two pairs in one night!
No, silly - I didn´t knit two pairs of socks in one night - I finished two pairs in one night. Last night, I finished the socks I made with the yarn I traded for my birthday, I tried to make them with a lace pattern, but the print was so busy, so they ended up plain, but with a lace rib cuff. I also finished my stash-busters, with yarn from the newest socks I´ve knitted. The yarn works surprisingly well with the other yarn I knitted them with, the only thing is that the latest part is a bit lighter - hopefully it´s not that noticable when I wear them - they are very crazy striped, and I can´t believe that the colours all worked so well together!
If you want to knit socks for yourself, try this pattern - very pretty!
If you want to knit socks for yourself, try this pattern - very pretty!
yay, yarn!
I brought back some yarn from Stockholm yesterday, beautiful Opal sock yarn, and some bamboo DPNs. I saw some wonderful yarn, but I felt to cheap to actually buy anything - I didn´t want to buy only a skein/hank, I wanted to get enough for a project, but I wanted to buy other things as well. As it turned out, I didn´t do a lot of shopping for other stuff, and ended up with money left in my purse when I got home (!!!!). So I bought a couple of skeins of Regia cotton today. Hey - you can´t have too much sock yarn, right? And I have made socks from most of the yarn I got/bought for my bday, so I needed more yarn. 
I got this Hundertwasser cotton sock yarn.
And this is the colour of Opal bamboo I bought.
And this Regia cotton.
cupcake needles
I don´t know how it is, that everything with cupcakes is so cute, very hard to resist. That´s why I had to have these knitting needles, made by Diane/basketblessed. We made a swap out of it, so I got some pretty fabric and buttons as well.
And she doesn´t only make cupcake needles, now we´re doing a swap, so I can get my hands on these beauties (mushrooms are very irresistable too!):
Who said knitting needles couldn´t be cute?!
sock thoughts
I´ve finished one of the striped socks, and I am quite happy with the result. The line of yo´s breaks up the stripes in a rather nice way, which actually makes it look a bit like I´ve been struggeling with intarsia blocks. And they fit perfectly - I have found the perfect number of cast on stitches (even though it looks frightenly narrow at first), and a nice, round toe. Now, I can play with all the patterns I want, because I know the sock will fit perfectly every time. How great is that?! I´m thinking cables, or maybe lace for my next pair, or some kind of combination, possibly. Or maybe, I´ll use one of the lovely patterns that are already out there. The options are endless!
manos del uruguay
I just placed a bid at an online auction for two skeins of chunky Manos del Uruguay yarn. Actually, the colour is not a favourite, I hardly ever knit with chunky yarn, but it´s Manos. In Sweden. At a fair price. Need I say more? I placed one bid, I won´t go any higher, and if someone else swoops in and buys it, well - let them. And if not, I have some Manos yarn in my stash, either to give away, or to wait for me to love this shade of green.
UPDATE: I didn´t win the auction, but I´m not too sad about that - I´m going to Stockholm tomorrow, yarn is one of the things I hope to buy!
UPDATE: I didn´t win the auction, but I´m not too sad about that - I´m going to Stockholm tomorrow, yarn is one of the things I hope to buy!
Mother of purl - Edith Eig
The writer is the owner of La Knitterie Parisienne, the yarn store that is sometimes given credit for the knitting boom. This book however can only be given credit to a lot of self admiration and namedropping. It begins with a couple of chapters of how-to (buy Stitch´n Bitch instead) and finishes with a chapter of really bad patterns. This book was such a waste of money!
Greetings from Knit Cafe - Susan Mischer
Just like Mother of Purl, this is a knitting book based on a yarn store. Unlike Mother of Purl, this is really good! And to call Knit Cafe a yarn store is to limit yourself, it´s a coffee shop as well ( a brilliant idea, we should have one like that in Stockholm!), and looks so nice. The book is full of inspiring patterns, and then there are some other good stuff in between the patterns. Buy the book, and but it next to Weekend Knitting!
I´m a knitting sock machine
I finished my pink tiny cable/rib socks last night, and they turned out quite nice, even though I didn´t fancy the yarn much - the fit is perfect, and from a bit of a distance, they don´t look as busy. And I immediately cast on another pair, in green/blue/orange. These stripes I like much better, and the colours are nice together as well. I´m doing a really simple pattern, simply rows of yo´s down the leg, with broad bands of stockinette in between, and it works really well with the yarn. These socks are much more fun to knit, ´cause this time it´s actually fun to see the stripes emerge. The only downside is the heel, I didn´t want to do a heel flap, but instead work it in the round, to get better stripes, but I didn´t have any pattern at home for that kind of heel and that yarn weight. So I need to go look for more sock patterns. Poor me...
More good things - I scheduled for another swap with Iris in the UK this winter, entirely focused on yarn and fabric - yay!
