Mustaa villaa

My precious

2008-07-19T16:46:00.002+03:00

Welsh Country Stockings
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Folk Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Patons Patonyle 4ply, 75 grams of brown (1006), 35 grams of white (1003)
Needles: 2,25 mm

During the last few weeks, my knitting self esteem has sunk to an all-time low. All my bigger projects seem to hate me, even sweet Liesl was too small. Oh you should've seen me ripping it – knitting is clearly the new kick-boxing. All the other Liesl knitters were able to knit this little sweater in one afternoon with charming results, but not me. Maybe they swatched? (Crazy, I know.)

But when sweater knitting kicks you in the head, it's time to knit a pair of socks.

Can you feel the love? I adore these socks – they are perfect in every way. I made a few modifications to the pattern: I left out the contrasting heel, and added the fair isle motif to the toe too. There's an old photo in the book on page 25 with socks like this, and I liked them better. I really like that tiny bit of colourwork – enough to make the socks pretty, but not enough to make you go crazy knitting it.

The yarn, Patons Patonyle 4ply, was sent to me for my opinion by Patons. Luckily this was an easy job – I loved this yarn! It's incredibly soft, it's easy on the hands and knits up just beautifully. With 20 % nylon content it should wear well too. I even found a group in Ravelry dedicated to this yarn, so clearly I'm not the only one who likes it. It doesn't show on the Patons website just yet, but it should be available sometime next winter.

We'll be heading out to the summer cottage next week, so I'll leave you with a sneak peek at my next sock project. For the sake of peace and happiness of all beings, there won't be any sweater projects in my bag.

On the needles and off the hook

2008-07-05T21:06:00.003+03:00

Here's the first Welsh Country Stocking. I love it dearly. And look how nice it looks with my freshly painted toenails! A sign of a true lady: her nail polish matches her sock in progress.

I was so fed up with the Blanket Cardi that I decided to cast on for another sweater. And cast on I did, 7 times! I'm knitting Liesl, a design by Ysolda Teague, and although I had some trouble in the beginning (it proved to be extremely hard for me to cast on loosely enough), it's been smooth sailing ever since. I'm knitting this as quickly as I can so it will be finished before I can figure out a way to mess it up too.

G9 Stripes
a small pouch for my small camera
Yarn: Rowan Handknit Cotton
Hook: 4 mm

I finished my crocheted camera pouch. It's a silly little thing, and I'm not totally happy with it, (there's something unsatisfactory about the combination of colours and texture, I can't quite say what) but it's just for protecting my camera when I toss it in my bag, so it'll do for now. The ribbon is sewn into the bottom of the pouch with just a few stitches, so it will be easy to take it off when I don't feel this girly.

Yarn dieting made easy

2008-06-28T15:54:00.002+03:00

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been on a yarn diet for six months now. That's half a year people! I'm very impressed by myself. I did get new yarn for the Bark shawl, but I don't think it counts because a) I traded the yarn for it and b) it's all knit up already. Knitting from the stash has actually been quite fun, and I've even been able to use up all kinds of odds and ends.

Bockstark Knits Handspun, Handgefaerbt Sockenwolle

Despite the extreme funniness and reasonableness of using the stash, lists of dreamy yarns I'm allowed to buy next year have been made. I'm gonna buy Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light for Norah Gaughan's Kukka, and Rowan Bamboo Tape for Granite from the latest Rowan Magazine. I'm dreaming of all kinds of wonderful sock yarns: The Knittery's Slim and Chubby sock yarns, mamablue's Sea Merino, Madelinetosh's Glazed Sock, Dream in Color's Smooshy, Fleece Artist's Somoko... the list goes on and on and on. And I'm definitely gonna order some handspun from Pigeonroof Studios – I love her yarns! Oh dear. Six more months to go.

Cleckheaton Country 8ply and Country Silk 8ply, Patons Patonyle

Maybe I'll survive though, especially after receiving four packages of yarn during the last month. First I won a contest over at Bockstark Knits, and Kris sent me a skein of her gorgeous handspun yarn, and a skein of pretty sock yarn too. Yay! Thanks Kris! Then I got a package all the way from Australia – Patons (who are part of Australian Country Spinners) are relaunching a sock yarn called Patonyle, and they asked me if I would be willing to review it. (Doesn't that sound so professional? Teehee.)

Welsh Country Stockings from Folk Socks, in Patons Patonyle 4ply

I wanted to start my assignment right away, and cast on for a pair of socks for my dad. He has, in record time, worn holes to both pairs of socks I've knit for him so far, so he's an excellent test person to wear the review socks. Luckily for me, I like this yarn a lot – it knits up beautifully and is very very soft. The first sock is already finished, and I'm hoping to get the second one done before we go to see my parents in two weeks.

