wordomize

Looks like I've started an armory or opened war on something... When did my blog become this violent? ;)

all buttoned up

I wore my newly made button clipon earrings today. My ear lobes hurt after a full day, but damn they're cute! Several people actually bothered to tell me so too.

In other news I'm making progress in my battle with the sewing machines! They've been the siege engines of my life - always in somebody elses army working against me.
My crafts teacher in school made a good job convincing me I can't even hold a needle...
But with a little help and a lot of will power I now own a medieval gown! Or rather it's just a long tunic with a red dress over it and a purse and a little hat and a big hood... Oh, I guess it's a full outfit isn't it? Exiting!

We're going to this medieval fair thing this weekend so I'll try and get photos of my 1200-something self. Me. Sewing. Who'd have thought huh?

ETSY

I'm on etsy! Can you believe it!? I finally got my thumb out of my... well... I finally got around to actually listing a shop. So far only four brooches made it on there, but there are more, prettier and exiting things coming!

sharp pointed weapons

A friend once uttered about knitting that it has to be the manliest thing one can do:

"Armed with sharp pointed weapons in both hands, and usually surrounded by women"

...was his take on our favorite hobby (loosely translated from Swedish).

Now I have truly sharpened those weapons as I finally got these babies home - iron knitting needles! Made by hand by a real blacksmith. Can you imagine something cooler? I can't. Not very comfortable, heavy and loudly clanging to knit with, but hey -
Iron Needles!
I have big plans on how to display them best... But anyone who comes to visit will have the opportunity to try them out. That's a promise.

fraggle knits

Remember fraggle mountain? Then take a look at this! (You can fast forward to 3.40 in to the clip if you Just wanna see why I made a knitting reference)

Too bad the dozers preferred building to knitting huh?

still knitting

After having moved (!), finished two projects for work, worked my pretty little ass off... I picked up some yarn and some sticks and began creating something again! I finished Rogue - the knitted parts - some time ago, but I have big plans for that baby so you'll have to wait longer for pictures of that. It is so far the best thing I ever did.
Now I've cast on Seascape and Durrow.

The Seascape almost became a disaster until I remembered the golden rule:
It's my knitting and I'll alter if I want to
So I'm making it a Seascape based stole.

I'm using the pattern but not exactly as it was intended. Mistakes can be such creative tools sometimes.

Then for the Durrow. Ribs, ribs, ribs...

I see what you did here Jodi. You make me long for the cable work and thus I'm speeding through the boring part first? Is that the idea? Anyway - since I'm making it in a humongous size it's a lot of ribs, but give me a dull enough movie and I'll be shaping the neckline in no time at all.
Also considering adding a hem, but we'll see about that.
Still - I can't wait to get to those sleeves!

“Worry is like a rocking chair--it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere.”

endpaper

Being my first multicolor project ever, it might be considered odd that the backside is actually more awesome than the outside... But the koigu yarn is just magical! When daylight hits this mitten - it has a clear pattern. In the shade it's just greenishly beautifully random.
The backside is stripey and shiney. I might actually wear these inside out! When I get around to making number two.

rogue

I'm making a very personal version of the rogue sweater. First of all I'm making it a cardigan. Second of all I'm making it huge. Much longer than the pattern says it should be, and thicker. And I'm planning on lining it with a burgundy or black thin inner jacket. But now it's stitched together and all the knitting I have left is an i-cord edging along the zipper. And I'll block it with gentle steam and lots of pressure before measuring anything.
I'll take more photos shortly.



Wish me luck!

In other news I'm moving in a month to a big apartment, so I'm getting a yarn cabinet! And we'll be able to have the sewing machine out! And... I'll be decorating rather than knitting for a while I guess.

swatch

This yarn. This stitch pattern. A dream come true.
Now let's keep our fingers crossed that in a lifetime or two I'll have combined them into an equally wonderful design of a garment.

haunted house for sale

Apparently this Roadside Attraction Haunted House (Road Side attractions are the Stone Henges of America - please read American Gods if you haven't yet!) is closing and selling everything on auction!
But I always have my knitters' eyes, and all I could see was this display case for yarn - also known as spectacular bookshelf..
There are some hideous and crappy pieces in there too (most of it to be honest), but I wouldn't mind a mirror, an exit sign or a suit of armor. Go take a look!

hunters' toque

I got a knitting request today. (Read this next tongue twisting sentence out loud:) A hunter wants a hat for when he's hunting hares. (I should have written toque, but hat went better with the rythm) The requirements were very specific, and he made very sure that I knew how he meant, and I just smiled. This will be so much fun!

