| Page 44

Advent calendars…

November 14, 2010 in General life, Sewing | Tags: christmas, den kreative pakkekalender, embroidery, jul, julekalenderalong | 2 comments

Blink… hov, der gik vist lige et par uger! Det sker jo en gang imellem på trods af andre intentioner.

Nå, der er nu gang i tingene herhjemme. Der strikkes lystigt for at nå en hemmelig deadline (tys tys), men jeg tror det går, så jeg er glad, omend det er et meget blogfattigt strikketøj. Derudover så nærmer julen sig i fuldt firspring. Jeg tog det første erkendelsesskridt i dag og viklede lyskæden om vores altan. Det ser nu rigtig hyggeligt ud med de små lys tændt i de (mange) mørke timer.

Blink… well, it seems like a couple of weeks have disappeared! It sometimes happens even though you wish it otherwise.

Anyway, things are happening at casa-del-lykkefanten. I am knitting like the wind against an approaching secret deadlin (shyyyy), but I think I’m going to win this one, so I am very very happy, although without much blogging material. Furthermore Christmas is coming and the time seems to fly. I took the first step on the road to acceptance by hanging a chain of little lights on our balcony. It looks very lovely with the little lights twinkling in the (many) dark hours.

Ellers kredser tankerne meget om julekalendere. For det første har jeg meldt mig under fanerne for “den kreative pakkekalender” og ideerne myldrer rundt i hjernekisten. I aften skal første forsøg gøres, men mere om det i en anden post (hvis det altså lykkes).

Den anden julekalender er mere langsigtet. Der har spredt sig en julekalenderbroderialong rundt omkring hos flere i blogland, og jeg har brugt noget tid på at trawle internettet for en passende kalender til MM. Deadlinen er jo heldigvis først næste år, så jeg tror, det går. Det var svært at finde noget, som jeg synes var helt rigtigt hos nogle af de store udbydere af kits, men til gengæld fandt jeg et meget flot gratis mønster, som jeg så vil fifle lidt med at få til at passe. Ugens opgave er at indkøbe materialerne. Derefter gælder det bare om at få broderet mindst 2 tal om måneden for at få det til at passe!

Lately my thoughts have been circling about advent calendars. Firstly, I have signed up for the “creative advent calendar” and the ideas are coming in fast and low. Tonight will set the scene for my first attempts, but more about that later (if I succeed).

The other advent calendar is more of a long term project. A taste for an advent-calendar-embroidery-along has hit many others around blogland, and I have been trawling the internet for the right one for MM. The deadline is not before next year, so I think, I’ll manage it. I found it hard to find a kit that seemed right, but during my search I stumbled across a beautiful free pattern, which will be the basis for a calendar for MM. The task of this week is to buy the materials. Then I just have to embroider at least 2 numbers per month to make the job fit the time available.

One down, one up…

November 2, 2010 in 26 pp I, Design, Knitting | Tags: 26 pp I, Design, fo, Knitting, socks | 3 comments

Det kunne jo næppe blive ved helt til bunden af bunken… altså, min strikke-monogami! Jeg blev færdig med endnu et projekt i weekenden og så trængte jeg simpelthen til liiiiige at starte et nyt. Det er sokker, både dem der blev færdige, og dem, der blev startet, så status quo er blevet vedligeholdt. Nå, først de færdige…

Somehow, it couldn’t keep on going until the bottom was reached… the bottom of my wip pile! And it = knitting monogamy. I finished another project this weekend, which resulted in acute craving for a little cast on. Both the finished and the newly started projects are socks, so status quo has been maintained. Oh well, first the finished ones…

Simple, black (boring) socks
Mønster/Pattern: Min standard sok størrelse herre-extremt-stor / My standard sock pattern, size very-large-man
Garn/Yarn: Arwetta classic, 82 g
Pinde/Needles: 2½mm
Noter/Notes: det er par nr. 8 af 26 (og nej, I har ikke set nr. 7 endnu) / it is pair no. 8 of 26 (and no, you haven’t seen no. 7 yet)

Efter sådan et par sorte, standard, lyskrævende herresokker havde jeg brug for noget mere spraglet. Noget med farver, noget med underholdning i strikningen… med andre ord, noget med snoninger! Jeg er hoppet helt over på den anden side af grøften med det nye par… masser af snoninger og sjov. Det bliver forhåbentlig til en opskrift på et tidspunkt, og arbejdstitlen er Gefion.