Handarbeitskram by Selana, Yarn Workshop Footscray

The third package was a Ravelry trade with Maverick, I sent her my unloved Kid Silk Haze balls, and I got a skein of lovely sock yarn in return. And the last one was a gift from Ingrid – she sells undyed yarns for hand dyers (check them out here), and she sent me a skein of Footscray, which is a fingering weight superwash sock yarn. This is a lovely yarn, and although I'm a bit afraid of ruining it, I'm gonna try dyeing it during my summer holiday. Wish me luck!

In addition to all this severe dieting business, I haven't been up to much recently. The love affair with Blanket Cardigan has been on hold after I noticed that the green stripe in the front piece is two rows higher than in the back piece. This made me quite mad actually – there's one tiny little design detail in this whole stocking stitch desert, and I was able to mess it up. To cool my nerves, I switched to crocheting. I'm making a small bag for my camera, and also testing some colour combinations – I'm thinking about crocheting a summer bag with similar colours. We'll see just how much comforting my poor nerves need.

Lastly, thank you so much to all of you lovely people who were kind enough to say nice things about my meh socks! You caught me on one thing: I never wash and block my socks. I've always thought that putting the socks on takes care of the blocking, and I'll just wash them when they get dirty. But yeah, I'm gonna try the wash'n block with these socks, and I'll let you know what happens. As soon as I can bare to look at them again.

Mehhy Meh Socks

2008-06-17T15:59:00.003+03:00

Fancy Silk Sock
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Fortissima Socka
Needles: 2,5 mm for the upper leg and 2,25 mm for the rest of the sock

Modifications: The scalloped edge was a bit too much for me, so I replaced it with k1 p1 ribbing, and added two purl rows to separate the ribbing from the leg pattern. The old photo in the book actually has this purl ridge, so it was surprising to find out that the pattern did not. I also added one pattern repeat to the leg, and made the heel a few rows longer. This is a nice, well-written pattern, but I don't know... perhaps a bit too fancy for me?

So, feeling a bit disappointed with these socks, but mainly because of the yarn. It's not a nice wool, it's scratchy and sticky, and an especially bad choice for this delicate lace design. I should have stopped after the first sock, but I was stubborn and wanted this yarn out of my stash. And now I have a pair of socks that I'm not that crazy about, and I've wasted valuable time knitting something I did not enjoy knitting at all. Do you do this, or am I the only one? It didn't even occur to me until now that I could've ripped the first sock and tossed the yarn away.

One thing's for sure: my next project will be knitted with something nice and soft and lovely. I think I've deserved that.

An old love

2008-06-05T20:50:00.004+03:00

It's a funny thing that of all the things I've knit and bragged about on this here blog, I haven't shown you the one that I've worn most. Well, here it is, a cardigan I knit twelve years ago. It's an ugly old thing, over-sized, knit with crappy yarn, and the finishing is quite unspeakable. And yet I wear it all the time – it's warm, comfortable, and fits over several layers of clothing. I love it.

A week or so ago I was sitting on the sofa, knitting Ward and not really enjoying it all that much. I had made several modifications to the pattern, changed the ribbings, added lenght and waist shaping, and as I was knitting, I had to stay really focused to what I was doing.

I had also started to have those seconds thoughts about the sweater: doesn't it actually look too big/small/oddly shaped/stupid etc. I was wearing The Old Ugly, and suddenly the thought just popped into my head: why not make another comfortable, simple sweater, that I could just knit and knit and knit and not worry about keeping track of anything, and in the end I would have something to wear around the house that wouldn't be quite that ugly?

And just like that, I ripped Ward and cast on for another sweater. This is the Blanket Cardigan from Sarah Dallas Knitting. We are in love – I'm almost done with the back piece. One should not forget one's love for mindless stockinette.

Gloria Cowl
by Orinda5
Yarn: Rowan Wool Cotton, 1 skein of coffee rich and beechnut
Needles: 3,5 and 4 mm
Modifications: cast on 114 stitches, did a garter stitch edging.

Oh, I almost forgot: I joined the world-wide cowlgirl movement. My sock yarn stash is trembling…

They are fancy! They are silky!*

2008-05-19T19:20:00.003+03:00

They are the Fancy Silk Socks! Thank you all so much for taking part in my little contest!

Out of 67 guesses there were 6 correct ones. So, six names went into a hat, and one was picked out: the winner is Heidi, congratulations! Could you please email me your address, and there will be yarn coming your way. :-)

*Actually, they are neither. More of that next time.

Socks. And a contest!

2008-05-09T14:30:00.003+03:00

Conwy
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush
Yarn: The Knittery 4ply Sock: Merino Cashmere, in shade midnight
Needles: 2,5 mm

Hey, I'm a cashmere girl after all! What a relief. I may not have enjoyed knitting these socks that much, but wearing these makes it all worth the pain. The stickiness of the yarn and the tightness of my knitting actually made my wrists hurt. Many of you suggested metal dpn's, and I would have tried them, but I don't own any. If something, I'm a bamboo girl, through and through.

