Camera bad Stash flash

So, I start easy! Afraid this is going to be a long series. And my camera is not cooperating at all. With flash it is black (even if it was daylight). Weird. So I took my dear Hopechest (done in Rörås in Norway, also - a place for great yarn I'm told! both the chest and Rörås...) But when I starting to look at the yarn! First - The Wåhlstedt wonderful yarn of great wool beautiful handcolored. It is the best and truest Swedish wool - since the origin was the persons how started to preserve the Swedish sheep for wool (when it was all about meat). Likey,Likey (as Carrie would say!)
The plan for this yarn is probably an aran styled larger sweater with a shawl collar, pockets and that can be wrapped around... (and of course mitten, cap, socks and whatever with the rest!)
Long for sure! Cabels Cabels Cabels.
The hope chest is also the stash for some of my Bohus knitting. So it is Green Meadow pattern, sweater, mitten and cap. And Blue shimmer, (2 sweaters), And the new Grey Mist (with a green-greyish backdrop). All from Solsilke in the wonderful merino- angora (50/50). (Best quality Makes me go mad!). Anyway, on this black picture (enlarge it!) up left is a knitted wool patterns (swans and hearts?) (Farmer wool yarn from Konsum, 1970 something) that is supposed to be grey with purple pattern. But Size is for a 10 year old! Happily I discovered scissors. So my plan is that this will be the front of a great patterned sweater (or back?). You can also see the Norweigan Alfa 100% wool from Sandnes. It is all shades of grey from black to light grey. And to make some spiff I bought 4 turqoise balls from Britt to add it up. No idea what to make, but sure going to work the little dots of colour into that grey... I always start with sweater thoughts.
Found this Colinette handcoloured yarn- totally frogged sweater. Thinking of domino-squares (since the pieces are short!) Typical "sail-boat" project. Takes forever, (just to sort the yarn) summer-sweater. Enough of dark pictures: The rest which in short was: Twinny yarn (black, grey lime and some other for a newspaper sweater),and a big bag of collected chenille yarn bought on sale) and finally the 70 handspun angora in bad colours from Hemslöjden in Uppsala. I ignored the eyelash yarn from germany (fox something) and found a bag of mixed samples.. Later friend later...More to come!
After the stress culminates - I realize I have new deadlines! Got my weekend picture on a frozen first flower. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Im truely amazed of the world! It is getting smaller. Spring.. Ahha finally spring...

Fashionable or not?

Well, my new found NY-fab blog-friend claimed she is not exactly fashionable and gave me this great link of what REALLY is fashionable.. ! So now it is for true! I'm not. My scary age- - oopps, I'm already moving into 45 years ! but I hang out with students in their 20s mix....of enjoying the latest Harry Potter (just bought the DVD) that my husband and my workfriends totally "dissar "(swedish slang for reject) but moves my student pals to a discussion of how great Douglas Adams - "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" (remember the knit scene?) is...well confusing. So, how do I transend from being the management power lady (which at work undoubtly means Jacket! or suit!) to being a non-threatening "one of the gang" in a "not too expensive sweater" -hood? I'm just so out of fashion! I look trendier 25 years ago (check my schoolphoto - here!). Timeless! Purlneckless! ha. I still got the same leather boots. Had them on yesterday. So, what do one KNIT? A replica of Marvin? Well I am a fan of the hitch-hiker! Thinking about knitting the Mag-knits T-shirt with a big 42 on the belly! Will be great for my PhD! The answer of it all ;-) Secondly, I stare at this beautiful knit magazine, and the "latest trend" which is black with white and I saw some very few other colours. Having just finished skogsmörkret (bohus) in black, - it is HARD to knit black. White is great! and White looks great for patterns. Hmmm. All white yarn I have is BOUGHT is to be used FOR Dyeing. Hmmm.. So now I remember my white Cashmere yarn I bought in Dusseldorf - since I didnt like the colours they had..Project, Knitting project...But honestly I see my self very colourful. Working up energy for ORANGE and RED for this fall. Doing my automleaf sweater... or should I wait??
Like my brothers picture up there. So this is fashion from within - or do we create it? Do we follow others? Artists lead! Knitters are artists, hence what we knit is fashion (at least for us!). But fur brims? Well... hmmm that I need to ponder. This is my Raku-fired tea-pt I made some years ago...A tea, and doing some knitting is great for contemplating! No, I stick to my favorites, and I'm challenging, the lime, green, blue, purple,with more orange, pink and red..... but first, some real natural colours. Not fashionable - But happy! The birds are finally starting to celebrate spring!