After such a pair of black, standard, light-demanding (while knitting) men’s socks, I needed something more playful. Something with colour and some fun in the knitting… in other words, something with cables! I have jumped all the way to the other end with the new pair… lots of cables and fun. Hopefully they will end up being made into a pattern, and the working title is Gefion.

Long time lace…

October 30, 2010 in Knitting | Tags: fo, gift, Knitting, lace | 15 comments

Det går faktisk ret godt med at få reduceret mængderne af projekter. Endnu et er færdigt og klar til aflevering… sådan cirka 2½ år efter jeg gik i gang (godt at min veninde har en stålsat tålmodighed). Det har været en kamp på mange planer. Det var et halstørklæde, som jo til tider er notorisk kedsommelige, mønsteret var svært, og der var ikke noget diagram. Jeg havde svært ved at se, hvor jeg var henne i mønsteret og måtte hele tiden sidde med opskriften, og det er altså ikke lige mig.

På et tidspunkt fik jeg så den brilliannte (og temmelig åbenlyse) ide at prøve at lave et diagram over mønsteret. Det gik efter et par forsøg (hvordan er det lige man tegner 4rsm og sssk?) og så blev strikningen ganske mærkbart bedre. Til sidst kunne jeg endda klare mig uden diagram.

Nå, tørklædet er blevet smukt, garnet er lækkert (det er det sidste garn, jeg købte på vores New Zealands tur), og så har jeg lært en hel masse. Dels at det passer mig bedst med diagrammer, og dels en ting eller to om at sy to stykker med hulstrikning sammen med en usynlig søm.

My reductions of wips seems to be going well. Another piece is finished and ready for handing over… about 2½ years after it was started (a good thing that my friend has a patience made of iron). It has been a struggle on many levels. It was a scarf, which from time to time is notoriously boring, the pattern was difficult, and there wasn’t a chart. I had difficulties figuring where I left off in the knitting, so I had to have the pattern with me all the time, and that didn’t suit me at all.

At one time I got the brilliant (and pretty obvious) idea to try to draw a chart of the pattern. A couple of attempts later (how do you draw a k4tog or sssk?) I succeeded and the knitting got markedly better. Towards the end I could even manage without the chart.

Oh well, the scarf turned out beautifully, the yarn is gorgeous (it is the last yarn I bought on our last trip to New Zealand), and I have learned a lot. Firstly, I function best with a diagram of lace patterns, and secondly, I learned a lot about grafting two pieces of lace together.

Green bell scarf (Ravelry project link)
Mønster/Pattern: Silver Bell hat and scarf (Ravelry link) by Stephanie Earp
Garn/Yarn: Touch Yarns Merino 4ply, 98 g (1 nøgle / 1 skein)
Pinde/Needles: 3½mm
Noter/Notes: strikket fra enderne og ind i to halvdele og syet sammen på midten / knitted from the ends to the center and grafted at the middle

Hmm, jeg ser lige, nu hvor jeg sætter links og så videre, at der nu er inkluderet et diagram i mønsteret… måske jeg skulle have kigget efter opdateringer lidt tidligere?

Hmm, just as I’m adding links, I see that the pattern has been updated to include a diagram… perhaps I should have looked earlier?

More in handspun…

October 28, 2010 in Knitting, yarn | Tags: fo, gift, handspun, Knitting | 2 comments

Min far blev 50 i mandags, og siden jeg længe har vidst, at han ønskede sig en hjemmestrikket vest, måtte det jo være den perfekte lejlighed. Da det nu er min far, vi snakker om, så måtte der jo lidt mere til, så derfor har jeg strikket en vest, der bruger noget af mit hjemmespundne garn. Den blev færdig i weekenden, men er endnu ikke blevet afleveret. Heldigvis ved han godt, at han får den, så det gør ikke noget, at jeg viser den frem på bloggen.