But yeah, now that the socks are done, I like them very much! They are extremely soft and warm, and they are for my dear aunt, who has knit me many, many socks. She definitely deserves some cashmere goodness.

Lolly asked me whether I've already knit all the Nancy Bush's socks. I'm trying hard, but nope, not even halfway there yet! The Conwys are actually my first socks from Knitting on the Road. Cauchy, the sock queen over at Flickr, is knitting all the socks from Favorite Socks, and I just might copy her and try the same thing with Knitting Vintage Socks. (Although I wouldn't be the first one to do this.) I've knit six pairs so far, and the seventh is on the needles as of yesterday.

I've been thinking about having a blog contest for a while, and finally figured out what to ask. So: would you like guess which pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks I'm knitting now? If you are a sock knitter and a fellow Nancy Bush fan, you can also share your favourite Nancy Bush pattern. If there are more than one correct answer, I'll put the names in a hat and have Onni pick one. His name means luck (happiness too!) in Finnish, so I think it's approriate. :-) The winner gets a yarny prize from my stash. Good luck everyone!

Now I feel ten feet tall

2008-04-23T11:10:00.011+03:00

Well, wow. You guys really know how to make a girl feel better. A bit embarrassed too - next time I feel like deleting my blog I'll just keep it to myself without making such a fuss about it. But seriously: thank you so much for your wonderful, encouraging words. I am humbled and thankful, and so not worthy. (I'm still gonna print out all the comments, laminate them and carry them with me all the time. Ahem.)

One more thing about perfectionism: doesn't it suck that it usually does not extend to all parts of your life? Like, I feel perfectly fine not vacuuming under the carpets.

Let's talk some yarn for a change!

I started a new pair of socks (the pattern is Conwy from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road). I wanted to try out the other Knittery yarn I had in my stash, since I liked the merino one so much. Oh, I guess I didn't tell you that in my last post: I really, really liked the yarn I used for the Gentleman's Shooting Stockings. It's a bit thinner than your average sock yarn, resulting socks wonderfully light and comfy. It's discontinued, but the new Merino Slim Sock has approximately the same yardage, and I'm seriously tempted to try that one next. The Merino Chubby Sock sounds very yummy too...

The yarn I'm using for these socks is 4Ply Sock: Merino Cashmere, in shade Midnight. I was browsing Ravelry to see what other people have said about this yarn, and mostly all just said how wonderful and soft this yarn is. It is - but I'm not sure I like knitting with it. The yarn is so soft that it feels somehow sticky on the needles, and it's also quite a bit heavier than the other sock yarns I've knit with.

Part of my problem with this yarn could be the colour. I bought this yarn to knit socks for someone very special, and although I'm sure she'll love this colourway, the dusky pinks and lilacs are so not my cup of tea, and make me feel like I'm knitting someone else's project. I do think that these will be very warm and amazingly soft and luxurious socks when finished, so I'll keep knitting. Maybe – and here's a depressing thought – I'm just not a cashmere kinda girl?

With and without

2008-04-21T21:49:00.002+03:00

Gentleman's Shooting Stockings
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Knitting Vintage Socks / Nancy Bush
Yarn: The Knittery 4ply Sock: Merino, in shade chocolate
Needles: 2,25 mm

I've been struggling with blogging lately. I don't know... should I be blogging if the only thing I can think of writing is "I've made two pairs of socks, one with heels and toes, and one without"? Yeah, I don't think so either. But still, here I am.

Yoga Socks
by Claire Herne
Pattern source: Yarns International
Yarn: Sock yarn scraps
Needles: 2,5 mm
Modifications: Cast on 60 sts instead of 48

I've been fantasizing about deleting the whole thing. My old entries make me cringe – so much bad writing, especially if I've tried to be funny. (Eww. I'm so sorry about all the bad jokes!) And yes, this is my stupid "no use of trying if you can't be perfect" side kicking in. That same annoying side that made me stop drawing, and playing the piano. Because others do it better. (I'll be 36 this year, shouldn't I know better already? Please don't answer this question.)

But even with having absolutely nothing to say, I still can't bring myself to delete this little blog of mine. Can't live with it, can't live without it I suppose. But if some day my perfectionism takes over, and this blog stops being, I just want to let you know that it survived this long because of you. Thank you all for reading, and commenting, and being such nice people.

And hey, guess what – now I have a whole entry without any real content! Amazing!

Oh the weather outside is… lovely? OH NO!!!

2008-04-03T18:57:00.003+03:00

Bark
by Anna Tillman
Pattern source: Rowan 38
Yarn: Rowan Chunky Print (Native 072, Corinthian 083, Pit 080, Pebble Dash 078) and Rowan Big Wool Tuft (Rugged 058)
Hook: 7 mm

Lovely Bark, finally you're mine! I've loved this pattern ever since I first saw it (I blogged about it here), but since the yarn would've cost a fortune, I never really thought of actually knitting it.

