Beret in 31+ degrees

We've arrived in the Singapore heat, but the very first and very chilly impressions made quite clear that my wool knitting life is not suspended yet, for indoors it really is cold, freezing cold.

And as comfort knitting I finished a beret in two nights. I used handpaintedyarn.com Ejido 160 100% merino with 4,5 mm dpn and circular needles and followed Tweed Beret instructions (with modifications) from Interweave Knits 2006 Fall until the decrease rounds, I increased slightly more and changed stockinette stitch edge to 1x1 rib to make a better fit.

Quick knit Urchin

Everyone liked Urchin on its first outing at Stich & Bitch Milano this Saturday. Here are just some examples:


Info
Needles: 5mm
Yarn: Hanspaintedyarn.com Ejido 160 (100% merinos, 1 skein)
Pattern: Urchin

Between Pauses

Bloggin vacation for now is over.
It is quite shameful that whenever at the seaside in Puglia I have no urge to knit, it isstrange though that each year I take allmy UFOs and pattern and yarn along and never do anythingh, but I am convinced that the year I'll elave my needles and stash behind will be the Most Eventless Summer of all.
Therefore I have (ashamed) accomplished only 18 nearnothings as seen on photo.
And finished Clapotis.
Mystery Shawl isn't quite finished yet, I'll work on it during the next following weeks. For now I've finished packing my yarn (and it was mopre difficult that anyone can imagine), and I'm emotionally ready to not seeing them for the next 2-3 months while they do their seatrip towards my new home in Singapore. And I guess the next post will come from there as well. Until then, arrivederci!

BSJ Inspiration 2

I enjoyed Elisabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket design and simplicity yet complexity so much that I decided straight away upon hearing of the arrival of little Anita Marie to Estonia, that she needs a warmer jacket than the one I knit for her back in May, and she will be very cute in BSJ. Again the calculations didn't go easy, I had my doubts until the moment I handed it over, but it seems that the sleeves are quite right and the body goes fine until the end of this summer and then she certainly will need a new one. And I have some ideas already about that :).
Enough of blabber, I present the (not)finished jacket (I sew the sleeves and buttons on this morning, and silly silly silly me, forgot to take even one shot):
(Location: Pärnu 22nd July 2007)
Information:
Yarn: GB Wolle Gil (100% wool, 50 gr = 125 m)
Needles: 4mm Addi Turbo

Blue Vest

Yarn: Schaffhauser Wolle "Allround", 100% merino, ~300 grams

Needles: 3 mm straight

Pattern: Mani di Fata November 2006


Finished it in November last year, but couldn't present it before it was in the hands of the future owner, my sister.

Inspiration

First: I'm in Ravelry. Got an invitation yesterday and started discovering that constantly growing and interesting community straight away. It'll take some time to settle in with my UFOs, WIPs, stash and accessories, but it'll be worth while.

***
Now something that is ready. Finally.

I saw Elisabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket for the first time few months ago. I thought it's a clever idea, but wasn't tempted enough to buy the pattern. A month ago I found from local market an amazingly soft handspun merino from Southern Italy and thought that it would be fantastic to knit something in garter stitch. And then I remembered EZ's jacket. But I didn't want to buy the pattern (I was in the midst of packing before a big move and long vacation away from home, so it would have arrived to me probably not before September) and wanted to solve the mystery myself. I surfed around and read some comments from which I understood that it is based on mithered square and it's about double increases and decreases. So I started knitting it. I don't think I've ever ripped and reknit an item this many times before. After the 3rd attempt, I had figured out how it worked, but couldn't get the sizing right. Once over that part it was an easy knit. And I am tremendously happy that I finished it :)


So it's not EZ Baby Surprise Jacket, but she was the inspiration and motivation. Thank You, so much!

Information:
Yarn: 1,5 skeins of handspun natural white merino from Puglia (DK) and Noro Silver Thaw (wool 50%, angora 25%, nylon 25%) colorway 09 about 15 grams.
Needles: 4 mm Addi Circulars

The sleeves with this techique never come full-sized, in Inspiration's case it was less than elbow length, so I had to lengthen it somehow. I tried picking up stitches in regular way, it wasn't nice, I think it can only be done without leaving obvious line if you are using colors. So I decided do follow the clue of the full construction and knit mithered squares inbetween and then picked up stitches to continue.
Noro Silver Thaw is a difficult yarn (uneven color sections, scratchy and uneven surface) to knit I-cord with, but without a doubt it was the best option for this edging.

