Saturday, November 28, 2015

Finished cowl

Good Saturday morning! (I do realize it might be already Saturday night where you are...) I hope this finds you well. I have loved reading your comments and I can't tell you how good it feels to be back. Thank you for every one of them.  

You were wondering how cold it needs to be for me to build a fire... The house warms up by central heating, electricity mostly, but when the temperature outside drops close to -10°C, I usually switch to wood.  While the main heating unit keeps the house warm, there are areas that could do with little bit of extra heat, and those mornings I build additional fire in the kitchen area. This early morning extra fire is the one I enjoy most, I love coming down to the fresh and cold-ish kitchen with wool sweater and wool socks on, make my first pot of coffee and while that is coming along, I start the fire. When it is only -10°C outside, this is little more for the enjoyment than for the actual extra heat (the sound and the smell of wood burning is wonderful), but when the temperature drops further down, it becomes necessary.
Tina had a very tough day yesterday. I took her to the vet to have her teeth checked few weeks ago (she has her teeth checked regularly) and a new appointment was scheduled soonest. She is getting old (next summer 12), and her teeth are giving her some trouble. (This is an old picture, she is just a few years old in this one.) Yesterday she had three of them pulled out. She slept most of the day and I sat with her with my knitting and had a huge amount of knitting done on my next sock. Since she was slowly getting out of anesthesia, I could not move as every time she woke up, she started complaining loudly (!!!!!) and would tell me how bad she felt. After a long day she finally settled into bed and today she seems better, she almost has her usual glow in her eyes and her tail curls the way it is supposed to curl.
The cowl, finished. Me, pleased and happy for the way it turned out.
Yarn:
off-white K1 Yarns Selkie (discontinued)
30% cashmere 70% superfine merino
217m/50g
Blue and brown Hjertegarn Trunte, both left-overs from previous knits,  100% Merino
about 175m/50g (this approximate from the top of my head)
3mm needles
The cashmere blend yarn was lovely to work with even though my yarn tastes always go towards little more rustic qualities. Selkie was a souvenir from Edinburgh many, many years ago. I bought two balls and used little more than just one. I had intentions to knit it little bit bigger, but at the same time wanted it to be small enough to be worn like in the pictures inside the coat and had to stop before it got too big. The size appears to be just right.

The stitch pattern I used is the same as in Anne Hanson's Hoarfrost. I took the beautiful pattern and made a few adjustments to it; made it little bit bigger and did not make the lace edging and knitted ribbing instead for both ends. I added stitches to the ribbing that lies around the chest and it will stay where it is supposed to.
I love the stitch pattern, it is like snowflakes and I will revisit it at some point, I am sure.  I don't think I have seen the actual pattern in my stitch dictionaries (I don't have many) and so I am not sure if she invented the pattern and if so, it would not surprise me at all, here lace work is stunning!  I would love to knit all of her lace patterns but lately she designed a coat that is very appealing.
We are getting close to December, aren't we? And over the years, I have blogged few times every single day while we wait for the holidays, as if my posts were some kind of an advent calendar.  I intend to do it this year too, I plan to post every single day in December until the 24th. (Please bear in mind that I live in the country, and my internet is not always fluent, while it mostly is, snow and wind can sometimes break my best intentions.)

Enjoy your weekend; we will see on Dec 1st.
 
Wool with you,
Lene

16 comments:

  1. The cowl is gorgeous, well done on that beautiful piece. So glad your baby is feeling better today, they worry us don't they?
    Hugs to you,
    Meredith

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  2. Anonymous15:07

    So happy to have you blogging again...looking forward to seeing your posts EVERY day in December! Your beautiful work is always inspiration...thank you!

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  3. Anonymous15:07

    It's fascinating how attitude can change circumstances, you write that you love coming down to a cold kitchen with a wool jumper and socks on to make your coffee and light the fire. Reading it, it sounds cosy and enjoyable. It would be so easy to think " Ugh the kitchen is cold and I have to light the fire." And feel negative about it. It's not cold here in England at the moment just wet, I'm trying to be more positive about it and the constant mud that the dogs bring in each day. The sky is grey but I'm lighting candles and enjoying the wood burner. I hope Tina is feeling better now, she is a beautiful dog.

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  4. It will be a wonderful Christmas present to read your blog every day!

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  5. Get well wishes to Tina! I have an almost 11 year old Boxer and he worries me greatly when he is under the weather. Your cowl is beautiful. You don't too often see creations that are so delicate as well as sturdy looking. It would never have occurred to me to add ribbing to lace work - very clever indeed.

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  6. sandra18:58

    Beautiful picture of Tina! Your cowl is a work of art, so soft & snuggly looking. Yay! for Advent blogging! I will be here every day to read your posts. :)

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  7. Such a treat to be able to read you more often! Thank you for the gift of yourself. I love the cowl, I may have to try it for myself, although I follow patterns without much improvising.

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  8. The cowl is beautiful. It's a delight to read your posts. Wishing you all good health. Deb in California.

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  9. Best wishes on a full recovery for Tina.

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  10. That cowl is absolutely gorgeous! I hope your dog is feeling better...

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  11. Beautiful, beautiful cowl. All of your work is lovely. You are extremely inspiring, although I can never hope to reach your level of expertise.

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  12. That cowl is beautiful and I hope to make it myself after the first of the year (too much to knit right now)! I hope Tina is better soon, and I am eagerly waiting for the daily December posts. Your posts are delightful, insightful, and each is a joy to read.

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  13. Tina looks like an awesome companion, and they add so much to our lives, don't they? That's a lovely cowl, the pattern looks so complicated and unique, and the yarn that you've chosen will be so soft and warm. Nice :-)

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  14. It's always a peaceful joy to read your posts. Best for your pup.

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  15. It's always a peaceful joy to read your posts. Best for your pup.

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  16. What a pleasure to be able to read you daily in December :) Thankyou - I appreciate the effort!!

    And much sympathy for your dog - my English cocker spaniel is also 12 next summer and a month ago she had to have about 10-12 teeth out, they were so bad (yet nothing showed up on the blood tests!! :o). Anyway, after a week of soft, wet food, she has recovered very well and happily chews on stuff with the remaining teeth and regular food just gets slung down, as dogs do anyway! She has had to work out how to deal with her toys, as she lost her two lower canines and has only 3 little wobbly teeth in all at the front to pick things up... but she manages just fine and now smells a lot better, too ;o. I hope your Tina will cope just as well - outside you'd still think Alina was a young dog when she's busy snuffling and wagging and running :).

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