But then I saw this. Ooooh! I assume Ann somehow guessed from my enthusiastic comment that I would love to make one too, so she very kindly offered to buy the yarn for me. Rowan Chunky Print is now discontinued, so it was quite cheap, and some colours were already out of stock. Luckily I was able to get the missing colours as Ravelry trades – thank you so much to both Kandace and Mira for helping me out!

After I got the yarn, the rest was easy. Crocheting with a size 7 mm hook is super quick and super fun. And I kinda didn't even break my yarn diet: Ann said that since I'll be able to crochet this shawl in no time, it will be as if the yarn itself never existed. She was right: I finished the shawl in three evenings. The yarn didn't even touch my stash. Clever, that Ann.

Final verdict: I LOVE this shawl. Loved making it, love wearing it. Dear Finnish Spring, don't let me down: please send me one little snowstorm so that I could wear my new shawl at least once before summer. Thank you.

… and if not, I'll just wear my other new neck warmer thingie:

Tudora
by Cheryl Marling
Pattern source: Knitty, Winter 2007
Yarn: One strand of Novita Wool and two strands of Knit Picks Shadow, held together
Needles: 4 mm

Another quick'n fun project. Warm, but not overly so. Makes your neck look longer. Really, make one: you'll probably have something suitable in your stash. And you'll get to use your favourite big button. Happy April, everyone!

Tweedy ruffles

2008-03-24T09:17:00.004+02:00

Garter Ruffle Shawl
Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed, 3 x 50 g cocoa, 2 x 50 g charcoal
Needles: 4 mm

This is a modified version of Wool Peddler's Shawl from Folk Shawls, author Cheryl Oberle. I replaced the lace edge with a simple garter stitch ruffle.

Sometimes things just fall in place perfectly. I think I've knit my favourite thing ever – I love this shawl so, so much. It's light as a feather, yet very warm, it drapes beautifully around my shoulders, and the tweedy yarn prevents it looking too fancy. The downside? It is meant for my mom. She deserves it of course, I'm just afraid she won't love it like it's supposed to be loved, deeply and passionately that is.

The shawl used up my entire stash of Felted Tweed, three balls of lighter brown and two of the darker for the ruffle. When I changed colours, I just increased one stitch every two stitches for one row, and then it was all knitknitknitting again until there was no yarn left. I blocked the shawl by soaking it and then pinning it out as big as I could, which made it nice and airy. I couldn't figure out how the block the ruffle though, so after the shawl had dried, I ironed the edge gently, and that really made all the difference.

I'm kinda on a yarn diet right now, but I'm seriously contemplating on buying more Felted Tweed so that I can make a Garter Ruffle Shawl for myself too. Or maybe I'll just ask my mom whether she would like a pair of socks better...

Any Meidas out there?

2008-03-21T12:23:00.007+02:00

Meida's Mittens
by Nancy Bush
Pattern source: Folk Knitting in Estonia / Nancy Bush
Yarn: Vuorelma Satakieli (901 gray, 964 blue, 088 dark blue) + sock yarn scraps
Needles: 2,25 mm (for the cuff) + 2 mm

Modifications: Decreased 4 stitches after cuff, made the mittens longer and the top rounded

I'll start with the good.

I think this is a beautiful pattern. I love the fair-isle cuff, and I'm pretty happy with the colours I chose for it. I also like the yarn. Satakieli is not very smooth when knitting, but after washing and blocking it really blooms and softens, and the finished fabric looks really beautiful.

But.

I have no idea why in the world I decided to knit mittens. I never wear mittens! Gloves are much more practical, and when it's cold, I prefer wearing my thick leather mittens. I realized this after having knitted the first one, and that, to put it mildly, caused some motivation problems. That, and the fact that the mitten was just a tiny bit too small for me. To top it off, the long break in between knitting these two caused the other mitten to be even smaller. Not much, but still. Oh well.

(ETA: Gone to Piua!) Still, I'm happy I persevered. They are pretty! But knowing that I'd never wear these, I'm offering my mittens up for graps: if there's someone out there who likes wearing mittens and have medium sized hands (preferably one smaller than another), please say so in the comments. I would love to see my mittens find a good home.

She's serving leftovers, again!

2008-03-16T17:12:00.004+02:00

The great thing about knitting hats is that you can have a FO or two every week. But alas, I've not been knitting hats, so you'll have to make do with a WIP post instead. So, let's get on with it, shall we?

I've finally cast on for the second Meida's Mitten. I didn't feel like it, at all, but then again, I didn't feel like ripping the first one either. I'm determined to not have any UFO's around here, so it's either ripping or finishing. Luckily I decided to block the first mitten before deciding whether to rip or not, because the stitches evened out so beautifully that I just had to cast on for it's mate. And now I'm quite anxious to get these done.

My second WIP is this brown blob, formerly known as Wool Peddler's Shawl. I didn't like how the lace edging looked in this yarn, so I'm knitting a simple ruffled edge instead. This is almost done too – I have one ball of Felted Tweed left, and after that's gone, the shawl is ready. No leftovers!

