Sunday, August 19, 2018

Hello dear You, hello wool and fall!


It feels difficult to come back after a long time ... but my knitting life does not exist if I don't write about it. It lacks a huge element, if I don't document it here, this blog and knitting just go hand in hand. This is where I need to be. I did not dare to look at my last entry, I do not want to know how long it has been or where I left off. 
The first half of the year just flew by, Ruusu needed lots of extra care, but she is well and full of life again now, and we had a wedding to plan. We prepared for the wedding for almost a year, the closer the time got to it, the more it occupied my thoughts and my hands a little bit too. My Sonja got married in Midsummer, the wedding was lovely and happy celebration, and my secret project for most of the spring was making a wedding quilt. It got done in time, it was a memory quilt of Sonja’s important moments and it was an enjoyable make. It took all my crafting hours for months (there was both hand applique and hand quilting involved). Then July was mostly spent in the lake as it was exceptionally hot. We all took dips in the lake several times a day and our Piki – the Finnish Spitz – was the keenest swimmer of all. He even dived once from the deck, but only once!
I am going to pretend I was never away and just try to continue the wool story the best I can. As we are in deep August, wool keeps calling and projects keep crawling on the hook and needles, almost by themselves. I have spent lots of time on Ravelry looking at different patterns and it amazes me how creative the knitting and crochet community is, how designs keep getting better and cleverer as the years go by. Not to talk about the yarns! There are so many interesting ones to try. I think it was on the Grocery Girls podcast on Youtube (I don’t know which episode) where I heard Tracie talk about making a bucket list, I think it was for sock yarn, and I thought it was such a good idea. I really should do that too, make a list of all the yarns I want to try in the coming months. Maybe I should make a list for sock yarns and other yarns too, and another list for patterns and one for techniques as well. 
I am not sure what has happened… probably it has a lot to do with the fact that I have been quilting and away from the blog for so long that the knitting world feels new, and I feel refreshed and inspired to knit and crochet --- finally! I have missed this feeling for quite some time.
This past week I have been double knitting a pair of mittens. (I did other stuff too, but I will get back to it at some point.) Up here two layers of mittens is a must and I have knitted many pairs of mittens with matching lining mittens, but there is always a problem getting the inside mittens fit just right. Last winter I made to one of my girls a new pair of mittens, but the lining has been bothering her all the time. The thumb of the lining is too long. I will fix them once I get hold of them! But in double knitting, this problem does not occur. My knowledge of double knitting is very shallow, I don’t know very much, and I need to search for answers quite regularly, which makes the process very interesting.
I am quite pleased with this pair. The white and green yarn is Rowan Felted Tweed (old favorite from the stash) and the grey Grinasco Tango (discontinued). There is a shade called Carbon in Felted Tweed and I think that would be a close match to my grey.
The yarn has a lovely, slight halo, it is soft but since it is wool/alpaca/viscose blend and since it is slightly felted, there is not much stretch in the yarn. If you think about double knitting, it is two layers being knit simultaneously, so the distance between stitches is longer than in usual knitting. If there is stretch in the yarn, it will pull the stitches more tightly once they are off the needles, but because this yarn does not have give, it does not pull the stitches and the outcome appears little bit loose. This looseness might become a problem while doing decreases and increases and I really had to yank the yarn to close the gaps while making them. Maybe this was not a good choice of yarn for double knitting, although once I realized what I had to do, I was happier with the outcome. Also, the problem had to do with my inexperience with double knitting too. The feel of the mittens is warm and soft and thick and cozy, totally worth all the extra care in the end! (There is not a pattern for the mittens, I made it up while knitting.)
I picked these colors for the mittens as last spring I knitted this Bousta Beanie by Gudrun Johnston
with these same colors. This beanie was such a pleasure to knit, no long floats and the pattern looks interesting.
I would love to knit this in other colors and will, no doubt about it. The grey yarn in the beanie was not Felted Tweed but Svarta FÃ¥ret 2ply Wool yarn
I have yet to show you this shawl I crocheted some time ago because these mittens, this beanie and this shawl go together so well. 
The pattern for the shawl is my own making and exists only in my scribbles. The yarn really made this shawl special. This exquisite yarn is Louhittaren Luola’s 100% merino single Luonnotar, in colorway Poison, if I recall it right.
I used two skeins (200grams) for my shawl and it is long and shallow shape. I used 3mm crochet hook and the body is linked double crochet stitches. If you love crochet and have not yet tried the single ply yarns for it, I highly recommend. There is no splitting and as there is not much give in single ply, it works very well in crochet. Tuulia’s Luonnotar yarn has beautiful sheen, almost if there is silk in the yarn, but there is not, it is 100% Merino. Her colors are strong and saturated, and my most favorite of her colors might be “ValaanLaulu”, it is gorgeous blue (my computer screen does not do justice, it is much deeper in life), but there are others that come close behind.
I think this is all I wanted to share today. I hope you will find your way back here eventually, although I do realize it is frustrating to keep coming back and finding nothing new for months. If you are reading this, thank you for your time.And as always,
Wool with you,
Lene

