Mimosa Odysseia Final

I wanted to follow the process of this huge shawl on the blog, but the darned cord that transfers photos from my camera to my laptop was missing and turned out just today... from my husbands backbag... I have a stinky feeling that this may be the result of my quick clean-ups at my home, when I stuff things in the less likely places all around the house without giving it a second thought. Ah well, at least it was safe traveling forth and back between home and office.
As a result here follow pictured process from day 1 to day 20:


02.02 I managed to cast-on twice. That wasn't nice because 599 stitches is not nice to CO again. Not to mention that I figured my Moebius mistake out after near 5 rows - that is nearly one and half ball of yarn. And then count and count and re-count countless times. Believe me you do not want to err with that many sts on your needles.

05.02 This where the expected setback happened. I ran out of beads. I had to wait until 13th of February to get the beads (I'll write a separate post about that specific bead shop).

14.02 I just got the beads the day before and decided to spread out the shawl on 3 circulars to see how wide it was going to be. Obviously it was going to be wide (that measuring tape is 150 cm / 60 inches long).

16.02 I've injured my left hand index finger. I have a small cut that often occurs when one is knitting a lot with drying hands. If you didn't know - knitting dries hands quite a deal.

Luckily my daughter takes care of me and offered one of her band-aids to help me through my injury.

18.02 The wrap is 3/4 done, it goes much faster to knit a row, but I've been making silly mistakes, like decreasing too much or too little, or knitting into the stitch below (often happens when knitting on high speed and in stockinette stitch), I've had to rip back 10 cm (4 inches) once but usually my good friend crochet hook helps me out.

20.02 Fresh off the needles. Washing and darning in the ends are ahead.

I'm darning. I only had 22 ends. Until I decided to split the yarn and it became 44. But I got through it pretty fast.

The shawl is blocking. And it became even bigger (I have a king size bed). And then I remembered. Merino stretches - A LOT!!! So from 22 sts per 4 inches / 10 cm it fell down to 19 sts

Here it is, on the ground with two 60 inch / 150 cm measuring tapes close by to show the size.

I used app. 1200 Toho Craft square beads - they are gold lined and it gives them a darker color than they really have.

This is a closeup of the central part here panels come together.

And the last shot:


Stats
Yarn: 11 balls of Sublime Yarns Cashmere Merino Silk DK (75% extrafine merino, 20% silk, 5% cashmere; 127 yrd/116 m for 50 gr ball)
Needle: 4.5 mm
Pattern: Mimosa by Sivia Harding from Big Girl Knits
Extra: 1200 Toho Craft square beads, color 39

I used less beads: didn't insert beads in the diamonds and didn't put them on the edges as well.

Hat attack

Hat attack was fun, but a big waste of money on postage costs. I won't participate again, even though I enjoyed it quite a lot - at least enough to stay up until 2 am in the morning to finish the hat.
So without further a do here is my hat for Tanya from Texas

Stats
Needles: 4,5 mm
Yarn: Bella Baby Sugar (100% wool) held double
Pattern: Binary Cable Hat

I got killed ruthlessly by a hat from Australia by Mel (after it killed me, that sneaky hat made my daughter into a zombie):

Mimosa Odysseia Part Two

So, I'm into my 4th day of knitting and this is how far I've gotten:

It doesn't seem much, but believe me it is, since now i have to bead only every 4th row (instead of every second) and I've gone from 599 sts to, I am guessing, about 490 sts. With every pattern repeat I decrease 10 sts so it gets less and less daunting by the row.
But I'm awfully close to finishing beads, I have some 170 left, but they disappear real quick, I just hope I get the rest of the beads from Japan on time.
Oh, by the way, I was wrong about the amount of days I have to knit this little big monster shawl - instead of 25, I have 21 days - that includes blocking it. So I'd say I have to have it done by 20th at least.

Mimosa Odysseia

Oh, I can feel it on my fingers that this is going to be a long project. I CO yesterday 599 stitches, or that's what I thought, knit 5 rows of garter stitch, one row of 599 purl stitches, started with the edging pattern, worked through 19x26 stitches of edging and then saw that I had more stitches than needed. I started counting and discovered I had done Moebius in the middle of the first row. Argh.

I got some beads as well. I'll go back today to get some more and order the rest. I decided to go with less beads and therefore I'll need about 1000 nr 8 beads. Just I didn't imagine that they'd be so difficult to find here.

I've bought a lot of yarn lately. I've got even more in my Ravelry queue - 52. I have some yarn arriving soon. And I have made promises to myself and to my daughter.
I am way over my head in projects I need or want to finish or start. So I thought I'd make a list in the order of importance.