My father turned 50 this Monday, and since I have long known that he wanted a home knitted vest it was the perfect time to make one for him. As we’re talking about my father, I had to go a bit further, so I have knitted a vest incorporating some of my handspun yarn. It was finished in the weekend, but hasn’t been given to him yet. Luckily he knows that he’s getting it, so posting about it here doesn’t make a big difference.

Handspun father’s vest (Ravelry project link)
Mønster/Pattern: Mit eget, men med inspiration fra en gratis opskrift (Ravelry link) / my own, but with inspiration from a free pattern (Ravelry link)
Garn/Yarn: Håndspundet merino og Clifton Wool’n’Things 8 ply i farven “fog”, et uldgarn jeg købte, da vi var i New Zealand, i alt 407 gram / Handspun merino and Clifton Wool’n’Things 8 ply in the colour “fog”, a pure wool yarn I bought when in New Zealand, the total used is 407 grams
Pinde/Needles: 5 mm til kroppen og 4½ mm til afslutningen i hals og om ærmehullerne / 5 mm for the body and 4½ mm for the finishing edges around the neck and at the armholes.
Noter/Notes: Vesten er 72 cm lang og 65 cm bred / The vest is 72 cm long and 65 cm wide.

Igen var jeg utrolig heldig og havde kun akkurart lige hjemmespundet nok til at færdiggøre den sidste stribe. Jeg må have gjort et eller andet godt, siden strikkeguderne er så venlige for tiden.

Again, I was incredibly lucky and had just enough of the handspun to finish the last stripe. I must have done something right to please the knitting gods, since they have been so friendly lately.

Finishing and temptations…

October 20, 2010 in Design, Knitting, yarn | Tags: fo, Knitting | 7 comments

Meget kan man sige, men ikke at Holst garn har nogen langsom service! Min garnordre fra i fredags kom i går, og siden da har jeg prøvet at overtale mig selv til, at jeg hellere må vente med at starte et nyt projekt, før jeg har færdiggjort mindst et par stykker mere.

Much can be said of the world, but not that Holst garn runs a slow service. My order from Friday arrived yesterday and since then I have been trying to convince myself that I really should finish a least a couple more things, before I start another project.

Så er det jo heldigt, at jeg faktisk ligeså stille bliver færdig med tingene på min liste. Det sidste nye fra pindene er et luksushalstørklæde. Næste project med prioritet er en vest til min far, hvor jeg næsten er oppe ved ærmegabet.

Perhaps it is good luck then that I really do finish my ongoing projects one at a time. The most recent of the needles is a luxury scarf. The next project with priority is a vest for my father, and I am nearly at the armholes, so it’s going pretty well.

Luxury Lamina (Ravelry project link)
Mønster/Pattern: Lamina (Ravelry link) by Lykkefanten
Garn/Yarn: hjemmespundet merino/cashmere/silke garn spundet i årets Tour de Fleece, 212 g i alt / homespun merino/cashmere/silk yarn spun during this year’s Tour de Fleece, 212 g
Pinde/Needles: 5½ mm
Noter/Notes: Jeg var meget tæt på at løbe tør for garn, så jeg fiflede lidt med afstanden mellem de sidste to “blade” til stort held, for jeg havde ca. 10 cm garn tilbage til slut. Det færdige halstørklæde måler 240 cm. / I almost ran out of yarn towards the end, so I adjusted the pattern a bit by adjusting the space between the last two “leaves”, which turned out to be prudent as I only had 4 inches of yarn left over afterwards. The finished scarf is 98 inches long.

