More spiral hats and a bit of sockage

I've been a bit of a slacker blogger of late - my excuse is that working on bigger projects doesn't make much blogging fodder, and I'm not one to just waffle on and ruminate about this and that for the sake of it.

Last week we took the kids and my sister-in-law skiing in Saas Fee.  The kids did their first week of ski school, which they really enjoyed.  David and his sister zoomed over the mountains as much as he was able.  I don't ski (I've tried and failed and am not quite ready to try again yet), so apart from being chalet maid I sat in the sun and knit.  The weather was great, and at times I had to go inside to knit.  I did some of my City & Guild course and also knit a couple more spiral hats.

I knit these exactly the same as the previous ones - the blue one is for my Mum for Christmas and the beige one for Aunty Alwyn.  I think I'm going to knit a couple more - one for my SIL and I guess I should knit one for myself too.

I've also been knitting a pair of socks, and finished the first sock while we were away.  They're Kai Mei by Cookie A.  The yarn I'm using is Merisock Hand Painted by Punta Yarns.  As you can see from above it still needs blocking as they're a pretty freaky shape at the moment. 

But they do fit.  I love the way the lace work curls across the foot.  This is the first pattern I've knit from Cookie A's sock innovation book, even though I've had the book for ages.  I'll definitely be knitting some more.

I'm now on the look out for some cotton-rich sock yarn - I'd like to knit some little socks to go inside ballet flats but I'm sure normal wool-rich sock yarn will be far too warm.
 

Dither

It's been really tense around here.... well, not really... I've been knitting some socks for my Mum for Christmas and was convinced about half way through that I was going to run out of yarn for them.  I chose the pattern because it looked interesting and also so I could reduce the amount of stash I have and when I thought I was going to run out I was pretty gutted.  I even "phoned" a friend and there's some emergency yarn winging its way from Finland to here.  In the end I didn't need it, so my plans for stash reduction have only been partially successful, but I'm sure I can find a plan for the extra yarn when it arrives. 

Anyway, here are the socks:

I really like them -  I love how the colours dither (hence the name of the pattern) and I can see some other versions in the future.  I think they're quite a unisex pattern, so I can see some blues and blacks and greens going well together for David.

They're ravelled here.

Laila and Lottie

A couple of things to show today on my show and tell blog:

First are a pair of socks I've knitted for my MIL for Christmas - they're Laila's socks from Folk Knitting in Estonia by Nancy Bush.  Raveled here.  This is the second time I've knitted them, the first pair were for me.  I really like the design and how simple, yet effective the colourwork is.

Next is the Lottie Blouse that came with the 2nd editions of Love Sewing magazine - I saw this pattern and bought the magazine over the internet specifically for it.

I bought the fabric in Spain at the same time as the fabric I used for Frances' dress - it was in the remnant bin - it's a light cotton which I thought would make a nice top (everyone else thought it would make a nice skirt or dress).

I think the pussy bow is quite nice and feminine - I was a little worried I would look like I should be part of a 60s typing pool, but I like it. 

It is a very simple pattern - a couple of darts in the front and very simple sleeves.  I cut a straight size 10 and it fits fine.  The opening at the front (hidden for the most part by the bow) is quite large, but allows it to easily get on and off without needing a button or zip. 

And the back is just plain - sorry about the wrinkles... I wasn't particularly happy with the photos my husband took of me wearing it, so Flissy Anne wore it after me.

What I'm particularly pleased about is the inside...

The instructions called for the collar to be sewn into a tube and then attached, which would leave a raw edge at the back of the neck - this seemed unnecessary so I attached the collar like a normal collar, which is a lot neater.

I also french seamed all my seams - including my armholes (which I'd never done before), so the inside looks much more professional.

All in all a simple, satisfying make. 

Scrolls

There's been a disappointing amount of sewing going on here - my machine is still in at the service place, apparently they've been at some large fair and so nothing has happened :-( .   I've had some time to peruse the internet to find some other things that I might like to make and had a few ideas of how to use up some stash - hopefully more on them to come when I get my machine back.  I've also been looking at some of the me made may 14 challenge posts and am starting to think that I should do this next year... let's see what I think when next May comes aorund.

