Hooked on spring colours...

This is a glimpse of a small crochet project I did over Christmas - still waiting for its final touches. Pastel colours, candy colours, spring colours - it seems I am hooked! Pun intended... The crochet background is a beautiful tablecloth my dear aunt M made me some years ago. I think this pair is appropriate to welcome spring on this last day of February :o) Stay tuned for news on this circular colour fest!

fiberfeber vol. I - VII

I spent most of Christmas 2012 editing my blogbooks in an online tool called Blurb - and here they are, all seven of them! Originally I started this blog-to-book process to make sure I could keep "solid evidence" of my blogging career even if I decided to close the blog down. So far 2013 has been quite good blogwise, so I think fiberfeber will live on for a while still.

Candy cardie update

The cardie is growing faster than I thought it would, and it is such a looker! The textile buttons were an impulsive purchase at some craft shop quite a while ago - I think they are close to a match made in heaven for the cardie. The girlieness of this garment is quite owerwhelming, but clever styling will hopefully make it work even for an ol` gal` like myself!

Colourful memories

These photos are absolutely not new - they are actually taken during a mid May weekend in Copenhagen 2012. This was a longed for break, and my first time in this wonderful city for years. I got to wander the streets and visit quite a few nice shops. This is from the Grønlykke-shop in central Copenhagen. I ended up bying just a few precious items, almost overwhelmed by all the beautiful colours and patterned stuff.

And this is the best place ever for a traditional herring sandwich lunch. The restaurant Peder Oxe is situated at the Gråbrødretorv in central Copenhagen.

Cosy coat

Inspired by this pattern I decided to make myself a long, cosy coat for indoor use last winter. The pattern is designed by Karen Marie Vinje and is published in a book called "Strikk i en fei". The original yarn for the coat is Faerytale from Du store alpakka - two strands held together.

I used one strand of fingering weight alpaca (Du store alpakka) and one strand of Kidsilk from Drops. I joined the pieces together and trimmed the edges with the Kidsilk by crocheting. As you can see, I miscalculated the size of the jacket piece BIG TIME (pun intended...), but decided I would keep the excess and make it up as a wrap, or as a veru large lower collar if you like. I have worn this "personal blanket" quite a bit; even on the coldest winter days it is very warm!

Ishbel the 4th

So here she is, my 4th Ishbel scarf/shawl - but without the pretty swallowtail edging. I didn´t manage to calculate exactely where to start the lace pattern to make sure the yarn would last for named edging, but I am quite happy with the result anyway. The yarn is Dreamline Soul from Du store alpakka;  featherlight tubeknit yarn. The colour is called 210 variegated aubergine and is made from 68 % baby alpaca and 32 % nylon. I originally bought this precious yarn with just a vague plan for knitting a hat, hoping it would be enough for a neckwarmer or something as well. My first project using this yarn was a baby blanket I knit last summer, and it turned out so very soft and delicate that I just had to make something for myself as well :o)

As usual my main focus for a hat is that it should keep my ears warm, and I often end up with a double hem.This time was no exception. I folded the very long hem and fastened it by knitting through one stitch picked up from the hemline and one original stitch on mu needles, before increasing for the looser part of the hat. 

The hem is tight fitting and the hat is quite small - but it would be easy to adjust the hat to a bigger size by casting on more stitches for the 2 x 2 rib (making sure it divides by 4) and then increasing extra stitces for the hat section (making sure it divides by 8). I knitted my hat in the round, starting with circulars and changing to dpns as the decrease demanded it.

Snug hat, size small:

Cast on 100 st on 2,5 mm needles

Knit 2 x 2 rib for 15 cm

Fold and knit hemline together with existing stitces on needle as describedabove and knit in the cast on end as you go - or leave hem to be sewn in when the hat is finished.

Increase to 152 st by *knit 2, increase 1*, repeating from * to *

Continue knitting this pattern until the hat is the same height as your head when you tryit on:

1. round: *knit 4, purl 4*, repeat from * to *

2. round: knitt all stitches

Decrease like this:

1. round: *knit 1, knit 2tog, knit 1, purl 4*, repeat from * to *
2. round: knit all

3. round: *knit 3, purl 1 purl 2tog, purl one*, repeat from * to *

4. round: knit all

Repeat these rounds until a 1 x 1 rib is established (76 st)

Then knit one round of only knit 2tog (38 st)

Next round: knit all

Next round: knit 2tog (19 st)

Pull the thread double through the remaining stitches and fasten thread securely on reverse side and you are good to go!

Wearable stuff! Never mind the quirky expression and random background - I guess both are familiar to most bloggers trying to pose and shoot at the same time ;o)

New beginnings - springtime, I salute you!

Well, of course spring isn´t really here; it´s just me longing and yearning for it. Actually, if spring was here right now it would be a bad sign of nature going nuts - usually the first true signs - like blooming Coltfoots peeping through the melting snow - will appear some time during March. Sometimes during April. Today it´s snowing and the landscape around me is soft and white, and still I get this wonderful feeling of springtime coming closer. It is something about the quality of the light, and of course the increasing length of the day. Today sunset will be at 16:50. On January 1st the sun set at 15:13. So, there!

These are odd balls and scraps from my stash; all fingering weight alpaca, but different brands. I have been waiting to start this project for a while and now I can finally feel my good, old knitting mojo again, so here I go!

This will be a cardigan for myself, based on this Drops pattern.

I´ll go for the long sleeved version, and as usual I have already altered the pattern a bit by elongating the 2 x 2 rib hems on the body as well as the sleeves. Because of my unproprtional amount of different colours, I will start the multi coloured pattern right after the rib rather than bying new balls of yarn to make the quite large portion of "louse" pattern.

I think my random colours will make a vivid and fun cardie, perfect to wear facing the spring days to come :o)

All dressed up and nowhere to go...?

This is a skirt I made during Christmas break - just in time for a 3 days New Years celebration arranged by some dear friends. The celebration involved cross country skiing (for some) and frisk walks in the beautiful snow-clad mountain landscape (for me), but also a cozy and relaxed New Years eve - and tons of good food and good fun! Even though we stayed in a traditional lodge in the mountains I thought a bit of glittery gold was apropriate for the last night of 2012.

The pattern is based on my favourite long skirt - I arranged the original skirt as flat as I could on a table and outlined one of the spirally panels on a sheet of pattern paper as best as I could. The fabric was a bargain at a 50 % closing down discount. The skirt is very wearable, and styled with a cool or casual top and a leather jacket it can be worn for work as well.

...while I am at it...

My following posts will be old news to me, but real news to the blog. Like this baby blanket that was finished some time during the summer of 2012. It measures 90 x 90 cm and the yarn is Baby merino from Drops. I used a 4 mm crochet hook, and the blanked turned out soft but sturdy. I hope the little recipient enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it :o) The joining method for the granny squares is described here