beyond beginnings

The shawl has been going much faster than expected! Here’s how things looked this afternoon. You’re getting a photo with our garden table and chairs to give you an idea of the size.

(And also, yes, the house I’ve moved in to has a lush green private garden, which is absolutely awesome, even if it starts raining every time the minute I decide to go sit in it.)

Actually, the shawl is probably even bigger than the photo has you believe. The problem is that it’s one big blob at the moment.

All the stitches still fit on my needle, but there’s way too many of them to be able to spread the thing out properly. So I guess we’ll only know how big it is when I’m done. Since this was a sort of test, to see if I am even capable of knitting a shawl, I am making the small size of the pattern, but I think it’ll still be big enough to drape lightly around the neck.

As for the colour, I love it, but I’m not sure it fits into my wardrobe at all… So I might have to think of someone to gift this to. Shouldn’t be too hard to find some willing candidates. :)

Pattern: Whippoorwill by Carina Spencer

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Sock in colourway Impressionist Sky (806)

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sunday afternoons

You know that little thing that’s been sitting in the corner of your flat for weeks, postponed and postponed, pushed further and further out of sight, not because it’s difficult or that time-consuming, but because it’s simply uninteresting, and perhaps a bit tedious? A-ha. You know what I’m talking about. I have it too. But somehow, on some Sunday afternoons, it feels just right to pick it up, sit down quietly, listening to the wind outside, and finally deal with it.

For me, it’s this little instrument. I always, always, always postpone it.

Part of the reason is that I’m not very good at it. I was fascinated several weeks ago at knit night when a fellow-knitter seamed her entire pullover right there and then, at a little crowded cafe table, in a semi-dark room, over a drink. Oh no, for me it looks more like this:

A manual, an instruction video, a big clear and bright flat surface, lots of space to take a break if I get frustrated… :)

Tell me, how do you seam? And how do you spend your Sunday afternoons? :)

beginnings

There’s been a lot of beginnings here at fridica house lately… Beginning life in a new country, beginning a new job, beginning learning a language… I could name a few more. So I think it’s only appropriate that I have a completely new and exciting knitterly beginning to show you as well!

The beginning of a shawl! It’s teeny and frail faced with this big world, a bit intimidating at times but challenging in a good way. To be honest I’m still not sure I’m going to keep going with it, but it’s looking more optimistic by the minute. :)

There’s also been a wholuvalotof crap photos and poorly written posts at fridica house lately. Sorry for that, all the new beginnings, as exciting as they are, can also be a bit exhausting. I’m working on locating my balance. ;)

unexpected

I’ve learnt a lot since becoming a knitter. About all sorts of things I had never thought I’d need to know about. One big topic has been the construction of clothes and – sizing. Yes, sizing is the hot issue in knitting currently. But let’s leave the “main” sizing issues for some other occasions (I do assure you I’ll have a few words to say on the topic eventually), and look at one completely unexpected sizing issue that has sprung up on me recently.

How should I explain it? Well, it’s pretty easy, actually. I’m trying to knit size 42 socks. My foot is size 38.

I have two sock knitting books on hand. And guess what! While they both give useful suggestions for several sizes in terms of foot width, in terms of length they are leaving me completely stranded.

Knit until approximately 7.5 cm shy of the total desired length of the foot. Aha, thanks. And what if I am not knitting for myself? I am really baffled by these instructions. Shoe sizes of all things in the world are fairly standardised, so can’t you at least give me some idea of how long a 42-size foot is? Can’t you assume that if I am knitting socks for someone it is much more likely that I will ask them for their shoe size than order them to tape-measure their foot? Or do you not knit socks for other people, dear author? I don’t get it.

Oh and – help, please! Sock knitters out there, how do you deal with this? I can’t be the first one to have banged my head against this question!

fall 2011

Have you seen Brooklyn Tweed’s Wool People? I am absolutely in love.

The feather and fan pattern has been on my mind a lot lately, so you can imagine my delight when I saw the Levenwick pattern in the collection.

Feather and fan meets Russian collar! Gudrun must have a direct connection to the land of my dreams.

And then, a colourwork hat in worsted weight.

Just what I needed to practice my colourwork a bit. Thank you, knitting gods. (And Alexis Winslow.)

So that’s my fall 2011 favourites for now. How about you? What’s making you itch for the first signs of fall this year? :)

All photos copyright Brooklyn Tweed and linked back to it.

baby booties 3.0

This was the third pair of baby booties I made back in the spring.

I think they might be my favourite.

I gave them to my friend to play around with.

I think he came up with some great stuff. Don’t you? :)

p.s. The sun came out today and the day actually resembled summer for a while… It made me sooooo happy! How has your day been?