I did it!!!

Ha! For the first time in the last 3 years I have been to a new city and entered 4! yarnshops NOT BUYING ANYTHING! I'm recovering from my yarnoholics.
Recovery medicine together with my first knitted gloves in Tvinni:

• Bring half your packing with the almost finished sweater and a stash of yarns
• Bring another smaller knitting too (TelemarkVott) below.
• Carry this heavy thing like a bad conscious, being busy all the time with no sleep (conference) really building your of "no time to knit" and "to much to carry/have" and it will never be finish
• Then, No money in wallet and a too hot sweater.
• Walk fast to Skövde centrum, and talking nicely with the yarnshops owner - avoiding to squeeze and feel yarn too long to design a project in your head!
• You are cured!

Any way, an ittybitty town of approx. 50 000 inhabitans (Skövde) have 4 active yarnshops. Someone must be knitting!!!! 2 shops had mainly acrylics, blends, babyknit.... 1 had the addition of Naturnära (no not the gotland shop, some farmer (could it be NATURNÄRA, ALINGSÅS, 031-23 00 41, 1437 ... PER G FODER & MASKIN AB, SKÖVDE)? , a local handdyed swedish woolyarn, very pretty, good colours, but only one batch each (was it 400 sek) for a full sweater (6 hg) which is a bit too little for me i believe. Also, It just felt a bit harsh against the skin, I guess I have been a bit spoiled with the anograblends. So, My grand finale was Ulla at Speciell. I was so wrong and behind. Now her bang was classy black to the blond. Always working hard and looking elegant, as her shop.

With Karin's machineknitted and Ullas assembly, a sight for sore eyes. Very sober, black grey, elegantly displayed, and we had a good chat, until I realize my researchpal Anders was waiting, and that last squeeze of the "out of this world" wonderful LIME Angora-merinoblend for 200sek for ONE YANK (100g I assume) ahhhh lush.... But I though of my yarnoholic pledge. Of-course, feeling and looking at her beautiful scarf (see it on her web) really made me weak in the knees, but I was soo hot, Anders was waiting, and I had to go...

So, I have mostly knitted, ripped up and reknitted my telemarksvott.

I'm back with the original pattern. It will be ok. Lots of room for embroydery!

Anyway, for your info: Läckö slott (Leakage castle ;-) had a Färgkraft exhibition. With sweaters and nice stuff. But no resale !!! (that, this time was ok, but still disappointed!!!) So, I had to think about my yarnstash of Färgkraft. Some lime, 2-ply, green, 2-ply, a wonderful 1-ply blue, mustard mix called "Tar" or "Tjära" and "Trollskog". Wonderful. And of course my UFO.. sigh. Maybe färgkraft and alpacka would be a good blend. Hmmm...

Off to Skövde for the week...

Now I will go to Skövde for the week, researh summer school (and Läckö Slott), and hopefully get some time to see the yarnshops Speciell with a very special owner Ulla, who is a very fast knitter, and expert in (swe: Montering) putting the knitted pieces toghether. She is also a special person with her blue bang in her hair. I will just bring two knitted pieces with me, so I can keep busy during the long hours of listeníng to clever insights. (Left is my Birch in Kid Silk Haze, that takes a bit more than 3 yarnballs to finish, but is wonderful and easy to do, very rewarding. I started this on 27 of June and was done 27 July).

Well, today I just bought Simple Knitting, with 250 hints for the knitter. Weird magazine, I cannot say if I like it or hate it. It contains nothing, yet I cannot stay away. So I took a nap, and had a strong wake-up splashing a full caffe latte on what I though was - all my coffetable knitting books, the latest Vouge knitting, the Rowan magazin, Scarf Style and Norsk Strikkedesign, was in jeopardy. But as in Poker, the true wonder of magic occurs on the river, and the last number of Sandra knitting took all the coffe, and the rest was saved. And honestly, I just stopped my subscription on Sandra, since is a magazine always a bit off in colour, yarn, patterns etc so I just loose interest. Finally, I succeeded. So, no harm done, but a scare....
My camera just got the handpiece in the coffe, and my little patternbook is of course smudgy, but it could be worse. So, time for a break. On this picture (No, not the Magnolia) is my first handspun hanks from the great course at Gudruns Ullbod (see link on right). The problem with this first uneven yarn is what to do with it. But I'm thinking of doing small swatches/squares, to really display the yarn, and then knit them into a sweater. (Of course, spinn all of the other yarn as well or maybe not? Really show of the difference....)

Something old, Something new, something borrowed, something blue...

Well, having dear knitting-friend over, living almost next door, Maria G, with her wonderful blue newly knitted Krakashawl (Design Emma Frösslund for Anntorps väv), have a look at a similar atLiten Karin's. I'm burning for a quick project. Every now and then I go for quick projects, to chear myself up during the huge size small needle work. And I'm a bit against swatches.. So I do sample sweaters, sample hats etc...So, I thought you might like one of my favorite cap, in swedish we call this pilljar, (swe:pillerburk).

