Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Peaceful colours

It is very warm up here today. The temperature has been over 25 C for the most of the day and it feels hot even. You would think that it is too hot - for me - to be thinking of sweaters not to talk about knitting one but it is not.

I’m glad I have kept working on Henry although there have been times when I would have loved to cast him aside completely. But row after row my stitches have got less wonky and more even and now the fair-isle knitting feels as natural as knitting lace. You have to concentrate, but if you do, you can manage. This has broadened my knitting horizons and somehow I think my skills have been upgraded. While knitting Henry there have been a day or two when I have made a mental note never to do fair-isle again but now that he is coming close to the end I’m looking at new fair-isle patterns and traditional Scandinavian patterns and I even have a beautiful Bohus waiting. So the colourwork probably continues...



But I have not yet made up my mind.

Soft hues of brown and all of the natural palette feel very appealing. So my next sweater might be quiet naturals.

You noticed that I changed the template again. This summer has been extremely busy and a lot has been going on and I have reached the point now where I need to clear up my mind. Even Henry feels a bit busy... And all of a sudden white, plain white blog background felt so right. (With this template you can change the background colour very easily so this plain white might be a short period…) And as we get closer to cooler months I’m drawn to blues also.

I have finished one Monkey sock.

And this must be my most favourite Monkey. I love this yarn with this pattern. The yarn – Schachenmayr Regia Cotton: 41% new wool, 34% cotton and the rest polyamide (colour number 3) - gives the pattern a sophisticated look, the yarn has some subtle sheen to it. I have tried this yarn many times with different patterns but none has been speaking to me like this. These socks will make my heart dance, and maybe my feet a little too.

PS. I have never done any birch bark weaving so the pattern sources are unknown to me.

25 comments:

  1. The white background seems right for your blog. A Bohus sweater is high on my list of sweaters to knit this winter. The colors you have there are so peaceful and beautiful!

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  2. Anonymous23:22

    It is very hot in Ontario too, and extremely humid which makes it feel even warmer. It has also been very dry but last night we got a little rain which has just added to the jungle atmosphere. I and my dog are mostly staying in the airconditioned house. I've been making a sock today on my sock machine, and it's ready for the heel. (Austerman Step, green and brown.)

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  3. How pretty, and I love the pictures of your blueberries. You're right, they're very calming!

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  4. Anonymous23:41

    Beautiful sock and blueberries! I'm quite partial to a white background myself. Makes the colors pop!

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  5. Blueberries! They had a lot of that in Maine and made the most delicious blueberry chocolate.

    That Bohus is too tempting but I will not succumb ;-)

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  6. I am enjoying your "new look". Your photos are lovely as is everything that you do. I always enjoy visiting your site. Thank you.

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  7. I like the white! Your blueberries are not like the ones I picked in Nova Scotia. Ours had the berries in bunches, but otherwise they look very similar. Do the leaves get to be beautiful in fall?
    I do not know if you listen to podcasts, Lene, but you can always listen to them on the computer. Anyway, David Reidy of www.sticksandstring.wordpress.com was given (yes given!) a kit for Henry by someone who did not want it any more! David certainly got lucky and he will knit it up and we will follow along in his podcasts. I like his podcast, as they are informative, use clean language and are not full of giggles and things that can be annoying. Also, he lives in Australia, so you get to follow along the weather there and he is an astrophysicist who teaches high school, so he is an interesting 'bloke'!
    Thanks for taking the photos of the blueberries for me. They taste so good and freeze so well!

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  8. Anonymous03:07

    Your first blueberry picture is particularly nice - so clear. We are also enjoying wild blueberries now in eastern Canada. Your knitting is always inspirational!

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  9. I really like the white background, very 'clear' and calming.
    Great Monkeys..but I am swooning over the blueberries, so beautiful!

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  10. Anonymous05:35

    I also love the new format. It's a nice canvas for your work, and peaceful to the eyes.

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  11. Anonymous07:06

    Well now, isn't that a beautiful Bohus Kit! The Gray Mists..mmmmm, it's sooo nice. By chance are you doing the cowel neck version? Perhaps a knit along is in order? The blog format is verrry nice.

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  12. Oh the beautiful Bohus!
    I was wondering when you were going to knit one of those incredible sweaters.
    When the Yarn Harlot came to our area I went to go see her and she let me pet her lovely Bohus that she made. The wool angora yarn is truly exquisite!

    P.S. I love the photo's of your blueberries. Our blueberry season just ended here and they were yummy!

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  13. Your monkey socks look great in thatyarn, I don't think I have seen any monkeys in plain yarn before.

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  14. I am knitting socks in a plain white yarn and there is something peaceful about the color. I don't see many sock patterns knit up in white.

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  15. Anonymous19:20

    Noticing your new look the other day I thought how right it seemed for your blog. (I was too tired that night to leave a comment.)

    Simplicity showcasing the beauty of your words and work.

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  16. When I first saw your new template the other day I thought, "Oh no! Where's the green?!" But the white has grown on me, it makes a very nice soothing background for all your knitting and nature colors. :)

    Very nice Monkey! I finally started one of my own, too!

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  17. Anonymous21:49

    I really like this simple, pearl-grey Monkey! The pattern really is best in a solid yarn, I think.

    The blueberries look good enough to eat :-)

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  18. Hy Lene,
    I#ve been the first time on your blog and wow, you knit wonderful things. I cannot say, which of them I like best, I love them all. It's a wonderful blog - I added it to my link-list.
    Won't be my last visit.
    Happy knitting and greetings from Germany
    Susanne

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  19. You will enjoy knitting the Bohus, the colours are so beautiful together and the right level of challange and ease - just when you need perfect tension in several yarns you follow with a row of just two. I was sad when the colour work was done and only the plain to knit. Henry is beautiful.

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  20. Anonymous20:12

    lene, I enjoy visiting your blog not only to see the beautiful things you make, but to hear about your environment. Jeanie

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  21. Your monkey socks look great! I just finished mine, and I loved the pattern.

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  22. Oooh, I love the Large Collar. I have one of those on my list for way, way in the future. And I long for some yummy Nordic blueberries :)

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  23. Hey, new layout! Not bad, I have to admit as a well-known change hater. And, hi from Rovaniemi (grin). I wonder how can you survive with this type of summer.

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  24. Oh I know what you mean when you speak of thinking of sweaters in the hot weather...it's very hot here and yet I have been knitting all day and planning Christmas presents! Good luck with the continuation of the Fair Isle! I think it will work out great!

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  25. sigh . . i so very much want to take a bohus class . . . but the nearest one is a day's drive in each direction and i don't know if i can swing that much time off.

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