Two New Things

I've recently finished a pair of socks, Dawlish by Rachel Coopey. I really liked knitting them, the pattern was quite intuitive and the result lovely.

I also finished my first ever mystery pattern, it was a shawl by Susanna IC, the queen of lace shawls (seriously). There were eight clues altogether and it was very interesting to see the shawl develop. I used self-striping yarn and black beads. It was also my first ever beading project! I really should get better pictures, but here's one for starters:

Remember you can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them, the shawl picture is pretty good quality so you can actually see the beads!

November News

Again, it's been a while since I've last written, but you have to excuse me, life has been pretty busy. I am still suffering with my finger (see last post). I try not to knit and usually succeed for a week or so, and then I must knit until the left little finger starts hurting again. It's pretty bad and makes me quite sad... Not being able to knit as much as I want due to limited time is one thing but not being to knit even as much as I'd have time for because a finger hurts...! That's what's really bothering me.

Still, I have finished a few things since I last blogged and started even more.

The first is a free pattern by Jackie Jones, the dragonfly washcloth. This is pretty cute, and I think I'll gift it to my boyfriends mother. There are so many dragonflies where she lives, cute and small, and huge and scary ones, too!

Dragonfly washcloth

I've also finished a pair of socks, but only one, and for my boyfriend's birthday. The pattern is Fred & George Socks by Rachel Coopey from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits magazine. I actually just read the last Harry Potter book for the first time just now. I had seen the films but only now did I read the book. I don't really know what to think of it, I have several complaints, but I am also glad to have finally read all the books.

Fred & George socks

The final thing I've finished is a fun little scarf designed by Caitlin ffrench. This was a mystery pattern, and there is no project page yet. The pattern can be found in her group on Ravelry. Here is the scarf as photographed today when it was beautifully sunny!

I also want to show you this beautiful yarn I got as a prize from Eden Cottage Yarns, who sponsored Cookie Crumbs KAL on Ravelry. I was lucky enough to win any in stock yarn from them, and I chose a laceweight that is 70% alpaca and 30% lace, Pegasus Lace. The yarn feels so soft, I can't wait to knit with it!

We organised a Halloween party a little over a week ago, below's my costume. I was pretty scary, huh?

I hope I can knit again soon, I have so many things on the needles! I am halfway through Gothic Spire by Cookie A. and almost half done with Dawlish by Rachel Coopey. I love them both, although the Gothic Spires may be gifted as they are a little loose for me. Here's hoping I'll have more to post soon!

Can't Knit!

I have tendinitis or something of the like in my left little finger, I can't knit at all and it hurts even if I don't :/ And just when things are so so stressful, this is really killing me! At least I can share with you two pairs of socks I finished before this horrible misery.

Here is Mona by Cookie A. from Knit.Sock.Love:

They were gifted to a friend for her birthday. Below you can see my version of Paignton by Rachel Coopey. Really nice pattern, one of my favorites from the book but they just don't fit my feet :( The afterthought heel doesn't suit me plus they are too wide on the feet... It doesn't show that much on the photos, though. I hope they fit someone as I intend to give them as a Christmas present!

Busy Times, Small Projects

I'm here to show some recent finishes. It's been a while since I blogged, but life is just a little crazy now with school and all. Well, I am still finding some time for knitting so all is not lost ;)

First, here's Woolgather, a great hat by Caitlin ffrench, and a free pattern, too! I used Novita Isoveli, a bulky weight yarn in a great color. The hat is quick and easy and so comfortable and warm. It's been getting really cold here in Finland last couple of days so I actually wore it today.

I also finished a pair of socks from Rachel Coopey's Coop Knits Socks, Pennycress. They are going to go in the Christmas present pile as they are a little big for me. Still, they were a very enjoyable, easy knit.

And last but not least, something I just finished, Katya choker by Dawn L.E. Riden, also a free pattern available on her blog easily found via Ravelry. This is for a friend for her birthday. I'll also make her earrings if I have time.

