Its amazing - I have an FO!

I havent been all that on top of things when it comes to updating this blog.. sorry about that to those few people who actually read it..

I have finished the babyjacket. I mean F.I.N.I.S.H.E.D it! Buttons and all. I will let the pics speak for themselfes..

So what else is new? I am knitting babyhats. Am on the third in a row right now. The two first ones turned out too small so I am on the go again. I also cast on for socks for my 4 year old. I bought loads of yarn - recently around a kilo of icelandic Plötulopi - unspun icelandic wool. Plan is to knit myself an icelandic sweater, but havent decided whether to use two or three strands together yet.

I got my hands on a really cool Sandness patten-booklet with original norwegian pattens for pants, sweaters etc - all in wonderful stranded patterns, knit in the round with steeks for sleeves and neck.. They had a sale at my LYS - found it in a box on the floor among bunches of 80es magazines with ugly box-shaped sweaterpatterns..

So in short I am slowly finishing things up and starting new ones. The next project that I should get done are my DPs Boyfriend socks.. Silly guy decided he wanted them longer then I had made the first one so will have to unravel the edge of sock 1 and add a couple of inches.. boooring..
Anyway here is the recent hat I finished in sockclub yarn from Middle Earth Yarns:

Yeah - I now its too small.. thats why I cast on for another one..

..in peruvian baby cashmere :-) Yum!

3 excuses not to knit

Been away for 4 weeks. No remarkable knitting progress in that time..
If I brought my knitting? That was a stupid question. Ofcourse I did.
I brought several of my newer sock-club yarns as well as some alpaca for a babyhat. I also brought the boyfriend socks that I am knitting my DP from OPAL.
How far did I get?
I knit around half a sock in 4 weeks!!! How is it possible??
Well I like to blame my lack of progress on three factors (bad excuses if you like..) :

1: Mosquitoes
There are tons of them in Thailand. And they really seem to love me. And I react SO badly to them. I swell up and get all red and itchy. In the evenings when the kids were sleeping I would try to sit on our porch and knit, and they would attack me in large numbers despite repellents etc. I was so distracted that every time I pulled out my knitting I would end up poking my bites with the needles instead.. smart girl I am..

2. Bad lighting
The light on our porch was bad. And I am knitting with black yarn. Cables. Maybe not the hardest pattern to follow ever, but difficult enough to turn a shortrow heel in the dark.. I ended up doing that one in our smelly, moist bungalow bathroom.. Anyway it gets frustrating to knit cables in the dark..

3. Exhaustion
Often when the kids finally went to sleep in the evening I would be so tired I just passed out on the bed clothes, contact lenses and all..

So not much knitting done at all..

Also - I really find knitting cables annoying and unrelaxing. Definately not my favourite type of knitting.. I think my next project will be something rib... Easy and relaxing without totally boring me to death..

Babyjacket complete frustration

I cannot believe it. The drops babyjacket is cursed - I tell you CURSED! The day that thing is truely finished something utterly horrible is going to happen - something so horrible that powers beyond my understanding have sought to delay the finish of the jacket using ubelievably simple but effective tricks.
First there was the gauge trick.
I was done. Almost completely done - only needed the buttonholerow, the neckrow and sewing on the buttons. And that would be it. I held up my work to admire my doing. 5 months of work. 5 MONTHS! For a babyjacket! Ok - I hadnt been working on it every day exactly - but ever so often I had pulled it from the back and knit a couple of centimeters. And now it was DONE - almost. But as I stopped to admire the final piece I realised that I had knit the entire right front on a way larger gauge than the other front. Truth was brutal and harsh and impossible to miss. I had to frog one six'th of my jacket and reknit it at a tighter gauge.
I ate that one - and the next day the frogging began.
And I knit it again.
Until it was done. Again. And then was the sleeve-trick.
Almost done but the finishing. I went on to seam the underarms. And weave in all the ends. And knit the neckline. And I held up my work to FINALLY admire the finished babyjacket. Knit in sockyarn on 2,5 mm needles. 5 months or work - and then some.
And I see it.
The sleeves.
OH NO - the sleeves. How could this happen? I have been SO CAREFUL. I have payed such attention to detail - and now this.
The sleeves are not equal in length. Not at all equal...
The right sleeve is about 5 cms longer than the left. That means one sleeve is about 15-20% longer than the other sleeve. And that is visible. Very visible..