More good things - I scheduled for another swap with Iris in the UK this winter, entirely focused on yarn and fabric - yay!
little pieces of heaven!
The internet is filled with wonders! That is, the wonders called yarn shopping. I might not have the money to shop for (yet! I need to get myself a new job! that pays A LOT!), but I still have eyes in my head, and I do have needs and cravings, so what do I do? I window shop! And since my tiny town has a very small, and not very good (though they are getting less bad!) LYS, the net is my sanctuary. I mostly look for sock yarn, and I´ve found little pieces of heaven here, among other places:
Woolgirl
kpixie
LoveSticks
Fibers ´n Threads
etsy
Yarn Pirate
And who doesn´t like some free patterns? I´ve got my eyes on the mushroom pulse warmers!
Woolgirl
kpixie
LoveSticks
Fibers ´n Threads
etsy
Yarn Pirate
And who doesn´t like some free patterns? I´ve got my eyes on the mushroom pulse warmers!
footless socks?
Quite a while ago, I saw a site with patterns for differnet kinds of socks, in different lenghts - not lengths of the legs, but of the feet. Socks for flip-flops, among others, and I can´t find it again (it was in a place, where I thought it was real easy to locate again - ha, ha to me!). So now I´m searching for socks! If anybody has any idea where I might find any patterns, let me know!
I did find these, though:
Arizona flip-flop socks
Short-toed socklets
Toe socks
Tabi socks (hmm... wonder if this was the one I was looking for?)
What the heck - go searching for socks, period - try these links! Or these for vintage sock patterns.
I did find these, though:
Arizona flip-flop socks
Short-toed socklets
Toe socks
Tabi socks (hmm... wonder if this was the one I was looking for?)
What the heck - go searching for socks, period - try these links! Or these for vintage sock patterns.
capelet
I saw the cutest capelet in a store in Stockholm, but I thought it was too pricy, so now I´m searching for a capelet pattern on the net. I found some nice ones:
Crocheted capelet
Teensey capelet
Reversible winter capelet
Vintage capelet (hmmm... maybe this one, but with a hood instead of a collar...)
Bainbridge scarf (is not a capelet, but I love how it looks, what do you think?)
Neither of them is what I want, a simple, open in the front, kinda raglan knitted, with a hood - anyone seen a pattern for that? Or have any ideas on how to do it? I was thinking of using a pattern for a raglan, top down cardigan, and stop knitting before I get to the sleeves, and then adding the hood - I mean, really - how hard could it be?
Crocheted capelet
Teensey capelet
Reversible winter capelet
Vintage capelet (hmmm... maybe this one, but with a hood instead of a collar...)
Bainbridge scarf (is not a capelet, but I love how it looks, what do you think?)
Neither of them is what I want, a simple, open in the front, kinda raglan knitted, with a hood - anyone seen a pattern for that? Or have any ideas on how to do it? I was thinking of using a pattern for a raglan, top down cardigan, and stop knitting before I get to the sleeves, and then adding the hood - I mean, really - how hard could it be?
one pair down
I finished the socks for my sister this morning, and gave them to her today, and fortunately she liked them. They are a bit big, but since she´ll be wearing them on top of thinner socks, that works just fine. I also started knitting a pair for me, with tiny cable ribbing, they will be nice, I think, but would look better in a yarn with "cleaner" stripes, this yarn has stripes, and "fair isle" and streaks of colour, it´s kinda busy, and I´m not sure if I like it (actually, the same problems as the red yarn for my sister) - maybe in a totally pattern free sock, but I want to make socks with patterns - I want to try lace and cables and different ribbings - I´m sick of plain ol´socks.
I got some decoupage paper from a friend for my birtday, it was beautiful, perfect colours and prints, but since I don´t do paper crafts, she gave me permission to exchange it for something else, so yesterday I did just that, and came home with a couple of skeins of Regia sock yarn, in a very 80s colour - pink, orange, white and grey, I think it´s this one:
Hmm... It kinda screams "plain ol´socks" as well...
I got some decoupage paper from a friend for my birtday, it was beautiful, perfect colours and prints, but since I don´t do paper crafts, she gave me permission to exchange it for something else, so yesterday I did just that, and came home with a couple of skeins of Regia sock yarn, in a very 80s colour - pink, orange, white and grey, I think it´s this one:
Hmm... It kinda screams "plain ol´socks" as well...
socks - on the needles, on the net
I´ve started knitting socks for my sister, I must say her choice of yarn colour surpriced me - I would´ve never bought a red yarn for her socks. I guess that prooves that we never really know someone! I use a lace/rib pattern, which works well with the self patterning yarn, I hope she agrees. But I hope the colours I have for me stripes better - I don´t like how this yarn looks knitted up.
If you want to knit fab socks, try something like this (click the pics!):
If you want to knit fab socks, try something like this (click the pics!):
I bought yarn!
