Knitting recycled silk.

This is my "in the middle of the night knitting. The yarn was bought at a yarnshop Eustasia who folded! So this yarn was on sale (still not cheap). The owner had coloured herself the white recycled silk. I really like it. So, I did the bottom first. Realizing - AGAIN, that should be in the Ample-Knitter category, and not in my imaginary skinny size. So the bottom is to be frogged, but serves as a Swatch right now. So, I started on the sleeve, and
got the right frill that I wanted. So, I have only reached the elbow. But, very nice to knit. I think I go for a V-neck with a frill. The thing I'm contemplating is making a little red square somewhere. But I do not want to have Christmas-tree associations.
It was sunny outside. But not that real heat. It should be a little extra warm next week. I'm regaining my energy. That must be the reason I gave myself permisson to be lazy. So I knited a headband in this weird Noro yarn. Also started as a "night"-knit. So, I would try some necklace too with this yarn. Take care out there!

Spinning Merino!

This is 100g merino that I spun myself. The two hanks on the right (especially the one in the middle) are a bit "unbalanced" in the Twining.To much spin, and too little twine. The one on the left is balanced. Every hank is an improvement. And this last hank felt like an step change! It is so soft and really great. Now, what to do with this? I'm thinking starting with the sleeves to my "spinning sweater" below. But they would do a great market-mitten, i.e. half-mitten without fingers, but not just "Swe: muddar" =wrist-warmers. It is too thick for a shawl, but ok for a more cosy winter snugging "Swe: halsduk" (hmm that cannot be shawl too? Shawl are triangular, and neck-thingi is long and reqtangular). Well, it wouldn't hurt to comment as my NY friend says.It is soo nice to have comments. BTW. I'm recovering from cold spell. Getting better, but not well.

Slightly better! Hope! There is hope! Spinning again!

I have a headache. My cold is hiding in the sinus, and my caugh is bad. Burning nose, but throat is not hurting, so it is better. I can swallow. Another way to say I'm better is I got hope. I did feel terribly sorry for myself, but when I realize It is passing. I definitely do not want to be a victim of the "poor me"-syndrome. No, Just a cold, but great that someone cares. I think that is the solution of most problems. Caring. Instead I care of the wool. This fantastic merinotop from Kartehuset in Denmerk, was great. Last time I spun merino it just became a big blob. (actually, that is visible in the last picture - find the "blob of white"). But, the net is great. You can learn about everything there. Why not share your findings more? I perfer being generous. I will share my experiences.
Someone told me to spray the top with water and oil (coconut is best, but I used olive which also is ok - any veggy oil or lanoline) Dampen it makes the fibers more chewinggum-like when you spin . The other (rather obvious trick) which I didn't figure out is that already prepared and carded top, ready to use should be divided to very thin strands! "Prepared". How easy was that then! I used to take a piece instead of a strand. Huge difference. Interesting to see the top with and without a flash isn't it? But I'm just doing a little bit. No it is resting time in the sofa again. And I do have piled my work infront of me.The real one. Spinning makes you heal faster! Takes my mind of a head filled up to explosion. I think it is interesting - to spinn yarn and knit it immediately. In this very white part, you can - if you look carefully - see the difference between spinning directly from the sheep, or do some carding before. The carded is on the right, and much more even. Last picture is one of those - patches - cardigan.The long is left fron, and it goes around the back. I will be adding on. Interesting exercise in exposing your spinning and knitting.
The bluish grey below the white (and the white) is the latest spun. As I say, I do experiment with spinning thickness, occassionally trying both to make even, and really uneven yarn. I also follow the fleece a lot. But I need more spinning and knitting.
But it is fun. Real fun. And I It will be fun to see where this is going. It was supposed to be heavy cardigan.
Im thinking about having it more dark, but - again. It seems to be the fleece decision. Im going to try my Islandic "candy-bag" that Hallas mother got me from Island. It is 1 kilo of ready fleece looking like English candy. You know, licorice and pink and blues... But that even looks dry, so that will definitely need planning. And I'm an impulsive lady. Better? Absolutely!

Oh no! Not a bad cold!