I just wanna sit down and cry and never ever see the bloody thing before my eyes again.. I am so FED UP with this thing. I want it over and done with. But I cannot possibly put it down like this. One thing is certain. I am NOT frogging the whole darn thing to the sleeve. No way. That would mean frogging the neck - after picking out the bound off edge. Picking out the bound off right front edge, the buttonrowpart, the 18 cms of front and the 18 cms of sleeve. That would set me back about 2 months or more. No way!
Now I am toying with other ideas.
Could I cut off the longer sleeve somehow? And then pick up stitches around it?
Or frog the neckline and then snip the thread somewhere just where the sleeve ends, frog the sleeve and reknit it? - Am guessing that would take me another 1-2 weeks or so. Guess I could live with that if it cant be any different .. sigh..
If ever I get back to loving knitting after this thing - then I deem knitting to be more than just another shortlived obsession of mine..

Mit in progress

Anemois, originally uploaded by Inca knits.

.. slowly so though..
Here it is - my Anemoi in progress! I knit a bit further than shown here. Just transferred the thumb stitches to waste yarn. I am slowly getting better at getting the tension right - though where it was probably too loose before it is almost too tight now.. difficult balance.
I still do it with yarn in both hands. I see it could probably speed up the process if I was less stubborn and transferred both strands of yarn to my left hand, but I really do enjoy alternating between the left hand pick and the right hand wrap.. And since it is also about the process I think I will stick with the double handed way of doing it for now..

(S)Mitten

Ok - I admit it. I am easily distracted and easily seduced.. (when it comes to knitting at least) I read about someone wanting to cast on for Anemoi Mittens and I dont know what happened but I felt sudden inspiration, bought the pattern without thinking twice and by evening I had made a trip to a nearby LYS and cast on for mitten number 1..
So did I finish any UFOs? Nope - that was optimistic to even imagine.. I added a WIP to the list, and abandoned most other knitting to do corrugated ribbing on 5 needles. Probably the hardest knit stuff I have done to date, but I got through 17 rounds of it and have moved on to the mitten itself, working from the chart. It requires all my attention and concentration to knit each and every round, but it is looking good so far. My only real concern being whether I chose some boring colors? I loved them at the LYS but working with them now I miss some red or purple inthere..

Knitting childrens socks

I am knitting socks for my friends kids. I am enjoying these small projects as they give me the chance to dive into my sockyarn stash without comitting to a full pair of adult socks.

The first pair are done. Not sure what I think.. The yarn is Adorn sockyarn from Three Irish Girls in the colorway Quinn. I do think these colors are really cheerful and I like how the yarn stripes up.

I have also started a second pair of childrens socks. Babysocks size 1 year or so. These I think are turning out really pretty. The yarn is awesome and I absolutely adore the colorway.

This yarn is sockyarn from Middle Earth Yarns 75% wool and 25% polyamide. The colorway is Heather Fields. I am really excited about this yarn - the colors are fresh, cheerful and elegant. Lovely yarn. I joined the Middle Earth Sock club (she may still have an open slot) and am starting to look forward to the first package.. (never mind its not till the end of September..)

Knitting thoughts

Knitting, knitting, knitting..
I have been trying to put in extra knitting time in the past week and it feels great. I seem to be thinking about knitting all the time. ALL THE TIME! Knitting and YARN, yarn, yarn.. (did I mention that I signed up for the Zen String sock club? And the Middle Earth Yarns sock club? - It will be a wonderful wooly autumn..)
I cant put words to the frustration that my projects are coming along so slowly. I dream big, and many dreams about wonderful projects, babythrows, lace shawls etc and it has taken me two days to finish up a childrens sock size 2 years.. (and that is just the first sock). But I am inspired at least. Dreaming about knitting is quite a good inspiration to actually get it done when awake. Wouldnt it be practical if I could knit in my sleep though?
I had to make a long drive today, and found myself constantly attracted to the second babysock on the DPNs right in the passenger seat beside me and cursed many times that driving and knitting dont go well together when you are the only one in the car (apart from a 6 month old baby that is..)

Stranded experiment 2

DSC_0203, originally uploaded by Inca knits.

Just to prove that I DO knit stuff then the stranded vest is coming along. It is quite fun to knit but I admit to not having swatched (well consider this my swatch) so it will probably be too small for my son. But it will be worth the experience. Better screw up this small project. The yarn was really cheap too. It is some Smart superwash I had in my stash. I bought it in my LYS at a huge discount because the labels had gone missing..

Stranded experiment

Stranded experiment 2, originally uploaded by Inca knits.