Blushing Swedish Knitter!

My face is red! Dear hpnyknits linked me up - a fashionable NY lady! Wow, it just feels that NY came here! And I do not have to watch Sex in the City! Yarn from the city! And Scrubs... There is a fantastic song called "Aunt Fantasy's travel" - if you can't go - BLOG!
So, I just have to flash my stash... (That is a challenge will come in the next few days!)...because her's were AMAZING! Pictures pictures... like candy for the blogger... Don't I have any in my store (hmm again. NOT MY KNITTING! but it was ALLOWED to take pictures without a flash! sorry Tartu!)

Another week - working stress and new yarn

Wow, the pressure of a deadline! My mentor at University told me he is off to Oz for 3 weeks (and my paper has a deadline before), so suddenly my deadline became monday! At the same time, my class I'm attending has its deadline on monday with a seminar in the afternoon. On Wednesday my Valencia speech should be done, and on Tuesday I will me my new (?) manager and might get moved into a new area of work. What can I say. Between stress and hysteria, I do some knitting, so my enterlach has now one sleeve. It came out very neat! But the other sleeve is really in a rot. It just doen't fit. Tricky, very tricky. Needs a clear mind, and that is not what I have - I need an easy knitting right now. No "solve the Escher" squares. So, dearest hubby said, lets do a walk in town yesterday, and we parked near Maria's garn. She was lovely as always, and we discussed the nitty gritty of Baylan and colouring in the micro. Of course I fondled the new Cotton yarn, admired Åke (the sheep in the window), and admire her Hanne Falkenberg sweater.... But my eye caught the recycled silk yarn, something I already have a hank from (in green), but somehow it does not do it for me. Cannot see a sweater in front of my eyes. So, with a impatient hubby we went to check if the Vougue Knitting has arrived (missed to pay the renewal). But it hasn't hit the stores yet. But found 3 other knitting magasins, so, not so bad. A nice shrug.. well, so we headed in the sunshine to Gamla stan. And so easy to sneak up to dear Ann Richter and her yarn store. So, I thought, another Noro Aurora (to finish my second shawl). Then I saw the new Noro Cotton Polyester mix. Feels like paper-cotton. Weird. but in a good colourscale, lime with red, pink. Ok, it was a trial! After some chatting on how to get to their summerhouse with our boat, my eye caught one of her wonderful coloured silk in that alive lime, that I just could not resist, and I thought it was best to leave before I totally flipped out. Anyway, she had stashed up on Colinette, which was interesting.

Well, back to the busy busy.. After wednesday. Knitting, pictures and breathing. Next weekend I'm going to my friend in Helsinki, so I hope there is some time to browse yarn - no, I do not need any more, but just look (ha!)!