I have managed to finish my holiday knitting - a pair of socks that were meant to be for my MiL for Christmas - I had great intentions of them being her size but managed to knit them my size instead.  Next pair I'll manage to get bigger.

They're on ravelry here.  They're the scroll socks from More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. 

I hope my sewing machine comes soon...

Darn

So, in one of my previous posts I mentioned that I had a problem with my Vinnland socks.

After wearing them only three times they got a hole in both heels. Not good. I guess this is proof that if you're going to make and wear hand knit socks in shoes you really need to make sure there's some nylon or equivalent in the yarn, although I didn't think it would be quite so quick. Maybe my shoes have extra friction heels or something?

I make a point of not mending socks. A certain person I know manages to go through socks at a tremendous rate, and if I said I was going to darn his socks that's probably all I would ever do! So no, I don't mend socks. Apart from if they're hand knit and have only been warn three times!

That said, I do have an inherited darning mushroom which I put to good use. I didn't use darning wool, but decided to use normal sock yarn with nylon in it. I've seen prettier, but hopefully that'll work.

knitting and flowers

I've just spent a very enjoyable and satisfying morning seaming together my Jacob wool cardigan. I just need to get a zip and then finish off the collar and it can be done. It's about time this was finished as I started it in February 2008.

I've recently cast on two new projects: The first is the seascape stole from the summer issue of knitty. I'm knitting it using some of the mountain of yarn that Cecilie brought back from China.

And the second is Vinnland socks. I wasn't intending to start a second project until I'd finished the Jacob cardigan, but Cecilie wanted a toe up starting session - so I think I confused both her and Quinn in the ways of Judy's magic cast on . I think we may need another session, but I still believe this is one of the best ways to start toe up socks - I'm not so keen on the provisional cast on way. Anyway, again I'm using some Chinese yarn (this will be a theme for a little while!). As you can see I'm trying two at once using magic loop - the longest 2.5mm circular needle I have is 80cm, but I think I'm going to invest in a longer one as it's all a bit squashed.

We were away last weekend in the UK, we met up with friends and family, we also took a visit to the original Monkey House.... I must say it's looking decidedly like a rental property now, which is a shame. I was hoping to take a trip to get knitted but I was too busy catching up with friends and ran out of time. Never mind, it was not as if I needed any yarn anyway. I didn't take any knitting with me as we travelled with hand luggage only and it's not worth the risk of trying to take knitting needles through security in the UK.

When we got back our garden was properly blooming:

from top left, clockwise: Dahlia (Arabian Knight), Calendula, Bergamot, Lily (Samur)

more finished socks

I've finished the other pair of socks that I was working on... they are the embossed leaves from the interweaves book of favourite socks. I was so close to finishing the second sock when I ran out of yarn. Luckily the yarn shop had another skein in the same colour, and even the same dye lot, so it wasn't the end of the world - just a shame to be so close. I weighed the remains of the new ball after I'd finished - it was bought as a 100g skein, and according to my "not so precise" scales it still weighs 100g.

I think this is a really nice stitch pattern, not too girly but interesting. I'm tempted to make a pair for my Mum too.

So now I will spend a few days trying to make a dent in the Jacob cardigan I seem to have been knitting for ages - I think this has stalled as I don't seem to be able to do the cabling in company. I've cast on the first sleeve, so should be able to concentrate on the cabling at home and still be able to work on it in company.

Once that's a bit further on I'll allow myself to cast on some more socks - we met up with Cecilie yesterday and she brought me bounty that she'd bought in China - it's mostly sock weight yarn, although there are a couple of balls of even finer. She chose some very "Deborah" colours - greens, browns, blues and a bit of red - lots of mulling over and plotting are in order.

Boyfriend socks

There's a project I'm working on at the moment that I haven't blogged about yet. Well, actually there's a couple, but they'll come later probably as they're mostly wedding-related. I'm knitting David another pair of socks. I'm following the boyfriend socks pattern by slippedstitch.

They're worked toe up with a short row heel and are so far working out fine. I've only done about 5cm of the leg after turning the heel, which is why they look so out of proportion. I'm enjoying the cables, they're an easy repetitive cable that doesn't take too much concentration.

The wool I'm using is Regia silk, which is a blend of merino, silk and nylon. It's lovely and soft and has a really nice sheen to it. I'm hoping that with having the silk in it these socks won't be too hot for boy feet and might even get warn inside shoes rather than for just lounging around in when it's cold.

