Tuesday, March 19, 2013

All cut up- harvest cardigan

All right, I'll show it then
This is my first "real" fair isle cardigan, with the steeked technique.
Cutting it up really can gets on one's nerves, but on one hand if someone done all this work on a piece it is not too probable that she (or he) would want to frog it, on the other hand it is really so much easier to knit these things on the right side.
Pattern is the Harvest cardigan, yarn is Lana Grossa tweed sock yarn, the contrast colors were all kinds of odds and ends I picked up in second hand shops.
The knitting was actually done more than a year ago, I cut the steeks at the little birthday party some of my knitting friends organized for me.Only to let is lay low in the heap of VIPs with one arm sewed in...
As I said there were photos shot at the big operation, but when two computer crashed and died on me at the same time lots of things messed up, and I still hunting down these ones.
I have to thank Veronika, Maria, Kata and Kinga for holding my hand and Christopher for shooting the modelled pictures.
Since a few of you asked, in an upcoming post I will show pictures of the wrong sides of things I knitted with this technique and answer questions that I am usually asked about fair isle. So if you have one don't hold back!

Saturday, March 16, 2013

weekly spinning: blue falkland

This was my "going out" spinning for a while, I was spinning this, whenever I went out to somewhere where I had to, or could spin.
I dyed the wool at the end of last summer, when someone asked me fo baby blue fiber. In the fall at an obligatory school event meeting with a friend who was doing felting with kids, I took a bit off its end.
 Took this with me when I went to knitting meeting, the wool-day, even a folk artist meeting.
The fact that this was a secondary activity for me, not getting my full attention shows, it is more uneven and sustic than usual. On the other hand, as I say if I want perfectly even yarn I go into a yarnstore and buy one. No need to spend time with that. If I want one of a kind, totally unique, personal yarn, I spin it.
The pictures are somewhat more greyish than reality, the sudden winte in march doesn't favour photograpy.
About 90 gramms of handdyed falkland wool
spun with a drop spindle
520 meters two ply

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Blue poppies

I've knitted this hat for several reasons.
To check teh pattern just one more time.
To show, it looks good not only from the original yarn.
To show, that one should not be worried if the fair isle technique pulls in somewhat.
To figure out if it works with other color combination as well.
And not the least, because this close to spring I thought a blue flowered hat might just be the thing :-)
Yarn: Barka Esti Mese
Pattern Poppies
Photo: Christopher Laurent Deli

Friday, March 8, 2013

weekly spinning

Between the exams and knitting in connection with the e-book I was spinning too.
I wanted to knit this hat, and decided to spin some yarn for it...
At the end I find it a tad bit dark, but I still like it pretty much...
Even if I have some practicing to do when it comes to thicker yarn...
100 gramm, 230 meter merino Silk mix

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Stripes again

The pattern for the striped cardigan was tested by a couple of testers, but there was a moment when I needed to check it over again. Besides I was curious how it works with different colors...
So, I testknitted my own pattern :-)
Yarn is Barkafonal's 5'o clock tea, but I knitted it with smaller needles and thighter gauge than given in the pattern. The result is more close fitting, but still sporty and comfortable.
Like :-) 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Ready to STEEK

One of the techniques of fair isle knitting that it is knitted in the round, mainly to avoid having to deal with stranded purling and figuring out the pattern at the wrong side. At the openings (Front, arm, and some cases the neck) a few stitches added, then secured, and cut open.
I was preparing to do just that...
Pictures were shot when it was actually cut open, but a total computer crash makes is dubtful whether I can dig out those pictures... Until then...

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Picture time- the day of wool

I have a confession to make... the last few years was very difficult for me, and these difficulties still not ended. But in these troubles sometimes, just sometimes, there are times hidden when at the end of the day I genuinely feel thankful for that day, a day when I feel glad, that I could live it through. Today was one of those. Thanks for Adrienn and Zsóka for invitind me, thanks for Krisztina for jumping in at the very last moment and helping me out, and all of those who came.I am happy, but also very tired so, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.