It is hard work to blog almost every day (just missed wednesday!) but this is like wednesday. Sex in the City on TV, the gambling trip. And it is really sad. When Carrie sits alone eating mints, and then goes and spends her 1000 USD. So much yarn! But who knits in the Jet? hihi....knit one purl two will never be the same! But they find each other on the bus back home. Think to have girlfriends like that. Well, I'm amazed that someone published the wonderful Latvian mitten patterns on the web: Check this out: http://www.liis.lv/majtur/darbmac/raksti.htm
And another confession to visitors. NO, I have not knitted all items in the pictures on my blog. No, I cannot take credit for that. I just felt desperate occasionally when all my pictures are so blurry and dark, so I had to take some from the time when the camera was better working. I remember it broke down in Tartu Museum in Estonia, sigh...But I keep taking pictures of great knitting stuff. Just for inspirations.
This is how my own pictures look like. Dark, - but yes my ONE latvian mitten. Need to find yarn to finish the other and Visjö is not fast to come by! So, My favorite horse painting from my dear brother Johan. I think this painting was the first my dear hubby saw when entering my flat that evening more than 12 years ago, my brother have repainted it, "brushing" the colors up, making it brighter and not so busy. Today I was in Västerås. Busy, but knitted on my RYC Cotton angora from the new nr 11 summer. Bridget? Fairy? something in lime green..It is just knit 2 purl two for 13 cm, (of course already reworked Rowan pattern) adding two sizes (are only models knitting in UK?) and reworking it to Circular needels (why don't they see the ease of no seems?) Well, time for bed.

Navigation, knitting ideas and creative sweaters

No, it is not a map to navigate around (but one great painting of Johan Mauritzson). I have been on my sailing course, to learn how to navigate in the Stockholm archepelago. How to know where you are at sea, where you are going, Kind of fun. Then we get into the map - 20 000 islands, and how do understand the different sea markings. Badam (Explosion in my head) and I get two great knitting ideas... First of course, to take the colour scheme of my brothers paínting, (this, or the horses below....) and then knit and embroyder the motif. And the other is obvious, why not knit all the see markings? What a great sweater to keep me remeber all the different green to the righ and red (sleeve) to the left, north of the island, yby (which means yellow, black ,yellow, and means you should go west of the mark (not to hit something)...etc byb, Latitude, deviation, magnietic, Longitude.... and of course the alphabet, to use the VHF radio, Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo....Maybe in a sign if it denotes something, like Delta would be the Greek delta sign, and Whiskey is a bottle.etc... So you have colours, signs, and curiosities to knit. Maybe it is more than one sweater so it is not too busy. One with each breast as a islet (hehe) or sunken rock, which is a + with a dot in each corner on the map...
.... Or maybe a good sweater on the sea would be the actual map knitted, with your harbour of the sailing boat and a nice route layed out. Well, my problem has never been what to knit, but to actually stick with the idea long enough to work it through to have it knitted. I have not problem of filling a magazine with designs. I just need someone to knit them. That has always been my dream, to be a designer. And if I was superrich, I would design sweater, furniture, interiors, tools, everyday artifacts, cars, lamps, switches and curtains, and pillows, and blankets... Well. Dream on honey. Meanwhile I'm thinking of my sea sweaters, a lighthouse sweater. That could be cool too hmm... (Yes, still on that sleeve on the enterlac!)

Silent spring, silent knit, Hoya bloom, dammdida..

(Sing the title to silent night... and you get the mood). It is a Hoya blooming, the sunny sunday.. but today it is gloomy monday.
Lovely husband, lovely planning (going to Shanghai! - and good yarnshopping there?), terrible weather.
Work, work, write, write...Too much blogging... and to little knitting. But, more good art...(where IS the knitting!!) More new stuff, NOW! I hope you faithful knitting, spinning fiber addicts do not give up on me. Ill be back!

Entrelac and Johan Mauritzson's Art!

So, this is the progress on my enterlac. I succeeded in finishing the neck, and I'm almost done with one sleeve. I do not want to work, I just want to knit! But it is a very time-consuming knit. You turn and turn and have to count stiches. And occasionally (like assembling the neck) was really tricky! It is a beautiful sunday, sun is shining, but still lots of snow, and ice.. but dripping. I just got the flash the work of my fantastic brother - a swedish artist - Johan Mauritzon (Käckelbäcksmon), artschool trained, teacher at an art school i Sundsvall (KOMS),with lots and lots of exhibitions behind. He is just fantastic, so you will definitely see some pictures of him. Do you like the horse mirror image in the lake. Also, these colours is just how I feel, blue and lime... I note some purple pink there...hmmm....I was really into horses when I was younger. Have had 4 of them. Three competion ponys, and one swedish halfblood. With mixed success. After 23 years of horses, I decided not to have stable boy's - (the horse was always my nr1 love), so I found my beloved instead (I do not regret it!) Another reason is - horse competions was all about having money ( buying great horses) - or getting lucky. I was neither!

