as a technical knitter, all which I thought would be good qualities for a test knitter. But I guess I just got greedy. I had admired Marjan's patterns for quite some time, and as a bonus there was also the alluring opportunity to get my little hands on the Wollmeise sock yarn. So I said yes. And oh how happy I am that I did!

First of all, this pattern is a work of a genius. It's not a quick knit by any means, but all the cleverly designed details made the knitting so interesting, that it was very easy to forget all the other projects, and just knit on. The gusset area especially made me happy – I hadn't knit a toe up heel flap before, so it was great fun to follow the instructions to the letter, and let the magic happen. Don't you just love those little cables? I know I do.

Surprisingly, I also found my inner test knitter. It was quite satisfying to spot the errors in the pattern. Not that there were many, and they were all just minor ones, but finding them made me feel like being a (very very tiny) part of creating this beautiful pattern. Closest I'll ever get to designing, I guess.

And the socks, they are lovely. Because I knit tightly (and my feet are not exactly Cinderella-sized), I went up a needle size, and luckily so, because now the socks fit perfectly. The Wollmeise yarn was amazing – the colours are brilliant, the stitch definition is great, and the yarn feels really durable. And there's no fear of running out of yarn, I had more than 30 grams left over! Check it out, if you haven't already, and definitely check out Marjan's patterns over at Yarnissima. I love them all – and some of them even have such excellent names! :-D

Oh, I'm a very happy knitter now. It's good to start a new year with a pair of socks that I'm perfectly happy with. Here's hoping for a great knitting year, for all of us!

– – –

Onnellista uutta vuotta kaikille lukijoilleni! Uusi vuosi tuo mukanaan muutoksia myös tänne Mustaan Villaan. Pitkään ja hartaasti asiaa pohdittuani olen viimein päättänyt jatkaa blogiani tästä lähtien vain englanniksi. Kahdella kielellä kirjoittaminen vie kaksi kertaa enemmän aikaa, ja sitä minulla ei tällä hetkellä valitettavasti ole kovinkaan paljon. Tiedän, että monet teistä lopettavat blogini lukemisen tähän, ja ymmärrän sen oikein hyvin. Kiitos, kun olette olleet mukana tähän asti, ja kiitos erityisesti ihanista kommenteistanne, jotka ovat ilahduttaneet minua kovasti näiden kolmen blogi-vuoden aikana!

Onnistuneita neuleita, ja vain kohtuullinen määrä pudonneita silmukoita vuodelle 2008!

toivottaa Terhi

Falalalalaa fa-la-la-laaa

2007-12-18T13:48:00.000+02:00

Elongated Corded Rib Socks
by Charlene Schurch
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Sisu
Needles: 2,5 mm

Huh. Viimeiset pikkusukat uunista ulos, ja etuajassa! Jälleen kerran huomasin, ettei aikataulutettu neulonta sovi minulle ollenkaan, rupean heti paikalla inhoamaan kyseistä projektia silmittömästi enkä tahtoisi kutoa silmukkaakaan. Mutta nyt kyllä yllätin itsenikin, eiväthän kolmet pikkusukat (+ yhdet Onnille) nyt voi tuntua liian suurelta urakalta... mutta kyllä vain, viimeistä paria kutoessa joulumieli oli jo melko lailla kateissa. Ja Onni-ryökäle on hukannut uudet sukkansa. Falalalalaa!

Phew. The last pair of goddaughter socks, done, and in good time. I am très relieved. I don't know what is it with me and knitting deadlines, but whenever there's something I have to knit, I totally loose interest in doing it. But sometimes I surprise even myself. I mean, three pairs (+ one pair for Onni) of small socks, how bad can that be? Let's just say that I kind of lost the Christmas spirit while knitting this last pair. And Onni has lost his new socks. Falalalalaa!

Kylläpä kuulostan pahantuuliselta. Olenkin, ja lisäksi väsynyt. Lienee siis pienen bloggaustauon paikka. Palaan tammikuussa, toivottavasti onnellisena ja reippaana muutaman valmiin työn kera (alla kooste tämänhetkisistä projekteista). Oikein rauhallista ja rentouttavaa joulua kaikille, tavataan ensi vuonna!

I sound a bit grinchy, don't I? Well, I am grinchy and most of all I am tired. I've decided to take a little blogging break, and come back in January all happy and productive. Here's a sneak peek at the projects currently on my needles, hopefully some of them will be FO's when we meet again. Till then, I wish you all a Peaceful Christmas, and all the best for 2008!

No holes!

2007-12-09T11:21:00.000+02:00

Waffle Rib Socks
by Charlene Schurch
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Watercolor
Needles: 2,5 mm

Pahoittelut ankeista kuvista. Viisivuotiaan liikkuvaiset jalat ovat aika haastava kuvattava tähän vuodenaikaan, kuvaajassa ei tietenkään ole mitään vikaa. Enpä taida enää valittaa noista lätäkoista. Tärkeintä on kuitenkin se, että Onnilla on taas ehjä sukkapari, joka muuten liukuu hienosti parketilla, kuten sukkien omistaja ilahtuneesti havaitsi. Minneköhän minä sen parsinneulan laitoin…

Sorry about the dreary photos. The December weather and a five year old boy is a killer combination. None of this is my fault of course. I'm not gonna complain about the pooling anymore – the important thing is that now Onni has holeless socks, that are very slippery on a parquet floor, as the recipient noticed with delight. I guess that in no time we'll have another pair of holey socks.

Onni's bakery

2007-12-08T15:55:00.000+02:00

Kiihkeää kaulintaa! Hyvältä näyttää.

First, some passionate rolling… looking good!

Tähtiä, kuusia, poroja, ja tietysti autoja.

Stars, Christmas trees, reindeer, and lots of cars of course.

Nyt varovasti…

Carefully now…

Valmista!

All done!

Socks for small feet

2007-11-25T00:58:00.000+02:00

Simply Lovely Lace Socks
by Karen Baumer
Pattern source: Interweave Knits, spring 2006
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Sisu (overdyed)
Needles: 2,5 mm

Toiset joululahjasukat valmistuivat. Reippaana tyttönä siirryin heti viimeisen parin kimppuun.

Second pair of goddaughter socks is finished. On to the last pair!

Kuvailisin itseäni mieluusti sinnikkääksi, mutta eiköhän tämä ole jo ihan silkkaa jääräpäisyyttä: jälleen kerran piti yrittää taltuttaa tämä värihirviö. Alku olikin lupaava. Waffle Rib -malli (ohje kirjasta Sensational Ribbed Socks) näytti sopivan kivasti värikkääseen lankaan, ja tyytyväisenä neuloin varren, käännyin kantapään kohdalla vasempaan ja…

I like to think myself persistent, but I'm afraid this could also be called plain stubbornness: I decided to try to knit with Lorna's Laces Watercolor, again. At first things were looking good. The Waffle Rib pattern (from Sensational Knitted Socks) looks actually quite nice in variegated yarn, don't you think. I happily knit along, turned the heel, and…

… astuin suoraan lätäkköön. Hyi hyi. Ikinä ikinä ikinä en enää osta kirjavaa lankaa. Harkitsin hetken kantalapun purkamista ja tiimalasikantapäätä, mutta laiskuus esti moisen. Sen sijaan näistä tulee nyt sukat Onnille, jota ei vaatteet tai vaatteiden värit kiinnosta pätkääkään. Olen kuullut, että pienet tytöt saattavat olla hieman erilaisia.

… stepped right into the pool. Ewww. As God is my witness, I will never ever buy variegated yarn again. I thought about ripping the heel flap and doing a short row heel, but I was feeling lazy, and instead decided to just keep going and knit these uglies for Onni. He has zero interest in clothes and colours (I've heard that little girls can be a bit different in this matter), so I don't think he'll mind.

Sitä paitsi Onni taitaa tarvita uudet sukat.

And he really needs new socks.

Comfort Shawl

2007-11-17T13:03:00.000+02:00

Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl
by Sarah Bradberry
Pattern source: Knitting-and.com
Yarn: Handspun, handdyed 100 % wool yarn
Needles: 3,5 mm

Kuulun yleensä projektineulojien joukkoon (= lopputulos on neuleprosessia tärkeämpi), mutta tällä kertaa neulomisen mukavuus vei voiton. Tätä oli tosi kiva neuloa! Malli on helppo, kuudesta mallineulekerroksesta neljä on ainaoikeaa, joten ohjeen oppi nopeasti ulkoa, ja värien vaihtaminen ilman ennakkosuunnitelmaa oli oikein rentouttavaa. Lisäksi olin kovin tyytyväinen siitä, että kummitädiltäni jo puolitoista vuotta sitten saaduille ihanille langoille löytyi näin mainio ohje.

This shawl was all about the process. I loved knitting this! The pattern is very easy, four of the six rows in the pattern repeat are knit rows, so after a few repeats you don't have to check the pattern anymore. It was fun to change colours without a plan. And I think this was a perfect marriage of yarn and pattern: I was so happy to find a pattern for the beautiful handspun, handdyed yarn my godmother gave me one and a half years ago.

Mutta kyllä lopputuloskin miellyttää, joten sisäinen projektineulojani on tyytyväinen. Aika kirjavahan tämä on, ainakin kun normaaliin pukeutumiseeni vertaa, mutta mustaan yhdistettynä huivia voisi ehkä käyttää töissäkin… ja varmasti ainakin kotisohvalla, ja pysyä ihanan lämpimänä!

But now that it's done, I like it, and that makes my inner project knitter happy too. It's a lot more colourful than anything I usually wear, but I think it looks quite nice with black. And it is, like the name suggests, very comfortable, so even if I don't end up wearing it in public, I can always wear it at home, and stay very, very warm.

The post with four yays

2007-11-06T15:05:00.000+02:00

Gentleman's Half Hose
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush
Yarn: Regia Silk
Needles: 2,5 mm

Mustien sukkien kuvaaminen marraskuussa vaatii mielikuvitusta. Meidän yleensä niin valoisassa olohuoneessammekin oli pimeää kuin kellarissa, joten näissä kuvissa tasapainoilen kahden tuolin päällä, jalat ikkunalaudalla.

What fun it is to take photos of black socks in November! None of my usual photo shooting locations worked here, so these photos are taken with me balancing on two chairs on top of each other by the window, my feet placed on the window sill.

Toivottavasti sukkien ihanuus kuitenkin välittyy sinne kotikatsomoihin, haasteellisista valaistusolosuhteista huolimatta. Näistä tuli uudet lempparit – sukat istuvat jalkaan loistavasti*, ja mallineule on kaunis ja ihanan helppo, melkein kuin ainaoikeaa posottaisi. Onneakin oli matkassa, sillä lanka riitti vain nipin napin. Kärkikävennuksia kutoessani olin kovin tyytyväinen päätöksestäni käyttää sukkiin myös Retro Rib -sukista jääneet jämät.

Nyt yritän päättää, mistä langasta tekisin seuraavan parin, sillä...

I hope you can still see the gorgeous patterning on these socks. I love love love these socks, the fit is perfect*, and I'm so in love with the super easy pattern, so easy it's almost mindless. Yay for mindless knitting. And yay for using up all the yarn. I was very happy about my decision to use some brown Regia Silk (left over from the Retro Rib Socks) for contrast, otherwise I would have run out of yarn.

I'm already trying to decide which yarn to choose for my next pair, because...

... nämä menevätkin lahjaksi isälleni! Mukavaa isänpäivää!

*Onneksi isällä on aika pienet jalat, ja minulla suuret.

Viimeiseksi vielä hurraa-huuto Carlalle, jonka upeat sukat aiheuttivat niin valtaisan inspiraationpuuskan, että isä sai tänä vuonna isänpäivälahjansa ajoissa. Kiitos Carla!

... these socks are not for me, but for my dad. Happy Father's Day!
*Yay also for fathers with small feet and daughters with big feet!

Oh, and the last yay goes to Carla. Her gorgeous socks made me drop everything I was knitting at the moment and cast on for these socks. Thanks, Carla!

– – –

Vogue-lehti lähtee Kanervalle! Lähettäisitkö mulle osoitteesi (sähköpostiosoite löytyy oikeasta yläkulmasta), niin laitan lehden postiin. :-)

The Vogue magazine will be going to Kanerva, congratulations!

Totevember! Totevember!

2007-11-02T17:33:00.000+02:00

Elisa's Nest Tote
Pattern Source: The Purl Bee
Yarn: Novita Tennessee
Needles: 4,5 mm (3 mm for the handles)

Onpa virkistävää saada valmiiksi jotain muutakin kuin vain sukkia. Elisan verkkokassi oli mukava pieni projekti, vaikkakin kassin viimeistelyyn kului yhtä kauan aikaa kuin itse kutomiseen. Ohjetta muokkasin sen verran, että jätin sivusaumojen yläreunaan noin viiden senttimetrin halkiot, muuten kassin suuaukosta olisi tullut aika pieni. Poimin myös vähän enemmän silmukoita tuohon i-cordiin, muistaakseni suhteessa 4 poimittua silmukkaa kolmea reunasilmukkaa kohden (ohjeessa neuvotaan poimimaan yksi silmukka jokaisesta reunasilmukasta). Ja nyt voinkin sitten mukavasti viedä lankakeriäni kävelylle, jos tarve vaatii.

How refreshing it is to have a FO that's not socks for a change. Elisa's Nest Tote was a great little project, although the finishing took more time than the knitting. I changed the pattern a bit, leaving the side seams open for about 5 centimeters from the top, otherwise the opening would have been too small. I also picked up more stitches for the i-cords than stated in the pattern, 4 stitches for every 3 edge stitches (the pattern tells you to pick up one for one). And now I can comfortably take a walk with my yarn, if I wish.

Tai vaikka uusia kirjojani!

Or maybe even with some new books!

Aivan ihania malleja, kaikissa! Ihan sormia syyhyää – harmi vain, että juuri nyt puikoilla on jotain salaista, jonka pitäisi kiireesti valmistua. Muuten olisin kyllä jo aloittanut jokaisesta jotain. Suosikkejani ovat:

I love all of these! Such great patterns – too bad that I'm currently knitting a secret project with a deadline, otherwise I would have already started something from every book. My favourites:

Mohair Portrait Scarf ja Tabi Socks, Véronik Averyn Knitting Classic Style -kirjasta.

Mohair Portrait Scarf and Tabi Socks from Knitting Classic Style by Véronik Avery.

Mona Schmidtin Socks For Véronik ja Angela Hahnin Dragon-Skin Wrap, molemmat Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007 -lehdestä.

Socks for Véronik by Mona Schmidt, Dragon-Skin Wrap by Angela Hahn, both from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007.

