Six Point Tee & Bailiwick Pullover

I have been extremely lazy in updating my blog lately, but I have also not have that much time to knit so there are not a lot of finishes to share. Also there are a few projects that are waiting for those finishing touches. Still, here are some pictures of two tops that I have managed to actually finish.

The Six Point Tee by Cathy Carron in knit.wear spring/summer 2014 caught my eye the minute I saw it: the construction is top down starting with the neckline and separating for sleeves, knit in the round. It was a lovely knit with thick cotton yarn and big needles. I loved working on it and I think I might even make another one in a different color. It was very quick, I knit it during Christmas and it took me five days but I also worked on other things. I love wearing it, it's like having light armor on, the feeling is soft but also safe, even more so than in knitwear usually.

Another finish, and one that I have been wearing a lot, is Bailiwick pullover by Courtney Spainhower from Interweave spring 2014. I knit it with the same bamboo/cotton blend as my fire opal tee, Hjertegarn Blend Bamboo. The yarn is soft and the finished garments feel easy on. The colors are also lovely. This one was also top down and I am starting to feel that that is a very good way to knit tops. You can try it on at any time, knit is just as long as you like and all in all get a better feeling about how the finished garment is going to look like. This one I actually went to buy more yarn for because I thought it might not be long enough otherwise. In hindsight it probably would have been just fine but I also enjoy the tunic-y look.

Everything I made in 2014

I have been incredibly busy with my new studies so it has been a long time since I last posted. Anyway, I thought it might be time to look at what I made in 2014. It's quite a few things.

First, here are the shawls:

And the tops:

And of course, the socks:

And then there's everything else:

Yes, I would call 2014 quite a productive year.

Kainuun lapaset

The mittens are finished! I've also worn them a couple of times and they are so perfect for my hands. The other mittens I finished for myself earlier, Vega, don't fit my hands well at all, they are always sliding down, not staying put. But these do, and they are extremely warm, too, as they are sport weight and stranded. I couldn't be more pleased!

If you want to make your own, the pattern is available for free here. It's in Finnish but there's a chart. Get your nine colors ready and knit!

Winter is Coming... So Stack Up on Christmas Cards and Warm Mittens!

I just love making cards! I made a couple new Christmas cards this past weekend. I love how when making cards you can always combine materials from all different sources. Take these cards below for example: the canvas I stitched on was made by my grandmother in the 60's for a shirt of a Finnish national costume (I'm using the leftover pieces, and I have the dress, too!), the thread I used was bought when we lived in China in 2003-2005 because DMC was just so cheap there and then the rest of the materials, backing papers, cardboard, glitter glue are all new. The pattern is from Stitch the Halls, a new Christmas themed book by What Delilah Did, the same designer who by the lovely owl I presented before was.

I have also been knitting some warm mittens for the coming winter. These are a traditional pattern from the Kainuu region in Finland. That is actually in the middle part of Finland in the north-south axis but to me, being the Southerner I am, it seems to be way up North. Anyway, they have a beautiful mitten pattern with nine colors! I had all of these in my stash, some new skeins bought specifically for something, others just leftovers. I have finished one mitten and I totally love it.

This is What Happens When You Don't Blog for a While

Ok, since I haven't posted in ages there's a lot to share!

First of all, as soon as I had finished Mermaid's Song, I cast on another Susanna IC shawl, Ferywen. It was a quick one and I've already worn it lots. I love the Regia design line hand-dye effect by Kaffe Fassett that I used, the colors are so subtle and pretty.

I also finished a long-in-the-making pair of socks, Simple Prim by Yavanna Reynolds. It's a free pattern and as I only used 50 g of yarn, the total cost was only €3,90.

I've also knit two completely new pairs, both from Cookie A.'s Knit.Sock.Love. I've still not knit all the socks from that book but almost!

Here's BFF in Four Seasons Gründl Hot Socks Spectra:

And German Stocking in Hjertegarn Sock Wool:

Finally, I've also made two cards. The first was for a couple friends of my boyfriend's who got married:

And the second for my cousin and his family, they got a baby:

This weekend I've made a lot of progress on Kasha which I have shared some pictures of with you much earlier. I actually started knitting this cardigan in the beginning of September 2012! And now it is finally going to be finished. Here are all the pieces except for the collar blocking:

Mermaid's Song

My newest finished object is a shawl by Susanna IC. The pattern is Mermaid's Song found in Interweave Knits' special issue The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits. The magazine had some copyright issues and so on but I just had to have it as it had so many beautiful patterns! I am not really so into the Harry Potter books, I mean, they are fine and all but I would not go so far as to call myself a fan. Nevertheless, the designs were wonderful. So far I have knit 5 patterns out of the 32 included and I'm not done yet.

For Mermaid's Song I used leftover Handmaiden Fine Yarn Lace Silk from my Triinu shawl for my mum and "vintage" beads taken from an old purse my mum has crocheted years ago. You may not see clearly from the photos as the beads aren't very big but there is one silver-lined clear bead in each point. They reflect light beautifully, looking just like the water drops they are supposed to represent.

Mittens and Socks

I have been quite afraid of stranded colorwork. Before, it has been really difficult for me to get correct gauge and not have the floats either too long or too short. After I learned to knit inside out while working on the Jesse socks (see the post below) I find colorwork not so frightening after all! (Of course I've yet to conquer intarsia and many other things but those will have their time and place later). For now, I am really happy to be able to knit colorwork mittens and socks without being so afraid of messing up and ending with something I wouldn't be happy with! Here are a few of my recent projects:

First, here are a pair of mittens I knit for my mum's friend. She lives half the year in northern Finland and I used to visit her many summers when I was younger. Now, for the first time in many years, I finally went there again! These mittens ended up pretty big, but they still look really nice. The bigger the mittens, the warmer the hands, I guess. The pattern is free but only in Finnish.

I also knit a pair for myself, and with these I am extremely happy! The pattern is Vega by Clara Falk. I found her mitten book in my local library and really like quite a few of her patterns. This was my first time knitting from a Swedish pattern, of course, I mostly looked at the charts. I used Gjestal Maija which is definitely my go-to yarn when it comes to mittens.

I've also finished two pairs of socks, but these are real finishes, that is, one pair was started earlier this year and the other in 2011! SKA (Sock Knitters Anonymous) on Ravelry always hosts a "finishing month" in August when the objective is to finish as many pairs of socks as you can - and they all need to be started before the beginning of July so no casting on any new pairs!

The pair above I started in April this year, it's the Chrysanthemum Frutescens Socks by Hunter Hammersen. The yarn is dyed by me, it's the yellow onion skin after-bath.

The other pair I've finished is a pair of knee socks that's been on the needles since September 2011. I am so happy to have then done finally! I ran out of yarn at one point which is the main reason they have been sitting for so long. The pattern is from Novita Winter 2010 magazine, only available in print and in Finnish.