And then there's a Nancy Bush sock, Gentleman's Shooting Stocking from Knitting Vintage Socks, knitted with The Knittery sock yarn that is h e a v e n l y. But quite thin too, so this is a slow-going project.

Only three works-in-progress! Such a good girl I am. But of course, there are plans:

Stripey socks for Onni, in my favourite colours, all leftovers from Nancy Bush socks. I know that I've been all about using the yarn leftovers and the stash lately – please bare with me. It can't be long before I start buying yarn left and right, so I'll just enjoy this as long as it lasts.

Ward, from Heartfelt - The Dark House Collection by Kim Hargreaves. I'm planning on making it longer and with different ribbings. I've been so terribly good and boring that I've even swatched.

And that's enough of this boringness. Next time: a finished object that's not a hat. Promise!

The latest from the hat knitting front

2008-03-09T12:43:00.003+02:00

Felicity
by Wanett Clyde
Pattern source: Available as a free Ravelry download
Yarn: Knit with one strand of Rowan 4 Ply Soft and two strands of Knit Picks Shadow held together
Needles: 4 and 4,5 mm
Mods: Cast on 80 sts instead of 70

Raisin Beret
by Raven Jakubowski
Pattern source: Snowball Crafts in Hell
Yarn: Garnstudio Alaska, 2 x 50 g
Needles: 3,25 and 6 mm
Mods: The hat is turned inside out.

I'm ridiculously happy with these two hats! Happy happy happy! I think they look very nice with my black coats, the only problem is which one to wear first. Both patterns were very clearly written, quick to knit, and free! Nothing more to say I guess – I'm off to fill my Ravelry queue with more beret patterns. Happy Sunday! Go knit yourself a hat!

One more for the road

2008-03-02T12:21:00.003+02:00

Greenie
for the Finnish Red Cross
Pattern: my own
Yarn: leftovers from various projects
Needles: 3 mm and 3,5 mm

Obviously I was not quite done with hats yet. Who knew that hat knitting can be as addictive as knitting socks? And compared to socks, hats have one major advantage: you only need to make one.

For this hat I used leftovers from my favourite green projects (from the brim up): Debbie Bliss Merino DK from Wisconsin Winter Scarf, Wetterhoff Sivilla from Ene's Scarf, Ohut Pirkkalanka from Sunrise Circle Jacket and Koigu Premium Merino from Go With the Flow socks, and two shades of turquoise. The lighter is Debbie Bliss Merino DK and the darker is just something found from the stash, unlabeled, so I have no idea what it is, or was, since it's all gone now. Yay for that.

I'm happy with this one. I like the colours, and if it was a different shape, I might actually wear it. And hey, there's a thought – I could make a hat that I would wear! Which would be a beret, because that's the only style that looks good on me. Sometimes these things just take time, right?

Three reasons to love Garter Stripe Beanies

2008-02-24T00:26:00.003+02:00

1. The colours.
I really, really love knitting with colours. I had kinda forgotten this, because what I don't love is wearing colours – maybe I should stop knitting for myself? Socks don't count, of course. But yeah, this was fun!

2. The stash busting.
Maybe even more fun was getting to put all those tiny leftover yarn balls and socks yarn scraps to good use! The garter stitch edging is quite forgiving gaugewise – I used all kinds of different yarn, roughly DK weight, and socks yarns held doubled. There are quite a few ends to be woven in, but I think the effect is worth it.

3. The charity aspect.
Should I be ashamed that this one's only third on my list? I have not knit much for charity (I made one blanket years ago), but it does feel good to knit for others. Highly recommended.

Garter Stripe Beanies
for the Finnish Red Cross
Pattern: my own
Yarn: Novita Wool (white), Debbie Bliss Merino DK (green and turquoise), Tricots Brancal Escocesa (black), handspun (pink and olive green) + various leftover yarns
Needles: 3 mm (for the edging) and 3,5 mm

What I did (please note that this is not a proper pattern, knitting at your own risk only)

Circumference: 46 centimeters / 18 inches, to fit a child
Gauge: 24 sts = 10 centimeters / 4 inches

Using straight needles, CO 112 stitches. Change yarn, and knit garter stitch for 24 rows, change colour every 2 rows.

Join to begin working in the round, and knit stocking stitch for about 8 centimeters (3 inches), or as long as you like.

Place markers: [K28, place marker] 4 times.

Decrease Round: [K2tog, k to 2 sts before next marker, ssk] 4 times. Repeat this round every other round until 16 stitches remain. Repeat decrease round only until 8 stitches remain.

Break yarn, draw through remaining sts and pull tight. Weave in ends.

The hat knitting continues

2008-02-11T11:13:00.000+02:00

Onni is very disappointed with this winter. Where is the snow, promised for him for months? And the ice? All the skis and skates and sledges sit unused. And all mum's doing is knitting those stupid, scratchy hats, which he is SO not going to model anymore.