Weird Knitting patterns, and some success!

So, doing a heart upside downwas boring, in Muscat Cotton from Drops. It is still not summer. No rush, so, I started with Bohus knitting: Yellow Lace collar. It is beautiful. I do it as a cardigan. Ok, I had just started doing the collar and immediatily I confused myself. When does the button-holes start? and then right and wrong side? hmm. should the delimiter (start) and end of button"part" be a purl? Well, I realized how much of a free knitter I'm and how really lousy I'm to understand patterns. (That is why I force myself to really follow patterns - to get use to them!) After a big sigh (it is probably not difficult) at all.... I picked up another WIP! My enterlac in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino Dk. Lousy yarn for knitting Enterlac since I realized it is superwash (This was some years ago, when I assumed no bought yarn was treated that said 100 % wool). Stupid me. So, Enterlac -Swedish (kont- or Näver-stickning). I stared at the knitting for half a day, trying to work the joining out (well this one is not using a pattern! but my own design!) And then I sat half the night doing the joining neck. So now it looks like a raglan: But getting sleeves in place... Gahh. I now see why this was in a bag. I still have not figured it out. But that is something for a PhD student. Haha...

Dear friends - Sticklingarna!

So, half of my knitting bunch showed up. And we explored my collection of knitting books that has really grown lately.We discussed patterns, discussed yarns, bitch a bout the content of acrylics in Rowan yarns "renamed to "microfich" - We enjoyed the true Ås knitting yarn colourscheme. We looked at Socks, smart hand made cords (not Icords - in swedish påtade) and BY HAND. I have a machine for that!. Beautiful!. We admired a corksrew shawl and the drops alpacka wrap sweater from Yll and Tyll. We had food, lattes and bun. And we discussed our beloved teacher Britt-Marie Christoffersson (her pattern on the picture!), who is kicked out of her studio where she lived for many many years. Ahh, I really like them a lot. We all agreed that Latvian Mitten's book was definitely worth buying, and also Nacy Bush Vintage socks. And then we started to discuss Bohus pattern's sizes and colours. And I had to show my failed Vouge circular sweater. Well, how life is...Now I would like to drop everyting and go back to my yellow lace-collar (white base) cardi in Bohus... Hmm.. finish or start.

I feel better - Knitting mess...Knitting pledge!

No, it is not my knitting! It is from a sock in Estonia. But, I do feel like the car, and the bird (flu) is flying above us, with spring... Brrmmm My knitting is a mess. My stash is a mess. My knitting books is a mess. My patter is a mess. My organised mind has totally lost it. I think knitting in small size needles are great, a small mistake does not show.. well, it depends on the yarn. But this comes from a promise I have done to myself. I promised I would try to fight my ambitions in my private life. I would allow myself to be disorganised, doing exactly what I please, knit this, knit that, just follow my feeling, no rules, no "must be ready", no knitting for others (if I didn't want to). Ok. and no "be perfect". Especially not for others.
I would like to think that is an evolved thought. But sometimes I hear snickering from others pointing out my mistakes. So, good for them, they are just so much better than me of knitting. I definitely do not want to be best. I just want to have that feeling of knitting. And my largest fear is that I will loose it. By loosing it, I will end up with a yarn room, and my favorite past time gone. So, I guess I will entertain my blog the same way.... Or maybe this confession is still OS post stress syndrome, or pre Latvian mitten syudrome. Take care! I will.
Clicketi Click. My knitting friends coming over - to my knitting mess!
At least we will stich and bitch. That is what friends are for.

Memories, sniffles and strange knitting aches...

