Blue shrug

This is a yarn again, that was hiding in my stash in a few month... I had four balls, about 200 gramms which would be enough for a tank top, but I already established that knitting and tank tops are not that good of a match... but what else would it be enough? Too much for a bag. too little for a cardigan... then I started working again, in an airconditioned office. Looking through my magazines and ravelry gave me the idea of making a shrug, but I didn't find the one I actually wanted to knit... so once again I made up a pattern.

Took a lace pattern that was deceptive, looking simple enogh, but giving me major pain, and several frogging session. I started the two sleeves at the same time so I wouldn't have to think what did I do and when. Slightly trumpet shaped sleeves

And crocheted edge around. I made up the crochet pattern as well... and since I made it (and had some beads left over from the heartland shawl) there are some beads in the edging.

I could title this post the Queen of second hand again as not only the yarn came from a second hand shop, but other parts of the outfit, the skirt and the top as well.

A few post ago (I guess it was about the aeolian shawl) I got some enquieries about the place we've shot the pictures. It is two tramstops away from where I live, Béke tér (The square of Peace) where there is this ship shaped sculpture/installation. Here is a picture of it for Angela and Regula.

The photographer, of course, was Christoper. Getting better each time, right?

Tradition

The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.

In those popular get to know each other questionaires and memes what is your favourite holiday is a standard question... and the standard answer for most people is Christmas. NOT for me. (I developed an unhealthy dislike for winter and Christmas). For me it is august 20th when we celebrate (the birthday of) our first king, the birth of the country, the new bread. For me it is also the celebration of tradition. Just as it is a trandition for me to put up a picture laden post of the big traditional craft fair, the festival of folk arts. This year all of the celebrations were restrained, which could be felt here too. There were less demonstrations, less booths, less sellers, less of everything (except prices). Still we needed two days to see and try everything we wanted, Chris even wanted to go back for the third day...
There were the usual array of pottery.
Traditional:

And not so traditional:

Dresses and outfits:

The theme for this year was gingerbread.

Demonstration of how to decorate it.

For me it seemed the theme was felts and feltmaking, because downloading the pictures I realized most of teh pictures were about that.

The traditional jurta of course.

Felted everything. Gloves and scarfs. (If I could just figure out how they do that ever so soft grid like felted scarf)

Even a felted shirt. I think that one has a considerable silk content in the fibers.

Felted pictures.

Some were making a felted rug right there with traditional motifs.

I had a hard time deciding if I like the purple felted hat better

Or the turqoise one

I even tried my hand at felting, and made a felted flower.

And of course I couldn't miss making a picture of my favourite felted dragon (which is not for sale. I couldn't afford it even if it would be, but I am making a pic of it every year)

There were the traditional indigo dyed printed fabric.

Which is made by printing a special wax on the fabric itself then dying it in indigo and removing the wax, leaving teh patterning white.

Christopher also had a great day.

He tried the bow.

Turning the music box... (BTW Angela, did you noted the T shirt he is wearing? And the hat. True fan. LOL)

Playing with logic requiering toys.

Making felt (the hard way)

Wood carving

Pottery

Weaving...Last year we got friendly with a teacher in a shcool/orphanage from the city I grew up. He was ever so friendly and patient with the kid. This year he seemed genuinly happy to see the boy again.

My favourite thing? Meeting this old lady, Klara, who was there demonstrating spinning the old way with a low whorl drop spindle. I was so happy to finally see someone doing it in real life. (I hope I am not sounding too full of myself when I say she seemed happy to see someone younger doing it too). I showed her my top whorl spindle we compared spinning methods and spin some toogether. Such a lovely lady, I hope I can meet her again.

Aside of th eentrance tickets and food and drink, I only bought one thing, one "vásárfia" (fair"s son) an pair of earring. I thought the motif had a definite elven feeling to it.

But I filled up with creative energies, and can't wait to actually make something.

Only 363 days until the next one.

Handspun Shetland Shetland

You are telling twice everything, twice everything?
Yes and no...

The handspun word speaks for itself.The shetland shetland? Last year I knitted the Icarus shalw, which turned out my all time favourite knitted item... So much so, that it took a toll... wearing it as a scarf/shawl it got caught in bags, buttons, I had to make repairs more than once. So I thought if it is such a big favourite I should make something else to ease the strain...

I've liked the Shetland triangle pattern for a while now, and that little matchy-matchy demon in me thought the real thing would be making it from shetland wool. The handdyed wool came from here, and you can read the story of the spinning here.

There isn't much to say about the knitting itself. The pattern is pretty starightforward. I could knit it in cafes and other places, or company. Here is how it looked before blocking.

And during blocking. Yes, those are beads in there.

It is smaller than the last two shawls I've done...

I can still wrap myself in it.

100 gramms of shetland wool, about 700 meters of yarn. 3.5 mm straight knitpicks harmony needles.

The truth to be told shetland will not be my favourite fiber. I tried to spin it fairly thin, but it is still scratchy. They do say shetland softens with washing. We'll see, Until then I can wear it over something, like a jeans jacket, or a blazer.I do like the slight halo though.
Not to mention that it is still pretty unbelievable for me... no not that I knitted this, but that I made the yarn also...

And you all know who the photographer was, don't you?

The neighbour's grass

Always greener?
I always loved coachella. It was one of the first thing I favourited years ago when I joined Ravelry. I love knitting, I love racerback. It took me a while to find the perfect yarn (which at the end came from the second hand shop).
What I didn't think that tank tops and knitting... kind of contradicting. I mean when it is hot enough to wear a tank it is hot to sweat in anything thicker than sheer linen.

It looks fun though, but the plunging neckline makes you think all kinds of solutions. How would this look like with a shawl pin for example?

It would also helped if I would read the pattern through very carefully...and not to start a top down item at the waistline. Thanks to the shcematics I could finish the thing withouth frogging.
And I love the backline. I am not a great fan of the rolled edge so used garter edge at the waist and around the armholes.

The yarn is Lana Grossa Elastico Print. Lovely, lovely yarn. I wish I had more of it, like enough for a sweater.I used 3mm addi circulars.

I was bad

And I went shopping.
I am frustrated and stressing... and these are the times when I go wilde with shopping... OK, I do it instead of drinking, or smoking, or... and I do it mostly in second hand stores, but my bank accound is still not so happy afterwards.
Now let's not even talk about clothes and how I ended up with seven white top from my favourite brand (although in different styles)...Lets just talk about what this blog is about (mainly...ummm).
YARN.
I got a phonecall last week... form the lady who works in the shop... she got new yarn. You can guess how fast I was over there. And this is what I got...

Just for the sake of Angela here they are in detail. Uploading the pictures I realized that I didn't do a pic of the bag of red yarn... Cotton, just ever so sligly boucle-ish, like one ply was let looser while spinning it. About 500 gramms, definetly a sweater woth. Then the rest:Tweedy, slightly thick and thin. The color is mainly light green, other ones threwn in. There was two balls. A shopping bag maybe?

About 100 grams of one ply fingering weight. Light blue-ish green.Jenny would love it I guess. Maybe a scarf? Or?

Six balls of cotton ribbon yarn. One has viscose (rayon) in it and shiny, that would make a nice edge to...a shrug?

Various bits and balls of sock-yarn. I don't knit that much socks (though lately there are a few who helped me, and I think a pair of socks as a thank you gift would be cool, right?

And some superwash:

And although different brands, similar thickness and quality of wool. And the purple one is alpacca and merino.

So that is for the sex I had last week. Sex... as Stash Enhancing eXperience.