tingletangle

going strong, going back, going straight

2008-07-04T11:03:00.003+02:00

Summer's here and the time is right for dancing in the street. However, there's things I need to do first: We're organising a conference (on Language, Culture and Mind, in case you're interested);
I need to grade papers, I need to write a report. I'm looking forward to the conference. People I know will fly in from different places in the world and hang out with me for 3 days.

I went back to spinning - I educated myself to become better at carding. I am still amazed about the ease with which you can make colour effects by blending colours in the carding process. No pictures yet. I needed to reward myself and bought the book Intertwined by Lexi Boeger. I love that book.

Another book I bought (this time in digital form) is Going Straight by Woolly Wormhead. Not just a book on hats (did I mention I love hats?) that are knitted on straight pins and in a different direction. There's a lot of knitting technicalities that can be learned here. Well written, very pedagogical, illustrated, easy to go to and great patterns. I love that book, too.

In three weeks time you may see me dancing in the streets at my holiday adress in Belgium, with a Guimauve hat made from my handspun on my head.

Life is good...

2008-06-02T11:30:00.004+02:00

I see I haven't been blogging for some time, something that happens to bloggers for several reasons. I am good, so no worries, readers. The reasons for not blogging are:

- the weather. it makes me go outside and to the beach
- knitting. although I like to blog about it, it is sometimes hard to do the knitting and the blogging
- ravelry and yahoo groups. if it is already documented this one place, it feels like overkill to do it here as well
- other activities. I needed to do something structural about stress and so use a lot of time meditating and exercising.

I'll show you some finished items though:

The earrings are for the color orange project (and if you know people that are attending the OG, please direct them to the craft part of the color orange or make them contact me. We are having trouble getting in touch with people who are willing to wear orange handcrafted FREE items at the games) made with embroidery thread. The socks were given to my dad - he was pleased!

Orange

2008-04-24T10:03:00.003+02:00

Are you going to the olympics?

2008-04-12T11:52:00.004+02:00

The color orange is a project to highlight the violations of the human rights in China on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Beijing August 2008.
Visit the Color Orange website: www.thecolororange.net/

As a part of the project I make orange accesories that I will give to people that are attending the Olympic Games. People are supposed to wear them at the Olympic Games, and if they can, make a photo of them wearing it.

This item is a wristcuff - male size (big), made in cotton. To start with, I am trying to reach people that are going to the Olympics in Beijing through Flickr, but I have no idea whether it will work. People can join me in the crafty way of making a statement of course! There will be a special group for it on Flickr. There will also be a Ravelry group.

Klimax and antiklimax

2008-03-28T16:37:00.002+01:00

All in one day

Klimax:

Antiklimax

Moths. I found holes in two pairs of socks and a woolen shirt. I hysterically gathered all woollen stuff, yarn, blankets, knitted items. Washed what needed to be washed. Put ALL of the yarn in ziplock bags. Put all of the rest in boxes. Placed it outside the house and thanked the weather gods for night time freezing. Ordered three packets of cedar balls and checked whether I still had that packet of lavender. Promised myself never to leave worn and unwashed woollen garments just lying around.

Now there's only four things to do: a. move all the stuff back in the house again b. sew sachets and fill them with lavender c. darn the damned socks and d. hope.

scks

2008-03-15T17:27:00.002+01:00

Okay, so these are not perfect. I see them as a way of learning about socks. Ways in which they are not perfect:
-They may grow bigger in use b/c of loose gauge - as the ones I knitted ages ago did.
(I tried to fix this by the all over ribbing (well not the sole, of course)). Next time, I'll probably go down a needle size
- When grafting the first toe, I misread the instructions and turned the sock inside out - hence there is a little ridge of purly stitches at the top. I'm keeping them as a souvenir.

And the neat things:

-They fit. Really.
-They have a very nice sturdy heel. I have not made such a heel before, but it keeps up the shape of the sock.
-The grafting of the second sock at the toe. Hurray for that.

With kind thoughts to the sokkenbreien group at ravelry - thanks for your advice!

Kaffe

2008-03-12T12:41:00.003+01:00

I found back my favourite sweater in the back of a closet. I made it sometime in the 90ies. It needs some repairing, but it's still my favourite.

Pattern: adapted from Kaffe Fasset: Glorious Knits. Yarn: Acrylic, wool, cotton, rayon, and blends. I bought skeins on sale, ripped thrifted sweaters etc. It was great fun and left me with a stash, I have still some of the yarns used for this sweater.

second time around 'bleh'

2008-03-05T13:19:00.006+01:00

man what is it with this yarn? I frogged the hat, started a new one following the top-down-no-swatch-approach with the plan to make a beret. The top looks good, I think.

But on my head it looks like a shower cap. I think this is because the hat is to sturdy to be so big. Either it should have been more drapey, so it would kind of fall in folds at the back of my head like a real slouchy beret. Or otherwise it should have been sturdy but smaller, like the urchin I made.

Any help appreciated...

