Saturday, March 31, 2012

Quick Birthday present

This was a last minute decision , I made this headband for a 5 year old girl´s birthday and added it to the gift minutes before we left the house, so there was no time to take a propper picture.   I just casted on 8 stitches and knitted in moss stitch on big needles (6  or 8 I think)  and knitted until I had sufficient length and grafted together, then I casted on again the same amount of stitches and knitted until I had long enough to wrap around the graft/seam and grafted the short part together.    



Thursday, March 29, 2012

Another sweater from a loving grandmother




My baby girl got this sweater from her grandmother, she didn´t want to wear it at first due to the Icelandic wool which is a bit on the itchy-scratchy side.  She has already gotten used to it now and proudly announces to everyone that want´s to listen (or is able to understand her) who knitted this for her.   It is a little bit big now but will be great next winter for kindergarten.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Project 5 - in progress

The sweater for my husband is slowly making progress, I´m planning to add a zipper , and maybe a hood.  I might also be scrapping the idea of the traditional icelandic pattern in black that I was planning.  The ribbed effect in the middle might be enough for this sweater... still lingering on that thought and will probably not decide until I get there. 




Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Colour inspiration

I´m working on project nr. 5, already finished with the body and just started on sleeve nr. 1.  It is light gray, and I was planning to have black also but I might keep it just gray.  I have taken a picture of it in progress but need to upload it to my computer.

I´m however in the mood for some spring colours...  Hope this inspires you as it has inspired me.



















Link to original images can be found on the following pinterest links

http://pinterest.com/pin/101119954103384630/
http://pinterest.com/pin/268667933990384482/
http://pinterest.com/pin/13229392625593561/
http://pinterest.com/pin/13229392625593558/


Friday, March 23, 2012

Grandmothers that knit..

When my baby girl was born in 2010, both her grandmothers knitted for her before she was born.

She got a blanket, that she still uses and has been used a lot in the past 19 months. And a cardigan, that was intended as a "take-my home from the hospital" outfit, but was way to big.  She used the cardigan for the first year.

They didn´t stop there after she was born, she also got another cardigan and a sweater

And before she was one she also had recieved this kittycat sweater


Now she just recieved another sweater I need to take a picture of her in it and show it to you.  I got to influence to color choises, it is off-white and brown and I love it. She is wearing it today :) 

I therefore didn´t have any need to knit for her the first year, but I knitted 2 sweaters also. I have shown a picture of one already.  On her second year I have knittied 1 sweater and 1 cardigan and planning to knit many more. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Elizabeth Zimmermann

I just used birthday money to buy two books by Elizabeth Zimmermann, my birthday was 2 weeks ago.  I hope it will inspire my to further create my own patterns and think differently about knitting.

I bought Knitting without Tears



and knitting workshop

Anyone that owns these books and thinks they are useful?

Monday, March 19, 2012

Knitspiration

I found a blog that I love, to bad it is in a language that i don´t understand.  But the pictures speak for them selves.  The blog can be found here http://muitaihania.blogspot.com/  and all the pictures are from that blog





Sunday, March 18, 2012

Project 4 - free pattern

Project 4 finally finished,  and my hubby was very excited to pose for me as you can see on the pictures;).  I will also be uploading pictures of my brother the proud new owner of the cardigan, when I get a chance to take pictures of him in it.

Size:   L  (European Large, might be medium in the US)
Finished measurements :
Chest circumference:  110 cm // 43,3 inches 
Sleeve length: 53 cm // 20,9 inches
Body length: 47 cm // 18,5 inches
Gauge (after wash):  
10cm x 10 cm  15 stitches x 21 rounds
3,93 inches x 3,93 inches  - 15 stitches x 21 rounds

Yarn:   Léttlopi -  50g/1,75oz 100m/109 yd  per skein
-Black: 2 skeins                                 Shade 0059
-Dark  Grey:  6 ½ skein                     Shade 0058
- Light Grey: 2 skeins                        Shade 0056
- Blue: 1 skein                                   Shade 1403
- White: 1 skein                                 Shade 0051

1 skein dark Einband knitted with the light grey to get the desired colour effect.

Needles:
4 mm // US 6 // UK 8
5 mm // US 8 // UK 6

Body:
Cast on 186 stitches with black on 4 mm // US 6 // UK 8  needles,

 1 round: * knit 2, purl 1*  - repeat *    
2 round: * purl 2, knit 1 * - repeat*

Repeat round  1 and 2 until you have knitted 5 cm of black.  

Change to Dark Grey and needle size. Cast on 2 stitches that are always purled.  Join and knit in the round on  5 mm // US 8 // UK 6 Needles.    (total of 188 stitches)
All stitches are now knitted (stockinette)  apart from the 2 in the middle in the front that are purled. The 2 stitches in the middle will be used to cut up the cardigan in the end.   Knit until you have 44 cm. 