Poor Onni. He's right - I've been quite absorbed in hat knitting lately. I'm having so much fun!

Red Cross Beanies
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Limbo, Novita Wool, Tricots Brancal Escocesa
Needles: 3 and 3,5 mm

I'm also not that sad about this rainy weather we've been having. I get to wear my lovely pink wellies! Happiness all around!

Knitting for others

2008-02-03T22:21:00.000+02:00

Red Cross Beanies
Yarn: Schoeller + Stahl Limbo
Needles: 3 and 3,5 mm

The Finnish Red Cross*, together with Tekstiiliteollisuus and The Moda Magazine, are collecting knitted socks and hats for people living in cold-climate regions in Asia and South America. I found out about this campaign from Neja's blog (she has made lots of hats already), and for some unknown reason I felt a sudden urge to knit hats. This was strange – I am a selfish knitter who knits mostly for herself (even when I'm knitting for others I trick myself by thinking that I'm knitting for me instead), and I very rarely knit hats. Hats kinda accentuate my nose (as you can see).

But yay! the hat's not for me, so I don't care. This was a fun little project. I dug out the leftovers from these projects, cast on 112 stitches, and knit some random stripes. I think it will look cute on someone with more hair and less nose.

And then I knit another one with just a few stripes, which made the knitting much more boring, but the end result is quite stylish I think. Onni hated it though (he's extremely sensitive for anything even slightly scratchy), so it's a good thing it's not for him either.

I'm thinking about sending the We Call Them Pirates -hat to this campaign too. Although I love the hat, it's too scratchy for Onni even with its cotton lining, so it's useless here. But I'm having second thoughts: is it odd to send a skull-patterned hat to charity? I think the hat is cute and lovely, but could it be offending to some people? What do you think?

I'm off to knit more hats. Knitting for the Red Cross fits nicely with this month's Project Spectrum colours too. :-)

* You can find the campaign page (in Finnish) here.

The secrets of the Stash

2008-02-02T13:28:00.000+02:00

I had this post all written up in my head. How I like the elements theme of this year's Project Spectrum, and how I'm going to participate – but how problematic the first two months would be for me, because I have absolutely no red, pink, or orange yarn. But, as it turned out, my stash is full of surprises. Just look at this:

Who knew? I even have some orange yarn, even though I could have sworn that I've never ever had any.

I'm not a big fan of these colours, so I'm starting with just one row of red stitches. Baby steps, you know.

Onni is participating too. Hundreds of cars, and not a single pink one to be found. What's up with that?

Red Monk

2008-01-27T14:28:00.000+02:00

Thelonious
by Cookie A
Size: S
Pattern source: Cookie A Knitwear Designs
Yarn: Gjestal Baby Ull, kool-aid dyed
Needles: 2,5 mm

I'm not as happy with these socks as I hoped to be. Don't get me wrong – it's not the pattern's fault, it's mine. I actually liked the pattern very much, it was enjoyable and interesting to knit, and I didn't find any errors. And I think the socks are pretty. I just chose a wrong yarn for this project. Baby Ull is not really a sock yarn, and it shows, the socks are slouchy and they strech too much when worn. Boo. I also like my socks longer than these. As you can see from the first photo, my feet are big, so longer legs make my feet look smaller, more in proportion somehow.

But, they're done and pretty and ready to be gifted to someone who is not as choosey about her socks as I am. And I get to start a new pair! Believe it or not, my WIP count is down to two. I'm shocked, and desperately missing Nancy again…

Random photos and favourite bloggers

2008-01-25T15:07:00.000+02:00

Thelonious sock number two, almost done.

I've gotten more You make my day -awards! I’m very honored and humbled – thank you all so much! I had already decided not to tag anyone in particular, because, like everyone else, I read hundreds of great blogs and it would be very hard to pick just ten. But then I started thinking about how happy these awards have made me, so I decided to make my list after all. Here goes:

We saw some blue sky today! Lovely.

100% Pura Lana
I consider Mari my knitting twin: every single thing on her FO list could be on mine too. In addition to great taste in knitting patterns, she is also a fellow Nancy Bush fan club member. Perfect.

Good Knit's Road - Hyvänneuleentie 7

Annu is the kind of knitter I wish I could be some day. Lots of lovely original patterns, enough for a knitting book, I think. And what a lovely book it would be, because her photos are just as beautiful as her knitting.

JaanaMaa
Amazing amount of gorgeous sweaters, and everything else too. Just check out her 2007 FO's. I know I said it already, but: amazing.

Pikku-Kettu Knits
Incredients for a great blog: charming blog name (Pikku-Kettu means Little-Fox), gorgeous knitting, beautiful photography, fluent writing, and a cute dog. And lots of socks!

No snow or ice will stop us if we want to ride our bike. That's my old bike, btw.

b r o o k ly n t w e e d
Well. You know. No need to make the man embarrassed.

Craftoholic

Steph is my style guru. Her knitting is perfect, and her taste is impeccable. I love her blog so much.

