UFOs

I haven´t finished a single thing in 2014, but that doesn´t mean I haven´t been knitting.  I just can´t seem to finish anything.  I´m therefore confessing to my sins and setting a goal to finish at least the 1st thing on the list, because when I do, I will reward myself and go buy yarn for Camomille shawl for myself (but maybe I might buy the yarn anyway just to have it ready for when I need it...)

1. Cardigan from Knit for your kid by Susie Haumann 

2. Squares for lily - love in the language of yarn   I finished 2, I was however planning to use up a lot of scrap yarn and make a lot of squares, at work one of my colleagues has organized that the drug company that we work for will pay for the shipping fee, so all I have to do is knit and bring it to work. It will be sent by the end of january, so I must get started on that.

3. Pants for my 3 1/2 year old, similar to the ones that have been worn to pieces  the last 2 years and are now to small. 

4. Granny Square Doll blanket

5. Dress for my 3 1/2 year old, made from yarn (green dale baby wool) that I got in yarn swap organized by wool rocks. 

2013 in pictures

Christmas gifts

We got some knitting related gifts this Christmas,  I didn´t give any this year.

Grandma made this for my 3 year old

The pattern is from Sandnes and grandma made some alterations, she left out the pattern at the bottom. I like it much better this way I must say than the original.  Grandma seems to have picked the colors from the pattern. 

I got (was on my wishlist) from DH, a double pointed knit pro sock needle set and amimo knit collection 2010. 

More Mittens

I made these in one evening, we had a "secret-Santa" game at work today, and I had this yarn on hand (leftover from this cardigan), and I really would rather be at home and watch some tv and knit than go out to a store right before Christmas.

I didn´t have time to properly photograph them, due to nearly no light at this time of the year.

Pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pescovegetarian-mittens

Yarn: Álafoss Lopi 

Needles 4mm and 5 mm

Smelly mittens

Last summer I stopped at a Thingborg (wool center) and bought yarn intended for mittens for me.  It is run by a group of wool enthusiastic women,  and they specially pick (supposedly the best part of the wool) and they only use mild soap (so no evil chemicals are used), they don´t use any synthetic dyes, and t they handspin the yarn.

I really love the wool, but... there is a big BUT.... the wool smells like a sheep... I know a shock right... wool that comes from a sheep smells like a sheep...  So the yarn has just been sitting around at home and I don´t know if I was hoping that the smell would magically disappear.  I have however been suffering some allergies since starting work again and I can´t really smell that much now, so I took the opportunity to use the wool now.

The mittens are warm, thick and will be so much better after some wear...  Since the yarn I choose were natural colors the white sometimes was gray and the gray sometimes was white... so in some parts of the mittens It looks like I did errors... but I really was very careful and I frogged a lot of times only to find out that I hadn´t made any errors.  I wanted them to be perfect since I´m planning to give these away...   just hope the person won´t mind the smell... and that they really are not perfect.. you can really tell that they are handmed..

Pattern: In the book "Vettlingabókin - gamlir og nýjir vettlingar" 
Yarn: Thingborg  2 ply 100% pure wool
needles:  3 mm and 4.5mm

Undercover in wool

The first thing I notice when seeing the news is usually knitwear...

Loved the sweater, to bad that the knitter gave/sold his knitwear to a man who is accused of paying for sex. 

Wool Sightseeing

We went to the centrum of Reykjavik today to feed the ducks (well there were a lot of goose, swan and other birds that took most of it though). Feeding the ducks with bread is a rich tradition here in Iceland, not sure it is in the best interest of the birds though, should maybe feed them with something better then bread.

There was of course a typical Icelandic family, in matching wool sweaters (the neon is though a new trend here, came this summer when Istex introduced 3 neon colors in the bulky lopi). So what do you think to neon or not to neon?  (*I have no idea who this family is, I just snapped a picture, I hope they don´t mind being on the internet now)

Then after a bookshow in the city hall, we went to Kolaportið (a market place where you can get everything from the goods you get at markets in asia , icelandic food, icelandic candy and handknitted icelandic sweaters). 

It seemed like almost every stall was selling "lopapeysa" and, some were beautiful, others were very well made... some were just plain horrible.

So if you are looking for a "Lopapeysa" this is one of the places to go,  but if you are reader of this blog, you will probably want to make your own version then I would just head to the nearest supermarket and buy some yarn.

But the places to go to shop for Icelandic sweaters is Handprjónasambandið and Álafoss. I would avoid the way to many tourist shops, as you might then be bying something knitted on a machine in Asia , I don´t  know anyone who would knit endless supply of the same pattern in black and white, nor would they all be alike if it was knitted by different knitters....

my 3 year old photobombed my attempt to take a picture of a tourist shop window display, but this store seemed to have a mixture of handknitted and machine knitted sweaters, all probably sold as handknitted in Iceland