Ehh remember I promised myself that I would not cast on new projects for a while - till I finished some of the ones I am already working on?
Well - forget I ever said that..
My fingers have been ITCHING to cast on new stuff. I have been obsessing over new techniques such as lace and stranded colorwork. And now I couldnt hold it any longer. I cast on a "Branching Out" from Knitty and I started a stranded colorwork experiment that will hopefully turn into a vest for my youngest. I basically cast on in black superwash Smart (from Sandness yarn) and started working the Norwegian Mitten pattern from Elizabeth Zimmermanns book "Knitters Almanac". I worked only a few rows so far that you can see here. I am not completely content. I like how it works to knit it twohanded - it is fast and easy now that I finally master English knitting as well as the usual Continental/Skandinavian method. I have kept tension loose on the back to keep the fabric stretchy, but the stitches seem a bit wonky. Not sure what the problem is, so if you have a advice on how to get the whole thing looking more even I would love to hear from you..
How about all the other stuff I am working on? -
Dont even ask...

Babyjacket "almost" done! And rave about Ravelry..

Drops Babyjacket WIP, originally uploaded by Inca knits.

I am a Raveller! I finally got my Ravelry invitation ( http://www.ravelry.com) and absolutely love the place! So much inspiration.. I took nerdish pics of nearly all my yarn and most of my FOs and stuff on the needles. And I have done a bit of knitting recently too.
It is really hard to find time to knit with three little kids in the house - and often when I finally grab my needles in the evening I am so beat that I fall asleep or make numerous mistakes and have to frog the next day.
That doesnt stop me from having a trizillion things on my "to-knit"-list though..
I really really want to clear out some of my WIPs, so I decided to finish at least 1 - hopefully 2 before casting on the next project. I have been working on the Drops Babyjacket again recently and now only have the right sleeve and right front left till I'm done. Looking good innit!?!

A bit of a knitting crisis

So I have spent the past couple of weeks buying yarn, yarn and more yarn. Awesome yarn, beautiful yarn, sweetsmelling, colorfull, handpainted yarn..
And now I just cant seem to get started knitting any of it for some simple reasons. First I have SO many UFOs that I am halfway done with. I have knit 1 of the boyfriend socks and I feel I should at least have the second of those done before starting yet another pair of socks. Or some of the other UFOs - and I just dont feel the least bit inspired to knit any of them. Grr - all the time I spend being frustrated about not finishing anything would be much better spent knitting so I can get some of them overwith and move on to the next project!
Give me a virtual butt-kick will ya!

Yummie...

Just got this yarn in the mail the other day. WOW this is.. beyond words. I want more.. need more.. must have... more!!!

(and no - if you cant tell what yarn it is I wont tell.. It is hard enough to get hold of as it is..)

Boyfriend sock OTN

Boyfriend sock OTN, originally uploaded by Inca knits.

Yep - here is a pic of the progress (or lack of such) on my boyfriend socks..
I have bought A LOT of yarn recently and it is all arriving to me these days :D
It can be viewed on my flikr..

Pattern for the Cabled Newborn-socks

You will need:

DPNs size 3 mm (or size to match gauge)

A 4 mm needle for caston.

Yarn - sportweight

Gauge around 28 sts to 4 inches (or 26 to 4 inches for a bigger sock)

I unvented a cast-on - well I guess it exists somewhere already, but not sure what it is called. It is almost like a channel island cast on (try google that) , but instead of using a double strand to wrap around the thumb just use a single strand like when you are doing ordinary long tail cast on. Casting on this way is not as complicated as a real double strand channel island cast on, but much more stretchy than an ordinaly long tail cast on.

How to do Single Strand Channel Island cast on.

Line up for ordinary long tail cast on, but make sure the tail of yarn is twice as long as you would normally make it. Use a size 4 mm needle to make the cast on loose and stretchy.

Now first cast on one ordinary longtail stitch so you have the original loop + one ordinary cast on stitch = 2 stitches.

You must change the direction the yarn is wrapped around the left thumb.

In a usual long tail cast-on it will go from the needle and then counterclockwise around the thumb (from needle to inside of thumb, over the back to the outside of thumb)

In a single strand channel island cast on you *wrap the yarn the other way - clockwise - around the thumb (from the needle to the outer side of the thumb). And then you wrap it around again so you have the yarn twice around the thumb.

Slip the needle under the yarn that goes from the needle to the index finger - like a yarn over. This yarn over is the first of your stitches. You can keep it in place with your right index finger.