I mentioned in one of my last posts that I've been trying to teach myself how to knit continental so that I can help Cecilie learn to knit. We had a visit to the yarn shop and a lesson on Saturday morning. She could already cast on and knit, but now she can purl as well. I think she's doing really well - I remember some of the first times when I was learning to knit and how I would start out with 20 stitches and by the end of the 2nd or 3rd row I'd have 23 stitches and have now idea where they came from, and then after another few rows I'd have 18 stitches and have no idea where they went. I don't think it was my counting, although I was quite little. Anyway, she doesn't seem to be having this problem and her tension looked as if it was getting more even at least in her knit rows.

She's knitting scarves at the moment - but is wanting to knit socks. I'm hoping to get at least the 1st of the boyfriend socks finished before she's ready for a sock knitting lesson as I think it will be useful if I cast on a similarly constructed sock at the same time as she does.

Hanko

Last weekend we spent some time west of Helsinki in and around Hanko . We were very off season, but it was nice to go and relax and explore a little. We saw a castle, interesting street signs, lakes, sea, snow, sauna and our little hut and lots of other interesting things. The area's meant to be really bustling in the summer so maybe we'll go back and see what it's like?

The strangest thing we encountered was a peperoni pizza, which also had pineapple and tuna on it - a very strange combination, the yummy chips we had with it made up for the weird topping. We're meeting up with some friends for pizza and beer this evening, so lets hope there's some more traditional toppings going.

We also stopped at Fiskars on the way home on Monday, unfortunately everything was shut, but it looked really interesting - lots of history and crafty boutiques, so we'll definitely be taking a visit there soon.

In other news - I proudly present my finished spring socks. Yes, I know they're bright! They were fun to knit with the alternating colours. I shortened the foot of the first sock as I mentioned I was going to do and as you can see they fit pretty well. The photo of the tulips below is the inspiration for my colour combination.

Rabbiting on about spring again....

I know I keep rabbiting on about it nearly being spring, and is it nearly spring, and it's not cold enough to be winter blah blah blah. I'm not quite sure where this has all come from. It definitely hasn't been a severe winter, so it's not as if I'm needing it to warm up so that I can dig myself out of a 10m high snow drift, and it hasn't seemed a particularly dark winter - the joys of living a long way north but actually managing to move south and also closer to civilisation so there's more light pollution. I don't usually count down the days to the start of any other season, who knows what's happening in my brain?

So, anyway to continue the where is spring rabbit:

I spotted some snowdrops coming up in the garden yesterday. I don't think there's a lot of bulbs planted in our garden, but these were nice to see. My seedlings I planted the other week are doing OK. There's been lots of germination, some are a little lanky so we'll see how they go. The peas I planted are doing very well and I've potted them up with some support. Everything's still inside though.

I've also nearly finished my spring socks.... nearly? but there's two socks there. Yes, but if you notice the bottom one is longer in the foot than the first one. After I cast on for sock number two I tried on sock number one and decided it was too big, but as I'd already occupied my needles with sock number two there was nothing I could do about it till sock number two was finished. So, now sock number two's done I'll rip back sock number one so they're the same length and re-do the toe. When ripping back a few rows I tend to use this technique rather than just ripping and hoping that I can pick up all the right stitches again at the right place.

Selbu strikker

Another trip we did when my parents were visiting was to Selbu - it's an interesting place with a village museum and a church, and is of course the home place of selbu knitting - the two stranded, eight point rose pattern. There was a museum about it at Selbu too.... I took some photos:

We especially like the man to the far right in the wedding photo - very snazzy matching socks and jumper - David, what do you think?

A bit of outdoor wear - I think my parents may want his and hers matching knitted jumpers and socks! (probably not)

The museum was interesting - finding out about the knitting industry around there, and the patterns, although what was in the museum had a bit of a dated feel about it - which in itself was quite fascinating.

I did get this:

The selbustrikk book by Rauma, it has lots of patterns for mittens, gloves and socks - so I'll probably give it a go at some point.

Plant Quiz - weed or not?

