Now, what's that?

8 WIPs?! Yup. I just had to cast on for another 2 of them - and plan a third for the Stashalong April KAL within KAL.

The process was initiated by the Vogue Knitting Spring 2008 issue entering my mailbox. Not really finding any designs I liked in that magazine, I dug out the old ones, knowing that I especially liked some of the design in the Winter 2007/08 issue.

Firstly, the Swing Jacket: I've made some modifications I'll tell you about when it's done. My colour changes are also quite a lot more subtle that the ones in the magazine, and I think I like it that way. So far this seems to be a promising project. [For Ravelry users trying to look this pattern up on Ravelry: For some reason or another this particular pattern is missing from the magazine's site. Peculiar.] You can find an IRL completed version here; I'm mod'ing mine into a shorter and more roomy version. I hope.

This is going to be my project for the Stashalong April KAL within KAL calling for a spring-y project. I swatched to make sure the yarn fits the pattern, but I cannot start knitting before the KAL sets off on April 1. It's the Puff Sleeve Jacket (#22) from Vogue Knitting Winter 2007/08:

The last newly started WIP is an EZ February Baby Jacket in red cotton(!). No photo here.

Ultimately, I just wanted to show you a progress photo of the MI Solen:

Uhm.

Warm wrists

- but not for me :) A tiny gift I made for one of Peter's old friends who has visited my blog and liked these. The pattern comes as a swatch in Marianne Isager's new book, Japan (published in Danish only).

38 g of stash.

The Cabled Spiral Pullover

My experiences with Knitting Nature just gets better and better. I absolutely love this new sweater! It has a great fit, the yoke pattern is beautiful and makes the shape, fit, and look of the sweater just perfect. In addition, it's a pleasure wearing it, and I'm very pleased with the yarn and especially the colour I chose. It's just sad that my camera never figured out how to capture purple-blue colours; I'd call it gentian after this cute little flower (ensian in Danish - and in Austrian for that matter*) - the colour is slightly darker than that of the top of the petals in this photo.

I'm so happy with my sweater! :D

Information:

Pattern: Cabled Spiral Pullover from Norah Gaughan: Knitting Nature
Size: the smallest one - petite or small?
Needles: Addi Bamboo 4.0mm, and 3.5mm bamboo dpns
Yarn: ÅLJ from Henrichsens Uldspinderi / Marianne Isager; 342 g.

Modifications:

1) I knit it in the round! Why purl when you can avoid it?! This sweater is an obvious knit-in-the-round sweater. The chest shaping in order to make the collar fit on the front are easily made even when back and front are knit in one piece; making this shaping you have to knit back and forth for a few rows though, but there's no need to knit the entire sweater back and forth.
2) I made a minor waist shaping (I only de-/increased 2 stitches)
3) I made EZ's afterthought hem on the body as well as on the sleeves; I did not like the rolling edges.

Apart from this I followed another wonderful pattern from Knitting Nature. This is my 5th project from that book, when not counting the two stitch patterns I tried out as well. Must be the best knitting pattern book ever.

Information for Stashalong:

342 g used.

My 8th finish this year, earning me my 4th free day. I also got one from the February KAL within KAL on Stashalong, meaning that I now have 2 unspent free days. I guess I'll have plenty :)


*About that little gentian flower: it grows in the peculiar moor-like landscape behind the sand dunes where my parents have their summer cottage. It's has such a strong yet tiny appearence in that rough - or at least rather saline - climate. Furthermore, it grows in the Austrian Alps as well - it probably grows in all the Alps, but the Austrians use it for making schnapps... I tasted it last week while I went skiing there, and I must say: never pick this beautiful little flower to make schnapps from it; that flower water tasting liqour does in no way give the flower the credit it deserves! Eeew.

While I remember it...

I'm just posting this to remind myself that I used 342 g of ÅLJ, on sale from Henrichsens Uldspinderi - a lovely yarn! - which can then be withdrawn from my stash; I'm counting for Stashalong.

I'm looking forward to showing you a photo of it, since it is such a nice sweater; I've worn it 2 days this week but as of yet I've been to tired/busy/too-late-to-get-a-daylight-photo. I'll try to get one during the weekend!

More details then. Edit 14/03/08: now more details and photos here.

Beginnings

As soon as my photographer returns from work in time to photograph me in my new sweater I'll present to you my new Cabled Spiral Pullover. Finishing that means the end of several major WIPs, in turn meaning that I can now cast on for loads of new knits. And so I have.

This afternoon I took a photo spree round the flat to photograph all the new knits I've started up recently. Most of them are just a cast on and perhaps even an edge. Only one has gone further that that - that'll be the scarf (can one get to many of these?) I brought with me on my skiing holidays because the almost finished Cabled Spiral Pullover would be much too big to carry along.

I'll start out with those knitted after a pattern.

1) The Shetland Triangle

They kept popping up here and here, so I thought I might make one myself. I had to find some heavy yarn to make it brooklyntweed-style, hence I frogged a vest I've had lying around for a couple of years but not really used; it was knitted in some dark brown (unevenly) handspun wool with pink/heather spots - from Lystbækgaard. It is quite hard to see the pattern in this uneven, dark yarn. Let's see how it turns out. Warm, I reckon.

2) Solen from Marianne Isager's new book Japan
I'm making the narrow version in black; with 6 different red/pink/orange colours for the circles. It'll be interesting to see how it fits, since I made it a litte narrower, which is usually necessary for me when knitting models designed by the oldest of the Isagers.

3) Elijah III

Secondly, the designs I'm making up myself:

1) A summer cardigan in Posh Yarn's Eva (laceweight silk/cashmere)I've swatched and figured out how the design should be during a lecture. This is the cast on and the first row I've finished here, I guess.

2) My pocket-y scarfI came up with the idea ((C) Birgitte Zeuner, 2008) for this scarf earlier this month. The colours inside the "pockets", i.e. the colours on the back of the scarf changes in stripes, using all the matching leftovers I have around. I'll show you more as I progress.

Well, I guess that this will be enough WIPs to keep me going for a while. But you never know, do you?

Photo of me wearing the Color on Color Scarf

- the way I prefer it. Almost a piece of art.

My stash has grown by 28g today...

... but not by any kind of grams: the 2 Habu Textiles Wool / Stainless Steel 14g-cones in dark dark brown and wine-purple, respectively, arrived from Glasgow today (or rather, earlier this week but I went and picked it up today). Uuuuhm.