Storm, Dusk ja Emily Kim Hargreavesin Heartfelt, The Dark House Collection -kirjasta. Olen aivan täpinöissäni tästä kirjasta! Kim Hargreaves on suosikkisuunnittelijani, ja olisin varmasti tilannut tämän kirjan, vaikka en olisi tiennyt mitään sen sisällöstä. Sokkona ei kuitenkaan tarvinnut tilata, sillä mallit voi katsastaa täällä.

Kiitos muuten kaikille ihanista kommenteistanne viimeisimpään sukkapostaukseeni! Sähköpostikirjeenvaihtoni on alituisessa kaaostilassa, joten tällä kertaa päätin kiittää teitä kaikkia näin yhteisesti. KIITOS siis, olette ihania! :-) Jos jotakuta kiinnostaa viimeisin Vogue Knitting (mulle tuli niitä jostain syystä kaksi kappaletta), hihkaise kommenteissa! Ja jos hihkujia on useampia, niin sitten arvotaan. Aurinkoista viikonloppua kaikille!

Storm, Dusk and Emily from Heartfelt, The Dark House Collection by Kim Hargreaves. I'm so thrilled with this book! I'm a great admirer of Kim Hargreaves, and would have probably ordered this book even without seeing the contents of it. Anyway, you don't have to, because you can check out the patterns here.

Also, thank you all SO MUCH for your lovely comments about my latest socks! My email correspondence is in a constant state of chaos, and this time I decided to thank you all here, I hope you don't mind. I have an extra copy of the latest Vogue Knitting (the Holiday Issue), so if you're interested in it, just leave a comment, and it could be yours. If there are more than one person who wants it, I'll just draw a name. Happy weekend everyone!

The end of Socktober

2007-10-27T16:02:00.000+03:00

Child's French Sock
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Katia Laine Nylon (a gift from my sister; thank you sweetie!)
Needles: 2,5 mm

Tämä malli ei aluksi päässyt suosikkilistalleni lainkaan. Knitting Vintage Socks -kirjan sivuilla sukat näyttivät jotenkin sotkuisilta ja omituisilta. Mutta kuten niin monet kirjan sukista, nämäkin näyttävät huomattavasti paljon hauskemmilta jalassa. Staceyn sukat nähtyäni malli pamahti teenjoskus-listalle hetimiten.

When I first leafed through Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, these socks weren't among my favourites. In fact, I didn't like them at all, they looked somehow messy to me. But like with so many other knitted socks, these look different and much better when worn. I fell in love with Stacey's, and ever since I've wanted a pair of my own.

Ja nyt tykkään näistä kovasti! Ohjetta oli jälleen kerran mukava seurata, mitään ei tarvinnut muuttaa. Enkä taida keksiä enää yhtään ylisanaa Nancy Bushista.

And I love them! What a pretty pair of socks! As for the pattern, I didn't change a thing. And I think I've already used all my superlatives for Nancy Bush.

Siinäpä sitten olikin tämä Sukkakuu. Vaikka tämänvuotinen sato on laihanlainen (vain kaksi paria sukkia, joista toinen kokoa lapsi), olen selvästi edistynyt viime vuosiin nähden: vuonna 2005 kudoin yhden parin vauvasukkia, ja viime vuonna ei valmistunut yhtään mitään. Joten hyvä minä. Ja etenkin, hyvä Lolly!

Well, I think that's it for this Socktober. Although I only knit two pairs of socks this time (and another one of those is for a child), I'm definitely improving: in 2005 I knit a pair of baby socks, and last year there were no finished socks at all. So yay me. And yay Lolly!

Autumn days

2007-10-15T18:25:00.000+03:00

Rakastan syksyä. Vietimme viime viikolla Onnin kanssa syyslomaa vanhempieni luona, ja kuin tilauksesta syksy näytti meille kauneimmat kasvonsa. Ensilumikin satoi vierailun aikana, aivan kuten kaksi vuotta sitten.

I love autumn, and this year it has been so very beautiful. Last week Onni and I visited my parents, and we had such a lovely time there. We even had first snow while our visit, just like two years ago.

Kävimme kävelyllä paikallisella soidensuojelualueella…

We took a walk in the local swamp reservation area…

kävimme ihailemassa kylmenevää mökkimaisemaa…

we went to see how cold (but beautiful!) the lake looks already…

…ja minä ompelin kassin!

…and I sewed a bag!

Äiti kyllä auttoi aika tavalla. Olen silti ylpeä, tämä on ensimmäinen ompelukseni sitten kouluaikojen. Ompelukonekammo on selätetty!

My mom helped me a lot, but still, I'm quite proud of myself. I'm not afraid of sewing machines anymore.

Neulomiset sen sijaan menivät harakoille. Malli oli loistava (Conwy Knitting on the Road -kirjasta), lanka täydellistä (The Knitteryn 4 Ply Sock Merino), mutta sukka auttamatta liian pieni. Nyyhkis, siitä oli tulossa niiiin kaunis.

The knitting, it did not go as well. My holiday sock knitting is pictured above. The pattern (Conwy from Knitting on the Road) was great, the yarn (4 Ply Sock Merino from The Knittery) was heavenly, but the sock was sadly way too tight. Snif.

Socktober, week 2

2007-10-09T13:11:00.000+03:00

Bluebell Rib Socks
by Charlene Schurch
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Gjestal Baby Ull, kool-aid dyed
(if I remember correctly, the colours I used were strawberry and grape)
Needles: 2,5 mm

Ihan söpöthän näistä tuli. Ei vain kannata kovin tarkasti tutkailla tuota kärjen silmukointi-hässäkkää, yöks. Sukat on kudottu perinteisesti ylhäältä alas 54:llä silmukalla, ihan normikantapäällä ja -kärjellä.

Cute, aren't they? Except for my grafting, nothing cute there. These socks are knit on 54 stitches, top-down with heel flap and standard toe.

Täksi jouluksi on suunnitteilla sukat kaikille kolmelle kummitytölleni, ja nämä ovat ensimmäiset. Seuraavat olisivat jo puikoilla, mutta lankakaappia penkoessani tajusin, ettei siellä ole juuri lainkaan pienille prinsessoille soveltuvia värejä.

I'm planning on knitting socks for my three goddaughters this Christmas, and this is the first pair. I would have cast on for the next pair already, but my stash failed me – I have no colours suited for little princesses.

Onneksi prinsessaväriä saa kaupasta. Kaikki kolme ylläolevaa vyyhtiä on värjätty Dylonin käsivärillä, sävyn nimi on Burgundy (51). Vaaleanpunaiseen vyyhtiin käytin noin kolmanneksen paketin sisällöstä, viininpunaisiin lisäsin loput. Olen ihan tyytyväinen: värjääminen mikroaaltouunissa oli helppoa ja nopeaa, ja värit näyttävät kivoilta.

Dylon to the rescue! All three skeins above are dyed with Dylon Hand Dye in shade Burgundy (51). The pink skein was dyed first with only about third of the package, and after that I added the rest of the dye and got the lovely burgundy colour. I'm quite happy with the results: the dyeing was easy, (I followed their microwave oven instructions), quick, and the colours look great.

– – –

Muita juttuja:

1. Kymmenes Ulla on hieno, onnea tekijöille! Tykkäsin kovasti laajasta sukkaosastosta, ja erityisesti Bregoista ja Strawberry Field -sukista.

2. Ja voi ei, VOI EI! Katsokaa nyt mitä löysin: Socktopus myy ihania sukkalankoja netissä, ja kauppa on Englannissa! Kamalaa. Haluaisin ostaa ihan kaiken.

Other things:

1. The tenth issue of the Finnish online knitting magazine Ulla is out, and it's looking really good! Lots of sock patterns too, I especially liked Brego and Strawberry Field -socks.

2. And oh my god, look what I found: Socktopus, an UK based online yarn shop, specializing in sock yarn! This is terrible. I want to buy just about everything they sell.

Socktober, week 1

2007-10-05T16:23:00.000+03:00

Ensimmäinen sukkakuuviikko on vielä vähän kesken, mutta koska olen huomisesta lähtien liesussa, päätin kirjoittaa pikapostauksen tähän astisesta edistymisestäni. Ensimmäinen Child's French -sukka on melkein valmis, ja ensimmäinen Bluebell Rib -sukka on ihan valmis! Pikkuisen sukan ohje on Sensational Knitted Sock -kirjasta, lanka Gjestalin Baby Ullia, ja väri omasta kool-aid-padasta.

I know it's not the end of the week yet, but I'll be away for the weekend, so I decided to post about my Socktober progress today already. So, as you can see, in addition to making some progress on my Child's French Sock (the first one is almost done, yay!), I've started and finished a smaller sock. The pattern is Bluebell Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks, and the yarn is Gjestal Baby Ull, kool-aid dyed by yours truly.

Onni suostui armollisesti mannekeeraamaan sukkaa, vaikka se hänelle onkin vähän pieni. Pidän kovasti tuosta pitsikuviosta, ja siitä että se venyyyyyy – toivotaan, että sukka sopii vähän paremmin lahjan saajalle, jolla on onneksi pienemmät jalat kuin Onnilla.

Onni kindly agreed to model the sock for you, although it is a bit small for him. I like the lace pattern, and the stretchiness of it. The recipient's feet are smaller than Onni's, so I'm hoping that these socks will fit her feet just fine.

– – –

Muutamia sekalaisia huomiota ensimmäiseltä sukkakuuviikolta:

1. Vihaan sukan kärjen silmukointia! Yritin ottaa kuvan viimeisimmästä järkyttävästä esimerkistä, mutta pikku kamerani ei suostunut tarkentamaan siihen.

2. Parasta sukankudontaviihdettä ovat Flickrin sukkadiaesitykset. Muutamia suosikkejani: Nancy Bush (tietysti!), Cookie's Sock Creations, The green socks knitalong, ja The Handknit Socks + Shoes = Happiness Forever. Jostain syystä mieheni mielestä on huvittavaa, kun istun tietokoneella, kudon sukkaa ja katson loputonta sukkakuvavirtaa. Outoa.

3. Tämä viimeinen ei nyt oikeastaan liity sukkiin (paitsi että onhan Kaffella uusi sukkalankamallisto), mutta se huvitti minua kovasti. Reipas tyttö tuo Violet.

Some miscellaneous observations from my first sock knitting week:

1. I hate grafting, perhaps because I totally suck at it. I tried to take a photo of the ugliness that is my grafting, but my little camera refused to focus on it.

2. The best entertainment when knitting socks are the Flickr sock group slideshows. Some of my favourite groups: Nancy Bush (of course!), Cookie's Sock Creations, The green socks knitalong, and The Handknit Socks + Shoes = Happiness Forever. For some reason my husband finds it very amusing when I'm sitting in front of my computer, watching the sock slideshows and knitting my socks. I wonder why?

3. This last one has nothing to do with socks (although Kaffe Fassett has designed a new sock yarn collection for Regia), but it's just so funny. Go Violet!

October, Socktober

2007-09-30T14:10:00.000+03:00

Sukkakuu on täällä taas, ja tällä kertaa valmistautumiseni on ollut hyvin huolellista. Parhaan mahdollisen tuloksen saavuttamiseksi olen ryhtynyt seuraaviin toimenpiteisiin:

Socktobertime is right around the corner, and this year I'm very well prepared. The following measures have been taken to ensure the best possible outcome.

a) Sukkalankavarastoa on kartutettu. Etsy-kauppias mama blue knitting goods havaittu erinomaiseksi (hyvä palvelu, nopea toimitus), ja lanka (Merino Semi-Solid Sock Yarn) todettu täydellisen ihanaksi. Mustaa villaa suosittelee lämpimästi.

a) I have acquired new sock yarn. I have nothing but good things to say about mama blue knitting goods: the customer service was great, the posting fast and the yarn (Merino Semi-Solid Sock Yarn) absolutely gorgeous. Highly recommended.

b) Uusi sukkakirja hankittu. En nyt ehkä sanoisi ohjeita sensaatiomaisiksi, mutta muuten kyllä ihan mainio opus.

b) I have bought a new sock book. I wouldn't perhaps call these patterns sensational, but otherwise I'm quite happy with this book.

c) Työmatkasukkaprojekti on saanut uuden kodin. Tämänkin ostin Etsystä, myyjänä zigzagstitches. Olen tosi tyytyväinen ostokseeni, pikku kassi on oikein soma ja erittäin huolellisesti tehty. Mustaa villaa suosittelee jälleen lämpimästi.

c) I have bought a new home for my knitting on the go. Isn't it pretty, I love it! I bought it from zigzagstitches, and I'm perfectly happy with my purchase. This little Boxy Bag Zippered Pouch is the perfect size for a sock project, it's extremely well made and beautiful. Again, highly recommended.

d) Ja viimeiseksi, otin varaslähdön ja aloitin uuden sukan! Ohje on Child's French Sock Knitting Vintage Socks -kirjasta, ja lankana sisko-murulta saatu Katian Laine Nylon. Alku näyttää ihan lupaavalta.

Tämänvuotisen sukkakuun virallisena tavoitteena on nauttia sukankutomisen hauskimmista puolista, eli olen antanut itselleni luvan aloittaa juuri niin monta uutta sukkaa kuin huvittaa. Enkä ollenkaan harmistuisi, jos siinä sivussa tulisi aloitettua muutama joululahjaprojektikin. Hauskaa sukkakuuta kaikille sukankutojille!

d) And lastly, I have started a new sock! The pattern is Child's French Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks, and I'm using some Katia Laine Nylon that my darling sister gave me. The sock is looking good so far.

My goal for this Socktoberfest is just to enjoy knitting socks. I'm gonna allow myself to start as many new socks as I want. I would also be very happy if I could get some Christmas knitting started, but we'll see how that goes. Happy Socktober to all sock knitters!

Evening Stockings for a… umm… Lady

2007-09-15T16:04:00.000+03:00

Evening Stockings for a Young Lady
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Rowan 4 Ply Soft, 3 x 50 g, in shade Victoria
Needles: 2,5 mm

Oi, näistä tuli ihanat! Tykkään kovasti! Sukat istuvat jalkaan oikein hyvin, ja lankakin vaikuttaa ihan pätevältä sukkalangalta. Ja väri on täydellinen.

I'm so pleased with these socks. Everything's perfect: the fit, the yarn, the colour – I'm one happy knitter today!