1. Mimosa shawl from Big Girl Knits - I have 26 days
2. Hat war hat(s) - starts on 9th February
3. Elefante nr 1 to be finished in 26 days (nearly done)
4. Ecquinox pullover - needs to be sewn up and some ends still are not darned.
5. Write down a pattern that has been waiting for awhile
6. I promised a new pullover/cardigan for my daughter already last year
7. I frogged my Artistic - I need to plan better, change the motif a little and start over.
8. Salina for me
9. Wall ornaments using Estonian traditional mitten patterns and 1.5 mm needles
10. Design from Rowan Tapestry
11. Design something elegant and sexy from BBB Meriseta
12. I have material for at least 4 lace shawls - I want to knit at least 2 shawls this year, one will be Mystery Shawl 4. Lace yarns I already have are: Kaalund Echante', TitanWool Merinos Extra, Canetta Super Zephyr, Handpaintedyarns.com Merino Lace. And I have some Jaggerspun Zephyr 2/18 arriving.
13. Finish a baby blankie from random stitch patterns - it doesn't have recipent, so there is a lot of time with it.

I'm pretty sure, I've forgotten something...

MORE YARN!!!

I'm losing it. I just bought more yarn - Sublime Merino, Silk, Cashemere DK


I need nr. 8 seed beads to go with it. And I have about 27 days to finish a huge shawl, with hundreds of small beads, block it, pack it and send it off to Italy for a dear friend of mine. Wish me luck.

Stash enhance

I have projects for next 6 months chosen, but I couldn't help myself to buy more yarn. This time from a fellow knitter here in Singapore.

I got 6 skeins of Jaeger Silky Tweed (alpaca and merino) and...

4 skeins of Kaalund Yarns Enchante' (100% hand-dyed silk).

So 7 months of projects. And I have ordered half a cone of Jaggerspun Zephyr.

And I have to buy some cobweb for a shawl. 

I think I am set until my next trip to Europe... and beyond...

New purchases for 2008

My stash, even though still high on kilos is low on material to work with. Sounds funny, when I say that I have about 12 kg of yarn, but quite understandable, if you look at the content - it's all odds and ends and odd balls I've bought thinking I will try freeform crochet soon (yeah right, but I still can have that dream can't I?)

I must say that buying yarn from Estonia is real fun! Mainly because the prices ARE much lower than in Europe, even though the brands and yarns might be exactly the same or at least same quality.

Like any Virgo, I must make lists, so here is my list of Holiday purchases:


Two 260 gram hanks of Artistic by Aade Lõng (it looks very similar to Kauni Effektgarn), but I am not convinced fully, I would have to compare. I have serious feeling that it is the same.

8 balls of BBB filati Meriseta. It has 70% wool and 30% silk, and I have a felling it will turn into something really beautiful. It's price - low for a silkblend.

6 balls of Rowan Tapestry. Like the feeling of the yarn, have an idea, something to do with the Noro I ordered from Japan....

Two hanks of Titan Wool Merinos Extra for a lace shawl in mind. And yes, it is more convenient to buy Italian yarns from Estonia, rather than from Italy.

Three hanks of Estonian 100% wool by Elotroi (name: Liisu) which is excellent to knit traditional socks and mitts from Estonia.

To achieve the patterns of handknit mitts of Estonia one needs correct tools: I bought new double pointed needles, for which it seems US folks even don't have numbers - 1,5 mm and 1,25 mm needles. The lowest if I'm not mistaken is US 00 which is equivalent for 1,75 mm needles?

As an addition to my serious yarn addiction I also bought knitting books:

A vintage knitting pattern collection from 1950ies: Claire Hallik "Silmuskudumine" and it's newer colored version from the 70ies.

And something I suggest even if you don't read Estonian, but can read colored charts (that's 100% of you):

Photo from:
http://www.rahvaraamat.ee/?id=63&no=R069511#

Eesti Kindakirjad (Estonian Mitten Patterns) by Elo Lutsepp and Irina Tammis. Since I am the proud owner of Aino Praakli's booklets of Patterned mittens (Eesti kirikindad I and II) I can fully recommend this book as an addition to the other books. There are none (or very few) overlapping patterns as I've conculded so far. The book is entirely in Estonian, with a short introduction to knitting mittens and gloves, but an experienced or even advanced mitt-knitter should find no problems by the lack of language knowledge, all patterns are colorfully charted so that the knitter can decide on its own how she or he wants the mitten.

As an addition I bought a book: Vatt, Troi, Vamsa - Knitted Jackets from West-Estonian Islands by Riina Tomberg, it's a bilingual book (estonian-english), but doesn't have any patterns, it is a research based reading for people interested in this type of subjects illustrated with many photos.