Det er nu noget helt særligt at strikke af hjemmespundet garn. Jeg bliver så glad, hver gang jeg sidder med strikketøjet. Måske det er følelsen af, at jeg har fulgt projekte, så langt jeg kan, helt fra fibre til færdigt halstørklæde (og når designet så ovenikøbet er ens eget, går man jo helt i selvsving). Jeg tror lige, jeg kender den helt rette, der nu skal have en luksuriøs blød klud at svinge mange gange om halsen…

It is something special for me to knit with home spun yarn. I am happy everytime I sit with my knitting. Perhaps it is the feeling of having followed the project through as long as I could, from fibres to finished scarf (and when the design is my own, I can only wallow even more in that feeling). I think, I know just the perfect person, who will soon be able to sport a luxury soft scarf to wrap many times around her neck…

Knitting Moments…

October 17, 2010 in Knitting, pattern | Tags: book review, inspiration, Knitting | 7 comments

Jeg har fået strikkelysten tilbage efter min cardiganmisére (den finder vel på et tidspunkt den rette ejer, og indtil da, gider jeg ikke lade mig irritere af den mere). Er snart færdig med endnu en ting på listen og så småt begynder lysten til nye projekter da også at melde sig.

I have regained my knitting mojo after the failure of the cardigan (it hasn’t yet found a new home, but I know it will, and I have decided not to be bothered by it anymore). I am going to finish another thing on my list tonight and the temptation to cast on a new project has recently started letting itself be known again.

Det hjælper absolut ikke på strikkemonogamien at have skaffet den nyeste Annette Danielsen bog “Strik en Stund” til huse. Nøj, hvor er der mange lækre ting i den. Som sædvanelig er der mange flotte, og noglegange anderledes ting, i bogen. Jeg var omkring Sommerfuglen i torsdags og fik mit eksemplar signeret af AD selv. Desværre havde jeg for travlt (og var muligvis for “star struck”) til at blive og snakke lidt.

It doesn’t help my attempt at monogamous knitting to have bought the newest book by Annette Danielsen, “Strik en Stund” (the Danish titles translates into “Knit a Moment”). Phew, there are many gorgeous things in that book. As usual there are a lot of pretty and sometimes quirky things in the book. I bought it in Sommerfuglen this Thursday and got it singed by AD herself. Unfortunately I was too busy (or possibly too star struck) to stay and chat.

Af de 17 opskrifter, er der 15 sweatre, 1 hue/halstørklæde sæt og 1 dobbeltstrikket halstørklæde. Pæn fangst i en enkelt bog. Jeg har det sådan, at jeg typisk kun gider eje en bog, hvis de enten giver god inspiration (for eksempel nye teknikker eller mønsterbøger eller lignende), eller har mindst 2-3 ting, jeg kunne finde på at strikke. Og med denne bog er der så absolut gevinst. Jeg har allerede købt garn til 3 projekter, og mon ikke det bliver til et par mere.

Of the 17 projects in the book, 15 are sweaters/cardigans, 1 is a hat/scarf set and 1 is a double knitted scarf. A rather good haul, I’d say. As a matter of cause I only buy knitting related books if they either inspire me (new techniques, stitchs patterns or such) or if there are at least 2-3 things that I can see myself knit immediately. This book is definetely a winner, I have already bought new yarn for 3 projects in it, and have at least as many more in my inner que.

Den første bliver helt sikkert Syren (Raverly link), en let og feminin cardigan, der vil klæde min tøjstil (og mig) godt. Den vil helt sikkert også være god på ikke helt så kolde dage på arbejde.

The first one to be cast on will be Syren (Ravelry link), a light and feminin cardigan. It suits my clothes style (and me), or so I think. It will probably also be a hit on the medium cold days at work.

Den næste i køen er nok Overblik (Ravelry link). Der er noget med de snoninger, der siger “strik mig!!!!”. Desuden synes jeg altid at snoninger er sjove at strikke, så måske den bliver hurtig færdig?

The next in line is probably Overblik (Ravelry link). Something about those cables are speaking to me, and saying “knit me!!!”. Besides, I know that cables keep me entertained, so it should be quickish.

Der er lidt tvivl med hensyn til hvad tredjeprioriteten er. Måske en Morgenstund (Ravelry link) eller måske Nostalgi (Ravelry link). Morgenstund er en vest, som jeg kan se mange anvendelsesmuligheder i, og så ser den temmelig enkel ud (god tv-strik). Nostalgi er bare flot! De snoninger og former og små lækre detaljer er guf for strikkeren, men den er også vanskeligere at gå til (der er ingen diagrammer på snoningerne) og strikket i seperate dele = syning. Nå, den tid den sorg.