Ohjeesta ei moitteen sanaa. Pieniä muokkauksia: pidensin vartta seitsemällä (!!!) mallikerralla (mulla on ihan tavalliset suomalaiset töpöjalat, joten ehkä nämä ovat oikeasti tarkoitettu nuorille neideille), kantalappuun kudoin vähemmän kerroksia (ohjeessa niitä oli 40, mikä on mielestäni aika paljon, itse tein 32) ja kärkeen lisäsin kavennuskerrosten väliin muutamia kerroksia, koska ohjeen kärki oli omaan jalkaani vähän liian nopeasti kapeneva.

I have no complaints about the pattern. I made just some minor modifications: I made the leg longer by adding 7 (!) pattern repeats (my legs are not that long – maybe these really are meant for young ladies), shortened the heel flap (34 rows instead of 40 in the pattern), and in the toe I added some rows between the decrease rows, because the toe as written was too round for my feet.

Nyt olisi oikein mukava lähteä uusissa sukissa puistoon rauhalliselle kävelylle, pysähtyä ehkä kahville jonnekin, ja nauttia kauniista syyspäivästä… Korvan juuresta taukoamatta kuuluva manku tietää kuitenkin leikkipuistoreissua, joten pitsisukat ja samettihame saavat tällä kertaa jäädä kotiin. :-) Mukavaa lauantaita kaikille!

In the dream world I would now leave for a little peaceful walk in the park, wearing my new lace stockings and matching velvet dress. I would have a cup of coffee somewhere and just enjoy the lovely day… In the real world however, Onni has been whining the whole time I've been writing this, so I guess it's time to change my fancy dress for something more appropriate for playground. :-) Happy Saturday for all of you!

I have found my inner start-it-er

2007-09-06T14:41:00.000+03:00

Paljon luotuja silmukoita, eikä taaskaan mitään valmista. Näin se kävi:

Oh yes, I've cast on, several times. Here's how it went:

Brainylady Alison kirjoitti jokin aika sitten kudotuista ostoskasseista. Päätin heti tarvita sellaisen. Ohje, Elisa's Nest Tote, löytyy the purl bee -blogista.

First I saw this post by Brainylady Alison. I must have a knitted shop bag too, I decided. And so I started one. The pattern is Elisa's Nest Tote by the purl bee.

Sitten päätin, että tarvitsen jotain yksinkertaista bussineulottavaa. Tämä väri-iloittelu (Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, värin nimi on Watercolor) oli ensimmäinen sukkalankahankintani, ja voi miten se meni pieleen! Puolikkaan sukana jälkeen sovittiin visan kanssa, että jatkossa keskitytään hillitymmän värisiin lankoihin. En edelleenkään pidä langasta, enkä ymmärrä miksi se piti saada nyt puikoille. Lanka itsessään on kuitenkin mukavan tuntuista ja raidoittuu siivosti, joten jospa tällä kertaa tulisi valmista.

Then I decided that what I really need is something simple to knit on the bus. The yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Watercolor, was my first ever sock yarn purchase, and it took me exactly half a sock to realize that these multicolour yarns are not my cup of tea. I'm not quite sure what made me want to try knitting with this yarn again – I still don't like it. But, because the yarn is behaving (striping instead of pooling) and the yarn itself feels nice, I just may finish these this time.

Mutta voi! Verkkokassi ja sukkaparat on julmasti hylätty, koska nyt haluan vain tehdä aaltoja! Vihdoinkin löytyi täydellinen ohje kummitädiltäni saaduille kasvivärjätyille langoille. Ohje on Sarah Bradberryn Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl, joka löytyy täältä, ja innoittajina toimivat Cosmicpluton ja Hello Yarnin täydellisen ihanat huivit. Tästä tulee toivottavasti ihanan iso ja lämmittävä huivi, sopiva blogien lukemiseen ja sohvan nurkassa kyhjöttämiseen. Heippa siis, menen kutomaan. Mukavaa viikonloppua kaikille!

But the nest bag and the poor ugly socks have been cruelly abandoned, because now I'm head over heels in love with my latest project! I'm so happy that I've finally found a perfect project for the natural dyed yarns my godmother gave me some time ago. The pattern is Sarah Bradberry's Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl, and you can find the free pattern here. Just look at these gorgeous shawls by Cosmicpluto and Hello Yarn. Don't they make you feel like casting on for one too? Have a nice weekend you all!

Treasure hunting, part two

2007-09-01T14:07:00.000+03:00

30 mm

Tänään olisi ollut täydellinen päivä valmiin neuleen kuvaamiseen. Aurinko paistoi juuri sopivasti ja ilma oli mukavan viileä, ei olisi tullut hiki villavaatteessa poseeratessa. Kamera oli käyttövalmiina ja Onni leikki keskittyneesti legoillaan. Otti kyllä oikeasti päähän, että se valmis neule puuttui. Pöh.

I was in a mood for a finished object photoshoot today. Everything was perfect. The weather was sunny and cold so that there was enough light but still it was not too warm to pose in a woolen garment. The camera batteries were charged and Onni was happily playing with his legos. The only thing missing was the FO. Boo.

15 mm

31 mm

Ettei nyt ihan olisi mennyt hyvä valokuvaamisinspiraatio harakoille, päätin kuvata nappeja. Nämä ovat tämän kesän löytö vanhempieni kesämökiltä, jonka edellinen asukas olisi aivan varmasti kauhistellut tätä nykyistä kertakäyttökulttuuria. Kunpa hän voisi nähdä kuinka onnellisiksi nämä löydöt ovat tehneet meidät.

So instead I decided to show you something we found from my parent's summer house this summer. These buttons seem really old. The house used to belong to a lovely old lady, who apparently did not throw anything away. How I wish that she could see how appreciated these little treasures are to us.

37 mm – 30 mm

22 mm

Edelliset löytöretkikuvat löytyvät täältä. Äidin kuvia mökkiaarteista löytyy mm. täältä ja täältä.

My previous post about our treasure hunt can be found here. My mom has also posted some photos from the cottage, they can be found here and here.

20 mm

28 mm

Tweedy bird

2007-08-23T18:18:00.000+03:00

Muutama päivä täällä…

A few days here…

… tekee ihmeitä huiviprojektille! Lankakin riitti.

… and a new shawl is born! And I did have enough yarn!

Swallowtail Shawl
by Evelyn A. Clark
Pattern source: Interweave Knits, fall 2006
Yarn: Rowan Rowanspun 4 ply, 2,5 skeins, in shade Slate
Needles: 3,5 mm

Tämä on oikein sievä huivi, pidän erityisen paljon noista nyppylöistä. Lankavalinta tekee huivista ehkä vähän arkisen, mutta sekin sopii minulle mainiosti. Tähän mennessä tekemistäni kolmiohuiveista olen eniten pitänyt Felted Tweedistä kutomastani Birchistä. Toivottavasti tästä tulee samanlainen suosikki, Birch-ressu kun on jo vähän nuhjuinen.

This is a pretty shawl. The nupps! The nupps! I love them! The yarn I chose makes the shawl more casual somehow, which I really like. My most worn shawl is hands down my first one, Birch, knitted in Felted Tweed. I'm hoping that this one will prove to be as well liked as it's tweedy (and already a bit shabby) predecessor.

Pidin kovasti Rowanspun-langoista, harmi että menivät ne lakkauttamaan. Rowanspun 4 ply sopii ihan mukavasti huivilangaksi, valmis huivi on ihanan kevyt ja lämmin. Miinuksena voisi sanoa, että lanka on aika haurasta. Ei se kutoessa katkeillut, mutta huivia pingottaessa kyllä jännitti. Lopputulos on siis kaunis mutta pieni huivi – pitäisiköhän kutoa toinen vähän paksummasta langasta?

I liked the Rowanspun line, it's a pity that they discontinued it. Rowanspun 4 ply worked well for this pattern, the shawl is super light and warm. The yarn is quite fragile though. It didn't break while knitting, but I was terrified of breaking the yarn when I blocked the shawl. So the result is a nice but quite a small shawl – I'm already thinking about knitting another one, in a thicker yarn.

Jonkun tässä taloudessa olisi ehkä syytä ryhtyä ikkunanpesuun…

Hmmm, someone should perhaps wash the windows…

Rockin' New Projects!

2007-08-13T18:53:00.000+03:00

Uusien neuleiden aloittamisen vimma ei pahastikaan riivaa minua. Olen yleensä joko liian väsynyt tai liian laiska miettiäkseni lankavaihtoehtoja tai neuletiheyksiä, kaikkea sitä säätämistä jota aiheeseen liittyy. Joten silloin harvoin kun (silmukoiden)luomisvimma yllättää, otan siitä kaiken irti. Parin viikon sisällä neulekoriin on ilmestynyt kolme uutta yritelmää, kaikki pitsineuletta, eikä yksikään tietenkään listalta.

I don't tend to suffer from the startitis. Usually I'm just too tired or lazy to think about all the details that go into starting a new project. So when the startitis occasionally hits me, I take full advantage of it. Within a few weeks, I've started three new projects, all lace, and none from my list in this entry. I'll get to them too, I promise.

Nancy-sukat! Aivan täydellisen ihana malli – Evening Stockings for a Young Lady, Knitting Vintage Socks -kirjasta – jälleen kerran. Lankana on Rowanin 4 Ply Soft, josta piti alunperin tulla Anna-sukat Rowanin lehdestä nro 40, ja joka ei sittenkään ollut ihan niin ihanaa kuin odotin. Ihan mukavan pehmeää kyllä, mutta jos langan nimenä on Soft, niin odotukset ovat aika korkealla. Neulepinnasta tulee silti aivan oivaa, sukiksi sopivan tiivistä.

Nancy-socks! I'm madly in love with this sock. It's the Evening Stocking for a Young Lady, from Knitting Vintage Socks. I'm knitting it with Rowan's 4 Ply Soft (which I originally bought to make the Anna-socks from Rowan 40), yarn that is not quite as wonderful as I thought it would be. It's soft and nice alright, but I guess I expected more from a yarn that has "soft" in it's name. Nevertheless, I really like the resulting fabric, it's quite dense and will make good socks, me thinks.

Tämä huivi löytynee noin joka toisen neulojan Valmiit-albumista: Swallowtail Shawl syksyn 2006 IK:sta. Vähän jännittää uhkarohkean neulojan puolesta: ohjeen mukaan lankaa pitäisi olla 4oo metriä, ja minulla on noin 360 metriä (ja joka on siis Rowanspun 4 Ply:ta sävyssä slate).

I guess half of you have already knit this one: The Swallowtail Shawl, from IK fall 2006. I might run out of yarn. The pattern asks for 400 meters, and I've only got about 360. I like to live dangerously. The yarn, btw, is Rowanspun 4 Ply in shade slate.

Vielä yksi: Chic Knitsin Ariann. Täytyy toivoa, että tämä lanka olisi viimein kohdannut kumppaninsa, sitä kun ei ollut hienostunut raglanpaita eikä ratsastusbleiserikään. Vielä vaikuttaa lupaavalta.

And one more: Ariann, from Chic Knits. I'm hoping that the third time's the charm with this yarn, since I've already tried to knit the Refined Raglan and the Equestrian Blazer with it. So far so good.

Jee jee, meitsikin rokkaa! Ainakin Staceyn, Sonjan and Sinin mielestä, kiitos kovasti! Minusta äiti rokkaa, ja sisko. Olette rakkaat. :-)

Oh, and was I happy to find out that I rock! At least Stacey, Sonja and Sini think so. Thank you so much, girls! I pass this along to my mom and my sister. Love you!

So, where was the nearest canyon again?

2007-08-04T18:55:00.000+03:00

Canyon Hiking Socks
by Julia Trice
Pattern source: Greetings from Knit Cafe / Suzan Mischer
Size: medium
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton, 4 x 50 g
Needles: 3,25 mm

Jee! Miten täydelliset sukat: ihanan pehmeät ja lämpimät, eivät hitustakaan tylsät vaan oikein söpöt, ja sopivat kanjoneissa vaeltelun lisäksi mainiosti myös sohvaperunointiin.

I'm SO happy with my Canyon Hiking Socks! Not boring at all, super comfy and cute and very warm – perfect both for Californian hiking girls and Finnish couch potatoes.

Alunperin olin nuukuuksissani ostanut vain yhtä väriä raitoja varten (ylimmässä raidassa olevan tummanruskean), ja harkitsin jopa raitojen jättämistä kokonaan pois. Mutta ennen kuin ehdin aloittaa, sain sähköpostia sukkien suunnittelijalta Julialta, ja hän tarjoutui erittäin ystävällisesti lähettämään minulle omista sukistaan ylijääneet langanpätkät raitoja varten. Olen tosi iloinen, että päädyin raidalliseen versioon, sukat olisivat paljon tylsemmät ilman niitä. Kiitos Julia!

The stripes were a gift from the designer of the socks, Julia. Originally I had only bought one contrast colour for the stripes (the dark brown), and was actually thinking about leaving the stripes off completely. But I quickly changed my plan when Julia offered to send me the scraps from her socks. And I'm so glad I did, the stripes really make these socks! Thank you, Julia!

(Insert a boring title here)

2007-08-03T21:26:00.000+03:00

Sensational Knitted Socks
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura
Needles: 2,25 mm

Näistä tuli ihan kivat, ja ovat oikein mukavat jalassa, vaan olisivatkohan vähän tylsät? Pikkuisen puuduttaa jo tämä sukista bloggaaminen. Vai johtuuko tämä vain perjantaista?

I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out, and they are really comfortable, but – dare I say – also quite boring. Or perhaps it's just me being boring. It is Friday after all.

The list

2007-08-01T13:27:00.000+03:00

Monen kuukauden ajan "tämän neulon seuraavaksi" -listani on ollut aivan tyhjä. Epäonnisen Punchin jälkeen mikään ei ole oikein innostanut, paitsi sukat. Mutta nyt neuleideoita tulvii taas joka puolelta, ja lista kasvaa! Uudessa Rowan-lehdessäkin näyttäisi olevan muutama oikein lupaava malli. Kärkitiloilla ovat tällä hetkellä seuraavat ehdokkaat:

For many months, my to-do-list has been empty. All I was inspired to knit were socks. I blame Punch – it really took away my knitting mojo. But now, suddenly the inspiration is everywhere. And the list is growing! (And the new Rowan Magazine is out, looking very promising indeed!) So, here's the list in its current state:

1. Lacy Skirt with Bows, Greetings from Knit Cafe -kirjasta. Olen aina pitänyt hameen neulomista jokseenkin pöljänä ajatuksena, mutta nyt olen nähnyt valon! Ja Julian ja Jodyn hameet! Ihania neulehameohjeita on lukuisia, ja melkein kaikki näyttävät olevan Kat Coylen suunnittelemia. Kat taitaakin olla tämänhetkinen suosikkisuunnittelijani.

