Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Puff Sleeve Jacket
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Swatching
Sunday, April 13, 2008
I've got lots to show you!
First up it this scarf made from Habu Wool/Stainless Steel and Spinni giving the contrast between the airy, but crisp, Habu Wool/Stainless and the denser, yet still light, Spinni:
I knitted it up this week in order to give it away as a birthday present yesterday for Peter's sisters 40th birthday - she wears scarves most of the time, so I thought this would be an ideal present. And light: it's only 38 g.
I put my label on it and a small instruction note - almost professinal, right? ;)
In other news, a third elephant has emerged: Just as cute as its sister and brother. I wanted to have one for myself - and use the rest of the yarn purchased for knitting its brother.
While clearing out clothes and accessories a while ago I stumbled upon this vest I've hardly been using, knitted from some handspun yarn (read more here). I frogged it and out came the Shetland Triangle from Wrap Style:
Finally, the Stashalong information:
Habu/Spinni scarf: 38 g
Elijah III: 24 g
Baby gear from stash: 292 g
The Shetland Triangle will not contribute to the Stashalong since this frogged yarn was not a part of the original stash pile.
In total: 354 g of stash presented in this post.
I'll count all the baby equipment as one item, giving me 3 finished items in this post (not counting the Shetland Triangle). Added to the other 2008 FO's this gives me another couple of free days for Stashalong. I guess I'll have plenty of those!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Now, what's that?
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:
Warm wrists
38 g of stash.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Cabled Spiral Pullover
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.
Friday, March 14, 2008
While I remember it...
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.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Beginnings
1) The Shetland Triangle
2) Solen from Marianne Isager's new book Japan
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?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
My stash has grown by 28g today...
Friday, February 29, 2008
Photos of the Color on Color scarf
Details below.
Unbelievable yet true: I finished knitting the Color on Color Scarf!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Foxy lady... ;)
- I started this project in order to (1) practice my jacquard knitting skills (I think I've got hold of that technique now!), and (2) to see how jacquard and body shaping go together without having to think it up myself: they go together quite nicely, I must say! I'm very pleased with the result!
- As you may have noticed, I'm still contemplating what buttons to sew on it. The buttons I originally planned to use are too large for the buttonholes (explanation for this below), and I haven't decided if I can live with some of the other buttons I have, or if I'll have to go and buy some. Until I decide, it will work perfectly well without the buttons, as you can see in the photos.
- As I actually expected while knitting it, it turned out a little too large. I had a larger gauge (that's what you get when knitting from stash!), and even though I knit the smallest size (but fit the second-smallest) I was pretty sure it would still be a little too big for me. My suspicion turned out to be correct; but not to worry: I knew that this yarn would felt quite easily. However, felting in the washing machine is pretty uncontrollable... Luckily, I know how to felt by hand (I have made this jacket for myself; no knitting involved!), so crawling around on the kitchen floor I reduced the sweater size by 8 cm (~3") in the round and 3 cm lengthwise (~1.25"). 'Twas worth the trouble: the sweater now fits perfectly!
- The felting and the jacquard pattern knitted with 2 strands of each colour makes it perfect for the chilly environment in which I move - and for the skiing holiday in Sölden (Austria) we're going this Saturday! What an incentive to finish the sweater.
- And just a peculiarity: I did the sewing-before-cutting of the two neck opening steeks by hand! :)
And now for the stats (Stashalong-wise as well as general information):
- Knitted with 2 strands of yarn all the way. The black main colour is wool from Henrichsen's Uldspinderi resembling Marianne Isager's Tvinni, though much cheaper when bought at the factory kilogram-wise. The two pink/heather contrast colours are both a single-ply yarns from the local farm Lystbækgaard near my parent's summer cottage in Western Denmark.
- Knitted on needle size 3.5 mm in the round.
- I used 542 g of stash yarn.
- My 6th FO in 2008, giving me my 3rd free day (more on that below).
- One of the items on my Stashalong list for 2008.
- It is my February contribution to 12 projekter.
Regarding the free days (part of Stashalong): I have finished 6 items this year, and since I earn one free day (with the limitation of never buying more than I have used up so far) for every second item I finish, I've earned 3 free days this year. I used the first one in January on a rather modest purchase. I used the second a week ago - and I got the yarn today:
6 skeins of Jo Sharp Silkroad DK Tweed in colourway Magnolia. 300 g of yarn added to the stash, but since I have already used more than 1500 g this year, it is quite all right, and still what I'd call a modest purchase.
Having finished my 6th object I've gone and spent the 3rd free day: It seems that modest purchases is my way to go this year: I've ordered 2x14 g of Habu Stainless Steel Wool. I've been wanting this peculiar yarn for some time know, so when Ysolda directed me and my fellow readers to a new Edinburgh yarn store with a webshop on the side being the only European(= no taxes or fees to be added) Habu Stainless carrying shop I know of, I couldn't resist making an order! I'm looking forward :)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Elijah II is born!