What is happening? Blog was down, I'm down, no comments on my blog, just silence. Just when I thought I was getting so much better (went to work today), my cold just hit back. Muscle aches that are just in the knitting areas. Nose dripping, and my throat. Where is the Ice cream?? Ahh but most of all: Are you out there?
All knitting away? Well, bad conscious got me last evening, (read up on yesterday!) and I finally decided what to do with my summer pattern sweater in Muscat! It is a west now, and I did a neck-opening on one side (shoulder).
Now I have started the sleeves. Feels great to knit and finish something..... Anyway. All the pictures are happy memories. So called self inflicted happy thoughts (hmm that was not good english!)
Estonian Mittens on wowen cloth from Kihnu Island. People from the Nordic Knitting Symposium in Estonia 2005.

More Stash Enhancing Exursions!

So, I thought I would be spinning more... But, This is UlloMera's cut fleece, that in swedish is called "förgarn" which means Lopi-like ready to be spun!. But Crazy experimenting Barbro, knittet a wonderful cape directly in it. I started, and it was slow, wow how easily it breaks. cast on? Ha, broke and broke..So after some frustrating rows, I did finish my Latvian mitten. And moved on to my Baby-alpacka one (both could be found pictures below). But, I do not have yarn to match the first one, now finished. And the other is still excellent and very time consuming to knit, but perfect for concentration. So, Instead of being a good girl, hey the competition is still far away (17 April), I thought I would visit NK and theur yarn shop. But, that was Saturday, and I felt sicker than the whole week, and I just WANTED to get out... so, in full OS hat, mittens and coat I was dropped off outside Wincent. Goal, to CHECK out their new yarn. Well, Cotton Rope looks great, cotton "Holiday" was weird. The "natural Silk" did not hardly contain any silk (what a fake name!) But I Irritation rose when 100 % Merino Wool was not declaring if it was superwash or not. It sure felt like it. So, It is fashion to mix with microfiber? Well, I had a long discussion why I will not pay for Cash Soft and get fooled by that lushious feel. So, I though! Ha! but then I saw the Rowan Classic Summer, book 11, Cashcotton 4ply sweater Julia, and that green. (Not yet on Rowans own web!) Ahhh, So, fell into that trans, Cotton Angora and just IGNORING all the other sh*t in that yarn, and stayed with the soft beautiful feel and the eyesoothing green colours Ahhhhhh! Totally seduced. Give me a 10 packet. Now! And after waíting around, seeing that wonderful Yokrshire Tweed 4ply, THAT is a quality woolyarn. Wow. So I just have to have the oddballs. Petrol (?)and Graze.. And of course no plan. Why do they not print the NAME of the yarn on the lable? so instead of petrol (my name) it is shade 271 ;-). Getting home, curing my rinning, nose, Attjo, taking something nice for my coldsores on my tounge (!) (gulping Ice-cream! ) And hitting the sofa, I just had to surf around to by 6 more balls of the yorkshire yarn. colour Ocean! Well. Crazy. Crazy. So, It felt like a releaf to cast on 336 stiches on needles 3. Two days now, and I'm almost 3 cm (of 13) on the edge... And it is just so smooth knitting. A joy. So, I had a look at NK today. Surprisingly interesting. Only "Summer yarns" and a Staff that "got the vibe". A lot of glitter, mostly thin yarn, worth to mention is Idena silke yarn and bambo (which will be a hit!). And Rowan, all sesons cotton, kidsilk haze, calmer and much summer tweed. So, all in all, a got place for "boring sundays". So - just must comment on your favorit yarn (and yarn store) ! Or is it spinningtime? Machine-knitting time?

Amazing what you can blog when you are sick!