1. Lacy Skirt with Bows from Greetings from Knit Cafe, inspiration from Julia and Jody. I've never ever even considered knitting a skirt before, and now I'm seeing beautiful skirts everywhere. And they all seem to be designed by Kat Coyle, who just might be my favourite designer right now.

Harmi vain, ettei lankavarastostani oikein löydy hamelankoja. Ainoasta sopivasta langasta olen jo kutomassa Camisaa syksyn 2006 Knitscenestä, Kat Coylen malli tämäkin. Nyt sitten pitäisi päättää, että purkaisinko topinalun ja käyttäisin langan hameeseen, vai jatkaisinko Camisaa, josta kyllä kovasti pidän, mutta joka ei ehkä sittenkään oikein ole tyyliseni... voi mikä ongelma. Uuden langan ostaminen EI ole vaihtoehto. Vaikka Rowanin Denimistä tuo hame olisi kyllä oikein kiva...

The problem is that the only yarn suitable for this skirt in my stash is being knitted into something else – Camisa from Knitscene fall 2006, this one's by Kat Coyle too – and now I can't decide whether to continue knitting the top or to rip it and start a skirt. (Buying new yarn is NOT an option right now. Although I would love to make the skirt in Rowan's Denim...) I love Camisa, it's a lovely design, but I'm getting second thoughts whether it will look good on me... oh the decisions!

2. Kelly Maherin Ribbed Lace Bolero. Tämä näyttää mukavan nopealta työltä, ja sopivaa lankaakin (Rowanin All Seasons Cottonia tummanharmaana) löytyy omasta takaa juuri oikea määrä.

3. Minty Freshin Bainbridge Scarf. Eikös olekin söpö!

2. Ribbed Lace Bolero by Kelly Maher. This one looks like a nice and quick project, and I even have the yarn in my stash (Rowan's All Seasons Cotton in dark grey) to cast on right way. Yay.

3. Bainbridge Scarf by MintyFresh. Isn't this the cutest!

4. JoLene Treacen Wine and Roses Mitts talven 2006 Interweave Knits -lehdestä. Ihastuin näihin Riikan käsineisiin niin, että päätin käyttää samaa lankaa, Dropsin Alpacaa joko vihreänä tai munakoison värisenä.

5. Listalta löytyy vielä kaksi Laura Chaun mallia, Thermal ja Cavern Cardigan. Tässä muutama kaunis Thermal; ja tässä täydellinen Cavern.

4. Wine and Roses Mitts from Interweave Knits winter 2006, by JoLene Treace, inspiration from Riikka. To totally copy her, I'm gonna use Drops Alpaca too, in green or purple.

5. Two Laura Chau designs, Thermal and Cavern Cardigan are also on my list. Here are a few of my favourite Thermals; and here's a perfect Cavern.

- - -

Olen tässä vähän harkinnut siirtymistä kirjoittamaan blogia vain englanniksi. Kahdella kielellä bloggaamisessa on kaksinkertainen työ. Tiedustelenkin nyt, onko blogillani paljon lukijoita, joita tämä harmittaisi kovasti? Hihkaise kommenteissa, jos haluat jatkossakin lukea suomenkielistä mustaa villaa.

I missed you, Nancy!

2007-07-27T18:37:00.000+03:00

Sataa. Onni on yökylässä mummun luona. Viini on kylmää, ja keittiössä rakas mieheni valmistaa päivällistä. Kaiken tämän ihanuuden lisäksi puikoilla on uusi jännittävä neuleprojekti. Elämä on pullaa!

Onpa mukava pitkästä aikaa kutoa kirjoneuletta. Ohje on Meida's Mittens Folk Knitting in Estonia -kirjasta, ja lankana kaikenlaisia jämiä: sinistä ja harmaata näistä sukista, viininpunaista näistä, ja pikkuisen oranssia tästä huivista. Tuo oranssi kyllä vähän huolettaa. Mahtaakohan se olla liian räikeä, mitä mieltä olette?

It's raining. Onni is visiting his grandmother, and will not be back until tomorrow morning. I'm sipping wine, and my husband is preparing the dinner. AND I have a new exciting project on the needles. Please don't wake me up.

What you see above is the cuff of Meida's Mitten, from Folk Knitting in Estonia. I'm knitting it in all kinds of leftovers, some from these socks, some from these, and a little bit from this scarf. I'm thoroughly enjoying the pattern, it's so much fun to do fair isle again! I'm just little worried about the orange – does it look too bright to you?

Lohtulankaa Knitteryltä (Merino 4ply Fingering 100% Merino Wool, sävynä chocolate):

Comfort yarn from Knittery (Merino 4ply Fingering 100% Merino Wool, in shade chocolate):

Jos tämä lanka ei ilmesty puikoille hetimiten, olen hyvinkin saattanut syödä sen.

If you don't see this yarn on the needles very soon, I just might have eaten it.

The state of things

2007-07-22T12:41:00.000+03:00

Sukkarintamalle kuuluu seuraavaa: valmiina yksi ihana Canyon Hiking -sukka ja melkein valmiina ihan kiva Twin Rib -sukka. Anniversary-sukan purin, meillä ei enää natsannut.

Kotirintamalle kuuluu seuraavaa: Onni-ressu sairastaa angiinaa, kukaan ei nuku. Huomenna alkavat työt. Jee.

(Sähköpostikirjeenvaihtoni on aivan retuperällä, anteeksi kaikille jotka ovat odottaneet minulta postia! Yritän ehtiä vastailemaan tässä lähiaikoina, kun tilanne vähän rauhoittuu.)

The state of the sock knitting: one Canyon Hiking Sock finished (love it!), one Twin Rib Sock almost finished (like it), and one Anniversary Sock ripped (I wasn't feeling the love anymore).

The state of the Black Wool family: one very sick little boy (tonsillitis), two very tired parents (no sleep). Back to work tomorrow. Yay.

(I'm terribly behind on answering my email, and I'm so sorry about that! I'll try my very best to catch up soon.)

Socks That Wait

2007-07-16T18:07:00.000+03:00

Miksi mitään ei tapahdu? Kurkistetaanpa neulekoriin.

Let's see what's in the knitting basket, shall we?

1. Twin Rib Sock Charlene Schurchin Sensational Knitted Socks -kirjasta, lankana Trekking Pro Natura. Tähän pitäisi tehdä kantapää, mutta kun ei millään jaksaisi.

1. Twin Rib Sock from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks, in Trekking Pro Natura, waiting for the lazy knitter to start the heel. Haven't felt motivated to do that quite yet.

2. Canyon Hiking Sock Greetings from Knit Cafe -kirjasta, lankana Rowan Wool Cotton. En tykkää näistä Brittanyn koivupuikoista, eivät ole tarpeeksi liukkaat ainakaan tälle langalle. Uusia puikkoja on odoteltu saapuviksi jo viikkoja.

2. Canyon Hiking Sock from Greetings from Knit Cafe, in Rowan Wool Cotton, waiting for a more suitable set of needles, which are unfortunately back-ordered. These Brittany birch needles are not smooth enough for this yarn.

3. Anniversary Sock Favorite Socks -kirjasta, lankana Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock. Tiesin jo kantapäätä kutoessani, että siitä tulee aivan liian töpö, mutta noudatin härkäpäisesti ohjetta. Nyt pitäisi sitten purkaa ja tehdä kantalapusta pidempi. Tylsää!

3. Anniversary Sock from Favorite Socks, in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, waiting for the lazy knitter to rip the heel and knit it longer. I knew when knitting it that the heel flap was too short for me, and yet I decided to follow the pattern. I'm lazy AND stupid.

4. Colinette Jitterbug, sävynä Summer Berries. Kesäloman viimeisellä viikolla saa aloittaa niin monta uutta sukkaprojektia kuin tahtoo, eikö vain?

4. Colinette Jitterbug in shade Summer Berries. I think I'm in need of a new inspiring sock project, this being my last summer vacation week and all.

This used to be a knitting blog

2007-07-11T14:09:00.000+03:00

Kotona taas! Tämänkertainen mökkireissu oli vähän sateinen, mutta silti oikein mukava. Mökillä on aina ollut kivaa:

We're back from the summer cottage again. This time it was a bit rainy, but we enjoyed our stay there nevertheless. This place has been a huge part of my life, right from the beginning:

Minä vuonna 1973, kummisetä uittaa. Rakastin vettä ihan pienestä pitäen, joten onkin ihme, että minusta tuli isompana niin surkea uimari. Vaikka pidän edelleen uimisesta, en osaa sukeltaa enkä edes laittaa päätäni pinnan alle ilman että nenään menee vettä. Nenä on kyllä aika iso. Heh.

That's me, in 1973, with my godfather. I loved water, and was totally fearless about it. I wonder why I still became such a bad swimmer? Anyway, I still like swimming a lot, although I never learned how to dive, or even put my head below the surface without getting water in my nose. Maybe because I have such a big nose? Hehee.

Pitäisikö olla jotain neuleasiaakin? Neulomisinnostus on kateissa, mutta otin sentään villasukat kengissä -kuvan uusimmistani. Kengät ovat äidin muovisandaalit 60-luvulta, hirvittävän liukkaat mutta oikein somat.

The knitting? There has been very little to no knitting lately. But I did take a socks with shoes photo of my Black Walnut socks. The shoes are my mom's vintage plastic shoes from the 60's, and they are extremely slippery. Cute, still.

#14

2007-06-30T17:00:00.000+03:00

Black Walnut Socks
Pattern: Toe up, 60 stitches, short-row toe and heel from Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Fingering Weight, in Black Walnut
Needles: 2,5 mm

Syötävän ihana saksanpähkinälanka napsahti palkinnoksi Iselin blogikisassa. Vaan olipahan hankalaa valokuvattavaa! Sukat eivät suostuneet ikuistumaan oikean värisinä sitten millään. Joten siristäkää silmiänne ja kuvitelkaa sukat tummempina ja vähemmän punaisina. Kiitos.

I won this yarn in Isel's blog contest – and I love it. But man it was difficult to photograph! I just couldn't get the colours right, no matter what I tried. In real life the socks are darker and the red stripes are not quite that visible. So I'll appreciate if you could just imagine that. Thank you.

Sukkamalli on sama kuin vähän aikaa sitten tekemissäni Yarn over Cable -sukissa, korvasin vain minipalmikot 2o 2n -joustimella. Näihin sukkiin kokeilin short row toe -aloitusta (oisko tämä nyt sitten tiimalasikärki?), ja pidin siitä enemmän kuin easy toe -aloituksesta, jonka tein Yarn over Cable -sukkiin. Molempien ohjeet löytyvät Sensational Knitted Socks -kirjasta. (Jos joku fiksu päättäisi keksiä kaikille näille sukantekotermeille suomalaiset käännökset ja koota ne sanastoksi, olisi ainakin tämä neuloja oikein iloinen ja kiitollinen. Marjut? :-)) Viimeisellä kerroksella ennen päättelyä lisäsin yhden silmukan neljän silmukan välein, aina kahden nurjan silmukan väliin, ja niinpä reunasta tuli mukavan joustava. Olinpa nokkela. :-D

The socks are pretty plain. They are almost the same as the Yarn over Cable socks I did a little while ago, I just substituted the little cables for a simple k2 p2 rib. I started with a short row toe (I liked it better than the easy toe, both from Sensational Knitted Socks), and then did the short roe heel, which I very much like. On the last row before casting off I increased 1 stitch between the two purl stitches in every purl column, and that made the cast off edge nice and stretchy. I felt very clever about this little invention. :-D

The big fish

2007-06-28T21:16:00.000+03:00

Kalastajat / The fishers

Saalis / The catch

Päivällinen / The dinner

Onnellinen neuloja / The happy knitter

I am an autumn

2007-06-09T20:48:00.000+03:00

Wisconsin Winter Scarf
Pattern source: Handknit Holidays / Melanie Falick, pattern by Cynthia Crescenzo
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino DK, 5 x 50 g
Needles: 5 mm

Ensimmäisen lomapäivän kunniaksi on mukava esitellä uusi villainen kaulahuivini. Tämä oli onnistunut projekti: opin tekemään palmikoita ilman palmikkopuikkoa (kiitokset Grumperinalle hyvästä ohjeesta), ja lopputuloskin miellyttää, etenkin väri, joka saa silmäni näyttämään hyvin vihreiltä.

Today is the first day of my summer holiday, and what better way to celebrate it than to finish a warm woollen scarf! And I like this one, a lot. I like the knit-without-a-cable-needle-cables (thanks to Grumperina the Great for her awesome tutorial) and I love the colour; it makes my eyes look very green.

En ollut aluksi langasta kovinkaan innostunut, mutta pesu ja pingotus pehmensivät sen ihan käyttökelpoiseksi. Ja lämminhän tälläinen täysvillainen huivi tietysti on, ainakin kesähelteillä.

I was a bit blah about the yarn at first, but after washing and blocking it feels quite nice and soft. And warm, especially when worn in June.

Nytpä tiedän muuten senkin, että olen syksy. Työnantaja kustansi ystävällisesti työtiimillemme värianalyysin, joka oli tosi mielenkiintoinen kokemus! Syksyn värit ovat lämpimiä, murrettuja ja maanläheisiä – minulle sopivat siis kaikki ruskeat, keltaiset, oranssinpunaiset ja vihreät sävyt, joissa on keltainen/kultainen pohjasävy. Huivin vihreä löytyy aivan identtisenä viuhkastani (neljäs liuska oikealta, toinen väri ylhäältä), joten ei ihme, että se tuntui niin omalta. Kiellettyjen värien listalla ovat pinkki ja valitettavasti myös musta, jota vaatekaappini on täynnä. Ja löytyyhän sitä lankakaapistakin…

See that bright green in the fourth strip from the right, second from the top? That's exactly the colour of my scarf. And that's great, because these are the colours that suit me best. Me and a couple of my co-workers had the opportunity to go to a colour analysis, and it was very interestin. And, as it turned out, I am an autumn. The autumn colours are warm, earthy and muted – rusty browns, burnt oranges, golden yellows and greens. No pink, definitely no black, which is sad considering that 80 % of my clothes are black.

Häpeäkseni täytyy tosin tunnustaa, että nämä kaunokaiset on ostettu analyysin jälkeen. Taidan olla mahdoton käännytettävä. Eläköön, musta villa!

Even more sad is that I've bought this yarn after the analysis. Apparently I cannot be converted. Black wool, forever!