He is my February KAL within KAL project for Stashalong, and he is a birthday gift I gave away this Saturday. You may think, that the recipient has his/her 1st birthday. Well, not quite. Mentioning Eliza above, I can also tell that she now lives with my mother who (like me) happened to think that the litte raspberry coloured elephant looked immensely cute. As Eliza was made just before my mothers birthday in December, I gave the cute little elephant to her. At that occasion, her aunt saw this little creature and immediately wished for one for her 80th birthday (which was this Saturday) - though, it should be light blue! And here it is: Elijah the Elephant.
Pattern by Ysolda. 26 g of Arwetta sock yarn used.
As a matter of fact, as you read this, Elijah's twin is emerging :)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
Photos of Amimono Oak
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A button-y little neckwarmer
I especially like the metal buttons; and the one on the bottom with the "Norwegian knitted star" in particular. Fortunately, there are still plenty of those in the box! The button second to the top is made of glass - I've never seen glass buttons before. Peculiar.
50 g of stash used - and no longer with this (deliberate) odd ball in stock.
Coincidental blogland adventures
Starting on Ravelry browsing for yarn from my I-would-love-to-have-this-yarn-but-I'm-not-willing-to-pay-tax-on-a-U.S.-shipment-list I came across projects made from one of the Habu Stainless Steel yarns. That lead me to Olga's profile, where I saw a lovely Wenlan Chia sweater she made (links to Ravelry). That lead me to another profile because Kelli had made another beautiful version of this sweater. That, of course, lead me to Kelli's blog. I discovered that Kelli has a wonderful eye for fashionable knits and went on looking through her blog. At some point, I encountered a post, where she showed her new necklace from - and here comes the interesting part seen from my point of view - Jennifer Zeuner Jewelry. Apparently, Jennifer Zeuner makes jewelry, which is somewhat popular, even in the Hollywood circles.
In case you're still wondering why this is so interesting... jewelry designer Jennifer and I share the same last name. To say the least, this is not an awfully common surname - in fact, I've never met anyone apart from my father and his mother with that name, yet. As some of you may have guessed, our name is of German origin, but it is not as if Germany is crowded with distant family members of that name. I know some people in Denmark share my last name - 55 to be exact - but I've never met the 53 of them. Hence, when I encounter someone with my last name on a blog, and find out the woman grew up as far away as in Puerto Rico before she became a U.S. jewelry designer - well, I smile a little and wonder :)
Sunday, January 27, 2008
WIP knitting
As you can see in the sidebar, I have only(!) 4 WIPs. I've even taken up the Color on Color scarf, which I thought I'd never finish. I'm almost done with the last section, meaning that all I need now is to knit a .... lot of i-cords, weave in even more ends, and make some buttons. I don't say that it'll be done by the end of the week, but I'm confident that it'll be done by the end of the year.
Thursday I plugged away on the neckwarmer (inspiration here) in Jo Sharp DK Silkroad Tweed. Today I washed it, and it's now ready for the 6 different buttons that I dug out of the fully equipped sewing chest that I inherited from my grandmother. I think it's going to be nice!
This weekend I've been knitting on the Colette Pullover: I finished the first sleeve and cast on for the second. I'm suprised how incredibly fast one can knit the rounds on the sleeve when being used to the body rounds! I want to finish this one soon as it's going to be very thick and warm. The weatherman spoke about the winter arriving by the end of the week.
I've also taken a few rounds on the Cabled Pullover. I'm almost at the chest shaping (I'm knitting in the round although the patterns says otherwise - I adhere to EZ: avoid purling by all means!). I'm thinking about casting on for a sleeve for lecture knitting as the semester starts next Monday. Unfortunately, I have no bamboo dpns size 4 mm; bamboo needles are required for silent(!) lecture knitting!
Meanwhile I'm contemplating what to start next. I'm thinking that it'll be MI's Solen and a well-known little elephant.
I'm wearing the Amimono Oak again today - apologies for forgetting to photograph it...
I wish a nice last week of the long month of January :)
Comments
Now everyone can leave a comment! :)
Thanks to Britt for drawing my attention to the problem - and for giving me the award! :) - and to all of you who leave comments now and again; I really do appreciate them!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Award time!

The rules are as follows: “Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.”
According to Google Reader - the very nice tool (when you install the "Next"-button in your browser) that I use for reading blogs more easily - I read 36 blogs regularly; and even more a little more randomly. I picked out the 10 blogs I appreciate the most, and here they are - in random order:
Hverken fugl eller fisk
Knit in Denmark
Pindsvinet
Lykke & Løkker
Knitting Hurricanes
Aalerusen
Ysolda
Mettetations
Slagt en hellig ko
Brooklyntweed
Now I'm off to commenting on all these blogs to let them know about the award :)
I would have liked to link to even more of the blogs I read, since there is so much inspiration out there in blogland. Maybe I'll do that some other time.
Happy knitting and blog-reading to all of you.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Amimono Oak and EZ Tomten finished; first free day used
I wore it today for my boyfriend's nieces baptism, but I didn't manage to take any photos of me wearing it. Yet.