There are some doubts in my mind regarding priority number three. Perhaps a Morgenstund (Ravelry link) or perhaps Nostalgi (Ravelry link). Morgenstund is a vest which has potential for being used in many different situations, and furthermore it looks like a rather simple knit (good for tv-knitting). Nostalgi is just purely beautiful! The cables and the fit and the many little details are all gorgeous and fun to knit, but it is also a more consuming knit (there are no diagrams for the cables either) and it is knitted in seperate parts = seaming. Oh well, there will be time enough to decide.

Derudover er der flere ting der frister, men ovenstående fire projekter er nok dem, der trækker mest i mig.

There are many more patterns that tempt me, but the four mentioned above are probably the ones that tempt me the most.

Oh, what a beautiful morning…

October 15, 2010 in General life | Tags: life | Leave a comment

Når man bliver mødt af sådan en solopgang er det ligesom ikke helt så slemt at møde tidligt på arbejde. Desuden er det en god dag, for i dag afleverer vi vores rapport til trykken, så nu bliver det måske muligt at komme hjem i dagslys, bare for en kort overgang.

When you are greeted by a sunrise like this, it isn’t too bad to meet early at work. Besides, it’s a good day today, as we are going to hand in our report to the printers. Perhaps it will even be possible to get home during daylight, just for a while.

Knitting break…

October 14, 2010 in Sewing, Uncategorized | Tags: MM, patchwork, sewing | 4 comments

Efter tragedien med Hvirvelstrømmen har jeg haft brug for en lille strikkepause, og så er det jo meget passende, at jeg startede et nyt syprojekt op i weekenden (shyyy, det gælder ikke som et nyt projekt i bunken… det er jo ikke strik!). Jeg havde været i Lyngby en tur og var uforvarende kommet til at gå ind hos Speich Design… faaaaarligt sted, når man har penge på kontoen og trænger til afspredelse. Det blev til nogle papskabeloner, en patchworklimstift (genial opfindelse) og lidt ekstra stof som supplement til hjemmelageret.

Lørdag aften, da MM var blevet puttet, gik jeg i gang med stofbunker, saks og store planer. En hel del timer senere (ahhh, at være natteravn… det er for længe siden sidst) havde jeg 96 firkanter betrukket med stof og klar til at blive syet sammen i hånden. Jeg er nu færdig med de første 4 rækker, dvs. en tredjedel af tæppet, så det går skam fremad. Jeg aner stadig ikke, hvordan jeg skal bære mig ad med at quilte det, men den tid, den sorg. Det er i hvert fald hyggeligt at sidde og sætte de små stykker sammen lidt af gangen.

After the tragedy that is my Hvirvelstrøm cardigan, I have been in need of a break from knitting, which makes it very appropriate for me to have started a new sewing project this weekend (shyyyyshh, it doesn’t count as a new project in my pile… it is not knitting!). I had been to Lyngby and had wandered into Speich Design… dangerous place if you have money to spend and need a little fabric fix. I came out having purchased some patchwork cardboard pieces, a fabric glue for patchwork (really brilliant little thing) and some additional fabric to supplement the home grown stash.

Saturday evening, after MM had been tucked in, I started playing with fabric, sissor and great plans. Some hours later (oh the glory of a night time session… too long has it been since last) I had 96 squares covered in fabric and ready for assembly by hand. I have now finished the first 4 rows, which corresponds to a third of the blanket, so there is progress. I still have absolutely no idea about how to quilt it, but I’ll climb that hill when I get to it. At least it is very relaxing to sit down and pieces the little squares together one by one.

I må undskylde det halvdårlige billede af, hvordan planen for tæppet er… det er svært at tage gode billeder kl. 2 om natten!

Sorry about the bad picture of the overall plan for the blanket… it is hard to take good pictures at 2 am!