Sensational Socks

2007-05-17T11:38:00.000+03:00

Yarn over Cable socks
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Koigu Premium Merino, colour 2239, 2 x 50 g
Needles: 2,5 mm

Uudet lempparisukat! Väri on täydellinen (ja oikeasti vähän tummempi, tätä väriä oli tosi hankala saada kuvatuksi oikein), sukat sopivat jalkaan mainiosti ja malli on oikein soma. Tykkään kovasti noista pikku-palmikoista, etenkin kun ne olivat niin helppotekoisia. Tämä on ehkä tullut mainituksi jo aiemminkin, mutta kertauksen vuoksi: me täällä Mustassa Villassa arvostamme suuresti yksinkertaisia ja helppoja asioita.

These socks are my new favourites. The colour is perfect (and a bit darker in real life – purple proved to be very difficult to photograph), the fit is good, and the pattern is very pretty. I love the little cables, and I love the fact that they were very easy to do. I know I've said this many times, but here goes again: Easy and mindless are the two things very highly appreciated here at Mustaa villaa.

Nämä sukat ovat myös ensimmäiset kärjestä aloitetut sukkani. Suhtauduin tähän ylösalaisin-tyyliin äärimmäisen epäilevästi, ja kuten kävi ilmi, aivan turhaan. Tiimalasikantapääkin istuu jalkaan oikein hienosti. Parasta on tietysti, että langan voi käyttää viimeiseen senttimetriin.

These socks are also my first toe up socks. I was doubtful, yes, but now I've seen the light. No left over yarn! No picking up stitches! (I know you can make a short row heel to a top down sock too. And I actually kinda like the picking up stitches. But still.) And to my surprise the short row heel fits just fine.

Apua, sukassani on virhe! Whoops! Can you spot the mistake?

Random stuff

2007-05-08T15:31:00.000+03:00

Eilinen jooga-tunti oli niin tehokas, että tänään Terhiin sattuu joka paikkaan. Pääkin on kipeä. Joten tässä valikoima sekalaisia ajatuksia, olkaa hyvä.

I had a very efficient yoga class yesterday, and now every inch of my body is aching. Including my brain. So here are just some random things from the top of my head.

Supermegakiitokset kaikille lukuisista Hedera-kehuistanne! Olette ihania! PUS! Seuraava sukkaparini on Yarn over cable -sukat Sensational Knitted Socks -kirjasta, lankana Koigu. (Sekä kirjan että langan sain viime vuonna juuri näihin aikoihin synttärikamultani Micheleltä. Elämme siis jännittäviä aikoja. :-)) Nämä ovat ihkaensimmäiset kärjestä aloitetut sukkani, ja niissä on myös ensimmäiset aikuiskokoiset tiimalasikantapäät. Jännää!

Thank you SO. MUCH. for all the lovely comments about my Hederas! I still love them very much, and I love you guys! Mwah mwah! My new socks in progress are the Yarn over cable socks from Sensational Knitted Socks, and the yarn is Koigu. (I got both the yarn and the book from my birthday buddy Michele last year right this time. So you can bet I'm eagerly waiting for the postman every day now. :-)) These are my first toe up socks, and they also have my first adult sized short row heels. Exciting!

Varokaa Ravelrya! Jos haluat kotisi pysyvän pölyttömänä ja perheesi saavan terveellistä ja monipuolista ruokaa, älä missään nimessä klikkaa linkkiä. Meillä sen sijaan taidetaan tänäänkin syödä pinaattilettuja, kun äiti vain ottaa kuvia lankakeristään. Lankavarastoa penkoessa löytyi muuten pussillinen Rowanin Kid Classicia, joka on odotellut sopivan ohjeen löytymistä jo vuosia. Kaikki ohjeideat otetaan kiitollisena vastaan!

Be aware of Ravelry. If you have any wishes for having time to spend doing something like housework, don't go there. I did, and now all I do is take photos of my yarn. Also, if anyone has any ideas of what to knit with 10 balls of Rowan Kid Classic, I'd be happy to hear. This yarn has been in my stash for ages, and I just don't seem to find the right pattern for it.

Pitkästä aikaa puikoilla on jotain muuta kuin sukkia. Pitkällisen nykertämisen jälkeen olen saanut aikaan muutaman sentin Arctic Diamonds -huivia. Kamalan hidasta, ihan tulee sukankudinta ikävä! Mutta lanka (Drops Alpaca ihanan purppuraisena) on ihanaa ja ohje kaunis, joten jatkan sitkeästi. Uskomatonta on, että Sigga sai omansa valmiiksi 17 päivässä. Menemme muuten tänään yhdessä kahville. Jee!

It's been a while since I've knitted something other than socks. This is the modest beginning of the Arctic Diamonds Stole (the pattern is from IK winter 2006), in the most gorgeous shade of purple Drops Alpaca. I love the yarn and I love the pattern, but it grows very slowly. I can't believe that Sigga finished hers in 17 days. Speaking of Sigga, we are gonna meet today for coffee and knitting! Yay!

Onni ongella. Tule jo kesä!

Onni fishing. Oh summer come soon!

Muratti (Hedera helix)

2007-04-28T18:06:00.000+03:00

Hedera
Pattern source: Knitty spring 06 / Cookie A.
Yarn: Sundara Sock Yarn in Green Giant
Needles: 2,5 mm

Tästä langasta piti tulla Jaywalkerit, kahteen kertaan jopa. Ensimmäisellä yrityksellä lanka raidoittui oikein kauniisti, mutta sukka ei mahtunut jalkaan. Toisella kerralla koko oli sopiva, mutta lanka alkoi temppuilla ja muodostaa rumia läikkiä ja kaikenlaista siksak-kuviota. Luovutin siis, ja päätin etsiä toisen sukkamallin. Ja näistä sukista tulikin oikein kivat! Pikkuisen näissäkin näkyy tuollaista spiraali-kuviota, mutta ei onneksi liian häiritsevästi. Huh.

I so wanted this yarn to become Jaywalkers. I did try, two times. At first try the yarn striped beautifully, but the sock was way too tight. When I got the size right the yarn started to pool very unattractively. Me no likey pooling at all. So I gave up and knit Hederas instead, and I have to say that I am very pleased with how these socks came out. There is a little pooling, but not enough to be annoyed with. Phew.

Nämä ovat ensimmäiset Cookie A. -sukkani, ja ohje oli mainio. Muutamia pieniä muutoksia kuitenkin tein. Ensimmäisen sukan valmistuttua lankaa olikin jäljellä vielä reippaasti, ja koska pidän mahdollisimman pitkistä sukista (nilkkasukkakiintiö taisi tulla täyteen 80-luvulla), päätin purkaa sukan kantalapun alkuun ja lisätä varteen pituutta. Kaiken kaikkiaan kudoin varteen 20 mallikertaa (ohjeessa on 14). Eikä lankaa jäänyt kuin ihan pieni nöttönen, jee! Lisäksi tein kantalapun lyhyemmäksi kuin ohjeessa, jossa se on mielestäni aika pitkä.

These are my first Cookie A. socks, and the pattern was really well written. I only made some minor changes. Afted I had knit the first sock I had quite a lot of yarn left over, and since I like my socks as long as possible (no ankle socks for me!), I decided to rip the foot and the heel, and knit more repeats to the leg. I ended up knitting 20 repeats instead of the 14 in the pattern, and now I have almost no left over yarn! Yay! Another change was to shorten the heel flap. It's quite long in the pattern, and this shorter one seems to fit my feet better.

Sundaran sukkalanka pääsee oitis suosikkisukkalankalistalleni. Käyn säännöllisesti ihailemassa uusia sävyjä Sundaran sivuilla. Enkä ilmeisesti ole ainoa: en ole vielä kertaakaan ehtinyt kaupan sivuille ajoissa tekemään ostoksia, kaikki on aina loppuunmyytyä. Lankavarastossani on vielä toisen sukkaparin verran Sundaran lankaa. Se täytynee säästää pahan päivän varalle.

Sundara's yarn is a dream to knit with. And I just love her colours, I usually like every single colourway she posts in her shop updates. The yarn sells really quickly, and I always seem to miss the updates! Luckily there's another pair's worth of Sundara sock yarn in my stash. I might have to save it for bad days in the future.

Two Lailas

2007-04-15T20:51:00.000+03:00

Laila's Socks
Pattern source: Folk Knitting in Estonia / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Vuorelma's Satakieli, blue 088 (60 g) and grey 901 (30 g)
Needles: 2,25 mm

Näin Lailat ensimmäisen kerran melkein puolitoista vuotta sitten Sundaran blogissa, ja ihastuin sukkiin kovasti. Omistani piti tulla ihan samanlaiset, sillä Sundara lähetti minulle ylijäämälankansa. Mutta koska olen hyvä muuttamaan mieltäni, päätin sittenkin kutoa sukat Vuorelman Satakielestä, ja säästää suloisen pehmeät kashmir-langat johonkin muuhun projektiin (tällä hetkellä suunnitelmissa ykkössijalla ovat Mamluke-sukat Folk Knitting -kirjasta).

Pidin Satakielestä. Se poikkeaa jokseenkin täydellisesti silkinsileistä ja pehmeistä luksussukkalangoista, joita olen viime aikoina hehkuttanut. Puikoilla lanka tuntui silti mukavalta ja joutuisalta, ja erityisesti kirjoneulekerroksilla langan karheus oli vain eduksi. Kaikkein herkkähipiäisimmille en lankaa suosittele, mutta paksunahkaisille (kuten minä) ja kirjoneuleisiin lanka sopii mainiosti

I've wanted to knit these socks ever since I saw Sundara's Lailas over a year ago. Actually, she even sent me her leftover yarns, but as I was eager to try Vuorelma's Satakieli, I decided to save the cashmere for another pair (right now I'm thinking of making the Mamluke Socks from Folk Knitting with it, but I'm fickle, so you never know).

Satakieli differs a lot from the other sock yarns I've used recently. It is not smooth, soft or silky, but still I like it. It's a bit sticky, and that makes it easier to maintain an even tension while knitting the fair isle rows. The yarn is quite itchy though, so I wouldn't recommend it if you have a sensitive skin. I'm thick-skinned, so I'm definitely gonna use it again for fair isle socks.

Nancyn ohjetta oli jälleen kerran ilo seurata. Tämä on oikeastaan aika helppo malli, ja sopisi mielestäni hyvin ensimmäiseksi kirjoneuleprojektiksi, sillä varsinaista kirjoneuletta sukissa on aika vähän. Siis helppo mutta näyttävä malli, mikäs sen mukavampaa.

Nancy's pattern was again a delight to knit. It was easy too, a perfect project for someone who wants to try fair isle knitting for the first time, since there are really not that many actual fair isle rows. Easy but impressive. Me likey.

I'm going slightly mad

2007-04-13T19:51:00.000+03:00

Raitapolvisukat (striped knee high socks) from Sukkasillaan
Ohut Pirkkalanka in dark brown and green

It finally happened – happened
It finally happened – ooh oh
It finally happened – I'm slightly mad
Oh dear!
Queen / I'm going slightly mad

Evening Stockings for a Young Lady from Knitting Vintage Socks
Rowan 4 ply soft in Victoria

Sukkapakkomielteeni on muodostunut vakavaksi. On harmillista, ettei koko päivää voi viettää kutoen – pahuksen työ! – mutta koko päivän voi kyllä ajatella sukka-ajatuksia. Tällä viikolla olen enimmäkseen pohtinut polvisukkakysymyksiä. Jos tämä on hulluutta, olen jo onneksi ohittanut sen vaiheen, jossa välittäisin.

I cannot stop thinking about socks (this week's obsession: knee highs!). When I'm not knitting socks (sadly that would be most of my waking time, since I have to work too), I'm obsessively thinking about knitting socks (they cannot rule my mind. Hahaa!). This might be a bit crazy, but never I mind. Socksockssocksockssocks.

Canyon Hiking Socks from Greetings from Knit Cafe
Rowan Wool Cotton in Beechnut and Coffee Rich

I'm knitting with only one needle
Unravelling fast it's true
Queen / I'm going slightly mad

Minulla on sentään vielä viisi puikkoa. Mahtoikohan Freddie kutoa?

Well luckily I'm not quite there yet. I wonder if Freddie knit?

Happy feet

2007-04-06T13:14:00.000+03:00

Gentleman's Fancy Sock
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 Sock Yarn, in Burgundy
Needles: 2,5 mm

Tämä sukkaohje oli miehen jalalle. Vaikka jalkani ovat isot, eivät ne sentään ihan herrasmieskokoa ole, joten ohjetta piti pikkuisen muokata. 80 silmukan sijaan aloitin 72:lla, ja kavensin 63 silmukkaan. Kärjessä tein nauhakavennuksen sijaan sädekavennuksen – en erityisemmin pidä silmukoimisesta, ja minusta tuo pyöreä kavennus on oikeastaan kauniimpikin.

I have big feet. However they are not quite gentleman sized, so I made a few modifications to the pattern. I cast on 72 stitches instead of 80, and decreased down to 63 stitches. I also substituted the Wide Toe in the pattern for a Round Toe. I love the Round Toe: no grafting! And it looks pretty too.

Fleece Artistin sukkalanka on läkähdyttävän ihanaa. I-ha-naa. Lanka on tosi pehmeää, ja siinä on kaunis silkkinen kiilto. Valitettavasti myös pidän melkein kaikista langan semi-solid-sävyistä, ja pahoin pelkään, että kohta ne hyppäävät ostoskoriin ja matkaavat kohti Suomea.

The yarn is to die for. Really. I'm sitting on my hands, trying to keep myself from buying more of it. I love almost all of the semi-solid colours they have, they are just gorgeous. And the yarn is so soft, and has a really nice shine. My feet are very happy.

Don't they make a lovely couple?

2007-03-31T12:09:00.000+03:00

Valmiina yksi Herrasmiehen hieno sukka ja yksi Lailan sukka.

One Gentleman's Fancy Sock and one Laila's Sock finished.

Joten miksi ihmeessä puikoilla on tällä hetkellä yksi kappale Hederaa? Tämän täytyy olla toisen sukan syndroomaa.

And one Hedera started, in Sundara's sock yarn in Green Giant. I guess this is what they call the Second Sock Syndrome.

Resistance is futile

2007-03-25T18:23:00.000+03:00

Katsokaa tarkasti tuota oikeanpuoleista lankaa: siinä syy lankalakkoni päättymiseen. Ihan turha pyristellä vastaan, kun löytää jotain näin täydellisen vihreää. Sitä paitsi tästä langasta näyttää syntyvän pelkästään kauniita sukkia. Lanka on Fleece Artist Merinoa, ja värin nimi on Moss. Vasemmalla kuvassa samaa lankaa värissä Aqua, ei ehkä niin hengästyttävän upeaa kuin sammalsisarensa, mutta kaunista sekin.