Then insert the tip of the needle up through the double loop on your thumb and pick up a stitch from the yarn on the indexfinger like you would in ordinary long tail cast on. Once the stitch is picked up you release the loops from the thumb and tighten the yarn. Now you have cast on 2 more stitches - the yarn over and the picked up stitch you just did. The released loops of yarn form a small lump on the needle.

Go back to * and do it again until you have cast on 36 stitches.

Cabled newborn socks pattern:

Terms used:

C2F: Slip 1 stitch purlwise to the right needle, knit 1, insert tip of left needle in the second stitch (the slipped one) on the right needle and let this and the first stitch on the right needle slide off the needle. Now one of these stitches is on the left needle and the other one is not on any needle. Insert the right needle in the "needle-less" stitch and knit the stitch on the left needle like normal. You should now have a tiny cable..

C4F: Transfer 2 sts to cable or spare needle, hold to front of work. Knit next two sts, then knit the two sts from the cable needle and you have made a leftleaning cable.

Cuff

Pick up a 4 mm needle and cast on 36 stitches using long tail or single strand channel island cast on. Transfer the stitches to 4 dpns size 3 mm (or needle size to give you gauge). Divide evenly so you have 9 stitches on each needle.

Round 1-3: K2, P2 around

Round 4: C2F, P2 around

Repeat rounds 1-4 3 more times.

The heel flap

Knit across the first 18 stitches (the two first needles - the sts on the last two needles rest for now) and turn.

*Slip first stitch and purl the next 17 stitches. Turn.

Slip first stitch and knit 17. Turn

Repeat from * 7 more times and then do one more purl row in the same way. Turn.

Turn the heel

Knit 11, k2tog, turn.

Slip one stitch, p4, p2tog, turn.

Slip one stitch, k4, k2tog, turn.

Slip one stitch, p4, p2tog, turn.

Continue like this till all the stitches are used up and the heel is turned. Ending in a knit row.

Foot

Using the same needle - now called needle 1 - pick up 8 stitches (one in each of the loong slipped stitches on the side of the heel flap).

Pick up an empty needle (needle 2 - the instep stitches will be on this needle) and work across the 18 resting stitches in p2,k2 rib. This will bring you to the other side of the heel flap.

Use an empty needle - needle 3 - to pick up 8 stitches on this side too and knit across half of the heel stitches so you end up with 11 stitches on this needle and 11 stitches on the next needle too. The instep needle holds 18 stitches.

To sum up: Now you have 11 stitches on needle 1, 18 stitches on needle 2 (the instep needle) and 11 stitches on needle 3. From now on the beginning of each round is between needle 1 and 3.

The instep cables

Round 1:

Needle 1: k11

Needle 2: *p2, put the next two sts on a cableneedle, (or use a spare DPN) hold to the front of work and purl the next stitch. Knit the sts on the cableneedle.

Put the next stitch on the cableneedle and hold to back of work, k2, purl the stitch on the cableneedle, p2. Repeat from *

Needle 3: k11

Round 2:

Needle 1: Knit to the last 3 sts on needle one, k2tog, k1

Needle 2: p3, c4f, p4, c4f, p3

Needle 3: k1,ssk, k8

Round 3:

Needle 1: knit 10

Needle 2: p3, k4, p4, k4, p3

Needle 3: knit 10

Round 4:

Needle 1: Knit to the last 3 sts on needle one, k2tog, k1

Needle 2: p3, k4, p4, k4, p3

Needle 3: k1,ssk, k7

Round 5:

Needle 1: knit
Needle 2: p3, k4, p4, k4, p3
Needle 3: knit

Round 6:

Needle 1: knit

Needle 2: p3, c4f, p4, c4f, p3

Needle 3: knit

Round 7-9:

Same as round 5

Round 10:

Same as round 6

Repeat round 7-10 once or twice more depending how long you want the socks.

Toe

When the foot is desired length you start knitting all rounds while decreasing like this.

Round 1:

Needle 1: knit to the last three stitches, ssk, k1

Needle 2: (the instep needle) k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts, ssk, k1

Needle 3: k1, k2tog, k the rest of the stitches on needle.

Round 2:

Knit all stitches.

Repeat these two rounds till you have 18 stitches left. Graft inseam stitches with the sole stitches. Weave in ends and repeat the lot for the second sock and you are done!

If you like you can twist a strand of yarn and double it to get a twisted cord to tie the socks in place. You simply use a darning needle to strand it right through the knitting around the cuff.

---------------------------------

This was my first attempt at writing a pattern of my own - if you try it out and find anything not adding up will you please let me know. It should be ok though..

