Update - New Shop Links

Thanks to Ann, you can now actually find the links to my patterns which I recently reported to be for sale on Ravelry in the sidebar...! I learn something new about html all the time... Apparently you don't necessarily see the same sidebar when viewing a single post as when viewing the entire blog. Simple enough - I just never thought about it.

New Shop

All my patterns are now available directly through Ravelry which means that:

1) You will have the pattern right away and don't have to wait for me to send you the pdf.
2) You can store the pdf in your Ravelry library.

Even if you're not a member of Ravelry, you can still purchase the patterns - just click the 'buy now' buttons in the sidebar!

On knitting and running

Can you find me?

Today, I finished the third installment of the test runs, the half marathon, leading up to Copenhagen Marathon in what for me is a splendid time: 1:54:00. Also having completed the 30 km training a few weeks ago I feel completely ready for my first marathon on May 22nd.

Though not extremely fast, I've become quite a runner over the past year. So much that it influences my mood. I've even joined a running club. It was therefore with great interest I read an article in the new Twist Collective about what knitting and running have in common: 
"But look closer and you’ll see that both running and knitting fall into the back-to-basics mentality that is gaining  a foothold in our increasingly techno-driven world."

Extremely interesting reading for me as these two disciplines are by far my two most important interest. A lot of interesting points are raised in the article. It was also great to see how knitters even bring their knitting along! I don't think I'll ever do that, though. For me, running is about finishing as fast as possible, and although I'm a fast knitter, I'm not sure I'll be a fast knitting runner.

Baby Sweaters

Here's my second post in the series of knitted baby garment adventures - the first one on baby vests was here.

No. 1: Sloe Cardigan

Pattern: Generic, made up as I went along. This was a commissioned knit so I made a swatch and made sure to match the measurements I got. Raglan. Moss stitch borders. The shoes are loosely based on this pattern (Rav link). Sized to fit a 6 months old baby - and for her to grow in.
Yarn: Holst Garn Supersoft in Sloe.
Needles: 3.25 mm.
Ravelry project page: Here.
Comments: A basic, thin cardigan. Seems very useful.


No. 2: Malachite Alfred

Pattern: Alfred's Raglan by Britta Wilfert (Rav link). Not sure about the size (made my own), but I think approx. 1 year.
Yarn: Regia Hand-dye Effect in Malachite (Rav link). A bit different from other sock yarns. Comes in some interesting colour combinations.
Needles: 4.5 mm.
Ravelry project page: Here.
Comments: I saw this sweater on Anne's blog, liked it a lot and wanted to try it out. I think this is a good, basic pattern for many sweaters - also for larger children. The reverse of the ribbing pattern is also quite interesting (see photos on my Ravelry page). I like the effect that comes from using two strands of this long-colour-repeats yarn together.


No. 3: Red V-Neck Cardigan

Pattern: I originally started knitting the Baby Sophisticate cardigan, didn't like the size and the (IMO) too many sts on the front, frogged it and restarted making it all up as I went along (in a larger size). Size is approx. 6-12 months, I think.
Yarn: The project was intiated with the sole purpose of eliminating the small quantities of these two yarns in my stash: Rowan Pure Wool DK in Kiss (Rav link) and Naturfiber Dansk Merino Kamgarn in colour 4013 (Rav link). Mission completed. After making the hat, you may be able to see a bit of on the left, that is. The hat pattern is (again) the same used for the CPAP hats for Cuba (here), just larger due to the thicker yarn.
Needles: 6.0 mm (5.5 mm for the moss stitch borders).
Ravelry project page: Here.

Comments: Not much to report. With the fear of repeating myself, I'd say it looks like a useful cardigan for a wee one.

Quite a nice stash of baby garments I've built up, right? Not a bad thing when the late twenties appear to be "baby age" for everybody I know.

Baby Vests

It's very likely that it's the combination of the need for instant gratification projects, the income of single 100g skeins of highland wool, the opportunity to get rid of some odd ball leftovers, and some commissioned knitting that has caused me to delve into the baby vest knitting field lately. Anyway, it has lead to quite a lot of baby vest knitting (and baby sweater - post is upcoming) lately.

No. 1: Raspberries & Blueberries

Pattern: My own, a favourite, similar to this one.

Yarn: Blackhill Højlandsgarn in Nattehimmel (2 strands together) and Isager Highland Wool in Cranberry with Blackhill Højlandsgarn in Dahlia.

Needles: 4.5 mm.

Ravelry page: Here.

Comments: Not the best of photos, and it still needed buttons on the shoulder when the photo was taken. This was a last-minute commissioned knit (asked for on Monday, finished on Friday at a party...), but by sheer coincidence it lead me to discover a great new colour combination (hard to see from the photo though): Nattehimmel vs. Cranberry/Dahlia.

No. 2: Poppy

Pattern: Babys uldne undertrøje from Familie Journal (in Danish only), smallest size. Ravelry pattern page.

Yarn: Holst Garn Supersoft in Poppy, 30 g.

Needles: 3.5 mm.

Ravelry page: Here.

Mods: The original pattern as a smaller neck opening and a slit. I made it more like a singlet, and like it much more that way. I also made it longer than the original pattern suggests. Slipped the first st on the rows around the neckline and the armholes.

Comments: This is a new favourite (as you can see below). VERY fast to knit, uses very little yarn, and seems to work well for a baby.

No. 3: Blue Baby

Pattern: Lille livstykke by Isager (in Danish). Ravelry pattern page. The hat pattern is generic, almost the same as the one recently used for the CPAP hats for Cuba.

Yarn: The leftovers from my Larch cardigan. 

Needles: 4.0 mm.

Ravelry page: Here.

Mods: None that I remember.

Comments: Also a very useful pattern, though not quite as fast as the one above for some reason (maybe it's the lack of alternating ribbing that makes you want to knit 'just one more'...). The hat was to use up the last bits of this yarn.

No 4: Sea Singlet

Pattern: Babys uldne undertrøje from Familie Journal (in Danish only), second smallest size. Ravelry pattern page.

Yarn: Blackhill Højlandsgarn in Oprørt Hav, 38 g.

Needles: 3.5 mm.

Ravelry page: Here.

Mods: See above.

Comments: See above. It obviously works equally well for boys and girls, depending on the colour.