See that innocent-looking green yarn on the right? It's bad yarn, very bad yarn - it's the very thing that broke my diet. After seeing these and these, I knew that I have no choice: I must have that yarn. It's Fleece Artist Merino 2/6, in Moss, and it's gorgeous. The yarn on the left is Aqua, maybe not as breathtaking as her scheming sister but beautiful all the same.

Fleece Artist -laumani kolmas vyyhti on jo muuntumassa sukiksi. Burgundysta tulee isona Gentleman's Fancy Socks. Lanka on ihanaa kudottavaa, silkinsileää ja joutuisaa, ja nämä värit ovat kyllä aivan syötäviä! Namnamnam. :-)

The third skein of my Fleece Artist flock is already transforming into socks. I love knitting with this yarn, it's so smooth and silky, and the colours are perfect! This one is called Burgundy, and it's going to be Gentleman's Fancy Socks when it's all grown up.

Ostoskoriin pujahti myös - ihan vahingossa! - kaksi vyyhtiä Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock -lankaa, sävynä Manzanita. Somia ovat.

I also accidentally bought two skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Manzanita. Whoops.

Eikä siinäkään vielä kaikki. Osallistuin jokin aika sitten Iselin järjestämään blogiarvontaan, ja minä olin toinen voittajista! Jee! Palkintona oli kaksi vyyhtiä Claudia's Handpainted Yarns -sukkalankaa, värin nimi on Black Walnut. Valokuvasta voi vain aavistaa, kuinka upeat värit tässäkin langassa on. Ny pitäisi vain löytää täydelliselle langalle täydellinen malli - ideoita? Kiitos tuhannesti, Isel!

And that's still not all. These beauties are from Isel over at iSel Knits. She had a blog contest a while back, and I was the extremely lucky winner of two skeins of Claudia's Handpainted Yarns in Black Walnut. I'm afraid my photography doesn't do justice to how gorgeous the colours are. I am really looking forward to knitting this, I'll just have to find the perfect pattern. (Any ideas?) Thank you so much, Isel!

Little child's socks for big feet

2007-03-17T15:10:00.000+02:00

Little Child's Sock
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential
Needles: 2,5 mm

Postipoika toi eilen ison paketillisen uutta sukkalankaa (mikä langanostolakko?), joten tuli kiire saada nämä sukat alta pois. Ihan kivat näistä tuli, ovat mukavat jalassa, ja toivottavasti kestävät kulutusta paremmin kuin silkkivillaiset kilttisukat (joista tykkään edelleen ihan älyttömästi!).

Ohjeeseen tein yhden muutoksen, aloitin pohjekavennukset 20 kerrosta aikaisemmin kuin ohjeessa, jossa ne olivat minusta omituisen lähellä kantapäätä. Muuten seurasin Nancyä uskollisesti.

I got a big package of new sock yarn in the mail yesterday (oh yes, I'm done dieting), so I was very anxious to get these finished. I like these socks, and although they are not as glorious as the Kilt Hose, they are nice and comfortable and hopefully more durable than the silk/wool stockings too.

I made one modification to the pattern: I started the calf decreases 20 rows earlier than in the pattern, where they were placed near the heel. Otherwise I followed the pattern to the letter.

Shortly

2007-03-11T16:03:00.000+02:00

Ensimmäinen Little Child's Sock on valmis, ja toinenkin on kovasti tuloillaan. Jalassa sukka näyttää oikein somalta, vaikkei kuvasta uskoisi.

The first Little Child's Sock is done. It's a pretty little sock, and very soon it'll have a mate too.

Ihana Laila! Valitsemani värit ovat synkähköt, mutta jotenkin kovin suomalaiset. Tulee lapsuus mieleen (joka ei kyllä ollut ollenkaan synkkä).

Meet Laila! The colours look quite gloomy, but also very very Finnish - this sock reminds me of my childhood somehow (which was not gloomy at all).

Refined Raglan -ressu on riistetty puikoilta. Lanka oli malliin aivan liian painava, mutta toivoakseni juuri sopivan jämäkkä Equestrian Jackettiin. Olen tyytyväinen.

Poor Refined Raglan got ripped. The yarn was way too heavy for the design, but I think it'll be perfect for the Equestrian Jacket. I'm happy.

The sunny side of the sofa

2007-03-04T18:58:00.000+02:00

Neuleeni syntyvät tässä sohvannurkassa. Viime sunnuntaina kuvaa ottaessani paistoi aurinko, mikä teki muutenkin mukavasta ja leppoisasta neulomishetkestä täydellisen. Aurinko on paistanut sisäisestikin: olen ihan tavattoman kiitollinen ja onnellinen ja liikuttunut kaikista ihanista kilttisukkakommenteistanne. Kiitos! :-)

This is where I knit. Sometimes, like last Sunday when I took this photo, I have the luxury of knitting in the sun. Mmmm, sun and knitting, two of my favourite things! Lately I've been feeling all sunny inside too, thanks to your wonderful comments on my Kilt Hose. Thank you so much for the sock love, people! I've been smiling ever since. :-)

Uusi sukka valmistuu jo kovaa vauhtia. Nancy Bushin Little Child's Sock on Knitting Vintage Socks -kirjasta, lankana KnitPicksin Essential. Tämä eteneekin pikaisesti, ensimmäinen sukka on kärkikavennuksia vaille valmis. Jee!

There's a new sock on the needles: Nancy Bush's Little Child's Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks, in KnitPicks Essential. I'm flying through this one! The photo was taken on Sunday, and now the first sock's almost finished. Yay!

Ja tässä sitten jotain pikkuisen työläämpää… Kävin viime viikolla tapaamassa sukkamestaritätiäni Miimiä, ja riemukseni huomasin, että ensi jouluna koko suku saa lahjaksi lapinsukat! Neljä paria oli jo tehty, monen monet vielä tekemättä. Sain tiiviin lapinsukkaoppitunnin (kudoinkin yhden rivin enkä sotkenut tietääkseni mitään!), ja lupasin yrittää samaa kotona.

And here's something a bit more time-consuming. I visited my sock-knitting-goddess-aunt Miimi last week, and I was thrilled to see that she had started knitting Lapland socks for next Christmas. Four pairs finished so far, many many more still to be knitted. I got a quick lesson (I even knit one row, and didn't mess anything), and I promised her that I would try knitting a pair of my own...

Tämä näyttää kyllä aika huolestuttavalta. Anskattookuinkäy.

... but frankly, this looks quite intimidating. But try I will.

Lankaa, uutta lankaa! Kultainen Elena lähetti minulle vastalahjaksi ihan pikkuriikkisestä palveluksesta tämän kauniin kerän sukkalankaa, ihania (mutta huonosti kuvissa käyttäytyviä) nappeja ja suklaata (joka ei näkynyt kuvissa lainkaan, aika outoa). Tuhannesti kiitoksia Elena! Lankalaihiksen kestäminen helpottui huomattavasti! :-)

Hey, that's yarn! And I'm still on a yarn diet! How's that possible? I did a small, no, tiny, favor to Elena, and she sent me this lovely sock yarn, buttons (also lovely but very difficult to photograph) and chocolate (impossible to photograph). Thank you so much, Elena! You made my diet so much easier! :-)

Flùir na h-Alba

2007-03-02T15:27:00.000+02:00

Highland Schottische Kilt Hose
Pattern source: Folk Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Regia Silk, 3 x 50 g
Needles: 2,5 mm

Minulla on täydellisen ihanat uudet sukat. Tällä kertaa en keksi mitään purnattavaa, ihmeellistä!

Happy, happy, happy! I love my new socks! I don't think I've ever been this happy with anything I've knit before.

Ohje on kerrassaan nerokas. Sukat pysyvät hienosti ylhäällä ilman kuminauhavirityksiä, koska käännettävän pitsireunuksen alle piiloutuu napakka joustinneuleosuus. Pidän erityisesti kauniista pohjekavennuksista (kuva täällä) ja somasta nirkkoreunasta. Seurasin ohjetta silmukantarkasti (ainoastaan lanka ja puikkokoko poikkeavat ohjeesta), eikä virheitä löytynyt. Hyvä Nancy! Hyvä minä! :-D

The pattern is brilliant. I love the fact that these socks actually stay up really well because of the ribbing (that is cleverly hidden behind the turn-down lacy cuff). I love the beautiful calf shaping (you can see a photo of it here), and I love the pretty picot edge. The pattern was free from mistakes as far as I can tell, and I didn't change a thing other than substitute a different yarn and use a different size needles. Happiness all around! :-D

Hating row-gauge. Loving Phildar.

2007-02-17T15:50:00.000+02:00

Täydellisen neuleen metsästys jatkuu! Tässä on Refined Raglanin alku (ohje siis Interweave Knits -lehden viime vuoden talvinumerosta), lanka on Jo Sharpin Silkroad DK Tweediä. Turkoosi reunus näyttää kivalta, mutta en oikein tiedä, mitä ajattelisin tuosta Silkroadista… neulottu pinta on kamalan möykkyistä, eivätkä ranteenikaan ole oikein langasta tykänneet. Toivottavasti tämä vaatii vain hieman totuttelua.

Kerrosneuletiheys on taas ihan pielessä, ärsyttävää! Minusta olisi niin mukava pelkästään kutoa, eikä ollenkaan rasittaa pikku-päätäni. Joskus mietityttää, että minkä ihmeen takia väsään näitä isompia neuleita, jotka eivät oikein koskaan tunnu täysin onnistuvan ja päätyvät vain vaatehuoneen hyllylle pölyyntymään. Olisinkohan onnellisempi, jos keskittyisin vaikkapa ainaoikeinhuivien kutomiseen? Ainaoikeinhuivini ovat ainakin tähän mennessä onnistuneet täydellisesti. :-D

Sain vähän aikaa sitten (oikein ystävällissävyisen) kommentin, jossa vapaasti suomennettuna sanottiin, että voisin ehkä ottaa nämä neulehommat vähän rennommin – täydellisyyden tavoittelu ei ole hauskaa. Mutta kun en minä ole perfektionisti! Perfektionisti olisi purkanut ja kutonut Punchin uudelleen juuri niin monta kertaa, että lopputulos miellyttää. Perfektionisti-wannabe, kuten minä, on aivan liian laiska moiseen. :-D

The search for the perfect sweater continues! Here lies the beginning of Refined Raglan (from Interweave Knits 04/06), in Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed. I love the turquoise hem (the yarn is Debbie Bliss Merino DK), but I'm not quite sure of what to think of the Silkroad. It's very lumpy, and my wrists have been complaining too... hopefully they'll get used to it.

My row gauge is way off again. I hate that, I would love to just knit and not think at all. Sometimes I wonder why I keep knitting these sweaters (that end up being unperfect and thus never worn) when I would perhaps be happier knitting something simpler like, say, a garter stitch scarf. I can knit a pretty damn perfect garter stitch scarf! :-D

I recently got a (very nice and friendly) comment from one reader saying that I'm too hard on myself and should not take things so seriously, and that perfectionism is not funny at all. But really, I ain't no perfectionist, I'm just merely a perfectionist-wannabe. A perfectionist would have made that stupid Punch fit by reknitting it as many times as required, but a perfectionist-wannabe like me is too lazy to do that. :-D

Phildar n°460, design 21
Kaunis, vaikkakaan ei ehkä ihan tyyliseni. Mustana kenties?
Beautiful! I'm not sure if it's my style, but maybe in a different colour…

Höpötys riittäköön, katsellaan mieluummin kauniita kuvia! Tilasin pari viikkoa sitten Phildarin englanninkielisiltä sivuilta muutaman alehintaisen lehden. Ohjeiden englanti on aika mielenkiintoista, mutta luulen silti selviäväni siitä paremmin kuin ranskasta, jota olen lukenut muutaman vuoden lukiossa aika monta vuotta sitten. Osaan kyllä sanoa "Je m'appelle Terhi, j'aime la mer", mutta siitä ei liene apua. Tässä muutamia suosikkejani:

Um… I don't actually know what my point was there... so let's just forget that and take a look at some lovely Phildar designs, shall we? I ordered these magazines from Phildar's English website, when they were on sale a while ago. The English instructions seem to be a bit weirdly written, but since I don't really speak any French (I've studied it three years in school, and all I can remember is "Je m'appelle Terhi, j'aime la mer") I was happy to find something from Phildar in English. Here are my favourites:

Phildar n°460, design 12
Tässä ei ole mitään erityisen sykähdyttävää, mutta pidän kaula-aukon muodosta ja noista jättiläisnapeista.
This one is quite ordinary, but I like the low neckline and the big buttons.

Phildar n°460, design 10
Tämä on suosikkini, harkitsen jopa paljetillista versiota! :-D (Täällä voi ihastella Jennan versiota.)
This is my favourite! I'm even considering the sequins. :-D (See Jenna's beautiful finished one here.)

Phildar n°454, design 29
Pidän hihoista ja kaula-aukoista, helmasta voisi tehdä suoran. Hauska neule!
This is really pretty too. I love the puffy sleeves and the neckline – not so sure about the hem.

Phildar n°456, design 18
Tämä on soma, ja voisi näyttää kivalta pitkähihaisen paidan kanssa. Lankavarastosta löytyisi kaunista vaaleanruskeaa Rowanin Wool Cottonia…
Cute! I would wear this layered with a long-sleeved t-shirt or blouse. And I have some light brown Rowan Wool Cotton in my stash that would be perfect for this.

Phildar n°453, design 8
Tästä pidän kovasti, mutta en oikein osaa kuvitella miltä se näyttäisi päälläni.
I really really like this design, but I can't imagine how it would look on me.

Phildar saisi kyllä nimetä mallinsa vähän paremmin, valmiita neuleita ei tahdo löytää edes Googlella. Joten kertokaa ihmeessä, jos blogikierroksella osuu silmään jokin näistä malleista. Kiinnostaisi kovasti nähdä, miltä nämä näyttävät oikeiden ihmisten päällä.

It's a pity that Phildar doesn't give proper names to the patterns, it makes it very hard to find any finished ones. So if you've seen any of these patterns actually knitted up and worn by real people, please let me know!

Blah (or why am I smiling in that photo)

2007-02-11T11:57:00.000+02:00

Punch
Pattern source: Rowan Knitting Magazine 27 / Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed
Needles: 3,25 and 3,75 mm

Voi harmitus. Punch ei sittenkään onnistunut ihan täydellisesti. Ihan kiva siitä kyllä tuli, mutta ei täydellinen. Kuvissa se näyttää hyvältä, mutta hihat ovat pikkuisen tiukat, ja pituutta saisi olla muutama sentti enemmän.

