Progress and some yarn-vulturing..

Luskentyre from Alice Starmore pattern Slow like the gourmet-knit it is. Changing one or two colours every row. 2 purl in one colour, 2 in the next (well, I need to "drop" the yarn inbetween, to pick up next colour). I have almost reached the first pattern-repeat in the middle, meaning, it is going to mirror itself to the top. Jamieson and Smith Woolbrokers (Lerwik, Scotland) is just a spongy, well-spun fab yarn. I do 1-2 strands - and one "swap" almost every night. Anyhow, the russion join takes "forever", and Im soon getting how I should measure so it is perfect. Im most of the time just half a stitch to tight. It is so strange how so "ugly" colours can just spark together. Im amazed everytime I pick up a new colour. I knit this, since I would NEVER have chosen this colours myself. EVER.. And I love them. Really mind boggling how colour changes next to each other. Next progress is how far I have come on the Poetry of Stiches Wedding Cardigan. PoSWC! You can see how early I started the sleeve intake, but I think I will have to adjust later, since I did one more repeat than pattern. (8 instead of 7) ok, I have that last one to go. So Steeking, here I come. I realized if it is wider, it will look more propotional if it also is longer. I must say, this yarn is better than expected (Gunga Din) and from Kempes spinnery. I really do look forward to starting with sleeves, since it is transportable, and then goes so much quicker. A very nice pattern. Recommended. (Solveig Hisdahl behind Oleana of course! is the pattern maker - Dikt in Maskor). The latest started (Wednesday - on my way to Aachen) is of course named "Aachen Bliss" (ok, it should be Aachen travel with Debbie Bliss Yarn (Alpaka silk DK). A true Garngamen knit. First I find a needle in wood that is free - circular, and thick enough to be used for travelling The I look in my stash for some BALLS instead of HANKS. Hey, Im in a hurry, I need somehting easy to take with me on the airplain. Stashed - and with nothing else but making it up as I go, I get going. So, what have I learned. For lace, 4 mm could easily be 6. That somehow the stitch definition on the ball has nothing with reality to do... and that it is sohoho, soft and cuddly yarn. I have two colours, both bought on sale from Nysta. And they remind me of spring green and diantus pink....looking at the picture I realize it looks more yellow than lime. Interesting. But that will hibernate until my next long flight. I would not dream to bring Luskentyre on the flight. Having lost a needle and a ball of yarn (to the Birch shawl for Viola) whiles travelling, only "loosable yarn" gets to go. Ok, 3 kits have arrived from Virtual Yarns. The Jade Starmore "Rheingold kit". And then the Strathglass kit (as you see, very neatly packed in individual boxes/packages). And the third is the Zauberflöte (also in Purple hues). Just fab! And I wanted to know how the original yarn looks and feels. What a heavenly package. It is too easy to click and buy on the internet. If you never have seen VY you got to visit their website (virtual yarns).
The Fair-isle "dream". The colour master. Ok. for some reason I have not showed my yarn buying explorations really. So I was in Gothenburg the other week, Strikk (oh heaven). And got Twinni in "highlight colours"... boy has the Starmores inspired me. So I already have a big stash of colours, but you also need somehting BRIGHT to highlight the theme. Twinni is Marianne Isagers (Danish yarn master) yarn. She has by rumour a new yarn, that I have not seen. Need to go to Denmark :-) Anyhow, when in Aachen I also visited my favourite Görg und Görg at AnnaStrasse. A little gem. She had the Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK left. I added a bunch of balls in a bunch of colours quickly. Of course it is planned for Fair-ilse. Also, I found Noro Sock Yarn, and the owner told me she was one of the first in Europe to have it. Kudos on her. I bought these two little gems. And- to my surprise, it had a feel entirely different than it looks. It is "dry". But now the sock-KAL have a chance to get back on track. Noro is always fun to knit with.

Sailing! and FO! Gran Canaria top in Lorna's Lace!

I finished the Gran Canaria vacation top in yarn from Lorna¨s Lace Lamb and Lion Multi - The colour is called Devon, but It could be any pool - sea! A great an fast knit, that I really enjoyed. The yarn is one of the best I have knitted. Lushious, and soft but heavy and great feel to it. Silk and wool. Yummy. As its colours. Fits like a glove, therefore I have cut it in front... It is a bit to bulgy there now. Hmm. Being lazy (sick) all winter has taken its tool. I did a rather deep neckline, but high in the neck, as I want it. I knitted the last stitches in a weather that is unbelievable for Sweden at this time. It was warm winds (5-9m/s) and clear sunny around 26 degrees celcius at the Bullandö Marina. We took the boat out to our favourite spot - Ladviken with a nice wind from behind. Great dinner (Green curry) and knitting away. With a lazy morning, almost by ourselves in the nice calm nature habour awaken by the birds... Ahh, breakfast is just fab in the Stockholm archipelago. Going home, we had some great legs against the wind in whopping 6.10 knots. /13m/s in the gusts). Im looking like a racoon, with my white eyes behund the goggels and red face. But what a weekend. The evening picture does not make Alice justice. She is a steady beauty. But the calm - mirror-blank sea is just fantastic. I must say, my entire head feels empty of all wordly troubles, and filled with wonderful sunshine and happiness. Oh! I just love this! The best vacation for a long time. Amaazing. And it is just around the corner, but feels like a different world. A weekend to cherish. At home the dandelions have taken over, and the cherry-blossom is at its peak. The yellow peony (Peonia molkowitch) has just open. Time for joy!