Mystery Stole 3 - week 1 & 2

I'm happy to be part of the huge group (+5700 people from all around the world) and have eagerly finished both of the clues.
I'm using my all time favouruite lace knitting yarn, but this time doubled up (I've knit Kiri and one Swallowtail Shawl with it). I'm not using any beads this time, for actually for me this is more like a try-out knit. If I like what I see, I might consider something more luxurious to knit with and surely add the beads as well.
I must admit that since I was missing the big picture, knitting (especially the first clue) was tricksy. In lace knitting I usually know what it is going to be like and therefore I doubt less in pattern and in myself and make less mistakes (again, confidence plays a huge role in my knitty life).

So I'm knititng with cobweb weight Canetta merino wool, using Addi Turbo 3,5 mm circulars (I wanted to find the new Lace needles, but couldn't) and am very anxious to get the next clue.

What I've done, what I haven't and I what I want to do

The rules: Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.

Afghan - One day when I have enough patience and matching leftover yarn
I-cord - part of the project I'm working on
Garter stitch - garter stitch is where we all start
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn - if someone has spare, send it over, I'd really like to try but haven't gotten my hands on it yet. I did find a yarn band in the park once (a glue that there are other knitters), which was camel hair yarn, but she didn't leave any yarn behind.
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL - It's Knitting Nature and Forecast for me
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn - didn't have much when I grew up
Slip stitch patterns - they create excellent patterns if you're not into fair-isle knitting
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting) - another WIP not yet to be revealed
Twisted stitch patterns
Two end knitting
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing - there wasn't much where I grew up, all toy clothes were self-made, and man in the end we were good at it.
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments - taking my first steps. Should write down patterns.
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Branching out
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit - I'm struggling at home, she wants to but isn't ready (too young), ah well, keep trying
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…) - now that's a thing that doesn't quite flatter my skills. Maybe I'll do a lamp cover or knit a pillow, but I'll call them home design.
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars - I'm strictly 5 dpn lady if knitting in small circles
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit - I'm luring my husband into my net :)
Bobbles - I have tricks for bobbles and started to like them when I got to know the tricks
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks - I'm looking for that courage
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards - it's fun!
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn - when I was young and price had a huge effect on choises
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting - tried it, but it never gets cold wnough here... one day, one day...
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair- it makes me sneeze too much
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Estonian color swap

We swapped colors with a bunch of knitting women in Estonia. I was requested for lime green and more or less lime green it came. But it was oh so hard not to buy all lime green items I saw around. And I went over them limit they set, but the prices are different, I guess. Hell who cares about money if swapping is fun. I will recieve my package when I go to estonia in a few weeks time.

Edit: 8.07.2007
I finally recieved my own package as well, I got if from Vardakeerutaja and I think she did a great job choosing the items for they are exactly my tase.
Proof:

Click on the picture, it has notes.

New purchase

I ought to be getting rid of my yarn stash, well most of it, and yet I couldn't stop myself when last week a natural products market took place for a day. And of course I just happened to pass by. And of course I bought yarn, some natural wool from Puglia (Southern Italy) and some Argentian handspun wool in darker natural colors. Of course I'm knitting it already.
And today, right below my house there is another market and this yarn swift was calling out my name, I swear. Now it's mine for only 15 Euros. I used it to wind a ball from one of the skeins of that courgeous wool.

Forecast done!

Tadaa! My Forecast is done.Actually it was done quite a while ago, I just didn't get to taking the pictures.
I like the design a lot and it was really fun to knit, which explains how it got ready in only 5 days.

And I did sew on the self-made buttons.

Modifications:

• I didn't purl, I knit the garter stitch part, which meant changing the pattern a wee little in the beginning.
• Different kind of yarn. I went down on needle size, that meant more bobbles (iiiik), but I got them done.
  
• I didn't turn my work while knitting bobbles, I just slipped stitches back to left needle and knit them through then just passing stitches over the last stitch.

What I wish had done differently: knit the ribbing part longer (blocking again will help I hope, or losing weight :P) and knit the first stitch of every row. I trusted the pattern, but should have trusted my experience, now I have this strange cross-stitch row between body and button bands (It's because my stitches are quite loose). But I guess you can call it DESIGN element.