The design is made by talented Danish knitting designer Helga Isager; her company is called Amimono, the Japanese word for knitting. As I have waxed poetic about earlier, she makes fabulous and fashionable designs. Looking forward to seeing her spring collection. The yarn for this garment (a long vest, it must be) is her own, (or mostly, her mothers?) and you must buy a kit including the yarn to get the pattern. They are fairly expensive, but I must say the yarn and the pattern is quite word the money.
I followed the smallest size (small/medium) of the pattern, but I knit on needle size 5.0mm and not 5.5mm as suggested by the pattern although I normally have to use larger needles since I'm knitting tightly. I did however make this modification to get a denser and more rigid fabric; it turned out like I wanted it to! This, of course, made me use more yarn than I might have, but since the kit comes with enough yarn for the largest size, I had enough: the kit includes 700 g of yarn; I used 696 g!
I'm looking forward to flashing this fashionable knit in the time to come; I'll try to post some photos later.
As soon as I finished this 2nd project of the year I went and spent the first free day earned in this year's Stashalong (my rules are here): A very modest purchase, I must say: 100g of New Zealand lambswool and 50 g of Arwetta sock yarn. The latter for an upcoming project; the first is not quite the colour I wanted it to be, so I guess I'll order something else for the project I have in mind when I earn my next free day.
I did also finish another project this week: The EZ Tomten jacket (link for Ravelry) for the above mentioned niece being baptized today. I sew in the buttons in the car on our way there, hence, I only managed to take some photos of it with my mobile phone. Alas, it turns out that none of us have Bluetooth on our computers! What a shame! I've never got so many compliments on my knits as I got today from the baptism participants :) The child's father even called it cool ;)
All I can show you is this progress photo, where you can see the raspberry main colour. I also used some coral yarn to underline the sleeve construction - and some pink alpaca when I ran out of the original yarn... :) 194 g stash reduction; and an immensely cute baby jacket which I assume the child can grow in.
Stashalong status:
Used: 934 g; 3 projects = 1 free day earned.
Bought: 150 g; 1 free day used.
A nice progress so far; and 2 projects crossed from the list, as the EZ Tomten will replace the EZ February Sweater on the list.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Working on a Sunday
Saturday, January 12, 2008
My first finish in 2008
It'll be my first project for Stashalong 2008 and for 12 projekter.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Stashalong 2008 starts now!
I did some yarn shopping over Christmas (or rather, my gorgeous mother paid for me :)), and added the Amimono Oak knit kit to the count; that gives me this large number!
A lot of this amount is already WIPs or upcoming, planned projects, so I'm confident that I'll manage to reduce this amount considerably.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
By the way...
Some might say that my list for Stashalong 2008 (below) is quite short compared to that, but
- most of the projects on it are quite large
- I plan to spend more time studying and less time knitting this year (unfortunately)
- there's plenty of room for improvement on that list... :)
Stashalong Goals & Rules 2008
Last year I went by the rule that I could only buy 40% of what I knit up, but I could get gifts and use free days apart from this. This lead to a minor stash reduction (~800g) and a stash quality improvement which I am quite pleased with.
This year I’ll do something different, though. Part of my stash improvement was to shop for specific projects, so that I now have yarn for several planned upcoming projects. Consequently, my Stashalong 2008 will be project-based: I’ll be knitting a number of projects from my stash:
- Amimono Oak (WIP)
- Colette Pullover from IK Winter 07 (WIP)
- Cabled Pullover from Norah Gaughan’s Knitting Nature (WIP)
- EZ Kangaroo Pouch from red/pink/heather stash
- Cardigan in red Posh Yarn Eva 2-ply (laceweight silk/cashmere)
- Solen from Marianne Isager’s Japan (Danish book)
- Karpen from Marianne Isager’s Japan (Danish book)
- Red Bubble Pullover
- EZ February Baby Sweater
- EZ Baby Surprise Jacket
- Gentleman’s Fancy Socks (Nancy Bush’s Vintage Socks) in purple-brown-black Admiral degradé
- Socks in purple Arwetta
I think I’ll go with 12 projects in 12 months. Not that I have to finish a project every month, but I think it is an appropriate number. I am allowed to change the projects on the above list. I think I’ll revise the list in June or July to see if I should add more projects. Any project that I knit from my stash will count in my Stashalong 2008 adventure.
EDIT 30/03/2008: I've posted an updated list here.
My rules for 2008:
- I’ll finish (at least) 12 projects knitted from my stash only (see above) – this number will be revised in June/July
- I’ll have a free day for purchasing yarn every time I have finished 2 projects
- I can also use free days earned in KAL in KALs, that is if I get any
- By the end of the year my amount of stash must be smaller than it is now, January 2nd (I’ll count it next week); gifts, free day purchases, etc. must counted in altogether
- I must post on Stashalong whenever I finish a project
These rules are quite simple, and I think I like them.
I’ve already put all my stash on Ravelry (I’m “BirgitteStrikker”), and I’ll keep doing that – it’s such an easy way too have an overview instead of having to dig out all the stash from all the baskets in which it resides.
Happy knitting to all of you!