So, after having fever, being tired, and just feeling very sorry for myself missing out on a great party, I just had energy to blog around. I have to say wow! Wendy, who knitted through Alice and Jade Starmore brought me to www.virtualyarns.com which is their trademark. So for 115 pound (approx 2xx Dollars) you can get their faboulus designs. So, the afternoon light made me do some pictures. So, here is the weekend result. Now I just wish I had energy to do someting. My throat still throbs, my nose is running. And my neck aches. Sigh...And I still do not feel up to any knitting. First picture is the two Colinette One Zero that I knitted Sunday (half-mittens) to fit my OS winter coat. Then is the OS-cap, that bulks a little (it is on a matchbox!). Both on 6mm needles. The added black is Lovikka. It was atleast easy and fast to knit. And it looks better on, than here... And, then I tried to finish the thumb of the latvian mitten (notice you in the KAL, this is the "wrong pattern 19" that Marianne warned us about). I of course didn't remember that until I saw I was knitting something on the frontpage of the book... realizing.. well. It is not my best knit, that is for sure. It is a bit too tight, to small needles for the yarn etc. So, what to do with the next mitten? Hmm. I'm not even sure I have yarn for it. But enjoy! It is an attempt. A "Latvian Swatch mitten!" of Visjö yarn, on needles 2mm. Of course the colours on the right are more accurate.
But, now I need to blow my nose, take another cup of tea, and really think about what I should do next. I was so sure it should be more mittens. But, maybe it is time to size it up. Work some more on colours, because this was a disaster. Maybe I should enter them just so that the other can feel good beating me Hehe... Anyway, how long does it take to knit these? . The brim, was about 5 hours (hmm... then the rest I have knitted during 4 trips back and forth to Västerås - Research time at Univeristy (MDH). Well, I have a deadline for my paper, and this unconcentration is disaster. But I just must make it. Spend 5 hours on two pages today. And I'm still not happy.That is the reason why I write in English. Practice! Practice! Practice. And, I forgot to tell you! I made a subscription on Knitters. And, as a god tester as I am, I of course found a bug on the website. Interesting.

Yearly Sticka meeting, report from Yarn festival and more

So, now it is confirmed I'm rambling. I succeed as planned to stay away from the yarn festival on friday. (Sorry Cina). Work all day. So, Saturday I took on my OS coat (well, sorry, it just got that name).. and drove to the yarn fair, and was let in for free in the VIP-line. One hour to shop - with no intention to shop.(Ha!) So I really ran into the only thing I missed last time, the Danish Kartehuset. 100g Merino fleece for 48 SEK (turquoise), and some silk, silk- alpaca blend, and silk merino blend. The dear lady also gave me an extra 100g merino dark spots..So It will be great to try and Spin ! into yarn. So, 100g ahh merino, could be compared to the 100g Colinette one zero for 100 SEK (Svalan) in colour neptune (that I also bought!). Now you wonder, I just finished the OS coat, why?? but, that cap just doesn't match (see pictures below), you agree?? So the evening saturday I knitted a cap "pillerburk" or pilljar which means a wide band and a oval flat top. Piece of cake. Looks weird enough. The rest of the hank I just finished two half-gloves. You know, knitting sideways, and when joining, just leaving a whole for the thumb. Must be the easiest pattern. But I thought that would go well with the OS-coat. I also got me thinking. I knit on average between 50-75 gram a day. Which means It probably take a year if I knitted full time to finish my stash!. So, back to the fair. A great meeting of the Hoya-fan Katarina, who really handles such a boring meeting with sass! Great. And 501 members in Sticka. Fantastic. and 88 at the meeting. And people from the entire country. Wow. We also got a Lavold pattern, and a stitch holder. Those little free-bees are just great. Anyhow, Elsebet Lavold gave us a good walkthrough of the history of knitting, and I must say the years of studying have made me rather informed. It was only very few of her pictures that was new to me. What I have missed is how recent the Aran knitting was. That was interesting. But a great repeat, and a good overview. She also showed a picture on the Latvian mittens. So I held mine up and waved. Then we got to see the charts of her yarn, it is lush. I think the AL yarn got me but also the angora blend. She looked smashing in her knits, as did so many, Triinu with her estonian shalw, and Tanja with her Sysky finish yarn in a Vouge pattern look fab as always, and so many beautiful knits was there, that I was speachless. As usual I felt like the elephant stomping around. Must get off those cookies! A great meeting, talking to Claire and other really nice poeple, finally coming face to face with Liisa and the Uppsala gang. And of course, Marika, poor her, suffering from neckpain after the OS knit. Well, after the meeting I really lost everyone and was alone again. So, after having a good socializing, it feels empty, and I just had to sign up for a colour course at Färgkraft. Maybe that was stupid... But Mrs Kållberg is fantastic. My plan worked (see friday rambling), since they were out of two-stranded yarn....so it just became Baylan. I got some black and white cones of thin alpacka from Naturyarn, and the only mishap was getting seduced by the wonderful "förgarn", cut fleece, and one-strand thin hank of yarn from Ullomera. Not too bad at all. But I missed Solveig - she was home with a broken arm. I hope she will recover quickly. But it was very empty without her. She is my definite yarn-fix. Every time.
So, it was a light backpack, that I have already knitted up one hank from it. And going back home from the yarn festival was really snowy. It is late to be 60 cm with meterhigh piles of snow in March. Sigh. Interesting fact is that today both me and my hubby got the worst cold. Interesting fact is that today both me and my hubby got the worst cold. So, I wonder how this will go on. I must finish my first latvian mitten, and get back to the otherone.