Faux-roositud

These mittens are not the very first FOs of the 2008, I managed to finish a pair of baby mitts beforehand, but I won't present them without a decent picture, so there Faux Roositud have the honor to be very first ones presented on 2008.
,

Why are they Faux, one may ask. Quite simple, roositud inlay is supposed to be done with just a single thread, but I used it double, otherwise I would have had to go down on needle size and there simply wasn't much to go down to. But I already bought 1,5 mm dpns, so soon I want to go for another attempt.

Info:
yarn - simple estonian homespun, no idea who made it though, approximately 80-90 grams.
pattern - my own.
needles - for cuff 2mm, else done with 2,5 mm.

2007

In 2007 I knit:
10 scrafs/shawls (including 3 lace shawls)
6 hats/berets
5 baby or child pullovers/cardigans
2 cardigans (one is a bolero)
2 child skirts
2 pairs of socks
1 pair of baby pants
1 pair of mittens
1 crocheted table set

30 items all together, plus some that will be FOs in 2008.
I still have a lot to achieve this year:
I think I ought to pay more attention to finishing than starting, because in my mind, people who work on 1-2 WIPs at a time, accomplish more.
I want to start writing down patterns.
I want to knit more, and I think I can do it by limiting my internet time and increasing knitting time.
I think I ought to work more with my native patterns and techniques and maybe help other knitters enter to the wonders of Scandinavian and Baltic knitting.
I want to dye wool with herbs and plants and hope to use my summer vacation for that.
These are not wishes but things I really want to do, and it is not very important that I manage to do them in 2008 - any year is good.

I do have one thing that will come with me to the next year as well: knit with Curiosity, Creativity and Courage. And that's what I wish for all of You as well.

Chevalier Mittens

My last Christmas gift got done on the plane to Estonia, I blocked them a night before Christmas Eve and packed them just half an hour before the gifts were handed out (here the presents are brought by "Santa Claus" on the 24th after a huge dinner with family).
I made the mitts slightly shorter but that was all I changed, kin of nice to knit mitts again, haven't done it for awhile.


I wish You peaceful and joyful Christmas! And yarnful and FO-rich new year!

Annimanni`s warm winter

May I present - Anita, the latest recipent of my creations and a little joy to mommy, daddy and me (what a talkative cudly baby she is). I do not have many baby girls around lately, but if I have just one, I`m happy. And today I`m especially happy of this set I managed to finish to keep little Anita warm for the winter holidays. Unfortunately the measurements I had for 1 year old, fit Anita who is only 7 months old. I suspect that either Anita is really huge for her age (doubtful) or the standardized measurements don`t make a good clue of what one really ought to knit. Anyways, right after holidays I hope to finish writing the pattern and post it here. I`m not sure yet, whether it will be my first attempt to make it paid or maybe a another free one. Have to reflect on it.

Get set, ready, go!

Take a big breath and go for it!

One down (nearly) 4 more to go.

Remember yesterday's post?
Well I finished the hat and ripped the mitt. Hat with a wide brim this time, I used the white merino wool from Puglia I made the Inspiration aka first BSJ with, and leftover yarn from mitts. Designing this I had a very clear idea of what I wanted - a strong, big folding brim, two earthly colors and something my lovely grandmother in her 80+ years could wear daily yet provide a lady-like feel, something that she could wear with -20 degrees C and still have wide brim!



More pictures here!

Details:
Needles 5,5 mm and 4,5 mm circulars
Yarn: Argentinian handspun (natural brown, about 40 grams) and natural white merino wool from Puglia (about 50grams)
Pattern: mine

If you are interested knitting this type of a hat, leave me a note and I'll write the pattern down.

Reality check

These days I am doing this most of my time:


because I'm faced with this:


Taking it all to pieces:

Chevalier mitts - one is done, but I need to frog it, because I knit it way too tight. Second is just a few rows from the end and looks a lot better with the changed gauge and modifications I made.


This is going to be my granny's mitten-matching hat, which just awaits until I finish mitts and can use the leftover yarn to knit top part of the hat. Did I already mention that it ought to be done TODAY?

Next on my knitting schedule:

Little lady's warm winter depends on whether I will stick to my plan and finish a pair of pants and /or mitts, socks, scarf and hat in the next three days. Which is doubtful, because I'm behind with my granny's gift. I may do the smaller pieces on the plane. Note to myself: get bamboo circulars and dpns. And oh, yes, buttons.
Make second note: find all the notes on scraps of paper and write together the pattern. Maybe on the plane? Erm.. the flight is during the night... shooo....

Next Monday should start with this:

I've planned total of 2,5 - 3 days on it, because I need to do my maths well and then cut - and not just one thing, but 4 - two sleeves and two body pieces! Pick up the stitches, knit the body and sleeves longer in stockinette stitch and then graft the sleeves. Then hide the million and two ends... yeah, can do it... in my dreams...