Grumperina goes to local yarn shops and Home Depot

If Mari is my twin, Kathy is my opposite. She is a knitting genius, her perseverence and skill have left me speechless many times. Remember Mountainash? Or Grumpeque? Yeah, not for the faint of heart. And definitely not for the lazy and comfort-loving knitters amongst us. Ahem.

Elliphantom Knits

Great projects, beautiful photos and such a delightful way of writing, Elli always makes me smile. Also, the Herringbone Mittens with Poms are the cutest mittens in the world.

Lolly Knitting Around

As an eternal pessimist I really enjoy reading Lauren's blog. Her blog makes me happy – it's nice to know that there are people like her, who make the world a better place.

mind of winter

I always think Julia as a knitting movie star. She certainly looks like one, and she lives in California! Well, I think she does, and she might be a movie star too for what I know. These are just my fancies, mind you. I love the name of her blog (wouldn't it make a great movie title?), but for me her knitting is always filled with sun and warmth and happiness.

I guess that's it. Ladies and Jared, thank you for making my day each and every time you post.

Bye for now, see you next week!

A good FO, some resolutions and many thanks

2008-01-18T11:55:00.000+02:00

Anais

by Norah Gaughan
Pattern source: Berroco Norah Gaughan Volume 1

Yarn: Garnstudio Drops Alpaca, 3,5 skeins, and Knit Picks Shadow, 1,5 skeins, held doubled

Needles: 3,5 and 3,75 mm

This year is proving to be so much better than the last one! The first (and the last!) sweater of 2007 was a disaster, and it pretty much made me stop knitting anything but socks all together. But now I'm starting to feel the old love again. Before diving into the world of knitting socks, I used to knit mainly sweaters, and I hope to knit at least a few this year. Anais is a good start.

I'm very happy with this vest for several reasons. First of all, it fits. And that was not just a lucky coincidence, like usually – this time I actually measured myself, measured my favourite vests that fit just right and did the math. I did the math, people! I was right between sizes 34 and 38, so it was not too difficult to figure out the numbers for a size 36.

Resolution number one: Don't be lazy. Do the math!

Secondly, I'm quite proud of my inventive use of stash yarns. I couldn't get gauge with Drops Alpaca alone, but doubled with the laceweight Knit Picks Shadow, the gauge was spot on.

Resolution number two: Don't be greedy. Try to make do with what you have!

And last, I really really like this one! The style is very "me". I think I'm even gonna wear this one in public, not just during the photoshoot, which is a nice bonus, don't you think? Looking back to the sweaters I've done during the time I've blogged, there are only two I wear: Raspy and Sunrise Circle Jacket. That's two out of ten. Meaning that 80 % of my sweater projects have been failures of some sort. They have been either too big (Heather), too small (Punch), too short (Shona) or too ugly and ridiculously warm (The Big Blue Sweater), totally wrong for my body type (China, Dawn) or not my style at all (Brier, Martha). Simple things – choosing the right pattern for me, for my shape and size and style – and yet so very difficult, it seems.

Resolution number three: Knit for yourself, not for the model in the magazine.

But also, enjoy the knitting! I'm so excited about my next sweater project – I'm still at the swatching stage – and I've ripped all the wips that I didn't love anymore. Didn't feel bad at all.

– – –

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments about the Spina di Pesce socks! I've finally come to realize that as much as I would love to, I simply do not have the time to answer each comment by email anymore. This makes me sad, but I hope you understand – I work full time, and I very much like to spend some time with my family too, so something must go. I'm gonna answer your questions in the comments section, so please, check there, if you're waiting for an answer. But otherwise, thank you for taking the time to comment, I really do appreciate it!

Oh, and thank you SO much for all the "You make my day" awards! It's nice to know, that although I've been struggling with blogging lately, there are still people who enjoy reading my ramblings. Even in English. Thank you.

Happy New Socks!

2008-01-11T16:56:00.000+02:00

Spina di Pesce
by Marjan Hammink
Pattern source: Yarnissima
Yarn: Wollmeise Sockenwolle, Tiefer See
Needles: 2,25 and 2,5 mm

When Marjan first asked me whether I would be interested to test knit one of her sock patterns, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't deal well with deadlines (as you might remember from my last post), I'm not big on learning and trying out new things, and I'm definitely not one who could be described as a technical knitter, all which I thought would be good qualities for a test knitter. But I guess I just got greedy. I had admired Marjan's patterns for quite some time, and as a bonus there was also the alluring opportunity to get my little hands on the Wollmeise sock yarn. So I said yes. And oh how happy I am that I did!

First of all, this pattern is a work of a genius. It's not a quick knit by any means, but all the cleverly designed details made the knitting so interesting, that it was very easy to forget all the other projects, and just knit on. The gusset area especially made me happy – I hadn't knit a toe up heel flap before, so it was great fun to follow the instructions to the letter, and let the magic happen. Don't you just love those little cables? I know I do.