I've also been getting some nice things in the mail recently. First I got my Knit.Sock.Love. KAL prize from Handmaiden Fine Yarn, a skein of Lace Silk in the colorway Polar Sea. It is 900 meters of 100% silk! I can't wait to knit with it :)

And just yesterday I got the most squishy fingering weight merino from Rachel Coopey as a prize for her summer KAL. It's Toddy by the the Yarn Yard and I am in love with it! 

Bette Top with a Keyhole Neckline

Here it is, finished and photographed, my Bette top from Knit Vintage by Madeline Weston and Rita Taylor. I fell in love with this top back in January when we visited a bookstore in London. The price of the book was a little much for me, though, but luckily my local library carried it! And now the top is finally finished and I am so very happy with it. I took these pictures styled in a vintage way, the dress I actually sew myself for my cousin's wedding. I wanted to take pictures styled a modern way, too, and there are two in the end. The yarn is Hjertegarn Primevera Cotton, a fingering weight cotton yarn. I liked knitting with it once I got started, though it did feel splitty and difficult at first. Now here are the photos:

In the last two photos you can see the closing of the neckline, the reason why it's called a keyhole neckline. I think it looks fab both open and closed. Yes, I must say I am happy with this top!

More Socks... Sorry!

The evenings have shortened and darkened, winter is coming... Well, at least I'll be able to start wearing all these woolen socks I seem to not be able to stop knitting! Still, I can't believe how quick summer has gone by and how in only one short week I have to start studying again. How is that even possible? Beats me.

I have some great news, at least for me, as I won a skein of yarn from Handmaiden Fine Yarn! They are one of the sponsors for Cookie A.'s book Knit.Sock.Love. knitalong on Ravelry and by knitting my Stricken socks (see last post) and having good luck I won a skein of yarn. I don't yet know if I get to choose the skein or not but anyway I am pretty pleased!

I have also finished a few more pairs since then and other things, too. I actually finished my Bette top a while ago but I haven't gotten around to taking pictures as I need my photographer for that. But now I'll show you what I have finished and photographed:

First we have Herbology socks, by Rachel Coopey, found in the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits, which I by the way LOVE! The yarn is Kool-aid dyed by me, as you may remember, it's called Sphagnum.

Then we have a crocheted collar, a free pattern from Ravelry, Crochet Peter Pan Collar. I think it's pretty cute. The button is something I found on the street years ago, I think I was around ten years old and I have had it since then. I'm happy it has finally found its place.

And finally we have a pair of Cookie A.'s socks, In and Out. This pair has gotten a lot of positive feedback on Ravelry and I am quite happy with them myself :) The yarn is Zitron Trekking Sport XXL.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be sure to post pictures of Bette as soon as I have them. It's lovely! :)

Stricken

I've been finishing some older projects as well as starting some new ones and I hope I'll soon have more to share. However, here's a pair of socks I finished a few weeks ago, the pattern is again from Cookie A.'s Knit.Sock.Love., the beautiful Stricken. My version is a tame light green as opposed to the canary yellow of the one in the book. I'm really happy with these socks, the fit is great, and I really think the yarn (Novita Pikkusisko in 321) suits the pattern.

Socks and Shawls

I have been knitting a lot in the past few weeks and am here now to show what I've created. First, here's the shawlette I knit with the miniskeins I dyed with red onion skins. The pattern is Elk Tooth by Caitlin ffrench and I think it looks fabulous striped in these earth tones!

The happy wearer

Blocking - you can see the different colors really well

Then we have another shawl by Caitlin ffrench, Seven and Zero. The blue green yarn of this shawl I also dyed myself, as you may remember, with Kool-aid and blue food coloring. The purple is store bought but looks really good with the blue-green!