36 comments:

  1. Glad to hear all your good news, and I love those mitts! Maybe this winter I will try double-knitting...it makes sense that it would eliminate the difficulty of fitting a lining.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So glad you're back--I have missed you! And glad Ruusu is well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I missed you. And so glad you have been busy with wedding celebrations. What a lovely, happy time. Nice knitting and good to hear from you here and on IG

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous20:29

    Your blog posts are always with waiting for!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ha, mittens with bunny tails !
    lovely green colour

    ReplyDelete
  6. I’ve looked for your posts all summer! Glad you are back. Gorgeous mittens. Are we allowed to see the wedding quilt?

    ReplyDelete
  7. So glad you are back!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous01:22

    Dear Lene, welcome back! I am so glad you are well, your knitting is lovely as always. Looking forward to your sharing the quilt (Maybe) All the best wishes, Andrea

    ReplyDelete
  9. So glad to see a new post! Your creativity continues to amaze me...and your willingness to tackle new ideas & concepts is great.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad to see you, now that you have the time and inclination to say hello. :-) I am always glad to see what you have been up to.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Delighted to visit with you and your blog again!

    ReplyDelete
  12. So lovely to see all that you have been working on.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congratulations on the big family event, and thank-you for sharing all your lovely creations!

    ReplyDelete
  14. So glad you're back, Lene!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I enjoyed your post, Lene. The photography was supberb. But, the comment that really sticks with me is about your knitting life not existing if you don't write about it. I don't write about my knitting. Maybe I should....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Priscilla in London13:18

    Dear Lene,
    Welcome home to your knitting and your blog! It's lovely to hear from you and reassuring to know that you've been well, happy and busy. Will we ever see a photo of the wedding quilt? I know it's wonderful! Priscilla

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm so happy to see you again -- I've missed having morning coffee with you. Congratulations on the marriage of your dear one!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Happy to hear from you again. The wedding and your quilt sound like they were wonderful. Congratulations to the bride and groom. Your other works look great, too. A nice mix of colours.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Welcome Back! So nice to hear (read) your voice again. Wonderful to hear that Ruusu is fine as well. And a wedding! And a wedding quilt! Understandable why you were absent for a little while. Your knitting and crochet, as always, is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Beth in Maryland19:28

    Yay! Fall is coming, and I knew you would be back! So glad to see you. Congratulations to the new bride and groom!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous21:37

    Beautiful! Always so lovely to read your posts.

    Love the colors and especially double knit mittens...what an inspiration! I've been following your Instagram posts, and it is just wonderful to see this update. Dare we hope for the shawl pattern one day?

    What a summer you have had. Good to hear Ruusu is doing well...and Piki is fearless...at least once!

    A wedding quilt! A wedding! Mother-of-the-bride and now mother-in-law! Best wishes to you all.

    annie in California

    ReplyDelete
  22. So glad to see you're back!!!!! And that all are well and happy! Love the double knitted mittens - Your posts always bring sunshine! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  23. AnnP04:26

    You have been missed, Lene. Good to see you again! So many good ideas in this post. Your work, as always, is inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I will always come back, no matter how long in between posts!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous14:42

    So glad that you've returned! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous16:30

    Congratulations to wedding couple and ...Yay! she's back, Really missed you but happy to wait for your return. Love all of this blog...it makes my day. It is funny as I am making mitten liners right now instead of the double knitting, so your post was so appropriate for me. Welcome back.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I haven't read much of the post yet, Lene, but I just had to tell you how happy I am to see you back!

    ReplyDelete
  28. SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK! I have been checking every few days since February, and your new post made my day. Thank you for sharing your wooly work with us!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Welcome back. Sometimes life just takes us on a path besides blog posting. I am so happy that your family was able to celebrate a wedding. The knitting and crocheting is lovely. It is a pleasure to read your writing whenever you post.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Toni05:19

    Welcome back!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I've been waiting. Glad you are back.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dear Lene, so nice to hear from you again!! Congratulations on the wedding of your daughter!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I am totally impressed with your double-knit mittens.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous17:18

    So glad you are back! I have missed reading your blogging posts. Congratulations on your daughter's wedding. Love your makes! That crochet shawl is gorgeus!

    -Mary S.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous19:46

    Congratulations on the wedding and the quilt!
    I really like the green/grey colour combinations.
    Lisa RR in Toronto

    ReplyDelete