Cast on boyfriend socks

I cast on the next pair of socks :D - they will be boyfriend socks - for my "boyfriend" - though that does sound wrong when used about someone you have been together with for close to seven years and with whom you have three children.. I just finished increasing at the toe (they are toe-up) and will start pattern soon..

Here - cabled babysocks

A pic of the tiny cabled babysocks. It is my first ever cable adventure. That wasnt so difficult so i am all for knitting more..
Here they are:

The yarn is Dale Babyull (100% superwash merino) and the pattern is out of my head. I didnt write it down though - will see if I get around to it before I ship them. It is pretty simple though - just some ribbing with an occasional twist, and then cables..
They should be going out in the mail tomorrow at the latest.. I hope they arent too small. I tried them on my 4 month old and they are way too small for him, but he is quite the big guy so.. hoping they will fit..

Obsessing over socks - but no time to knit..

It has been a while since I added something here. I have hardly had any time for knitting at all so no FOs.. I have been working some on a baby raglan but have frogged and reknit the body or cuff three times now so now I tossed it back in a corner so I can continue knitting socks.
The stashgame is over. I didnt do all that well, but at least I ended up with positive points unlike last time..
I ordered lots and lots of sockyarn, so will be knitting quite a few socks in the months to come - that is the plan anyway. Other projects are on hold for now.
I am currently knitting some cabled babysocks for a friends baby (sssshh dont tell her -hope she is not reading) I better get them done and shipped asap as they are pretty small and wont fit for long.. No pics - in case the above mentioned person is lurking.. I only need to do the foot and bindoff of the second sock and they are done..

My socks are DONE!

The second sock is done!
I am now the proud owner of a pair of homeknit - by me - socks.
The project for my dad - well forget it. He appearently hates knit stuff - cant stand to touch it. Also the yarn never arrived - wonder where it is? I am guessing some postal worker hoped it was sexy underwear hehe.. He must have gotten mighty disappointed. I hope it will arrive
though, as DP would LOVE a pair of homeknit socks so..
Anyway here they are



For the heel then I used the method described in the recent Interweave Knits - where you dont wrap the stitch but use a yarn over method. The first sock had some pretty big holes but this second one is better looking. I made sure to tighten the yarn more and payed more attention to detail. When I knit the first sock I was pretty sure I would not use this method again - now I am not so sure anymore. I think the second heel turned out pretty ok. Only with a tiny hole..

My first adult sock (not socks yet)

I finished a sock. A real adult sock in real sockyarn and on real 2,5 mm sockneedles! I hardly remember when I cast it on anymore. A week ago? Have had so much other stuff to think about recently..
The pattern is from the new Interweave Knits and they are knit toe-up. I am not too happy about the heel. I think it is filled with holes - dont see how any professional knitter can be satisfied with that (the method was recommended in IK). I will be using the same method for the second sock, but next pair I will be back to either using a wrap-and-turn method or the traditional turn-heel-and-pick-up-stitches method..
Anyway here it is - the yarn is OPAL "herbstmelodie"

My next project wont be to make that second sock. BAAAD I know.. But my dad turns 60 in 10 days time so I am hoping I have time to finish a pair of socks for him.. but it will be a race against time so...

Socks for DD too

Yep - finished yet a pair of childrens socks. These are for DD - fit her perfectly.

The yarn is the same as for the socks for DS - the post below. I just dyed it pink..

Its all about socks

I must be going nuts. Recently I have found myself waking up in the middle of the night obsessing over sockyarn. That is absolutely stupid as I havent even ever knit a pair of adult socks - with sockyarn - yet.. But obviously it is of great importance that I start a pair of adult socks ASAP. I ordered a set of Addi dpns size 2,5 mm - and am waiting impatiently for them to arrive so I can start. Till then I settle for other socks. Just finished these for DS:

Not impressive - I know, but DS gets a pair of socks, I get some sock-practice - plus I get points in the stashgame for a finished FO and a skein of yarn down. The yarn was cheap by the way. I think it is Smart from Sandness. I found it in a LYS in a basket - no tags on it or anything so they sold for around 6 kroner/1$ a skein. I still have one of those skeins left, but dyed it pink to make a pair of socks for DD too. Will try out a boomerang-heel when I get that far..