The whole idea behind the Lifestyle top down hats, no swatch needed
is totally me. Go and play with the yarn, live dangerously, design-as-you-go, try out a new stitch, knit fearlessly, ...

and end up with a shitty hat. Bugger.

What 'bleh' s become....

2008-02-25T15:50:00.002+01:00

Mine became a UGH (in ravelry terms) which means it was frogged.

Tijms on the other hand became a WOW!

I still have the yarn though and thinking of an other hat *hums a well known song from a Monty Python movie*

A 'bleh'

2008-02-13T10:17:00.005+01:00

I dig fearless knitting - getting out of the comfort zone, try something new... So I decided to try out new stitch patterns, using the vogue stitchionaries that I own two of. Found yarn (foodcolour-dyed thrifted handspun) and a basic shape for the hat I am going to make of it. I want it a bit like a beret but maybe not as 'flat', and it should be kind of slouchy, but not too big, because I have only this one skein of yarn. So I found a stitch that is a bit lacy, yet not too open: The fagotting stitch.

The issue with the stitch dictionary is that it is written for flat knitting. So in order to do the same stitch you have to reverse things (k=p and vice versa). I did that. I knitted. And then I put the knitting away. And later I started knitting again, and look what happened:

it became a different stitch! What the .....!!

In any case, I now have a 'bleh' - a project that gives you grey hair (if you have hair) and wrinkles. A project that you are not sure will turn out the great way you planned them to turn out. Oh, the insecurity of fearless knitting! Suddenly, one remembers what one was afraid of.

PS. other people, such as Tijm, have 'bleh's too. Actually, it is her term for it...

Gadget man's hat

2008-02-10T08:43:00.000+01:00

I know a guy who would want to obtain all the newest gadgets produced by Apple computers as soon as they leave the design table.

He must have an apple hat. Low tech, high tech rolled into one. A gift for his birthday.

PS I know the apple logo is mirrored in the picture - in real life it's not (anybody know how to mirror picture 'back'???)

Yarn: Løve Cosy; pattern: basic head hugger - k2, p2, with a pannel of 14 x 20 in stockinette for the logo. Logo stitched on with duplicate stitch - chart from the tech guy socks as published in Magknits.

Hats

2008-02-02T16:36:00.000+01:00

I cannot get enough of hats. Two more finished:

Today I was just busy buying yarn for yet another hat (a gift for a friend), when Julia walked in the yarn shop. Julia introduced me to Mette, who I know virtually. It is so much fun to meet internet knitting friends in real life!

Hat 1: handspun (not by me) found in a thrift shop, undyed, Elizabeth Zimmerman Knitting without tears: Snail hat, needles 5,5
Hat 2: handspun (not by me) found in a thrift shop, handdyed with food colouring, Elizabeth Zimmerman Knitting Almanac: Ganome hat. needle 5.5.

Model: Simone

Magic...

2008-01-26T13:35:00.001+01:00

Fearlessly I started with magic looping. For hats, like this Ganome it is a welcome techinique, since you do not have to switch to dpn. Instead, you just pull the string out between a pair of stitches somewhere in your work and voila, Magic Loop.

Socks are possibly also made by Magic Looping. I started them but alas! this is not for me. The troubles with avoiding gaps and the tension in the circular needle became to much for me. I guess it is easier with a smooth cable between the needles, but I do not have a smooth circular. So I gave that up. I considered switching to doing one sock at a time on two circulars, but then I figured I just could insert one of those (short) circulars on each sock and thus knit two socks at one time on three circular needles. Hence the spaghetti on the picture. I know what I am doing, though.

Hat: handspun (not by me) found in a thrift shop, handdyed with food colouring, Elizabeth Zimmerman Knitting Almanac: Ganome hat. needle 5.5.
Socks: Overdyed inherited sock yarn, overall anatomy of sock: Yarnissimas Firestarter, twisted stitch pattern by me, inspired by Bäuerliches Stricken, needles: 2,5

Ignatia

2008-01-20T13:43:00.000+01:00

Ignatia is basically a firestarter with a different twisted stitch pattern. The pattern is broader, so I had to make some changes other places too, and I have bit feet, so these socks are larger and wider than the original firestarter.

To date the best socks I have made. Up to the next pair...

The library

2008-01-16T15:12:00.000+01:00

The library in Denmark is for free. I love this. Apart from two of the Bäuerliches series and Knitting Vintage socks I have been able to borrow Weekend knitting (Melanie Falick), Viking patterns in Knitting (Elisabeth Lavold), Freeform (Prudence Mapstone), Knitting Fair Isle mittens & gloves : 40 great-looking designs ( Carol Rasmussen Noble); Odd Ball Knitting (Barbara ) and Vogues Knitting Shawls. All at the same time. I like these books but, apart from the Bäuerliches, I do not have to own them.

And while knitting I listen to borrowed, previously unknown music: Alison Krauss, The be good Tanyas, Eliza Gilkyson....