I know that Punch looks fairly nice in these photos, and the fit is ok too, but somehow I'm just not as pleased with it as I hoped I would be. It's a bit tight in the arms, and I wouldn't mind it being a bit longer too. It's nice, but definitely not the perfect sweater I was aiming for.

Suurin ongelma on tässä: nappien väliin venyy käytössä ikävän näköiset aukot. Voisin tietysti ommella koko napituslistan umpeen, mutta ei nyt. Nyt tarvitaan aikaa ja etäisyyttä, ja ehkä vähän sukkaterapiaakin.

Here's the biggest problem: the button band is gaping quite unattractively. I'm thinking of sewing it closed, maybe, someday. Now we need some time apart, and perhaps some sock therapy is again needed.

Stripes gone wild

2007-02-10T14:02:00.000+02:00

67 taidekuvan joukossa oli täsmälleen…

It takes 67 photos like this…

… yksi tarkka otos! Ja sehän riittää.

… to get one that is in focus. And that's enough, right?

Terapiaa äidille, sukat pojalle. Ja Punchista puuttuu enää napit. Jännittää…

The stripey therapy socks are done. Punch is almost done too, the only thing missing are the buttons. Soon, soon…

Onni's socks
Yarn: Novita Wool (the green yarn is Kool-Aid dyed)
Needles: 3 mm

Socks for rescue

2007-02-05T22:50:00.000+02:00

Sähläämiseni Punchin kanssa harmitti sen verran, että piti välillä tehdä jotain ihan muuta. Kuvassa olevat pikku-jalat tarvitsivat lämmikettä, ja yksinkertaisten raitasukkien neulominen tuntuikin oikein rauhoittavalta.

Onni's feet were cold. And I needed something simple to knit, to soothe my nerves after messing up Punch. Simple little socks with pretty stripes made me feel so much better.

Vihreä lanka on taannoisista Kool-Aid-kokeiluistani. Värjääminen on hauskaa puuhaa, mutta myös tehokas tapa pilata ihan kelpo lankoja, kuten kävi ilmi. Tästä vihreästä kuitenkin pidän, ja etenkin valkoiseen yhdistettynä väri näyttää mukavan raikkaalta.

The green yarn is Kool-Aid dyed by moi. Kool-Aid dyeing is great fun, but it's also a very efficient way to ruin perfectly good yarn, as I found out. However this green is not so bad, and I quite like how brisk it looks with white.

Ja parin sukkakerroksen jälkeen olin jälleen valmis kohtaamaan Punchin. Tämän neuleen olisi syytä sopia täydellisesti.

After a few rows of sock knitting I was able to deal with Punch again. This sweater better fit me perfectly.

Intolerable stupidity

2007-01-28T20:37:00.000+02:00

Punchin neuletiheys oli pielessä muutamalla kerroksella, joten ennen aloittamista suunnittelin huolellisesti oikein laskukonetta käyttäen muutamia lisärivejä sinne tänne. Kaikki näytti hienolta ja olin oikein tyytyväinen nerokkuuteeni. Ja kas, eilen viimeisen kappaleen valmistuttua tajusin, etten ollut jostain syystä tehnyt mitään muutoksia raglankavennuksiin. Menenpä tästä lyömään päätäni seinään, heippa.

Did I tell you that my row gauge with Punch was a bit off? And how I very carefully recalculated the pattern to fit my gauge and how very happy I was with my cleverness? No? Good. Because it turned out that I have been very very stupid instead and somehow forgot to do anything to the raglan decreases. So now I'm knitting them again. I can feel the charm of punch quickly vanishing.

Too much punch makes Terhi a boring blogger

2007-01-27T14:57:00.000+02:00

Punchin viimeinen kappale on puikoilla. Talvikin tuli viimein, ihanaa!

The last piece of Punch is on the needles. And we have snow! Happy times.

Two down, one to go

2007-01-15T16:14:00.000+02:00

Viikonloppu meni lorvaillessa. Tarkoitus oli kyllä saada aikaan raportti neulomisistani, mutta sen sijaan jäin jumiin Yarnstorm-nimiseen blogiin, ja oma antini neuleblogimaailmalle tuntui sen jälkeen kovin mitättömältä. Ihana blogi, aivan ihana. Haluaisin kommentoida blogia tekijälleen jotenkin fiksusti, mutta sanat ovat hukassa. Voi kun olisi kiva osata kirjoittaa.

Lisää ihastunutta huokailua aiheutti Marin uusi takki. Upea!

I've been meaning to write a post about my little doings the whole weekend, but instead I've been reading Yarnstorm, and compared to it I've been feeling like I've got nothing to say or show that would interest anyone. I *love* her blog. I've been too shy to leave a comment yet. I'm trying to figure out a witty way of saying "I love your blog! It's terrific!!!". A little more figuring out is clearly needed.

On another note, if you haven't seen Mari's new cardigan, go quickly! It's fabulous.

Asiaan. Arvatkaapa mitä? Olen ollut tänä vuonna tosi vauhdikas, ja rikkonut jo kaksi kolmesta kaksi viikkoa sitten tehdyistä lupauksistani. Ensinnäkin olen aloittanut kolme uutta työtä itselleni, myssyn, kaulahuivin ja puseron. Reipasta menoa!

But, back to me. Guess what? I've already broken two of the three resolutions I made just two weeks ago. Way to go, me! Firstly I've started not one or two but three new projects for me. A hat, a scarf and a sweater.

Huivimalli on Wisconsin Winter Stole Handknit Holidays -kirjasta. Versioni poikkeaa aika tavalla kirjan mallista, tästä tulee reipas ulkoilukaulahuivi elegantin hartiahuivin sijaan. Lanka on Debbie Blissin merino dk:ta, joka on perusvillalankaa, ei erityisen pehmeää eikä mitenkään ylellistä. Mutta väri on ihana! (Ensimmäisen kuvan myssynalku on tietenkin Shedir, mutta me ei nyt oikein olla väleissä. Pikku-palmikot venkoilevat miten sattuu. Kurinpalautusta luvassa.)

Here's the scarf. The pattern, Wisconsin Winter Stole, is from Handknit Holidays, although mine is apparently not a stole. I'm using Debbie Bliss merino dk, which is a very plain wool yarn, not very soft but not too rough either. Nothing fancy, except the colour. I'm liking the scarf so far, and hoping that the yarn will soften up a bit in the wash. (The hat in the first photo is Shedir, of course, but I'm not satisfied with it. My little cables are very ugly. I'm gonna have to make them behave.)

Sitten se toinen rikkomus: lupasin muistaakseni myös olla kutomatta, jos käteen sattuu. No nyt sattuu taas, mutta ei voi mitään! Innostuin niin kovasti uudesta puseroprojektistani, että siinä eivät pienet juilimiset tunnu missään. Kim Hargreavesin Punch on ollut listallani jo pitkään, ja nyt keksin käyttää siihen Felted Tweediä, joka vielä hetki sitten oli tälläisessä muodossa. Kierrättäminen kai vähän kompensoi tätä muutoin vallitsevaa holtittomuuden tilaa.

I vaguely remember that I also promised not to knit if it hurts. What a silly resolution, of course love hurts. I was so enthusiastic about my new sweater-in-process (Punch by Kim Hargreaves), that I just couldn't stop. But the yarn is from the stash, and furthermore it's recycled from an old unloved cardigan, so that's something, right? The yarn is Rowan's Felted Tweed and the pattern is from an older Rowan Magazine.

From Shetland with love

2007-01-06T15:23:00.000+02:00

Shetland Triangle
Pattern source: Wrap Style / Evelyn A. Clark
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca & Silk, 3 x 50 g
Needles: 4 mm

Olette saattaneet nähdä muutaman tälläisen joskus aiemminkin. Eikä ihme: Shetland Trianglen ohje on ihastuttavan yksinkertainen, täydellinen kaltaiselleni laiskalle pitsinneulojalle. Huivi tuntui syntyvän kuin itsestään (vaikkakin hitaasti). Vähällä vaivalla näyttävä lopputulos, mikäs sen mukavampaa!

I guess you might have seen one or two of these before. No wonder really, because this is such a lovely pattern, nice and very simple, perfect for a lazy lace knitter like me. The shawl practically knit itself (although quite slowly). Minimum effort = maximum result. Me likey!

Parasta huivissa on kuitenkin lanka. Alpakkaa ja silkkiä – tältä tieltä ei enää ole paluuta. Ja kiitos siitä kuuluu Cassielle.

But the best thing about my new shawl is the yarn. Alpaca and silk – I am very spoiled. I got the yarn from Cassie, and for that I thank her dearly.

(Huivi valmistui jo alkuviikosta, mutta päätin jättää valokuvaamisen viikonloppuun. Ja voi ihmettä: aurinko näyttäytyi, vaikkakin hyvin lyhyesti. On niiiiin ikävä kesää ja valoa ja lämpöä.)

(I had been waiting for the weekend and the opportunity to take photos of my finished shawl the whole week, and there really was a brief moment of light today. Thank you sun, I love you! I miss you!)

Less is more

2007-01-01T13:11:00.000+02:00

Felted slippers
Pattern source: Moda 6/2005 (a Finnish knitting magazine)
Yarn: Sandnes Fritidsgarn
Needles: 6 mm

Hyvää vuoden ensimmäistä päivää! Tänään, ja huomenna, ja toivottavasti koko ensi vuoden ajan aion:

Happy first day of the year! Today, and tomorrow, and hopefully throught the whole year I'm gonna:

1. neuloa vähemmän
Terhi-hyvä: Ei kannata neuloa, jos ei huvita. Ei kannata neuloa, jos hartiat ja kädet ovat niin kipeät, että itkettää. Ei kannata neuloa, jos joku haluaa rakentaa kanssasi junaratoja. Ja joskus, vaikka huvittaisikin neuloa, hae jooga-matto vaatekomerosta ja anna hartiakivuille kyytiä. Hei aurinko!

1. knit less
Dear Me: Don't knit, if you don't feel like it. Don't knit, if your shoulders and arms are so sore that you could cry. Don't knit, if there's a possibility to play with trains and railways instead. And sometimes, even if you do feel like knitting, use the yoga mat that has been gathering dust in the closet. Hello there, sun!

2. neuloa vähemmän itselleni ja enemmän muille
Tein jouluksi vain yhden lahjan, siniset huovutetut tossut isälleni. (Tällä kertaa tossut muuten huopuivat kauniisti sopivan kokoisiksi, jee!) Yllätyksekseni myös sain yhden neulotun joululahjan, kolme ihanan värikästä pesulappua ystävältäni Micheleltä! Itsetehdyn lahjan saaminen tuntui tosi mukavalta. Jospa ensi jouluna saisin aikaan vähän useampia pehmeitä paketteja…

2. knit less for self and more for others
I knit only one present for Christmas, the blue slippers for my dad. (This time they felted nicely and were the right size. Yay!) For my surprise I also got one knitted present, three lovely colourful dishcloths from my friend Michele, and oh how nice it felt to get something self-made! I'll hope to be more industrious next Christmas.

3. iloita jo omistamistani langoista
Lankakaappini on ylitsevuotavainen, toisin kuin pankkitilini.

3. be happy with what I already have in my stash
My stash overfloweth. My bank account does not.

Vähemmän on enemmän, siis. Tässä hengessä päätin myös mieluummin saada jotain valmiiksi kuin aloittaa uutta. Ylläolevassa kuvassa pingottuvasta Shetland Trianglesta tulee mitä luultavimmin tämän vuoden ensimmäinen valmis työ. Oikein hyvää uutta vuotta kaikille!

In the spirit of less is more I also decided to finish something already existing rather than starting something new. The Shetland Triangle above will most likely be the first FO of this year. Happy 2007, you all!

Orjantappurapensas*

2006-12-10T16:34:00.000+02:00

Lisäys: Oikein paljon kiitoksia kaikille ihanista kommenteistanne! Brier on havaittu ihan kelpo takiksi, pidän siitä edelleen. :-D Joulu on sujunut äärimmäisen laiskottelun vallitessa, en ole juurikaan kutonut, bloggaillut, kommentoinut enkä edes vastannut sähköposteihin. Huomenna ryhdistäydyn ja saan toivottavasti aikaiseksi kunnollisen päivityksen. Ensi vuoteen siis!

ETA: Thank you all so much for your kind words about Brier! I've now worn it a couple of times, and I still like it. :-D Otherwise, I've been super lazy, knitting-wise, blogging-wise, commenting-wise, answering emails-wise. I promise I'll write a proper post tomorrow. See you all next year!

Brier
Pattern source: Rowan knitting magazine 36 / Kim Hargreaves
Yarn: Rowanspun 4ply and Novita Florica (held together)
Needles: 3,75 mm and 4,5 mm

Ei siitä sittenkään tullut liian pieni! Jee! Takissa on juuri sen verran väljyyttä, että äidin joulupöydässä saa herkutella ihan rauhassa, eikä tarvitse edes nappeja avata. Onnistunut projekti siis. Pidän erityisesti kauluksesta. Se suoristui oikein mallikelpoisesti pingotuksessa, eikä kupruile lainkaan kuten pelkäsin (neulos on sileää nurjaa, ei ainaoikeaa).

Here it is, at last, and not too small after all! It feels a bit loose actually, which is a good thing, because now I can eat to my heart's content at my mom's Christmas dinner and still fit in to this cardi. So, a successful project! I especially like the collar, it blocked beautifully and does not roll like I feared it would (it's knit in reverse stockinette stitch, not garter stitch).

Tässä näkyvät takakappaleen ja hihojen ylimääräiset saumat. Niissä oli aikamoinen väsäys, mutta kyllä se mielestäni kannatti. Onpa muuten hauskaa saada pitkästä aikaa valmiiksi jotain muuta kuin sukkia, tätä täytyy selvästi harrastaa useammin! Tänä vuonna syntyi vain neljä isompaa vaatekappaletta: yksi epäonnistunut tekele, yksi kovasti pidetty takki, yksi keskinkertainen luomus, ja nyt sitten tämä. Onnistumisprosentti on 50 – ensi vuonna täytyy selvästi pyrkiä parempaan.

Here you can see the ridges. A lot of work, but worth it, I think! What a happy, happy feeling it is to finish something wearable (other than socks) – I would really like to experience that more often! I've knit only four sweaters/cardis this year: one total disaster, one really nice jacket, one not so great sweater, and now this one. That's 50 percent success rate. I'll try to do better next year.

*That's brier in Finnish.

Guess who's blocking?