I went to Stockholm yesterday, together with my sister, to treat myself on my birthday. I found some good things, clothes, shoes, but my last buy for the day was yarn. Sock yarn. Yay! Garnstudio have a new, cheap sock yarn, less than half the usual price (compared to for example Regia), and I bought yarn for one pair of socks, and my sister bought for another pair, for my birthday. She bought for herself as well, for me to knit of course - she doesn´t knit. The good thing is, her yarn will be a perfect addition to my leftover socks, so I´ll be happy to knit socks for her, as long as I get to keep the leftover yarn.
The first one I bought, the second one my sister got for me, and the third my sister got for herself, but I knitted the socks.
I also drooled over some Regia yarn, designed by Kaffe Fassett, amazing colours. It´s definately on my shopping list next time!
The first one I bought, the second one my sister got for me, and the third my sister got for herself, but I knitted the socks.
I also drooled over some Regia yarn, designed by Kaffe Fassett, amazing colours. It´s definately on my shopping list next time!
I want yarn!
You know when people say they don´t have any yarn? And then they have loads and loads, but htey don´t want any of that yarn? Well, I don´t have any yarn. At all. And I don´t have any money to shop for yarn either, though I will definately make room for some yarn in the budget whan I get money on Thursday. And I´ve been showing my empty yarn box to my sisters, hoping they will take a hint - it´s my bday on Friday, and yarn is never a bad thing to recieve. I´m waiting for the money for me participating in the Stitch n Bitch Calendar 2008, and for money for a bag I made for a girl on flickr, that will be about $45, and all of it will become YARN. I don´t know what, yet, but my thoughts goes in the sock yarn direction, maybe something like this (click the pics!):
(or almost any of the other colours!)
The problem is not finding great yarn - the problem is choosing what to buy! Since I can´t afford everything (even if I want to...), and this is just a selection, and only from one shop, kpixie (which is probably is where I will end up shopping). I really want to try the Tofutsies yarn (tofu yarn - yay!), but the yarn bunch is a really good buy. I don´t know, fortuantely I have some time to think about it.
crocheted goddess
I don´t only have a thing for yarn, and veganism, and kawaii stuff, and swaps, and interiors, and whatever you might find in my blogs, I am also a wiccan, but perhaps more of a believer than a practicing one, and when I found these very pagan crafty links, I had to share them with you. The link for the crochedted goddess doesn´t work, try this one instead. Ok, never mind the pagan links, I can´t find anyone that works - but do try the goddess!
vegan knitting on the net
I know, I´m not here a lot (I´m keeping four blogs going, so I blog mostly at the one that goes best with my current obsession - now I mainly interior-blog), but it´s fall, winter is up, and there should be some more knitting going on. I am waiting for some swap packages as well, which I hope contains some yarn. I organized my crafting corner the other day, and realized (if I hadn´t before) that I need to do some serious yarn shopping - my stash contained about 6 balls of yarn... Not counting the untouchables, of course, the ones that must never-ever be used, the ones that are given as gifts and in swaps, and may only be fondled on occasion.
Anyway, I thought I´d do another entry on vegan knitting (even though I can´t stay away from the animal fibers... ). I thought I´d give you a little tour on vegan knitting sites, buckle up your seatbelts, and off we go:
Tofu is a staple in the vegan kitchen, how about making it a staple in your knitting basket?
Or have a piece of definately vegan cake!
What the heck - take a look at the entire blog! Both knit- and crochet patterns, and food, and links. Lovely!
Knitting is better, when there´s a tub of ice cream waiting in the freezer!
Buy your not-your-every-day vegan yarns here!
There´s plenty of vegan yarns at kpixie, I did a search and ended up here, but feel free to wanter the perimeters!
I can´t wait for the next Vegan Pal round to begin!
In the mean time, why don´t we dwell on some vegan knitting blogs?
What do you think - is there room for some animal friendliness in your life? You know, there´s a big vegan world out there, and everybody is welcome to join!
Anyway, I thought I´d do another entry on vegan knitting (even though I can´t stay away from the animal fibers... ). I thought I´d give you a little tour on vegan knitting sites, buckle up your seatbelts, and off we go:
Tofu is a staple in the vegan kitchen, how about making it a staple in your knitting basket?
Or have a piece of definately vegan cake!
What the heck - take a look at the entire blog! Both knit- and crochet patterns, and food, and links. Lovely!
Knitting is better, when there´s a tub of ice cream waiting in the freezer!
Buy your not-your-every-day vegan yarns here!
There´s plenty of vegan yarns at kpixie, I did a search and ended up here, but feel free to wanter the perimeters!
I can´t wait for the next Vegan Pal round to begin!
In the mean time, why don´t we dwell on some vegan knitting blogs?
What do you think - is there room for some animal friendliness in your life? You know, there´s a big vegan world out there, and everybody is welcome to join!