Info:
Yarn: Unknown producer, 100% merino, cream, 350 grams
Needles: 4 mm and 3,25 mm Addi Turbo circulars
Pattern: Forecast
Time: 5 days

Belle & epoque

I am licquidating my stash by knitting faster (khm... smaller projects)
Last year I purchased 2x400 grams of Katia Jamaica cotton yarn, the turqoise-pink-orange one became Clapotis nr. 2, but green-beige-red-orange mix hid in the closet and didn't find a pattern.
Then one day last week my daughter came home and asked whether she could stay over for a night at a friend's place upcoming week. Of course I said yes, last time they had great fun together.
And it just happened that I was cleaning the closet and deciding the fate of my stash, so I instantly got an idea to knit some playful skirts. I pulled out Nicky Epstein's Knitting on the Edge and picked out two ruffles.
2 days later I had these beauties ready:
Belle

...and E'poque

Close-ups of ruffles, they are:
Belle Epoque

...and knit fluted edge
Why such a name... Well, Belle èpoque means in french "good/beautiful times" and I guess childhood can be considered the best of times, so it wasn't difficult to name the skirts after ruffles :)

Info:
Yarn: Katia Jamiaca, 100% cotton, color 4002 (Suzanne) , used for both 320 grams
Needles: 4 mm Addi Turbo circular
Pattern: my own

Polymer clay

I've made my first shy steps in the polymer clay world. With a little help from my daughter.
And I have some urgent questions:
1. I can make the beads round between my hands, but when I start making holes they deform (pressure of hands and needle). How do you get nice round beads?
2. How do you avoid/remove finger tip prints? Polish with what?
3. When covering a bead with gloss, on what do you dry them? I imagine you cannot lay them on a piece of paper without them sticking to it.

I'd appreciate all the help out there for it is quite enchanting craft and I'd like to continue.

Baby Girl Set

A little pat on my head - a baby set for a girl due in June:

Photos: future mum Mari
Did I mention that these adorable matching duckling buttons I got from the market... again!?! :)

Info:
Pattern: my own
Needles: booties 2mm, jacket 2,75 mm
Yarn: GRM Filati Super Baby (100% virgin wool) (used 100 gr)

Knitting with both hands

Some of you define themselves Continental Knitters, some English Knitters some Italian knitters, some knit like Portugese do. I was continental knitter, still am as a matter of fact, but now I could say I am expanded continental knitter.
I like learning new things, I find great pleasure trying out different designs, always keeping an eye on, that they have some new techinques to teach me. I do not like knitting items where I cannot play with new skills, so when I saw Equinox Yoke Pullover I knew I wanted to do it. But knitting with colors is such a dull thing, all that stranding and yarn balls getting all tangled up (even if you are careful and follow yarn dominance principles... you know, the thing about which yarn always comes from under and which from top), and the tightness-looseness of stitches which is difficult to control... so I let it be at first and while surfing in internet one day I found a website which had a video about circular knitting with both hands (I can't find it anymore though). I flared up! I had to learn it. And of course I'm just not going to make a simple swatch and try it, I just started the Equinox Yoke pullover straight away. (Okay I opened Knitting Help site and looked how you gotta knit english way, tryed it out on few rows and off I was). The sleeves I knit continental way, working real fast for I was eager to start knititng in the round. And yes, girls, I did it. The first few rows were slow, but the more I knit the faster I got (logical, huh), and I'm hooked. My next goal is to start flat color knititng also with both hands. So I'm in lookout for a project to do that.

WIPs

I've been moving my hands a lot lately.
As well as trying to finish Equinox Yoke Pullover from Interweave Knits Fall 2006, Which should become something like this:
And instead is like this (I strated it right after Christmas, but got caught up by other projects and now picked it up, for in the light of possible translocation I need to get UFOs finished and as mucha s yarn possible used up):
And the true colors:
It now has been waiting for that free evening of weave-the-million ends-sew-up-garment-motivation. I think you see my problem.
Plus I am afraid to sew it up and re-block for it is obviously too short now, and maybe it won't "stretch" :(

I also have once again fallen into the Norah Gaughan entrapment skills and followed by the glorious arrival of the book called "Knitting Nature" which made me dig out my Debbie Bliss Cathay and start knitting franctically hoping to finish it before Ponte...
instead it made a blister on my finger and made me realize that this is yet-another-to-cry-about-Gaughan-sans-néné-design. Does anyone have an idea how to make the floppy "ears" below armpits go away. Blocking doesn't help. I have hope in placing straps differently or maybe.... I just have to rip.

In the mean time, for I was saddened by my 2-in-a-row instantunsuccessfulnesses I started yet another project: Forecast from Knitty.
About which I blabbed a little here
And would like to emphasize at this point the importance of local markets, specially when they carry better yarns than local yarn shops do. And cheaper prices, for the yarn is produced in small farms and sold exclusevely on local markets, you just have to find the right stall.
In these occasions you are truly reminded that largely the best and most beautiful yarns from Europe are made in Italy.