Oh, and then there are the socks - are you bored with them yet? First we have Milfoil by Rachel Coopey, and it's knit in the beautiful green I managed to dye with food coloring, onion skins, more food coloring and finally turmeric... They go so well together! I also knit a pair in sport weight Novita Nalle, Koiranputkisukat by Pia Tuononen, an Finnish pattern for a change. But it's also been translated, and available for free on Ravelry.

Milfoil by Rachel Coopey

Milfoil in the forest

Koiranputkisukat by Pia Tuononen

Dyeing with Red Onion Skins

I thought I'd get green. I didn't. But I did get all sorts of beautiful browns, one pretty good ochre and a beautiful pinkish color! I made miniskeins of sport weight Novita Nalle, 75% wool 25% nylon, to test out all kinds of different combinations: I tried adding vinegar, lemon juice, salt and baking soda to my color broth and had a few separate broths with different amounts of onion skins. Finally I dyed Garnstudio Drops Fabel with a lot of onion skins and some vinegar and lemon juice. Here are the results:

Miniskeins!

Miniskeins balled up

Sock yarn!

I have not yet come up with a name for this new beautiful brown sock yarn, any ideas? As for the miniskeins, I've already started to knit something with them. I just couldn't wait, they were so beautiful and looked so good together. I am knitting Caitlin ffrench's Elk Tooth with all the pretty colors, starting with the darkest and ending with the pink - the same order as they are photographed in the first photo. I am knitting the third color now and it looks so good already!

Beverly Tee

I finished my first project from Knitscene summer 2013, Beverly Tee by Jean Chung. I made mine with two different colors as the base color brown is just too boring... But with the addition of the bright green, I quite like it!

The yarn is Novita Miami, 50% acrylic, 50% cotton. The top is pretty great for summer, as it's knit loosely so wind will go straight through.

I knit a couple more washcloths. I also dyed yarn with red onion skins but I don't have pictures yet, so you'll have to wait to hear more of that experience.

Butterfly washcloth

Single Rose washcloth

World's Best Cookies and a New Knitting Addiction

I made the best cookies last week! The recipe was from 100 Best Cookies magazine that was available for free through Zinio and my local library. The cookies are made up of: (the regular stuff: flour and sugar etc), chocolate, pistachios, dried cranberries and topped off with white chocolate. The original recipe called for dried cherries but I've never been too fond of those so I changed it to cranberries. They really were the best ever, and I am kind of sad we have already eaten them all...

My new knitting addiction, which hasn't quite grown to that proportion yet, but I think it's funny to call it that anyways: washcloths! I never thought I'd knit washcloths but then yesterday I thought why not and took out some leftover yarns and searched Ravelry for fun and free patterns. I found so many great patterns and have now knit two, both by Elaine Fitzpatrick. I'm pretty happy with these cute washcloths and I am quite sure they will not be last I knit. There is something immensely satisfying in starting a project and finishing it during the same hour.

Turtle Love Cloth

Oh, Nuts! Cloth

It's been so hot here for a few days, nothing like Finland normally. It's awful when your hands get all sweaty when you are trying to knit! But I have managed quite well, right now I am knitting Beverly Tee by Jean Chung from Knitscene Summer 2013. It's a lovely peplum sleeveless top. Speaking of Knitscene I can't wait for the Autumn issue! When it comes to knitting magazines, Autumn is almost always the best, don't you agree? Other publications I really look forward to are the Unofficial Harry Potter knits (coming out at the end of July) and Jane Austen Knits 2013 (coming out in October). And the Autumn issue of Novita (Finnish) also looks pretty good. But it's not like I don't have stuff to knit before those all are published. Chinami Horiba has so many great free crochet designs which I just love. Then there is another top from Knitscene Summer 2013 I want to knit, the Sundial Tee by Jennifer Dassau. And another knit from Jean Chung, Lost Garden Tee from Knitscene Spring 2013. Of course there are some socks to knits for KALs, especially Milfoil and Paignton by Rachel Coopey. And hats, there are so many hats I want to knit. In this weather! Oh well, it will get cold soon enough...

My final words: everyone should watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show!