Sleeves:
Cast on 48 stitches in black  on 4 mm // US 6 // UK 8  needles,  join in the round and knit 5 cm of  *knit 2, purl 1*

Change to Dark Grey and 5 mm // US 8 // UK 6 Needles and start to knit stockinette.     Increase in the first round 2 stitches ( 1  after the first stitch and 1 before the last stitch).   Then repeat these increases in every 7th round, in total 9 times. So that you will have in total 66 stitches.   Then knit until the sleeve measures 51 cm.  

Put 12 stitches in the middle on a yarn in another colour  (where the increases were), this will be under the arm.

Knit the second sleeve identical to the first one.

Shoulder:
You now have 320 Stitches ( 66 stitches each sleeve, 186 stitches body + 2 stitches that are always purled).  
Knit the 2 purled stitches
Knit 40 stitches
Put 12 stitches on a yarn of another colour and keep for the finishing under the arms.
Connect the first sleeve – knit the rest of the sleeve
Knit 82 stitches
Put 12 stitches on a yarn of another colour and keep
Connect the second sleeve – knit the rest of the sleeve
Knit 40 stitches.

There will be 48 stitches under the arms that are not knitted but kept on a yarn, and 2 purl stitches (50 stitches not in the pattern) . In total there are therefore 270 stitches for the pattern, as the pattern is based on 8 stitches, decrease in the first round when connecting the sleeves 6 stitches so that in total there will be 264 stitches.   Follow the pattern chart below for the rest of the decreases ( Ʌ = decrease).



When you have knitted according to the pattern chart, decrease even over one round until you have 75 stitches, switch to smaller needles again and knit 5 cm in black of *knit 2, purl 1*

Finishing: 
Graft under the arms.  Sew in a sewing machine the purled stitches in the middle, and then cut up the cardigan.  Crochet a border with dobble crochet (dc) in every other stitch. When you reach the end add one chain and dc down again now in every crochet stitch from the last round.  Add buttonholes by doing chains and skip one of the stitches to make the hole.  Or add zipper.  I did three rounds of dc on both sides.  Weave in ends if needed ( I sewed most of mine in the sewing machine, just made sure to end every skein where the purl stitches are).

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Project 4

I´ve been busy working on project 4, it is almost finished. I just need to weave in the ends wash it,  sew the middle in a sewing machine so that i can cut up the sweater and crochet around the edges and add a zipper or buttons.

I´m loving it, not sure whether it fits my brother but hubby tried it on and it fits him very well.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Sock Phobia

I have inherited a knit-socks phobia from my mother, she does not knit socks.  I´m planning to step outside my comfort zone and knit some socks this year.

Mostly because I think several socks I have seen on pinterest are so cute
http://pinterest.com/pin/13229392625508655/    from http://petrao.blogspot.com/



and then a free pattern for these , can be found here: http://notesfromthesomething.typepad.com/notes-from-the-something/2010/02/love-socks.html


Monday, March 12, 2012

Project 4 - in progress

I´m slowly making progress on project 4.  One sleeve down, one to go :)  Here is picture of the project in progress


I can´t wait to finish it and start on my next project, I´m still undecided on the pattern chart. maybe it will just be colour blocks, or chevron, must soon decide. 

Friday, March 9, 2012

Yarn addiction

I have a serious case of yarn hoarding these days.  My stash grows everyday.  But...  there was this offer I was telling about yesterday and it is still going on and there is this one sweater I have been meaning to knit since my baby girl was born.

I bougth these three colours in Sandnes Smart Superwash (norwegian yarn)



And there is this free pattern that I love:
http://www.familiejournal.dk/Handarbejde/Strik%20til%20born/2009-41-Pigetroeje-med-polkapletter.aspx

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Yarn hoarding for future projects

There was an offer on yarn , and i bought alot of it,  enough for a sweater for my hubby.  Planning for a birthday present this sommer.  Can´t understand why I´m ever planning to knit a man´s sweater again but I have already bought the yarn so i must finish it.

i bought grey and black Léttlopi (icelandic yarn)

main colour

pattern chart colour



I´m planning on making a cardigan, with big collar (have no idea how to make the kind of collar I want to make, just have an idea in mind) and similar pattern chart to this.




I just need to surf the internet (or maybe shops) for pictures of collars, which might give me an idea how to make the collar i have in mind.

i have now already decided the next 3-4 projects,  I have to many ideas and not enough time to knit them all.

Here are some pictures of collars that are somewhat similar to what I was thinking about, but as this will be a cardigan it won´t be excactly like it.

This one is to small and to wide, but i like the ribbed effect

this is not quite right either , to wide ribs, but the collar is more snuggly, which I like


There is something about this collar in the back, but it is to wide in the front

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Free pattern of a fox scarf

While I´m still working away on project nr 4,  a man´s sweater takes to long time to knit when you only have like an hour every evening to knit.   I´m almost finished with the body, next up are the sleeves.  When the sleeves are done, I always feel like the sweater is almost finished.

But I fell in love with this on pinterest, a fox scarf and now found a free pattern, I have to make it one day.

It can be found on http://caffaknitted.typepad.com/caffaknitted/stone-cold-fox-scarf.html

other version of this also found on pinterest, but originally from http://www.milkmagazine.net