Ahh yarn festival!

Wow it is time to enjoy another yarn festival. I forget that all Sweden gathers on the friday, and at noon, it the small place is packed with little ladies and big ladies (me). My usual shopping is - leaving the coat in the car, having an empty backpack, filled with to plastic empty bags (somehow they all run out at the end of the day). That is my maximum. And then I just cash up, since after 3 times waiting in line or walking to a broke-o-mat, I have had it. And every time I swear I will not buy ANYTHING. This time I have prepared. I have spentmany hours in my yarn room. Yes, you read it right, it is a room. Large too, with about 15 large boxes and 2 smaller boxes, two "stuck under the bed" special bags - all filled with yarn. Should I flash my stash? Too embarrasing.. Pinelich, pinsamt. It was not a joke when I confessed to yarnoholism. So, going to the festival is both bliss and CURSE.

This time the highlight is the knitting organisation in Sweden, Sticka, and Elsebeth Lavold that will talk at the annual meeting. So, my plan is that this year I will stay away until saturday, hoping all bargins are gone, and that the only yarn left is what I already have got (fat chans!).... well, It might just be a visit to Solsilke (you can see her yarn, ready to go in the picture). There is also the wonderful Noro yarn, Debbi Bliss (Nysta, your tempteress)....And of course, Ås, with a colour-chart like heaven, and true honest yarn, ready to be mixed into a wonderful new design. Ahh, yarnbliss not debbie..;-). Yarn heaven. Weekend.... and wow, I believe I will be content with what I have... or just maybe some more from Naturgarn, to be dyed. No, I have enough have I not? Time to colour Lovikka!! Hmm, that read is only for christmas. What to do with red Lovvika? 1 kg (2.2 pounds!) Hmm, time for bed. Still one day of work tomorrow.

A beautiful gold medal - and "after OS anxiety"

The gold medal is beautiful, and I'm still happy about it, I really feel I deserved it. Thank you again Yarn Harlot with wonderful support team. Think that the notorious non-finisher actually finished. And so many comments from all wonderful people. That someone cares to take a moment and leave such a nice support. I tell you, it feels great. Just fantastic. Anyway forgot to tell you it was knitted on needle 7mm except one pocket which is knit on 3.5 mm (wanted it tight), that pocket was three nights (and that was the first week, still thinking I had plenty of time).

Yes I have slept (for those who asked) but some late knits. The problem is, what to do now. I feel a little "loss" after finishing this. You get attached to the coat. It is heavy... but just right to wear. I will take it on a longer trip tomorrow to test its wear and tear. So, it is time to get into Latvian Mittens again. But an AdLibris book spree, have me looking at old vouge vintage patterns, and the new "over the edge". Aha, now I get all those loopdloop edges. Well, getting back to the knitting joy! Dreaming about all those wonderful projects to be. Glad some of them come to existence.