So, that weekend scare was just the start. Now I have suffered through the day with an aching throat (Dearest hubby gave me soothing choclate ice-cream and pistachio when I came home). How was your day? I did get to bed last nite at 2.30 (actually 12.00) but felt weird, went to my yarn room and knitted until I "fainted". Woke up at 3, 4 and quarter to five (just before the clock). Snuck out, prepared breakfast, noticed my throat was bad. Real bad. bike, sub, . Waiting too long and bought three (!) knitting magz! (Vouge Knit simple - too simple but a good article on resizing, Simply Knitting (UK) - no, I just said, I want it complicated - and FILATI -in all Lana Grossa, but some real ok patterns). Read them on the train 6.20 from Stockholm to Linköping and blowed my nose - drinking tee (no knitting.) Bus to Mjärdevi. Went through four packs of Kleenex and two packs of Läkerol (throat pastill) during all meetings (ok, brought a cake to my new work in Linköping) - Swedish work tradition called "squeze-in cake". Got worse. Told I would not be on work the next days to my new boss, who replied "I bet you would answer the phone": Took the overfilled train back 5.. Had more tea, fell asleep (no knitting). Woke up by a sound I probably made. Girls staring. Hubby picked me up at 19.00 and well, 3 more packs of kleenex, Tea and some more ice-cream. And throat is a bit better, but my head is on explosion. Just saw "While you were sleeping", ohh so romantic. Missed Scrubs. Red Nose. Knitting? Hard with a running nose. But I will try to go to bed without yarnroom. I had forgot how bad a cold could be. It was because I excercised like mad yesterday. Ohh. what new life. I just get sick. Sigh! Start over. It is like Fia with knuff (a stupid game I have no idea what it is called in English).

New life decision

Fuzzy Peony from spring. But it feels like a new life decision. I'm glad you all are back! 1. Catherine Parr swatching is not so great. I must go down in size, but I'm decided. It will be green with orange (or blue?) pattern. WHy? Because I have a lot of this yarn (thanks for asking!) It is my fall project! just trying hard to finish up 2. Julia sleeves and 3. Twisted float shrugs last sleeve! Hmm! And one hour of exercise a day! Husband asked me if I would get fit for a skitrip this winter. (
Note, I have been begging for years, but when I finally dragged him ;-) I had lost all fitness. So this time, I will give him a match for more than the first days. But it is time to practice! So, I had to buy Norah Gaughans Knitting Nature. Have a look what all the fuzz whas about. Ok, she has a matematic mind! Really intresting. But, you know! I'm finishing up, and I'm not starting anything new. I got a bunch of Bohus as well to knit. Life is just to short. I just love going around the world on the blogs or in life with a knit. Finally some mittens from Estonia. No, they are NOT MINE, the hand on the wall in the island of Kihnu. Of course! Now, I'm taking the 6.20 train to Linköping tomorrow. Which means leaving home about 5.30, so interesting. Do you think I will knit on the train? If I'm awake. I'm so happy of the phones with alarms, so you can fall asleep on the train!

My hubby reads my blog! But this is one of my favourite pictures. Good to think about now, when the first day I had a jacket on to work. 12 degrees Celcius. Brrr! It is all about work. I have timed my new way to work. Before it was 15 minuts walk or bike. That length is only the first third. Now there is also 30 minutes by commutertrain, and then another 20 minutes walk... ? Hmm.. I might get into walk-knitting. But backpack (well still ok in Sweden!) and people..... I'm now knitting what I spinned. It will be my rather heavy jacket. But I just feel great about it. I spin a bit, and knit a square that I add. It is growing. Sort of fun to feel the different textures of the yarn. I must go to sleep now. I wiggled my way out of the statistics course, but I still have a lot to do. Glad you are out there. When it is only work, work work, knitting, spinning and yarn is so grounding. And your comments, Thanks Zoe for adding me up and HpNYKnits is too nice. Anyway, I have gotten into this procedure. Don't laugh.
I stop my knitting, TV, blogging frenzy to go to bed. But, on the way I pass the yarn-room (yeah, you KNOW I have one!) And I just have to sneak in and do some rows a a project. Right now it is green silk sleeve (hey, I do listen to your suggestions) that I'm doing. It has a very wavy edge, and narrows down. I'm half way on first lower arm. I did start on the body before (and knitted an entire hank), but I'm frogging it. To get the A-shape it must be even bigger. But I hope that walking will get me in shape for the current size, so, I'm doing arms first :-) Always hopeful.

Spinning galore!

I just cannot understand. It is so silent here. Well my dear friend Christina O, Textil artist sent me a letter to Garngamen (yepp, that is what the letter said!) with an invitation to Formex. Thank you so much. She is of course exhibiting her latest textile art. I have been wanting to go to this trade-fair for a many years, and now when I got an invitation, both me and hubby struggles with a soar throat and a cold. Instead, I have been spinning. Spinning like a maniac. I greased my wheelup, and it was a bit uneven, but now it spinns like a cat! ;-) But here smells like a sheeps stable. And camera will not cooperate for flash. A true software bug I assume. Anyway, the left brown is what I twined together yesterday. The middle is Farhem fleece with coloured blue fleece from Gudruns Ullbod. The white wool (now washed!) is from the spinning course at the knitting-meet in Gotland, where Ing-marie was kind to sell me some unwashed lambsfleece. So the white is not really dry, and it is something special to take out sheep-nuggets from the fleece. Im glad that our noses are stuffed, so it doesn't smell as bad. Should I wash the fleece? It feels fat and nice to spin though, so Im not complaining. Thinking about ordering more sheets of fleece from Fardhem. It is so nice and soft to spinn from. Interesting, that is for sure. Im sort of working through my fleece stash.