26

2008-01-08T10:10:00.001+01:00

I'll jump on the fearless wagon and try out something new this year: Magic cast on and magic loop. But, inspired by Tijm I also made an inventory of things I made in 2007. And actually, 2007 was pretty brave, too - I tried a number of new things:

*I learned to spin, first on a drop spindle, later on a wheel

*I spun yarn from dog hair (which were knitted into mittens)

*and I knitted my first ever toe-up socks which you can see here. They are the firestarters by Yarnissima . I gifted them to my mother.

A quick inventory shows that I knitted 4 pairs of slippers, 10 hats, 4 mobile cosies, 2 pairs of mittens, 1 pair of knucks, 1 pair of socks, 1 scarf, 1 pair of baby booties, 1 calorymetry, and a nose warmer. That's 26.

For 2008 my expectations are more twisted stitches, more socks, tip-down mittens, knitting with soy yarn and as always, more hats...

Ignatia

2008-01-02T20:36:00.001+01:00

Ignatia is basically a firestarter, the pattern written by Yarnissima.

The cable of the original firestarter is changed to one I found in 'Bäuerliches Stricken'. As in my first firestarters, I knit over 64 st. The cable (from p. 67, if you have the book), has a repeat over 18 needles, so I am doing 2.5 repeats and land at a point where it can be divided into two equal parts that will continue along the gusset. All other directions as in the firestarter.

I bought the yarn in 'The golden fleece' in Santa Cruz, CA.

The firestarter started a fire: Socks and twisted stitches are a lot on my mind (and in my fingers) nowadays.

Oh and yeah, happy new year of course....

Nosejob

2007-12-29T15:31:00.001+01:00

Maja wanted a nosewarmer. Find a pattern here.

merry!

2007-12-24T11:15:00.001+01:00

Third and last knitted christmas gift.

For me, christmas is a cultural, not a religious event. I enjoy the traditional foods, dancing around the christmas tree, the songs, and the preparations, and, above all, being with my family - especially after the events of last week.

Whatever your relation to these days may be, whether they are special or not, I wish all of you happy and joyfull days.

no knitting in the hospital

2007-12-18T14:28:00.000+01:00

It is all right now, again, he's home.

I took the knitting with me, but didn't make many stitches - now I am happy that I didn't because the remembrance would have clung to the sock and it would have lost its beauty.

My man was taken to the hospital with ketoacidosis, a serious condition you get when you are diabetic and do not take insulin. Due to a simple flu, he reckoned that he should not take insulin, since he wasn't eating. Wrong.

It was a nasty experience and I'll need some time to get over it. But I am grateful to have him here still, and to have had the support of quite a lot of people.

Christmas gift

2007-12-02T11:39:00.000+01:00

In Denmark, Christmas starts at December 1st. I embrace the traditions here - so much more abundant than in my home country. But nobody can take away Sinterklaas, so we're celebrating that too - and get gifts twice in December! One of the advantages of being a multicultural family.

One gift at least this year will be handmade. Knitty lovers will recognize this as a smaller version of Calorymetry - it is for my eldest daughter, a very practical garment for under a bicycle helmet. Therefore, the flower is detacheable by way of a button in the back. My little twist.

Yarn: inherited, handdyed with food colouring (headscarf) and thrifted, handspun, handdyed with Koolaid (flower). 100% wool.

Finding patterns on the net

2007-11-24T16:38:00.000+01:00

A lot of people have free patterns on their blog. One way to find them is by a free pattern blogring. But now we have ravelry and everything is easier. I found this pattern, it's called 'just like a peasant cap' and a knock-off of a 185 dollar cashmere version. The pattern was written by Amber Daniels (-Cook). The cap is my new best friend.

On a more personal note, I have been totally stressed out, but this month I made a change at my job, which will fix this. I have already started to sleep through the night, arrive happy at work, not shout at my dear people at home and stop eating for comfort.
And then I'll do some more knitting.

head and toe

2007-11-13T10:45:00.000+01:00

Because everybody else was making them too:

done on 2 circulars, at once. Which actually posed some cognitive challenges.

Because I had made the yarn and it was hard to find the 'right' project for it:

no knitting challenges here. Just follow the pattern (from 'Knitting in the nordic tradition'). A little bit of anxiety at the end (will I have enough yarn???) but it worked out.

Firestarter progress

2007-11-04T14:14:00.001+01:00

We've had a lousy summer, but this year, the fall is magnificent. Colours like those behind the sock everywhere, sun on it all. I gasp now and then.

As you can see the firestarter is already close to finish. In one week.

Starting a fire

2007-10-27T10:43:00.001+02:00

I'm trying to get over my sock fear. I had this impression that sock knitting is not for me - I have this in common with my cousin. But I am working on it.
Three other things in her list of 'things that are not for me' we have in common:
Skiing, eating squid and having a well-organised household. To that I can add:
having hair on my head, not interrupting people, eating meat, having a neat desk at work, have a lot of space to live in, do exercise regularly. There. So I have a list of nine as well. If you recognize three of these, take them away and add 6 others on your blog.