2006-12-06T12:14:00.000+02:00

No kas, Brierhän se siinä pingottuu. Ihan pikkuisen vajaa vuosi sitten aloitettu neule on viimeinkin neulottu, seuraavaksi vuorossa on kokoaminen (10 saumaa, auts!), nappien metsästys (11 kpl) ja laihdutuskuuri (jos vaikka pari kiloa – takki näyttää vähän pieneltä). Nyt ei kuitenkaan auta viivytellä, sillä uusimmassa IK:ssa on kokonaista kolme lupaavaa mallia, ja kaikkiin löytyy langat omasta lankavarastosta! Hämmentävää.

Well, it's Brier! I don't blame you, if you don't remember this one – I started it almost a year ago. And now, finally, it's all done, except for the seaming of course. If I manage to sew one seam per day, it'll be done in ten days. And then I'll have to find the buttons, and maybe loose some weight, because the jacket is looking a bit on the small side. But let's not worry about that now – I just want to get it done so I can start one of these beautiful designs from the latest IK. There are three (3!) patterns that I really like and amazingly also have yarn for in my stash. That usually never happens.

Ensimmäinen ehdokas on Kate Gilbertin upea Equestrian Blazer. Tähän ajattelin testata Rowanspun arania, joka saattaa kyllä olla vähän liian paksua – toisaalta myös minä saatan olla vähän liian paksu tähän tiimalasimalliin. Ihana neule silti.

First up, Kate Gilbert's gorgeous Equestrian Blazer. I have some purple Rowanspun Aran that I'm gonna swatch with, although it might be a bit too aran for this design. And perhaps I'm a bit too aran too for this hourglass-y blazer. Still, a super lovely design.

Tämä on täydellisen ihana. Neule olisi jo puikoilla, ellei sitä pitäisi ommella ompelukoneella ja leikata saksilla. Apua, pelottaa ja ahdistaa. Ja laiskottaa. Uusien juttujen opetteleminen on aivan liian monimutkaista.

Oooooh. I love this one. There's only one thing that prevents me to cast on immediately: it's steeked. I'm such a coward (and a lazy ass) when it comes to learning new techniques.

Joten luultavasti seuraava neuleeni on tässä: Mercedes Tarasovich-Clarkin Refined Raglan. Tämä on mukavan simppeli ja käyttökelpoisen näköinen. Omasta paidastani yritän kyllä tehdä vähän istuvamman kuin lehden kuvassa, ja kaula-aukon teen laajemmaksi. Jo Sharpin Silkroad DK Tweed on odotellut lankakaapissa sopivaa projektia jo jonkun aikaa, ja nyt se taisi löytyä. Sormia syyhyttää! :-)

So, most likely this will be my next project, Refined Raglan by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark. I like the simplicity of this one, it's a design that I can see myself wearing a lot. I'm gonna make the neckline more open, because I don't really care for the look of funnel-neck. Also, I'm aiming for a little more fitted look than the one in the magazine. I'm looking forward to knitting with Jo Sharp's Silkroad DK Tweed, it's been in my stash for quite some time now just waiting for the perfect project. I think I've found it now. :-)

Socks and mittens for a lazy knitter

2006-11-26T15:10:00.000+02:00

Olen lorvaillut viikon lomalla, ja tässä tulos: 15 senttiä sukanvartta. Aina ei huvita.

I've been a lazy knitter. I had the whole week off, and this is all I've managed to do.

Miimi-tätini sen sijaan on jo saanut tämän vuotisen sukat koko suvulle -urakkansa päätökseen (nyt puikoilla syntyy pikavauhtia sukkia hyväntekeväisyyteen), ja tässä ovat minun sukkani. Täydellisen kokoiset, lämpimät ja kauniit. Kuten aina.

My aunt Miimi on the other hand has finished knitting this year's socks for the whole family, and is now knitting socks for charity. This is the pair she knit for me, as beautiful, warm and well-fitting as always.

Lisää lahjoja! Kummitätini on myös kunnostautunut hyväntekeväisyysneulonnassa, ja kummitytön ominaisuudessa sain valita itselleni lapaset aika mittavasta valikoimasta. Lapaset on kudottu kummitädin itse värjäämistä langoista, ja ovat mielestäni aivan ihanat. Kiitos vielä, Raila!

More pressies! My godmother is knitting for charity too, and let me choose a pair of mittens for myself. Aren't they pretty! The cool thing about these mittens is that she dyed the yarn herself. Thanks again, Raila!

Vielä kuva kantapäästä Marille. Mukavaa viikkoa kaikille!

And here's a heel picture for Mari. Have a nice week, you all!

Black wool and joyous yarns

2006-11-18T13:51:00.000+02:00

Voi tätä pimeyttä! Valokuvaaminen on taas kovin haasteellista, eikä sitä ainakaan helpota se, että uuden työn langaksi valikoitui mustaa villaa. Sukkamalli, Highland Schottische Kilt Hose Folk Socks -kirjasta, ja musta Regia Silk ovat kuitenkin niin mukava yhdistelmä, että niiden vuoksi sietänee vähän synkkyyttäkin.

It's actually quite stupid to start knitting black stockings during wintertime here in Finland, because taking photos of black things in this everyday darkness is very challenging. I do love these stockings (Highland Schottische Kilt Hose) though, I've been dreaming of knitting these from the very day I bought the book (Folk Socks), so dreary photos it is!

Onneksi ihanat neuleblogitutut tulevat apuun ja pelastavat blogini vaipumasta pimeyteen. Joy tarjosi minulle puuvillalanganloppujaan isoäidintilkkuprojekteihini (jestas näitä yhdyssanahirviöitä!), ja mielellänihän minä autan ystävää siivoamaan lankavarastoaan. Yllätys oli melkoinen, kun paketti saapui: Joyn langanloput olivatkin melkein kokonaisia keriä, ja niitä oli PALJON! Ihana lanka-aarre, kiitos tuhannesti Joy!

Luckily I have some very lovely friends who do their best to brighten up this gloomy blog of mine. Joy offered to send me her "oddballs and remnants" (her own words) for my future granny square projects, and of course I was very happy to help her destash. Can you imagine my surprise when I received her package filled with these lovely, colourful, and almost unused balls of Rowan Handknit Cotton and Debbie Bliss DK cotton! I wouldn't call these oddballs and remnants (these a REAL TREASURE for me), but I'm glad she did. :-)

Lankojen lisäksi paketista löytyi karkkia, joka nautittiin kirjaimellisesti ohjeen mukaan:

Thank you so much, Joy! And thank you for the candy too. I'm happy to report that we were able to follow the instructions with now problem:

Lisää yllättäviä ja värikkäitä asioita viikon varrelta: perhoskämmekkäni on puhjennut kukkaan! Eikös olekin kaunis? :-D

Another surprising, colourful thing: my Phalaenopsis is in bloom again! Isn't it pretty? :-D

Another pair of Folk Socks

2006-11-11T12:00:00.000+02:00

Estonian Socks
Pattern source: Folk Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Ohut Pirkkalanka (dark brown and green) and Curious Yarns sock yarn (turquoise)
Needles: 2,25 mm

Kylläpä tuntuu mukavalta saada tälläinen ikuisuusprojekti päätökseen! Sukista tuli ihan kivat, vaikkakin pikkuisen väljät. Pirkkalanka on aika karheaa, eikä sitä kai sukkalangaksi ole tarkoitettu, joten jää nähtäväksi, kuinka kauan sukat kestävät.

What a lovely, lovely feeling it is to finish something! I'm quite happy with these socks too, although they could have been just a bit tighter. The yarn I used is not the softest stuff around (and not meant for sock knitting, so hopefully these will last more than one wear!), but I hope it'll soften upon washing.

Tein muutamia muutoksia ohjeeseen: Kantapäähän lisäsin kiilakavennukset, joita ohjeessa ei ollut lainkaan (epämukavan kuuloista minusta), ja sukan kärkeen tein French toe -kavennuksen ihan kokeilunhalusta. Sukan sivuilta jätin laiskuuttani pois kierretyin silmukoin tehdyt palmikot, ja ehkä ne eivät olisi näin tummassa langassa kunnolla näkyneetkään. Muutoksiin olen ihan tyytyväinen, ja erittäin tyytyväinen olen siitä, että sukat ovat viimeinkin valmiit!

I made a few modifications to the pattern as written: a different heel – these socks had no gusset shaping, and I thought that might be uncomfortable – and a different toe, because I wanted to try the French one. I also left out the twisted traveling stitch braids, mainly because I was lazy, but also because I thought that they wouldn't show in this dark brown yarn. I'm happy with my mods, and I'm super happy that these are finally done!

Paljon kiitoksia vielä kaikille huopatossukehuistanne! Ihan nolottaa, että olen niin kovin hidas vastaamaan kommentteihinne, yritän taas ryhdistäytyä. Mukavaa lauantaita kaikille lukijoilleni! :-)

Thank you all so much for your nice comments about my felted slippers! I've been super busy and haven't had time to email you all personally, so here's a big public thank you to you all! I've contacted the Moda magazine, and then the designer to ask if this pattern is available in English, but she hasn't replied yet. I know that this pattern has been in one of the Sandnes catalogs, but unfortunately I don't know in which one. I'll keep you posted if I find out more.

I ain't no Cinderella

2006-11-03T01:00:00.000+02:00

Felted slippers
Pattern source: Moda 6/2005 (a Finnish knitting magazine)
Yarn: Sandnes Fritidsgarn
Needles: 5,5 mm

Söpöt!

Cute…

Ja aika pienet. Tuli vähän liioiteltua tuon huovutuksen kanssa. Ihan oma moka, pesin heti 60 asteessa, vaikka ohjeessa neuvottiin pesemään 40-60 asteessa. Ajattelin, ettei tarvitse kahta kertaa huovutella. No, eipä tarvitse tosiaan. Neuletiheyskin taisi olla vähän pielessä, mitäs sitä tarkistamaan. Tossut ovat kuitenkin niin kivat, että taidan yrittää uudellaan, ja jospa vaikka ihan ohjetta seuraten. :-D

… and tiny. This is totally my own fault. I felted these in the washing machine on 60 degrees, and it seems that 40 degrees would have been enough (like the pattern said). I also think that my gauge was off, and no, I didn't check it. :-D But I really like the pattern, so I'm gonna try again. Maybe I'll be able to follow the instructions next time.

Päivän ilonaihe, uusi leikkikalu! Luvassa tehokkaampaa bloggailua!

But yay, a new toy! Faster blogging ahead!

Socklesstober

2006-10-29T18:50:00.000+02:00

Lokakuusta tuli sukatonkuu: ei yksiäkään valmiita sukkia. Jaywalkerinkin purin, koska siitä oli tulossa aivan liian pieni. Kummallista on, että tiesin alusta asti, ettei sukka mahdu jalkaani, mutta sitkeästi silti kudoin eteenpäin. Joten nyt ei ole mitään sukkiin liittyvää näytettävää, paitsi ehkä tämä ristiriitaisia tunteita herättävä kuva sukkalankavarastostani. Toisaalta tämä kaunis näky sykähdyttää neulojan sydäntäni kovasti, mutta toisaalta ihmettelen, minkä ihmeen takia olen pitänyt tarpeellisena ostaa näin paljon lankaa? Olen aika hidas kutoja, enkä ollenkaan keräilijäluonne, joten eihän tässä mitään järkeä ole.

I think it's safe to say that I won't be able to finish my Socktober-socks this October. I ripped the Jaywalker, it was way too small. I knew right from the start that the sock doesn't fit, but just kept knitting it. Oh the things we do. So all I can show you now, sockwise, is a picture of my sock yarn stash. This sight fills me with joy, but it also makes me feel a bit uncertain too – why have I felt necessery to buy it all? I am a slow knitter, and not a collector at all, so this large (to me) amount of unused yarn makes no sense.

Ja nyt kun on taas lupa kutoa, olen iloisesti hylännyt kaikki sukkaprojektini ja aloittanut jotain uutta! Huopatossut ovat sentään sukua sukille, eikö vain? :-)

And now that I can finally knit again, I've abandoned my sock projects and started something new! Felted slippers are related to socks, right? :-)

3 x FO!

2006-10-21T17:22:00.000+03:00

Granny Square Potholders
Yarn: Rowan Handknit dk Cotton and Novita Mini
Crochet hook: 4 mm

Neulontatauko on osoittautunut tuottoisaksi: nyt oli viimeinkin aikaa ja motivaatiota (hah!) ommella viimeiset isoäidintilkut pannulapuiksi. Pikkuisen virkkasinkin, mutta kipeä käsi ei ollut siitä moksiskaan, onneksi. Käsi voi jo paremmin, mutta pidän silti vielä toisen viikon neulomistaukoa, ja tietokoneeltakin yritän pysyä poissa (kuten nyt :-D). Kiitos kaikille paranemistoivotuksista ja myötätunnosta!

Yay for no knitting – I was finally forced to sew up these potholders. There was a tiny little bit of crocheting too, but luckily my hand didn't seem to mind. The hand, it is feeling better, but I'm gonna stay away from knitting for another week. Thank you so much for your well wishes and sympathy! I hope you understand that I haven't replied to your messages, I'm trying to stay away from the computer too. I really do, except for now.

Pannulapuista tuli aika kivat. Alunperin kaavailin näitä vanhempieni kesämökille, jonka mummonmökkityyliin ne sopisivat mielestäni oikein hyvin, mutta nyt houkuttelisi kyllä pitää edes yksi itselläni. Katsotaan nyt, tykkääkö äitini edes näistä, muussa tapauksessa olen varmaan pakotettu pitämään ne kaikki itse.

These potholders (I hope this is the right word, my dictionary failed me here. And what are the things you take hot things from oven with? Are they potholders too?) turned out quite nice, don't you think? I was thinking of giving them to my parents – I'm sure they would look lovely at their summer cottage – but now I'm kind of tempted to keep at least one to myself. Well, I'll just have to see how much my mom loves them. And if there's not enough love in sight I might have to keep them all to myself.

Tässä näkyvät kääntöpuolet. Suunnittelin lisääväni lappusten väliin kerroksen huopaa, mutta näistä tuli ilman huopaakin tosi jämäkät. Mukavat, jämäkät ja valmiit, jee! Ihan heti ei tässä blogissa esiinny uutta isoäidintilkkuprojektia, sen lupaan! Ei nyt ainakaan tänä vuonna…

Here are the reverse sides. I was gonna add a layer of felt in between the two squares, but it turned out not to be necessery, they are really sturdy as they are. Nice and sturdy, and done! I promise that this is definately the last granny square project you are gonna see here in this blog. At least for a little while.