Superquick Babysocks

Needed a babyjacket-break. Got a tip on a pair of super fast babysocks, so thought my son could use some scrap-yarn babysocks/booties. The pattern is here: Superquick babysocks
They were indeed fast. Will probably make more of these to kill off more Colinette Skye scraps. This is Colinette Skye colorway Popsicle:

Inbetween FO's - Calculations-low

Goodness - I KNEW I shouldnt have done that! I started calculating - and the results are demotivating at best..
Ok - I timed how long it took me to knit 1 cm on the fingering weight yarn babyjacket that I am working on. It took me 20 minutes. Then I started calculating. I already knit 18 cms of it - meaning so far it has taken me around 6 hours at the very least - not counting the time it took me to knit the first 10 cm sample - then realise my gauge was off - then frogging the lot and starting over. Then casting on the sleeve - then realising I cast on the wrong number of sts and frogging again and casting on again. - But well - all that is behind me. The scary path is the one in front of me.
I still have roughly 90 cms left to knit (it is knit from front to sleeve - then over the back - the other sleeve and then to the other front) - meaning I have around 30 hours of knitting still left to do on that jacket. - And that is concentrated knitting - that is not halfhearted knitting while watching telly or chit-chatting or whatever..
So if I knit one hour a day - just on that project - it will take me a month to finish. If I knit - concentrated knitting - 3 hours a day on that project - then it will still take me 10 days - to finish..
Oh and for the curious - then I also calculated that each centimeter consists of around 500 stitches. That means I already knit around 9000 stitches. I still have around 45000 stitches left to knit - and the entire jacket will consist of approximately 54000 stitches..
Can I get dizzy now?

The Alpaca babyrib (the 2nd) is done!

So I admit that fingerprotector was pretty silly.. Sorry about that..
Now I finally have something real to show. I finished the ribbed alpaca babytop. It took me around a week altogether. Here it is - two different pics. Mostly because my son is so darned cute that he deserves an extra pic - but also because the first pic shows the color best, while the second shows the entire top without cutting off the buttom:


And then - well I cant give you the pattern or even a link to it as it is copyrightprotected and not available in English. (well hardly even available online.. sigh..) - but I can give you a detailed pic of the sleeve detail - as well as mention that it is knit flat from the top down until after the sleeve stitches are bound off, then the front and back are knit separate until after the raglan increases - then the rest is knit in the round.

Oh - and the yarn - gotta talk about the yarn. It is Drops Alpaca in color 7323 (it looks blue in that last pic but the first picture shows the color better - it is actually a blend of light and darker dusty green fibres. Lovely wool - available in some really sweet colors. They also have a huge number of patterns available for this wool on their website www.garnstudio.com - free even :D

New "unvention" - a balloon fingerprotector

Yeah - I know - this is silly. But my index got so sore from touching the tip of the needle and from moving and holding the yarn all the time. I tried a piece of band-aid but it kept sticking to the yarn and eventually when i took it off my fingers were filled with yucky sticky stuff that I couldnt wash off. So here it is - the amazing BALLOON FINGERPROTECTOR!
Well actually it is just the tip of a "long" balloon that I cut off - but it works :) Hehe - I wonder if the stash game awards bonuspoints for silly ideas.. Now that I cant seem to knit fast enough to keep up with everyone else..

The stashgame has started - and some thoughts about patterns..

Most of my planned stashgame projects are on the needles and I would like to finish at least some of them before I cast on new stuff.
I am working mainly on two projects right now - a ribbed alpaca babytop and a babyjacket in OPAL. I think a couple of pics are appropriate. Here is my alpaca babytop - using the Baby i Rib pattern from Designclub.dk -a very weird name as they dont even have a website- their patterns are practically impossible to come by. They are only sold by a few shops - and even fewer webshops. And only in a paper version - and only if you buy yarn at the same time - and only in Danish.. Sigh - some people just dont want to make money. No wonder some people feel tempted to violate the copyright law and ask a friend for a copy. Not saying it is a good thing to do - only saying it is very tempting when it takes so much effort and so much money to get hold of the original pattern.. -
Oh - sorry about that.. I was going to show the top I am working on.. here it is:

The second thing I am working on at the moment is a babyjacket from a Drops pattern available (free) here: Drops Babyjacket
Here it is:


As you see I have only knit a few centimeters yet - so still a looong way to go - especially considering it is knit on needles 2,5 mm. - Dont know why but recently I find that I really like working on these small needles. I hate the extra time it takes, but I love the feel of the small needles and the non-bulky look and feel.. Also for babythings it seems more appropriate to use the thinner yarn. Enough - the baby is asleep so I better grab some needles..

Entering stash game - and AN FO!!!

