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
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.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're back--I have missed you! And glad Ruusu is well.
ReplyDeleteI 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
ReplyDeleteYour blog posts are always with waiting for!
ReplyDeleteHa, mittens with bunny tails !
ReplyDeletelovely green colour
I’ve looked for your posts all summer! Glad you are back. Gorgeous mittens. Are we allowed to see the wedding quilt?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you are back!
ReplyDeleteDear 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
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see a new post! Your creativity continues to amaze me...and your willingness to tackle new ideas & concepts is great.
ReplyDeleteGlad 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.
ReplyDeleteDelighted to visit with you and your blog again!
ReplyDeleteSo lovely to see all that you have been working on.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the big family event, and thank-you for sharing all your lovely creations!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're back, Lene!
ReplyDeleteI 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....
ReplyDeleteDear Lene,
ReplyDeleteWelcome 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
I'm so happy to see you again -- I've missed having morning coffee with you. Congratulations on the marriage of your dear one!
ReplyDeleteHappy 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.
ReplyDeleteWelcome 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!
ReplyDeleteYay! Fall is coming, and I knew you would be back! So glad to see you. Congratulations to the new bride and groom!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Always so lovely to read your posts.
ReplyDeleteLove 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
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.
ReplyDeleteYou have been missed, Lene. Good to see you again! So many good ideas in this post. Your work, as always, is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI will always come back, no matter how long in between posts!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you've returned! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations 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.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read much of the post yet, Lene, but I just had to tell you how happy I am to see you back!
ReplyDeleteSO 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!
ReplyDeleteWelcome 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.
ReplyDeleteNo, thank you! :-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome back!
ReplyDeleteI've been waiting. Glad you are back.
ReplyDeleteDear Lene, so nice to hear from you again!! Congratulations on the wedding of your daughter!!
ReplyDeleteI am totally impressed with your double-knit mittens.
ReplyDeleteSo 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!
ReplyDelete-Mary S.
Congratulations on the wedding and the quilt!
ReplyDeleteI really like the green/grey colour combinations.
Lisa RR in Toronto