And while celebrating the long weekend il Ponte (28th April - 1st May) in Pescara I found a yarn shop and bought, guess what, of course, yarn. This time the shiny and soft and elegant Filatura di Crosa Millefini Fine 100% cotton:Aren't the colors just great?
It is turning into another Clapotis, one of my favourtie patterns:

Swallowtail Shawl 2

Second full version of Swallowtail Shawl.
Yarn: Lace handspun and dyed from Uruguay
Needles: 3,75 mm 80 CM Addi Turbo
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl by Evelyn A. Clark from Interweave Knits Fall 2006
Time: less than 4 days

I love, love, love this pattern!

Self-motivation

It is getting out of hand for the millonth time at Casa Mia. I have again collected too many UFOs around the house.

Like:
1) Yoke sweater for me (I am aware the winter is over)
2) Baby-boy set (must finish tonight, for he was born last night and they tend to grow too fast) Updtae: redoing. I think it's too small.
2) Baby-girl set (have 4 weeks, but want to finish ASAP)
3) Gray socks
4) A bag to be felted (deadline june)

The most embrassing ones, which only need to have the ends darned in:
1) a Phildar vest for my daughter
2) Swallwotail Shawl number two
3) a load of socks

And of course I am already keen to start woth projects like (have already swatched):
1) S. Japel's cute sweater from Interweave Knits Spring 2007
2) Koigu Jacket
3) N. Gaughan amazing spiral tunic from her book

It is obviously too much!

Estonian Stockings

I made myself Estonian stockings. The pattern is the optimized version of Nancy Bush's "Folk knitting in Estonia". Material used is an Estonian lambswool (colored yarn is at elast 10-15 years old). I think they are cool. And never mind that one of the stockings seems smaller than the other it's just bad photographing not knitting skills.
I made the stockings a) longer b) more shaped c) followed only the lace and colored pattern part. Then got tired of reading and made the heel and tip like my mom teached me when I was beginning to knit my first socks years ago.

The books is surely great inspiration and I gotta buy some more natural white wool from Estonia for I already drew up 3 pairs of socks I wanna make for nexy Christmas.
I must say that the best sock yarn is Shetland type, like Estonian wool for many reasons... it might not be the softest one and it makes you itchy if your skin is tender, but, hey, use a pair of light cotton socks under.
Reasons:
1) it's very very resistant
2) it goes only softer with every wash (only handwash, with natural detersive if possible)
3) it stays in form
4) it's warm when it's cold and doesn't make your feet sweat even if it's warm outside (of course I don't recommend wearing them with 25+ C)

Yarn: Estonian lambswool, 100% pure wool, quantity: 106 grams for pair of long socks.
Needles: 2 mm
PAttern: Modified "Rita's Stockings"

Capecho

Update! New Pictures

Actually these two projects were finished nearly a month ago, but I haven't been able to get really good pictures of them. And I don't think I will in the nearer future. So you have to do with these lousy pictures.
The KNIT that worried me the most, that made me swear the most and that I love the most.
I don't like you, Vogue knititng though, for the pictures for this project were obviously misleading.
And I think Norah Gaughan knits really tight, for I couldn't understand how she could get such short pentagon sides with 5,5 mm needles. I used 4,5 mm. The yarn is extremely similar to the one N.G used.
Anyways it was very obvious when I had knit around 5-6 pentagons that it's going to be huge! I didn't stop though thinking it would be OK when I get the second row and sleeves done. I nearly cried standing in front of the mirror seeing the big potato bag I had spent hours working on.
I threw it aside for 2 days, then picked it up and knit the collar, it didn't get much bigger - it was still floppy. What horrible holes under the arms - I really couldn't stand watching me move inside it. I then realized what this capecho meant. Thanks for the warning. It wasn't wearable. I had one and half ball of the yarn left and finally I decided to add another band to underarms and back. It worked, it was still too big from front but fit well from back, the bottom band pulls down the pentagons on the back fitting it better and closes the underarms which means no more floppy "ears". It's still slightly too big from the front, so I have to cross the hems well (added a button on the innser side of collar to keep the hems together). Closed with great-grandmothers silver pin - perfect. (nearly)
Parameters
Yarn: Canetta Merino's Otto (100% meriino, 50 gr = 90 m)
Needles: 4,5 mm
Pattern: Nora Gaughan Capecho Vogue Knitting, Winter 2007

Photo thanks to Typesetter

Here I am surrounded by a mob of Italian knitters wanting to know how I made it. And me trying to explain not very well, I hadn't prepared. See the bottom band!