Can you even believe it - I made an FO! I am mighty proud of myself.. I used the recently homedyed yarn to knit my son a pair of Wondershorts to go on top of his cloth diapers. I admit that I had some problems getting the diamondshaped crotch to look even, but I really like the 3-dimensional way it is shaped. Apart from that an easy knit. I plan to make my daughter some too and my oldest son liked them so much that he wants some now too.. We'll see when I ever get around to it..
Anyway - here they are - the finished and homedyed Wondershorties. They are quite big on my baby but he will grow to fit..

My sons - the youngest wearing his new Wondershorties/capris

And then there is the stash game. I entered a game where I am supposed to use up as much as possible from my yarn stash within the next 6 weeks - starting tomorrow. So come and cheer - I really need to finish up some of those UFOs..

Dyed yarn for shorties

Still no FO's. We've been so busy lately I hardly get around to do any knitting. The SKB is progressing though. I am past the waist lace detail and will soon start the sleeves..


To start a completely different project then I dyed some yarn to make Sejer some shorties today. I dont know the first thing about dyeing yarn so it was all pretty random, but I think I like how it came out..

YAY - I finally started my SKB!

Yes I finally started my Simple Knitted Bodice by Stephanie Japel - and it is even going pretty well I dare say..
It is even possible to see that I dyed the yarn to give it a slightly variegated look. It is brown BFL - aran weight. The pattern calls for silk at gauge 5 sts to the inch. Turned out when I started knitting (yes - I did swatch to match gauge, but appearently my swatch was tighter than my actual knitting..) that I knit at 4 sts to the inch.. hrmf..

So - I had to do a whole lot of calculations, but it turns out that if I knit the size small instead of the size large I had planned, then I should meet the same measurements. So I started knitting and it seems to be going fine. I dyed the yarn using salmon jacquards acid dye to get the variegated effect, and I am pretty happy with the result so far.
I tried it on last night see:
Now dont ask me what happened to the Tomten.
It is on the shelf for now. It bugs me big time - especially since I ran out of the organic yarn and appearently dont even have enough of the Sandness yarn either, so for now it is on hold. Such a shame as my daughter really could use a spring sweater..

Stuck again

Once again I am stuck. The Tomten is coming along SO slowly now. I have finished the hood and the body - only the sleeves left, but it looks like I will be out of yarn before I get that far. I will have to get some more - luckily it is possible as I bought the yarn for this project in my LYS.
The shawl is just waiting for me to knit on it - easy peasy, but I would rather finish other stuff as I am in no rush with that one.
I cast on a pullover for my newborn, but once again I did something wrong with the sizing :( I think I made the raglan-increase-part too long, so now it is way too big. I will also be out of yarn for that one so I will have to add some Alpaca-merino as I cant get anymore of the particular handdyed BFL that I used for the yoke :(. I may frog..
I have cast on a swatch for the Simple Knitted Bodice that I am planning. I cant match the smaller gauge so will need to do some serious decreasing around the waist. Have cast on a swatch for the chevron lace so I can do the calculations for waist-decreases right.
Boring boring. I wish I had some FO's to show, but that may take a while yet..

Pics of stuff in progress

Ok - this is just to prove that I am actually knitting stuff even if I am not finishing much these days.. sigh.

Anyway - here are my two current projects. A Tomten jacket that was supposed to keep my youngest one warm this spring - but oh my - it is twice his size.. I guess it will be a fall jacket instead then.. I tried to adjust the sizing while still making it a bit too big so it would fit longer.. Well I guess it will be a LOT too big. The yarn is organic wool from Oehlenshläger. It still has pieces of hay stuck in it and it smells wonderfully sheep-ish.. if there even is such a word.. It is the same wool I used for DPs scarf (scroll down to see). It seems to be a very durable wool - would be great for an outdoor sweater of sorts.. (maybe a future projec??.) Anyway I love this wool :D I have combined it with stripes of "Fritidsgarn" from Sandnes in a variegated green and earth-brown colorway. Unfortunately none of the colors show very well here..

My other project in progress is a shawl with sleeves (or without - havent decided yet) by Jytte Slente from the book "Designstrik". It is a very very simple project so I tend to bring it on carrides and such because it is just plain knitting and knitting.. Hardly any consulting patterns and such. Very simple. The wool is HP Multi Mohair in the Burnt Orange colorway. It is a 9 % wool, 13 % polyamide and 78 % mohair yarn. Very fluffy and soft :)

Ribbed longies and stuff in progress..

Havent been knitting much in the past month, but about time I update.