He wants to be able to pull it down like a ski mask - Are you thinking what I'm thinking? And he wants it to be in a rather special shade of green. No problems.
What he doesn't know, is that I'm making him a pair of half mitts to match. I already bought the yarn, and I'll cast on tonight.

amazing gift

Exactly how incredible is this Christmas present?

Made for me! Just me! From horn of a deer and apple tree wood. It smells nice, it crochets nicely, it's just... perfect!

mittens

The last weeks few moments of knitting are still a secret so I'll tell you about it after Christmas... For now, all I can tell you is that there has been a few dramatic moments. It was all Crap with a capital C, but I think I might have saved it. Outcome still in the dark though.

I have however finished the Best Mittens Ever. I use them all the time, and they're posted on Ravelry as they should be. Here are all the photos:

I'm a designer

I found someone on Ravelry who made my mittens! Incredible feeling. I knew I had made a few mistakes in the pattern too, and now she helped me with some of it.
So now it's updated! Finally.

So go have a look see, and then make my Vikingùr Vantùr!

here be dragon

I need to practise my crochet, and I was bored. Hence, a dragon.
Totally improvised last night, and totally tiny. Whaddya think peeps?

fuzz monster

Is it a beret?

No! It's a Fuzz Monster!

It was supposed to become a funky beret. It's becoming a Fuzz Monster.
I'm still finishing it one of these days and honestly, I can't wait to see the result. It could still be a successfully Very Funky Hat. But I'll bet my money on a Fuzz Monster...

Fabulously wonderful

Done. It fits absolutely Perfectly. I Love Love Love it!
Made it up as I went. Now I want ten more of these. Only took me a week and a half too!

Ånäset Cast On

Here it is: Tutorial for a traditional cast on from a village called Ånäset in northern Sweden. This lady said her grandmother taught her to cast on like this and she says she's never found a cast on method she likes better. You end up with an extra "rope" along the edge, and a little purl-pearl row on each side. It is a complication of the ordinary long tail cast on, but the result is far more decorative, flat and stretchy. I like and will use. Now - pictures!
(All images are clickable for bigger versions as usual.)

You start with a loop around your needle as usual, tail hanging down, ball of yarn above.

With thumb and index finger between threads you tilt your hand to create two loops. One around the thumb and one around the index finger.

I'll refer to these two loops in this tutorial as shown above. Thumb loop in red, index loop in yellow. In the photo the needle tip points to the Upper half of the Thumb loop.

Bring needle under both halves of thumb loop.

Come back above the upper half of the thumb loop and dip needle into it.

Bring the needle up over the thumb loop.

Dip into the index loop fetching the lower half of this loop. This thread will be the stitch saved around the needle. Now you just need to find your way out of the thumb loop again, bringing the thread from the lower half of the index loop with you.

Tilt your hand and bring the thread over the lower half of the thumb loop.

This photo isn't as clear as I'd have wanted but what you do is: Wriggle the stitch out of the thumb loop by bringing it through the loop from the backside. Coming out around the upper half of the thumb loop. (With your hand tilted like this you should be able to see "the way out")

Now just release and pull, and you should have one stitch on the needle. Now repeat a few times and you should have a neat row looking like this:


Please try it and let me know if this tutorial was understandable! (If not I'll try a movieclip next time).

Edit: I was just told that this might be a cast on presented in books as a "traditional Norwegian cast on", and it certainly sounds credible. However it may be, it's a clever one.

new cast on!

I learned a new way to cast on today and the edge becomes really neat! I must put my camera in somebody elses hands to photograph my own hands doing it to share it with all of you. I will! Promise!

The lady who taught me said she learned from her grandmother when she was a child. Now she was past 80 years old. She came from northern Sweden and claimed this was a traditional cast on from her parts of my beautiful country. Now it will live for a few more generations, because I'll use this a lot!

I met her, and seven other wonderful little ladies today as I was the hostess of a mini knitting café at the museum I work at. We had a cosy little chat about tradition, today, knitting, yarn and inspiration. I dare say it was one of those rare moments where nine people around a table really teach each other something new. I came away from that event with inspiration, a new cast on method and a big smile.