Beginnings

It was raining a good deal yesterday; wonderful summer rain that seemed more wet than usual. It was wonderful to watch at Mother Nature's Spring Cleaning. I stayed inside admiring the scene in front of the open window and knit the day away. (Maybe there was something else too during the day, but lets just linger in this romantic scenario.)

During the past few days I have cast on for five (5!) different knits. This behavior is quite normal before I am able to settle in one good project that is going to get done. So far I love all these five and have not been able to pick up my absolute favorite. Maybe there is still number six waiting for me just around the corner and I will be swept along by it. But here the introduction of the five while waiting for the sixth or the seventh or whatever...

1. First the sweater. I am foremost a sweater knitter and don't even think that I am knitting anything if there is not a sweater on the needles somewhere.

This is Julie Weisenberger's quote from COCO KNITS:

"Marina is a simple, cropped jacket with a luxuriously generous collar. The design is knitted seamless up to the shoulder where two small seams connect the top of the sleeves and back to the body using ENGLISH TAILORING."

I could not resist the word ENGLISH TAILORING. It sounds so professional. Marina from Rowan Felted Tweed with more details later if this love continues.

2. I have really almost stopped buying clothes for me. I keep entertaining me with the idea of making my own some way or another (that is why I needed to love my sewing machine again) so for that reason only there really should be something sensible on the needles at all times. Simple, usable and beautiful, and preferably of cotton. This is the beginning of yet another Picovoli, design by Grumperina. I think I have knit this pattern with sometimes more sometimes less adjustments and have always been successful - All my daughters have their own and I have three already, one of them is out of wool for winter, so this hopefully will be the number four for me. I just love this color of SandnesGarn Mandarin Classic; the color sure helps the battle with cotton.

3.Lace as Ice Fantasia by Knitspot Anne Hanson. This is such a nice change to Irtfa'a; this has rest rows since the private side is mostly just purling. Humble beginnings so far, too early to talk too much. Yarn Wetterhoff Veera, all wool.

4. Socks A:
Top downs, Marilinda by Cookie A, my usual construction with DPN's. Following a sock pattern was a bigger challenge than I anticipated and I have so far knit the cuff two times. For the first time around I kept looking at the pattern wondering about the outcome and comparing it to the picture of the sock. Something there was not right and sure enough, I was not following the pattern but was making my very own. Yarn is some good basic sock yarn, the ballband is missing.

5. Socks B.

My knitting hero Wendy knits most if not all of her socks toe up and if she does that all the time, there has got to be a reason for it and a good one too. I had to give this toe up business just one more go, one final chance, I put my mind at rest and have sat here by Wendy's footstool learning from the master. This is more than just a beginning of Rivulets Sock, a free pattern by the master herself. I just love this yarn, sadly the ballband is missing too, but these little yellow specs just talk to me.

All these five make me very optimistic and so far I have a firm belief that all these will get done, sooner than later. But for that I should talk less, knit more.

Lene

Irtfa'a

Finally, finally I got around taking a new set of pictures of Irtfa'a. But she does not like her picture taken. I am not quite happy with this set either, but I want this to be done now, so here she is...She is a beauty. Knit from Wetterhoff's Silvia with 3,5 mm needles. Silvia is partly wool and partly silk (70%/30%). I have used this yarn often and this is a good yarn.

I knit for my daughter a shawl from this yarn couple of years ago and she used her shawl everyday as a wrap around her neck during the winter months and it took wear very well. I washed and blocked it again in midwinter and the shawl was again like new. (Now the shawl is like a rag but really delicate wool shawl is not eternal.)I knit Irtfa'a during the long dark nights and it was more or less just trusting the pattern and not worrying too much of the knitting and since Anne's patterns are so well written, this shawl turned out just fine - though I must confess that there were times when I wished I had not taken black yarn. One of my New Year's resolutions was to look at the closet and either refresh some of the old outfits or toss them away (take them to goodwill). I really like this linen Marimekko dress but I have always felt that it needed something nice added to it and finally that is done and off the list. If you'd like to see better pictures off the pattern, just hop over to Anne's and there are plenty of good pictures of her.

Michelle at Boulderneigh nominated me for an award some time ago. Thank you Michelle! I really love your sheep pictures!

My sweater from the last post is almost done but she is set aside for a bit, because I am not sure how to fine tune the fit and the look. She needs quite a lot of work yet and since I am not quite sure what it is, she is resting.

So now I need to come up with something new. This "something new period" always means starting at least ten different patterns; I pick up a pattern or idea, knit for a bit and then I rip with frustration and again start over so that at the moment I am not sure where I will be next.

It feels kind of nice to be dating yarns and patterns again and I am not going to worry if I will stay single for a bit.

Lene

Mom, would you knit with me?

Some time ago my dear daughter cast on for her very first sweater. One evening while she was knitting away happily but alone, she asked me if I would sit down on the sofa to knit with her...

I have been knitting for years mostly alone, there have been just a few but so precious moments when I have had knitting company. Now that I really had knitting companion in the house I was more or less ignoring the fact and was feeding my sewing machine with lovely and colorful fabrics until this above mentioned evening.

I took a deep quick dive into my stash and soonest cast on for a new sweater, the most simple raglan with numbers from the top of my head to be able to sit with her knitting. And thus started new era in my knitting life.

I was planning on taking a long break from knitting to be able to bond with the sewing but my break was cut a bit short and am not complaining, this small repetitive motion is welcome in the midst of fabric frenzy that always ends up being messy. I left off knitting by casting off the black shawl and the Twined Noro Mittens and I have not yet shown you the black shawl blocked. I did take some pictures of the black beauty but most of the pictures did not turn out quite the way I envisioned so I will need to take a new set of pictures, but here is a little peek.And here is the new sweater on the needles. I am calling her Petite Fleur.

My lake is almost free of ice. The chirping of birds is overwhelming. The light, as I have so often said here, is pure magic in May. The trees are yet naked and the grass is not yet green, so there is very little to soak up the light and it is everywhere. The long winter is long gone, it is time to inhale clean spring country air and let the mind wander.

And hands happily knit.

Happy Mothers' Day to you all... dear children!

Lene