I have finished one project since Sejer was born - a pair of ribbed longies.
Here he is wearing them - again they are knit in BFL from Natural Dye Studio - a favourite yarn! The top is the "Ugly Alpaca-rib" - it may be ugly but he has been wearing it ever since he was born so it was worth the bother! It is wonderfully soft and it keeps him nice and warm :D I am really happy with it - it wont be my last thing made from 100% alpaca!

Other projects I am currently working on is a shawl with sleeves made from lovely soft mohair. I was out of yarn, but finally found some leftover stock in a webshop - so I bought a bunch and should have enough to finish it. There is still LOTS of knitting left in that one though so wont be done anytime soon..

I also got myself a couple of Elizabeth Zimmermann books and am working on a Tomten jacket in lovely thick organic wool! It will be a really durable and warm jacket once done. Still need to do the upper front and sleeves though. Pics to come.

Some of the knit stuff actually fits!

Being a new mom (again - I dont know if "new" is the right word when it is your third baby in less than 4 years? ) I havent had much time to knit in the past week since Sejer was born. Apart from having to deal with three small kids I am also recovering from c-section as Sejer refused to be born the right way. We had planned a homebirth so things turned out a whole lot different than we had imagined.

He does fit into some of the stuff I made for him before he was born. Here he is wearing a pair of Perfection Pants and Ruth's Babytop to match. Both knit in the same wonderfully soft BFL dyed by The Natural Dye Studio.

Sejer Arild is here

Sejer Arild is here. He was born on the 13th of february 07 at 12.27 pm weighing 4500 grams and measuring 57 cms. Here he is - one day old..



I will try if I can get some pics online of him wearing his newest knit stuff :) One of them being the ugly alpaca rib..

Finished the alpaca babyrib!

Ok - I admit it. This is not pretty - at all.. No pretty colorways and definately no perfect knitting.

But - That being said I am really proud of this tiny babytop! It is knit with the softest, most gorgeous, thinnest alpaca and it took me FOREVER to finish it. Partly because it is knit on needles size 3 mm. with a very fine yarn and partly because it took forever to weave in all the ends, pick up neckline stitches, sew it all together etc. It has taken me weeks to finish this tiny thing - while the more beautiful blue and lilac baby-rib (Ruths baby-rib) took me only a couple of days then this took weeks - I could have knit my son a sweater in that time!!

But anyway - here it is - finally done! (and then we completely forget about the similar one that I am knitting in superwash merino and still need half of it to be done.. sigh..) Oh and the doll belongs to my daughter and is a bit smaller than an actual newborn - so I figure it wont matter that the body of the babytop is pretty long. It has a LOT of stretch so hopefully my baby wont outgrow it too soon.

Curly Purly Soaker done

Very short - I should be in my bed but wanted to get this done.

A curly purly newborn soaker knit with aran weight chocolate-colored BFL and the turquoise BFL I dyed the other day :D

Stuck knitting and dyed some yarn

Just a short status from here. I am stuck knitting two babytops in rib. I chose to try a pattern using thin and very soft alpaca yarn. Sigh.. It takes me FOREVER - not to mention that even when I am finally done I need to sew the lot together as well. Gosh - now I remember why I prefer stuff that can be knit in the round..

I recieved some dyes the other day. One of them a turquise that I tried out on a single skein of BFL yesterday. The idea was to make it a bit variegated - with darker and lighter areas - but it didnt work out too well. Here is the result. I still love the color though. I will use some of it for a soaker for my unborn baby boy.. I am about 1/3 done with that.. Pics to come..

DD's cardigan finally finished

I finally finished the raglan cardigan for my daughter. I started sometime late december and have been working on it on and off.

The yarn is Colinette Skye - colorway Earth. The pattern is a simple raglan with an added lace-pattern on the back and sleeves. The cuffs and button-column are pearl-stitches and the neck is lined with a thin crochet edge.

Some recent FO's

Ok - now that I have made myself a knit-blog I better start posting some pics!

So here are some recent FO's (finished objects)
First - I knit my son a Balaclava in december using this pattern: http://sockit-to-me.blogspot.com/2005/11/childs-winter-helmet-pattern.html

I also knit him a sweater in bluefaced leicester. I finished the last detail - the icord snake - just before christmas.

And an organic wool scarf that I knit for DH for christmas:

Finally a shirt for my yet unborn baby - due in february. It is knit with lovely BFL handdyed by The Natural Dye Studio . It has some minor flaws -It is the first time I used the pattern - but I really love the colorway and the look of the ribbing. I also think the buttons are absolutely adorable.. Oh and thanks to Ruth for providing the pattern - an old pattern used in her family for generations.