Adventures in Fair-Isle land- Bergen Cardigan

Fair Isle knitting has long fascinated me, but usually I get stuck with smaller pieces, like hats... 

I did foray into the land of stranded knitting a few years ago with my red nordic cardi or the black hearts sweater, even gave a go to steeking with the harvest crdigan... This fall I decided I will venture even deeper and try to learn more about this strange, lovely and addictive thing.

 The DROPS Alpaca Party gave me the perfect opportunity to collect enough yarn for the a yoked cardigan,

 The stockinett parts would have tunred me wanting to poke my eyes out with the needles, if not for my university teachers, who, after three years of my training doesn't bat a eye when I take out my knitting... and then the fun part began...

 I can't explain how exciting to put one stitch after the other and see the pattern emerge...

To be honest, after finishing the sweater, I had it lying around in my living room, and I just had to pick it up time to time, and wonder, it I really made this...

 Pattern: Bergen Cardigan from DROPS
Yarn: DROPS Alpaca
Photos: Christopher Laurent Deli

Forget me Knot V.2

When I crocheted the Forget Me Knot shawl last year I knew that the tree of us (pattern, yarn, and me) will see each other again soon...

For myself, however I choose this pinkish, purplish color, who knows why...

There isn't anything new I can say about the pattern, it is straightforward, easy to follow, fast, looks good in unicolor and Delight makes it extra special.

Of course, being me, without beads it wouldn't be the same.

It also goes well with the Crochet hat, I showed you earlier.

Pattern is Forget me knot from Drops.
Yarn is Drops Delight.
Photoes: Chrostopher Laurent Deli

Crochet hat

Sometimes I make things and wait until the perfect opportunity to make photoes, which somehow never comes and it just never gets blogged about.. 

This is what almost happened to this hat...I made it early in the fall, then the darkening skies and shortening days made it increasingly difficult to find teh necessary light.

Pattern is DROPS,  143-40, which, if I remember correctly, I followed pretty closely. If I would make it again, I would pick up more stitches around the granny square edges, but I like the hat as it is :-)

The yarn is DROPS Delight (mon amour).
Photoes Chrostopher Laurent Deli,

One night stand

Just as I was finishing my new year sweater, and waited until it is dry, the need to have a RED hat hit me... not a red and white (which I have) not a red and gray, but red, nothing else, pure red...

 Last year I must have known something, because when I finished my white Beaufort hat, I inmediately got the yarn and cast on for  red one, but spring came and it was not only cas on, but cast aside as well..

I only had to dig in the box I put the WIP's and see where was I... Right after the ribbing, cool.

 I vaguely remebered I wanted to heavily modify the original one, make it more beret shaped, however the yarn length was limited.

 But it was thick, and I love this pattern, so it went fast, in fact I was done in a night. Sometimes you just gotta love quick projects, right?

Photos: Christopher Laurent Deli
Yarn: DROPS Andes
Needles: 5 mm
Pattern: Very loosely based on the Beaufort hat.

new year, new sweater

By now it is a tradition for me... Angel started it... She starts a project every new year for good luck. Since they say, that at the first day of the year you should do things you would like to do all year... Casting on a new project fits perfectly in this theme... For a couple of years it was by chance that the sweater I started as the first thing in a year happened to be red. But then it started to become intentional, as red is a lucky color (not only for the chinese, right? ).

So this year, I was all prepared, selected the pattern, and got the yarn well in advance. And as a self imposed job-duty, both of them is from DROPS.

As for the pattern...after finishing the translation for the DROPS winter catalogue I was free to roam in the old(er patterns) and I found quite a few treasures. Like this absolutely simple, but lovely cardigan.

The structure of it is basically very simple and old fashioned. Knitted flat, in pieces and sewn up afterwards. My gauge was off ... or... as the original version was written for a DROPS Loves You yarn (that is no longer available), or Karisma. I had a lovely red Nepal for this... I checked an old swatch, I thought was knitted from Nepal, and it was close enough... Only after I frogged about 10 cm of the back I realized that the swatch was knitted from Lima (similar, but thinner yarn). DUH.

The only modernish thing about the cardigan is the A line, and probably the flowery wood buttons I put on, to break up all that redness.It took me exactly seven days to knit it (would have been less, if I would not kept frogging it)... from the Nepal I started with size S, but still had to tinker with the armhole and the sleeves.At the end it turned out a simple, but nice, and comfy, everyday cardigan. I think it would do for teh start of the year.

Pattern: DROPS 108-22

Yarn: DROPS Nepal

Photos: Christopher Laurent Deli