It is done with some left over yarn (Mojärvs Ullspinneri) from up north in the pattern that in swedish is called "Hålkrus". Actually rather simple. Morjärv has a really nice colour-palette, and the yarn feels a bit itchy, and fuzzy before you actually knit it, then transformation happens and it is typical nice wool, not itchi (not supersoft either, but definitely wearable against the skin if you not to hyper sensitive). and somehow the shortness appearance of the yarn is not true. It is an illusion. A typical better than standard swedish wool yarn. Also, somehow it feels good to support a little wool spinnery in the middle of nowhere up north.

Well, Maria and I discussed in depth the swedish and the nordic knitting symposium, and we definitely said Gotland next year. The Nordic one will be on Island, a nice place, probably not so cheap, so I'm a bit undecided yet. But there are more things going on. Have you missed my IDOL Britt-Marie Christofferssons exhibition in Halland?
Well, next to that will be also a small workshop/Sticksymposium. I sure hope they have recieved my name and money, so I'm on!! And there is a crochet symposium in Vaasa. Unfortunately, I cannot make that, and honestly I tend not to relax my hand when I'm doing it, so it has the opposite effect of knitting. Non-relaxing. While we are discussing Halland, I have to show you my Binge pilljar cap, that I started on the last years Knitting symposium in Grebbestad.

Yarnoholic or passionate?

I confess, I could easily join this site yarnoholics. I need to. So, therefore I pledge not to buy any new yarn, except the following: New Bohus patterns from Solsilke OR to complete a started project. But no NEW yarn.

I also cannot pledge to half a very large and unknown number. It takes too long to complete the list... But I will someday. So I know when I have reached 10% which is a much better goal. Now I have about 15 boxes of yarn and a hopechest. Filled. So. Lets start with the list of UFOs:

1. Rowan - Bridge - in Rowan Aran (see part picture below) - sleeves left to do. I guess 30 hours left. Needels 4.5mm
2. Skogsmörkret for my dear husband (which I plan to borrow!) Body and sleeves and some of the yoke left to do, mybe 70% left. Needels 2mm.

3. Summer Sweater in Muscat with pattern. My usual get bored point: Circular knitted, now done most of the back, have half front and sleeves left. 50% Needels 3mm?


4. Jaeger Aran Tweed in Charcoal, Back done, but cannot figure out how I will finish the front cabels in a nice matter. Wonderful fat yarn to knit. Sleeves and front left to do. Needels 4,5mm?.
5. HV Rya Ull Bag. Started at course: Knitted in heavy material, needs to tape fingers. Pattern Märta-Stina Abrahamsdotter. 90% left to do. Needels 4mm.



6. Bergå Sweater, Old yarn from Tällberg. Discontinued. 2-ply thin. Needels 2.5mm. Have done body, Sleeves left to do, and making it longer and embroidery.


7. TelemarksVott (see picture below). Rauma Gammelserie naturvit 1.25 mm, 3 fingers and one more glove, and all the embroidery.
8. Bohus Knitting. "Gula Spetskragen" as cardigan from Solsilke. Just started.

9. Easterpulli (Påsktröja) PepPrint, done body, adding sleeves. 4.5mm.


10. 2-end knitted sweater in Purple with Anne-Maj's yarn. done 10%. Circular, top-down. needels?? 3.5mm maybe.
11. Two coloured "patentstickat" (Brioche?) on needles 2, Yarn: Färgkraft 1-ply in lime and green. On normal point, Cardi on circular needles 2mm and now working on back. front, collor and sleeves left.
12. Two-end knitted gloves in white with turquois pattern. I've started both gloves, but not reached thumb yet. 3mm?
13. One more glove of Gotlandsvante (project started at course) with lace, name, year, and typical Gotlandpattern. Yarn: Norsk Kunstvevgarn in white, a bit lime, red and black for effect.
14. Machineknitted Sweater and cardigan in Solsilke's Cortina in mintgreen. Needs sleeves and embroidery to be completed. Yummy. My second machineknitted project.
15. Guernsey yarn in dark, 2.75mm just started Aran for me or hubby.
16. Summertop and skirt. Skirt done, but needs a waistband elastic and some sawing (long green), and the shirt was done, but I was unhappy with collor so I'm ripping it up to remake more nicely.

17. Enterlac (Kont- Näverstickad) sweater in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino in purple and blue. And my advice, NEVER DO ENTERLAC WITH SUPERWASH. It is not ok. Fixing so neck goes together well and sleeves left to do....I'm sure to have more, if I start, but this is the beginning of UFO List. Hugs.

It's raining- again!