And then I have this:

Which is Anke Leen's sweater. Yeah, I know... plus she needs mitts, hat and scarf and maybe, just maybe, I can squeeze in some woolen socks as well. Deadline: 18th December. Planned number of days for sweater - 4. Planned knitting of small pieces: before or during flight. Oh, right, the flight is already planned full.

And this:

Which isn't exactly a Christmas project, but was meant to be traveling project. Looking at it all now: for my !next! trip over continent... maybe.

All my knitting right now totals to 16 days, and it ought to be done for the 22nd. Most of these things have to be ready for the 18th though. But knowing all sorts of things always come popping out, I'm not that confident.

Not not mention housework, some shopping for other gifts and household items, finding a maid for when I'm away and running tons of other errands, meeting up with some people and such. Luckily Saturday evening's dinner was canceled and I do not have to spend near 8 hours shopping and cooking and cleaning. Woohoo, knitting time.

Marabou Beret

My Bainbridge Scarf needed a hat and I am in the mood of berets. I googled and "raveled" but couldn't find one I really like. Plus I wanted to continue the Broken Rib theme, so in the end I had to come up with my own design, which turned out to be quite fun and I learned a lot. I have just finished writing it down and you can download for free from here (.pdf file). Se qualcuno e' interessata lo posso scrivere anche in italiano. Lasciate mi un commento.
The beret has nothing to do with the Marabou Stark but has a lot to do with the Swedish nut chocolate Marabou. Believe me, designing might become quite a fattening process, if you have to frog a lot and the only thing helping you avoid stress and depression is a chocolate bar ;)

Info:
Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl 100% Merino - brown and gray
Needles: 3,5 mm
Pattern: my own

Update 20.02.2008: Link to the pattern was broken, I changed it so now you can download the pattern without any problems.

Choker

I'm on the scarf-hat-mitten mode right now - like every autumn, even though this year I have 30 degrees Celcius outside and not 13 or 3 (Italy/Estonia). As soon as Christmas is over I start knitting other things, but until you gotta bear with my Christmas gifts.
So this time I present you Bainbridge Scarf. It is a very easy knit, you basically cast-on, knit in round, cast-off, knit two ribbons and then say... ?!?!?!?! buh... Then you open the .pdf again and step in front of mirror and practice putting it on. Simple as that. Takes a few times though before it becomes your absolute favourite. Like in my case.

Technicalities:
Needle: 3,5 mm
Pattern: pepperknits.com Bainbridge Scarf
Yarn: Schoeller+Stahl Merino Soft (100% merino)



Maybe a hat now? A Beret? Ravelry.

Old Debt

When I was in Italy still packing when I dug out a vest from my closet, completely forgotten :(. The only reason for that - I don't have a white long sleeved shirt. When I saw the Leftovers vest in knitty.com I had a sudden urge to knit it. And I was very sure I wanted to knit it from the same yarn, because I saw some really yummy photos on Alison Hansel's blog. But unfortunately already back then (winter 2005-2006) the yarn was discontinued and not available for the European knitter. After countless searches I finally found a Dutch yarn shop without a website but luckily with an e-mail address who had still some leftovers and some corrispondence with the kind shop-owner lead to my order. It took 1 month of agonizing wait, I already had had my fingers burnt with Poste Italiane. I finally got it, and within next two days I had my result:

Phildar Legende Tweed Alpaca is a very nice yarn: interesting texture, nice soft and beautiful colors. It is 48% wool. 41% acrylic, 9% alpaca and 2% of rayon. It has 125yd/115m for 50g. I knit the vest with 4,5mm needles.

Mindless knitting

I have very limited amount of yarn!!!! And the delivery of our household items will not be before 16th of November. It's horrible to live without my stash!!!
Therefore I have been forced to use that little I brought over in my luggage. I think in someways it's good that my yarn isn't around, so that I finally knit the stash that has been around for a while. Like my handpaintedyarn.com Ejido 160.
As part of the Christmas Gifts Project 2007, I've finished two simple scarfs. Everyone, who has been an expatriate, knows that first few weeks, nothing is better than some relaxing mindless knitting, that allows you to keep an eye on things or avoid certain missing necessities.

Earthly scarf

Info
Yarn: Ejido 160 (100% merino, hand dyed)
Needles: 4,5 mm
Pattern: my own

My so called scarf

Info
Yarns: Ejido 160 (100% merino, handdyed)
Needles: 8 mm straight
Patterns: My so called scarf

And as a side-project I'm doing this:

I have to say, it has been and still is the most difficult "knitting project" of all.