OS GOLD!

I did it! I'm done with my WINTER COAT! Just when Sweden won the Hockey final. Not only did the women beat everyone in Curling, Anja took her gold, but even our favourite icehockey! Wow how exiting. The best Swedish winter-olympics for a long time. And I also feel like a winner. It was tough,I was up unitl 3 this morning to make sure I would make it.


And - I'm just so happy. The idea was to get it done on time before the outside light disappeared, (bad flash in camera!). So, to the OS Winter Coat facts:


My own pattern but inspired by Vouge knitting (Winter), done "freehand". It is Lovikka in black from Kempes (bought in Långevak trailer - Cheapest in Sweden?) more than 1.4 kg Lovikka. And the colours are of course celebrating the OS colours, are in Colinette point Five, in Kingfisher, Blue Jay, Parrot, and Neptune, about 8 hanks, all bought on sale some years ago in Fantasy in Arvika (except one, bought at Nysta). So front is "fine lady's cape" which makes it "curl" so it streches. The back is just flat.
Big collar, that I have up on most pictures (but large to have down as well. Pockets of course, Im going to use it!) Last picture, (you see the light going into the blue hour!) is when the collar is down. There you have it! And thank you for dropping in to my website!
Hip Hip Hurray! Time to get back to the rest of my life. Hip Hurray for Sweden's OS Knitting team! Hip hurray for Yarn Harlot who arranged it!

OS closing in - and desperate

Wow, no really the count down have begun. I'm now 3 days behind schedule. I need heroic knitting time to make it. And it is just too big and heavy to carry with me to work or anywear. So, I'm just knitting the last front, having still not decided for buttons, nothing (belt) or any other interesting joining. It really makes me about double weight or I have been blind tomyself (very probable). It is just a bit to narrow so my behind magically becomes what we in sweden name "a barn door" or, deperately thinking of the famous very dead artist Anders Zorn who called this dames "Kulla". Curvy, I tell you. But colourful and intense. And fun, you are all sure to get a laugh on Sunday. So what time is the deadline? I will take a picture outside on the day, because my flash is probably not ok inhouse. So, still 2 arms to go, and a brim, and a collar, and two pockets, and maybe a belt... Will I make it? No sleep from Friday! Picture? The new Noro Aurorayarn that was a quickyproject, a one day scarf.

Midtime- Olympic knitting, and some explanations...

Haha... Cecilia, You have not looked at my entire blog have you? Lower right is "ongoing?" How long is the list? Well, I just have one arm to go, but - I'm not happy with the Vougue Knitting Circular cardi - the frontpage fall 2005.. So I'm wripping the other arm up to make it tighter, then, I will reknit the last 2 dm of the big circle. So, What happened? Christmas! Trying to finish the Bohus on time (as you noticed, it became done after) so I tried to interviene with the lopi mittens. Ok. approximate Christmas. Then, the Latvian mitten craze got me, just enough for starting three projects, and- the The Harlot got my attention - it is OS for all what I got. So, here is the update of the OS knitting. I'm running out of my fancy Colinette Point Five yarn! But, I have one front from being a long vest. Then the arms, a collar, and the pockets, and some brim. It will be VERY tight to make it on time, but that was the purpose, to challenge yourself. Anyway, I think it will be great. Staying positive!
After OS-knitting of my Winter coat, I will go back and finish my Latvian mittens, and THEN is the time for Circular Cardigan. It just felt like a bad design for me. A bit too heavy going down to my knees (in the back) and absolutely no cover in the front. So, I'm thinking of redoing (with some short-rows) the front. But then it is not a circular cardi. So I need to think about it. I will give you a picture, and then you will immediately understand the problem. (Where is the camera now!)... Ok, later. Must knit my winter coat now, I'm loosing seconds in the hill... by I might make a Bronze medal ;-) Your Yarn volture/garngamen.