I spoke to Helen and Simon last night to find out how everything went - they had a baby boy on June 11th. They've named him Jacob James, although on the phone it sounded as if they were referring to him as "Little Monkey" quite a bit. Mother, baby and the rest of the family are doing well and are adjusting to their new addition. Helen said she'd send some photos soon, so I'm looking forward to seeing them.

So I'll send a package to them including the finished pink socks for big sister Anna:

And the booties for Jacob:

It's not long till the next our next friends are due .... Jen and Neil are due on 27th - again they don't know whether it's going to be a girl or a boy, so another non-gender specific booties have been started - yellow this time:

And now for the plant quiz....

Weed or not?

This is the front garden to our house along the entrance path - nice roses and poppies - but what is everything else?

1. Is this worth keeping?

2. Keep or compost?

3. Should this be given root space?

4. This picture is actually taken on the other side of the road to our house, but we did have some to the left of our front door... it was growing out of the paving stones etc so I have decided that it's something weed-like, but am curious to know what it actually is.

5. Is this ground elder?

6. This seems to be really popular in Norway - I'm sure it's fine if you're the kommune and are wanting to stabilise a bank next to a road, or something - but in a garden it goes rampant and spreads along and basically smothers everything else.

7. Some sort of bush that's in bud at the moment - I think the flowers are going to be white.

8. And last but not least - another something that has sprung up by the side of the house.

A couple of things:

• if you need another photo of any of them ask;
• all answers or suggestions of what things might be gratefully received; and
• I'm not interested in the "a weed is just a plant in the wrong place" mantra - would you give it garden space!?

And I guess as it's a quiz there should be prizes - but I'll have to think about what they could be!

First visitor

We had our first visitor this last weekend - Liz from Bristol. We know Liz through the walking group we both belonged to back in the UK. Luckily we had really good weather here on Saturday and Sunday, so went out for a hike both days. Liz was overwhelmed by how light it was - it is pretty crazy. It's 10:15pm now and the sun is streaming in the window.

So, with all this light we were able to put our guest to work and persuaded her to help us a little bit in the garden. Shel helped us cut back to a sensible height the thorny-est hedge possible. And also helped in the veg garden digging. This is how it's coming along:

We planted turnip, cabbage, celeriac and spinach in the bed that Liz and I dug, and I started a third bed this evening while David was at work. With all this light the plants can't do anything but grow. And we're planning on buying a lawnmower this weekend so we can get the grass all neat and tidy - in order to show off the veg or course.

So, with all this walking and digging there hasn't been a huge amount of time for knitting. The only progress has been with Anna's second sock - I've managed to turn the heel - so I'm on the homeward stretch now.

Multiplying boxes

June seems to be flying by.

We moved on June 1st to our new house - which went fine. Then we abandoned all the boxes and mess on June 2nd to travel to Spain (not quite Syden in the Norwegian sense, as we weren't on the coast) to visit David's parents. We had a lovely time - nice and relaxing. It was pretty warm, but most of the time there was a bit of a breeze, which kept it nice. We went to some pretty places and went to a couple of ex-pat parties and generally had a good time. Nothing too strenuous - we almost managed to forget that we would be coming back to boxes and stuff everywhere.

I managed to do a bit of knitting while I was away. The first of my pregnant friends was due on June 11th - I haven't heard if she's delivered yet, but I'm sure I'll hear soon. While we were away I knitted these:

Helen and Simon, have a daughter already, Anna - so I thought I'd better knit something for her too. She loves pink, so I thought some pink socks would be good. I used the stitch pattern from this pattern, but sizing as for the smallest size for this pattern. I think Anna's 3, so I hope they (once I've knitted sock two) fit.

I've also been continuing with David's not grey socks using magic loop - they're progressing, and I quite like the technique for a change.

Since we've been back we have had a bit of a go at the garden - we've mown the lawn and made sure the veggies are behaving themselves - although I'm itching to dig another bit for planting some more vegetables. We've also been enjoying some of the flowers and blossom that are around the garden:

We have three, or maybe four lilac trees/bushes around the garden that are all flowering at the moment - they smell lovely.

We also have a hawthorn tree that is looking very pretty at the moment. There's quite a lot of work that needs doing in the garden - it's been allowed to become a bit of a jungle and is now growing really fast with the long days and abundance of light.

We still have loads to do in the house, so I'm not sure how much time I'll get away with spending in the garden!