Desert wind

Calling it as such because I felt like in an emotional desert sometimes in the last few weeks...

Sometimes it is said about knitting that with its repetitive movements it can be pretty meditative...or even the new yoga.
For me knitting works in two ways. If i want to think about something i chose something really simple, like stockinett or ribbing..and let the meditative side take over, let my thoughts flow.
But when there is something I do NOT want to think about... I just take something that requires the outmost attention. Watching and thinking about every stitch...

This shawl certainly fitted the second category.

As the lace pattern with the nupps were not enough I went for the beaded wariety...

And the size that is...generous.

Thightly spinned pure silk from india.
Tiny seadbeads from the Chzech republic.
2.5 mm needles.St.arted out with straight ones, but when the number of stitches reached 600 I had to change to circs.

Me and my personal photographer :-). Thank you my boy.

White summer

What can I say? I love white and I love summer. This summer we had hot times, but we also had pretty cold ones too.

I had about 300 gramms of Patons cotton yarn from the second hand shop. It was too much for a tank top, to little for a sweater. So a short sleeved summer cardigan seemed a good idea. I just couldn't find one I liked so I designed one :-)
Simple top down seamless raglan construction, with stockinett bodice, and a lace skirt/peplum.

There are increases hidden in the reversed stockinett columns so it is slightly A line

Also slightly puffy sleeved with crocheted picot edge. Typical of me, eh?

I think it will go well with summer dresses just as with soft, loose pants.

You know, who was the photographer, don't you ;-)

I've been spinning

The stress of the last few week affected me more ways than I care to count :-(... one of those was that for weeks I just could not knit.
Yes I know. I've knitted through all kinds of things, including parting from P... Me, who is capable of turning back from the gate because I had no knitting in my bag (even if I was going to work). I was just sitting there looking at the knitting... Even if I took it into my hand I've put it down after a few stitches... I couldn't concentrate even on stockinette. Me who would knit in the dark at the movies. It was really scary, I have all this yarn, what am I going to do with it???

I don't know what made me try the spindle, but I am glad I did, because spinning took me through it now...

That is me in the park, shot by my friend, Kriszta, when we took the kids.

I finally finished the turqoise merino and silk, you've already seen the finished shawl. I still have about 200 meters or so, but no idea what to knit... maybe I will chain ply it and make a lacy fingerless glove.

Then I finally finished the alpacca I was making for the Helm's deep shawl. 200 gramms, about 700 meters.

Thats my son's hand... maybe gives an idea about the thickness.

It is soft enough to wear it around my neck...even when it is pretty warm.

And then I was spinning this beauty of softness... Up until now, this was the softest, loveliest rowing I've spun. I've started out with this 50 gramm of rowing which was 50% silk and 50% yak. Used the spindle I bought from Steven. Ended up with...

420 meters od the softest yarn I ever touched. Even if I say so myself. I would love to put it under my pillow. Or rather over my pillow.

I tried to do it as thin as I can, so it would be enough for something. I have no idea though what would that be.

Love that barberpoling, marbled effect too.

Any suggestion what should I knit from it?

Handspun giant

I've been spinning this yarn for a while now, it's appeared in the blog now and then, but i finally had enough to finish the shawl.I knew it is going to be big when I took it off the needles...

But when, doing blocking the edges didn't fit on a queen sized bed, I was sure.

There is something so immensly satisfying not only wear your own handknits, but make them from your own handspun.

I've put some beads in just for good measure:

And see how big it is:

Now I can REALLY wrap myself in it :-)

Or in sarong style...wear it as a dress

Even two of us is fitting in it:

But the truth is I wear it like this:

But I can't get enough looking at it

The wool is available in this shop.Unlike the other shop I bought it first, her service was impaccable. Spindle came from this shop.
The pattern is Heartland lace by Evelyn C. Clark.
I used knitpicks 14" straight needles.

Maybe even the beads can be seen...I used up almost every one of the big pack...hardly any left...like I would have counting them before buying.

I think I'll keep it :-)

Oh and my personal photographer...By now I don't have to tell who done the modelled pics, do I?

As long as we are talking about purple

Yep... I tend to have those color periods...I guess it is because of my need to match things up and if I have a -let say- purple skirt sooner or(rather than) later I will have some purple sweater to match things up...I had this yarn for a while (the recent happenings made me watch my budget very closely...so I decided to knit from stash. I haven't bought any yarn, or fiber for a whole month. Imagine that.
For some years I had my eye on a cardigan in one of the german magazines (I guess it was a sabrina special edition), but as we all know my german knowledge it rather limited, besides the cardigan needed a lot of modification anyway. So, as usual, I looked at the charts and made up my own version.

In the empire style I love so much (almot as much as wrap cardis :-)

Slightly A lined (but not as much so it would look like a maternity thing)

Long sleeves:

Crocheted button band (as it has more "hold" than a knitted one).

Yarn is Yarnart's jeans (50% cotton, 50% polyester) in lilac color. I used less than 400 gramms. 3mm addi circular needles (the body was knitted in one piece) and 3 mm straight bamboo ones for the sleeve. I knitted teh two sleeves at the same time. I would hate more trying to think what and when did I do with the second sleeve than sewing up the seams.

Also crocheted picot edge around the neck and the sleeves just to add even more romance.

The modelled pictures were shot by my favourite personal photographer.

Guess who is it :-)

Yep, it is my boy, who also figured out the automatic mode in the camera. Is he talented or what?

Thank you sweethart.