Of course I should start with the picture I failed to take today on a two-end knitted sweater for the sum of 18300 SEK (around 1100+ dollars..). Go Anne-Maj Ling. But, so you really take the effort to look at the quite interesting exhibition KRAFT in Gustavsberg I will not. So, you have to look at my pictures instead. First, lets have a look on my very fast knitted bag. It is super easy. Basically. Make a large reqtanguel, save one of the long sides, and pick up stiches around the bottom, knit circular up a lot larger than you think, then save for arm and make a little flap. Stick it in the machinewash on 60 degrees Celsius... And THIS comes out (well, I of course added one of my own ceramic Läkerol buttons). Took some 10 hours to knit.

Well, Spinners, what about this? Carol? Carol is one of the best spinners in the world, and she humbly said, maybe I'm the best carder....I wish I was. Honestly, I'm a lousy carder. Really lousy! but practice makes perfect..And I'm mostly hand spinning with the spindle (maybe because I'm such a lousy carder, the wheel require so much more carding)... Is this ok thin??? (I know it is dark, but you get the idea? and still a bit uneven, and only one ply yet but I think it is thin enough!!!

Finally a nice oldstyle mohair, with that 80's feel, that I wear and get stared at... but who cares? I like it and I made it. It really enhances my size too.... NOT flattering. Of course, also with my ceramic buttons"... Is this ok? For today? A Rainy day.Hey!

Enjoying pictures

Fun to get going with blogging. After several attempts I got some pictures to show for. First the TelemarksVott (vott means mitten) from Håndplagg, a truely wonderful book by Heidi Fossnäs. Buy it! Anyway, they are knitted according to pattern, och needles 1.25 mm (that is so thin you can only knit short periods, until the needles starts cutting through the finger...), and the yarn (Raumas gammelserie) 100% wool, is great. The pattern will not be embroidered according to correct colours, but the correct yarn, they got nuts numbering that yarn.... no sense. So I just picked nice colours. The patter has wide fingertips, so I'm thinking of rip the tip up, and make it a bit more narrow.


Anyway, this yarn was bought at Husfliden in Oslo (Strongly recommended) and I just give you a peak of what I bought at StrikkeDilla when I was in Oslo just the other week. Very representative colours :-) for me. PT2 is yummy, and the white is completing Babysilk alpacka from Du store Alpakka - so the pattern will be ok. The latter, costed 42 NOK so it was not cheap. But ohhh what a feeling.

Missing Links and knittrouble - lists...

Gee, I have to remake the sleeves I just started. They are ok in size, but the aran patter shrinks it so it looks smaller. What is funny is that arm is the same word in Swedish, and with just two dots, ärm, it becomes sleeve. Clever!!

So, Sorry for the links not working yet. Reason. We went sailing. No time for knitting much than realising, that the sleeve is Not OK! And I have visitors coming, so time for cleaning. I have got the hands on "Stickade Stjärnor" "Knitted stars" which is a great pattern for lace. Weird notation for the knits. All starts with 8 and is a trick how to figure out the pattern. But a bit like how think, so just needs some practice to crack the code. Also, found the book about Wåhlstedts Ull (one of the Swedish heritage wool/spinner factories, very small scale) but also a hundred year tradition about breeding the Swedish Lantras sheep into having better wool - or rather keeping the quality. Anyway, The new Rowan Magazine 38 came with good news. Finally something for REAL women...!!
This was not one of my top issues, too sloppy for me. But then NK (Stockholm superstore) sold just two pices of cloth stiched with 10 stiches, no edgetrimming or anything for a huge some of money.
Anyway. Interesting: The pattern Richard by Lara Long (p.130) I have seen before. Looks like a pattern steal to me, but anyway a nice pattern. Brocade looks really nice- getting older Kaffe or lending out your name? It is actually more matured than I ever seen his patterns. Nice one! , maybe without the turtelneck. And Maud is obvious a Skånsk Speedetröja, or Danish Nattröja as a cardigan... nice but dull colour.
Naming wristwarmers Eowyn, is a given hit, but the two favorites this number (with Brochade) is Birgitte and Pandora (take away stupid pink bands!)

First Entry of Sigrids Knittingblog

Well, it is time for me to go public. Long have I written on www.sticklistan.org but this makes it easier to publish some pictures. We'll see how it goes. This is just a test for Garngamen - which in Swedish means yarnvulture. Something someone actually called me. And I do not mind. I do like my treasures - they are like jewels.

So, this is my favorite Bohus Knitting colour. I just wish it was easier to recreate this national treasure, instead of letting this creative artwork disappear in to oblivion.

Anyway my summerpromise to myself was to do UFOs - UnFinished Objects - and believe me, I have a lot. The main reason is that I have attended numerous of Knitting courses and seminars the past three years, and basically started a lot of ideas. I have also started a yarnstash that fills a room, and probably beats most yarnshops. So, no it is time for knitting. More knitting and less courses.Here is a lot more to come here! I need to start taking pictures of my own stuff and figure out the ususal logproblems