Thursday, June 11, 2009

So good all around!

All is very well up here. It is June already! June keeps adding up the hours to my day and for now the light is ever present thus making it possible to keep the needles clicking up to 24 hours if need be without having to turn the lights on. (Few days ago I checked that the sun sets about 0103 am and rises about 0128.) The knitting progress is slow but steady, I still have many projects on the needles, two of the previous five have been done and one of them has been frogged and two new ones have been cast on. I finished Wendy Knits Rivulets socks and yep, I quite enjoyed the toe up process and am very happy with the result. Beautiful and comfortable little socks! I added little detail to the cuff, little folded stockinette edging which is showing up in very many projects of mine and becoming my signature so to speak. I used 2 mm needles and yarn Trekking Tweed. I have now Wendy's new book and am looking for a new pair of socks from there, there is plenty and they are all very lovely. This is a new swatch and now you can probably guess the cardigan... (For time being Marina is frogged to be cast on later on with different yarn and this has taken up the vacancy.)

Some time ago I bought Marianne Isager's Japanese Inspired Knits. I really like this book a lot. The designs are interesting and beautiful but that is not all there is to this book. Once I started to read the patterns I felt like getting a knitting lesson with every single design. There is double knitting, there is entrelac, there is intarsia, there is stranded two color knitting. There are clever constructions and very interesting yarns. Many designs are knitted with two yarns held together and this adds dimension and depth to the fabric and makes the fabric alive. I got very interested in swatching different combinations and while this adds interest towards my knitting, it at the same time makes me very curious about spinning again.

I have visited Marianne Isagers web site to see the list of yarns she uses and the quality and thickness. So this has been a very challenging read. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something new that would add up to one's skills and something to take one up to a new path.
I finished what started as Picovoli, but ended being little bit of something else. I cast on fewer stitches for the neck opening, making it a bit smaller, added few Japanese Short Rows to get some shaping to the neck, instead of waist decreases/increases, added ribbing to in order to have a bit of shaping and finished off with a few purl rows in the bottom. This little heart with a small blue bead (a gift from a good friend, she made it herself) has a perfect frame now. And the little scarf that I got as a present quite a while ago has finally a companion. It is such a lovely scarf and ever since I got it, I have been wanting to pair it with something. And these two just go together so beautifully. You can pin it closed in the front or in the back.I don't know why I have not known of the Craftlit Podcast and you all probably are familiar with it by now but I have just recently started to listen to it. What a treat! This is a great way to learn English. I have uploaded all the episodes of The Scarlet Letter (all the ones available) and I had this old copy in my library from the high school year in the States and I have began my slow process of pushing through this again with the help of a dictionary. Very slow but so rewarding! I remember this book being taught then but have forgotten almost all of it. There are some little remarks and underlinings here and there in my old copy and while I read this now again, 30 years from the first time, I am enjoying it thoroughly. I managed to score these vintage buttons some time ago when I was shopping locally (almost locally, not quite).

I guess this is about all at the moment. June will be busy month up here but by the mid July everything should calm down a bit again.

Light needles with you,
Lene

13 comments:

  1. OMG Lene that is one of my favorite books!! I read it for English Literature class and loved it. (I am almost done reading Anna Karénine in french - idea from your blog)
    Your projects look amazing and what a beautiful scarf/gift you have. I adore the button detail on the edge. Very smart.
    Thank you for your review of the new book. There are so many and I think I will take your advice on this one.
    Thanks for joining my new group on Ravelry too. I was very pleased!
    So happy you are now 'in the light' enjoy it to the fullest dear.
    A.xx

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  2. Anonymous22:56

    I think I'd love all that light! Your socks are gorgeous and especially your addition to them!

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  3. The socks are beautiful, I love your cuff detail. Your changes to Picovoli look great, I prefer your version. I love CraftLit.

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  4. The Rivulet pattern has been on my desktop for a couple of weeks...now I am even more interested in knitting these socks, because yours are just beautiful!

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  5. Carol16:04

    I love your personalizations to the Picovoli pattern - I look forward to the day (I hope it comes) when I can do this sort of thing myself. Love your socks too -I will be looking at that pattern now...
    I am always so happy to read a new entry on your blog. Enjoy the sunlight!

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  6. Do you find it hard to sleep when you have so many hours of daylight? I sleep more hours during the winter compared with the summer.

    Janet in Dublin where it stays light until about 10:30 p.m. at this time of year.

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  7. love that cuff, and great find on the buttons! and that scarf is lovely too.

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  8. Such cool socks, very very nice! I like your blog a LOTT. ;)

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  9. Anonymous05:33

    LOve the Rivulet socks with the red edging.

    I didn't know that Trekking had tweed colorways.

    And, THANKS for the sun up /sun down report

    Margie in Maryland

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  10. I love your review of the book and the socks are gorgeous:)Hugs Darcy

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  11. I imagine you'll be getting a lot of knitting done LOL with all the daylight. When we lived in Moscow I swear you could read a book outside at 11:00 pm.

    I'm catching up on blog reading after a hectic 1.5 months ... your blog is always lovely, calm and elegant.

    And love that red on those socks!

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  12. Duncan12:56

    Very nice work.

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  13. Those light and delicate scarves are my favorite. The buttons are a delicious touch.

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