Surprisingly, I also found my inner test knitter. It was quite satisfying to spot the errors in the pattern. Not that there were many, and they were all just minor ones, but finding them made me feel like being a (very very tiny) part of creating this beautiful pattern. Closest I'll ever get to designing, I guess.

And the socks, they are lovely. Because I knit tightly (and my feet are not exactly Cinderella-sized), I went up a needle size, and luckily so, because now the socks fit perfectly. The Wollmeise yarn was amazing – the colours are brilliant, the stitch definition is great, and the yarn feels really durable. And there's no fear of running out of yarn, I had more than 30 grams left over! Check it out, if you haven't already, and definitely check out Marjan's patterns over at Yarnissima. I love them all – and some of them even have such excellent names! :-D

Oh, I'm a very happy knitter now. It's good to start a new year with a pair of socks that I'm perfectly happy with. Here's hoping for a great knitting year, for all of us!

– – –

Onnellista uutta vuotta kaikille lukijoilleni! Uusi vuosi tuo mukanaan muutoksia myös tänne Mustaan Villaan. Pitkään ja hartaasti asiaa pohdittuani olen viimein päättänyt jatkaa blogiani tästä lähtien vain englanniksi. Kahdella kielellä kirjoittaminen vie kaksi kertaa enemmän aikaa, ja sitä minulla ei tällä hetkellä valitettavasti ole kovinkaan paljon. Tiedän, että monet teistä lopettavat blogini lukemisen tähän, ja ymmärrän sen oikein hyvin. Kiitos, kun olette olleet mukana tähän asti, ja kiitos erityisesti ihanista kommenteistanne, jotka ovat ilahduttaneet minua kovasti näiden kolmen blogi-vuoden aikana!

Onnistuneita neuleita, ja vain kohtuullinen määrä pudonneita silmukoita vuodelle 2008!

toivottaa Terhi

Falalalalaa fa-la-la-laaa

2007-12-18T13:48:00.000+02:00

Elongated Corded Rib Socks
by Charlene Schurch
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Sisu
Needles: 2,5 mm

Huh. Viimeiset pikkusukat uunista ulos, ja etuajassa! Jälleen kerran huomasin, ettei aikataulutettu neulonta sovi minulle ollenkaan, rupean heti paikalla inhoamaan kyseistä projektia silmittömästi enkä tahtoisi kutoa silmukkaakaan. Mutta nyt kyllä yllätin itsenikin, eiväthän kolmet pikkusukat (+ yhdet Onnille) nyt voi tuntua liian suurelta urakalta... mutta kyllä vain, viimeistä paria kutoessa joulumieli oli jo melko lailla kateissa. Ja Onni-ryökäle on hukannut uudet sukkansa. Falalalalaa!

Phew. The last pair of goddaughter socks, done, and in good time. I am très relieved. I don't know what is it with me and knitting deadlines, but whenever there's something I have to knit, I totally loose interest in doing it. But sometimes I surprise even myself. I mean, three pairs (+ one pair for Onni) of small socks, how bad can that be? Let's just say that I kind of lost the Christmas spirit while knitting this last pair. And Onni has lost his new socks. Falalalalaa!

Kylläpä kuulostan pahantuuliselta. Olenkin, ja lisäksi väsynyt. Lienee siis pienen bloggaustauon paikka. Palaan tammikuussa, toivottavasti onnellisena ja reippaana muutaman valmiin työn kera (alla kooste tämänhetkisistä projekteista). Oikein rauhallista ja rentouttavaa joulua kaikille, tavataan ensi vuonna!

I sound a bit grinchy, don't I? Well, I am grinchy and most of all I am tired. I've decided to take a little blogging break, and come back in January all happy and productive. Here's a sneak peek at the projects currently on my needles, hopefully some of them will be FO's when we meet again. Till then, I wish you all a Peaceful Christmas, and all the best for 2008!

No holes!

2007-12-09T11:21:00.000+02:00

Waffle Rib Socks
by Charlene Schurch
Pattern source: Sensational Knitted Socks / Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock, Watercolor
Needles: 2,5 mm

Pahoittelut ankeista kuvista. Viisivuotiaan liikkuvaiset jalat ovat aika haastava kuvattava tähän vuodenaikaan, kuvaajassa ei tietenkään ole mitään vikaa. Enpä taida enää valittaa noista lätäkoista. Tärkeintä on kuitenkin se, että Onnilla on taas ehjä sukkapari, joka muuten liukuu hienosti parketilla, kuten sukkien omistaja ilahtuneesti havaitsi. Minneköhän minä sen parsinneulan laitoin…

Sorry about the dreary photos. The December weather and a five year old boy is a killer combination. None of this is my fault of course. I'm not gonna complain about the pooling anymore – the important thing is that now Onni has holeless socks, that are very slippery on a parquet floor, as the recipient noticed with delight. I guess that in no time we'll have another pair of holey socks.