Victory and defeat all in one…

October 12, 2010 in General life, Knitting | Tags: fo, Knitting | 16 comments

Det der med “i morgen” kan være en lidt svævende betegnelse, når der er travlt i livet, men det er nu ikke den eneste grund til, at jeg ikke har vist billederne af min færdige Hvirvelstrøm frem. En anden grund er, at det viser sig, at den er for lille… ikke lidt for lille, men ganske alvorligt for lille! Grundet konstruktionen fandt jeg først ud af dette efter alle sømme var syet. Øv bøv og en hel masse andet grimt.

Jeg har på nogle punkter lyst til at kyle den langt væk, men på den anden side, så er den blevet smuk og lækker, og det er vel egentlig ikke trøjens skyld, at jeg har dummet mig så fatalt.

Jeg har en venindekreds af dejlige kvinder, der er af mindre fysisk statur end mig, så det kan være, at den kan finde et godt hjem hos en af dem. Men i mellemtiden vil jeg så præsentere den på bloggen alligevel og forsøge at lægge nederlaget bag mig (lidt svært, indrømmer jeg gerne).

The term “tomorrow” happens to be a rather relative one when life is busy, but actually it is not the only reason why I haven’t shown any pictures of my finished Hvirvelstrøm cardigan. Another reason is that it turned out to be too small… not a tiny bit either, but significantly and very much too small! Due to the construction I didn’t realize this until after all the seams had been sewn. I’ll admit that my thoughts on that subject aren’t suited for too much publisity.

In some ways I feel inclined to throw it far far away, but on the other hand, it has turned out beautifully and is very pretty and soft, and honestly, it can’t be the fault of the cardigan that I have messed up royally.

I have several wonderful female friends, who are of a more petite build than me, so maybe it will be able to find a good home with one of them. But in the meantime I will present it on the blog and try to put the defeat behind me (a rather difficult task, I’m finding).

Hvirvelstrøm (Ravelry project link)
Mønster/Pattern: Hvirvelstrøm af Annette Danielsen fra “Strik Naturligvis”, jeg har strikket str. M, men den synes mere som en S i færdig stand, og hvis jeg nu skal være ærlig burde jeg nok have strikket L eller XL… / Hvirvelstrøm by Annette Danielsen from the book “Knit Naturally”, I’ve knitted size M, but it has turned out more like a S and anyway I probably should have made a L or a XL…
Garn/Yarn: Kauni ensfarvet 8/2 uld/akryl i farve R-W4 i alt 485 gram / Kauni single colour 8/2 wool/acryllic in the colour R-W4. I used a total of 485 g
Pinde/Needles: 3mm
Noter/Notes: Jeg ændrede ærmekanten fra en rullekant til en ombukket kant med lidt tittefarve / I changed the cuff from a rolled cuff to a turned one with a bit of colour peeking out.

Det mest ærgelige er, hvor meget jeg havde glædet mig til at gå rundt i den trøje. Den er lige mig, helt og fuldt. Men sådan skal det altså ikke være. Overvejer om jeg har noget garn til en mere i en større størrelse, men ved bare heller ikke om jeg orker slæbet med hvirvel igen…

The most tragic is how much I had looked forward to wearing that cardigan. It is so much me, fully and totally. But it is not to be. I am considering if I have some yarn for another try in a larger size, but I just don’t know if I can bear working that great looooooong circle again…

Waiting for dryness…

October 9, 2010 in Uncategorized | 3 comments

Wheeeee!!! Min Hvirvelstrøms cardigan (Ravelry link) fra Annette Danielsens “Strik Naturligvis” blev færdig her til aften! Nu venter jeg bare på, at den bliver tør efter vasken… Åh, hvor føles det godt, at den endelig er færdig (den nåede dog lige akkurat ikke sin 2 års fødselsdag som igangværende!). Billeder i morgen!!!

Wheeee!!! My Hvirvelstrøm cardigan (Ravelry link) from “Strik Naturligvis” (Knit Naturally) by Annette Danielsen is finished. I sewed it together tonight, and now I’m just waiting for it to dry after its bath… It feels fantastic to have finished it (it was just shy of 2 years on the needles). Pictures tomorrow!!!