Summer update

Is it summer already? Wasn't it last summer just a few posts ago? Well, you all see where this is going. Blogging is just not happening at this here blog.

But that doesn't mean there is no knitting. On the contrary, there is always knitting going on. Knitting is my lifeline when life gets stressful which is pretty much all the time. But the future of the blog is not so bright, at the moment at least.

I do, however, hang out at Ravelry all the time and like to keep my projects page up to date so if you are a Raveler you can always find me here.

And if you are neither a Ravelry member nor planning to ever become one but still like to catch up with my knitting you can subscribe to the rss feed from my projects page by clicking this link:
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Majtessa.rss
using the excellent Google Reader or Feed reader of you choice.

Happy summer, happy knitting and see you sometime somewhere (else) in the wonderful world of the webs!

New year, new beginnings

Happy new 2008!
May this year bring you woolly warmth and lots of happy knitting!

I love New Year's Day! It holds so much hope, promise and expectation. So rather than wrap up my 2007 knitting, I like to look ahead to the many new possibilities of 2008. The closest thing to a new year's resolution will be this:

May 2008 be the year when I finally finish a sweater!

I have a long history of sweater failures, but I'm feeling pretty confident things may be about to change. I'm hoping my recent purchase of Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits will also help me on my path to The Finished Sweater.

Additional sources for fibery inspiration for the new year are the batch of books I got from The Book Depository just in time for Christmas. They include Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Yarn and Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, plus the aforementioned Fitted Knits and a few others. Lots of yummy patterns and delightful reading there.

To celebrate the beginning year I hope to cast on for the Spring Shawl Surprise tonight. It's a lace stole knitalong labelled challenging. Sounds like just my kinda thing. :)

Here's a little sneak preview of what else is on the needles as the year commences.

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And in case anyone was wondering ... No, I didn't finish the 9 to 5 socks by Friday night (see previous post) but Birthday Girl did get her socks well in time for Christmas and was happy as a lark anyway. I enjoyed this project very much and was rather proud of the results of my Koolaid dyeing (sadly the variegation doesn't show in the picture). The pattern had some nice little details that were new to me, such as picking up the heel flap selvedges from the "wrong side" to make a really neat and decorative edge.

9 to 5 socks
Pattern: 9 to 5 by Nicole at All Buttoned Up
Yarn: Novita Nalle, grey yarn dyed with Koolaid
Needles: 2,5 mm dpns

And finally, although I feel a little bad to say it, the rest is on Ravelry. Stuff I never found the time to blog about, yarn details, WIPs and whatnot. There will be an open house sometime in January so if you're not already a member, here's your chance to come and see what it's all about. Catch you there!

Last minute knitted gift

• Roughly one month ago: Received invitation to dinner with the girls to celebrate birthday girl on Fri, Nov. 23.
• Last weekend: While travelling to Fair realized Gift is needed for said birthday girl. Decide to knit socks.
• Monday, Nov. 19: Realize that despite rather vigorous shopping at said Fair (see below) no suitable yarn for birthday girl's socks is found in stash.
• Tuesday, Nov. 20: Decide koolaid yarn is the thing. Dash off to closest supermarket to buy a ball of grey Novita Nalle (pictured left). Spend the evening inhaling cherry and tropical punch fumes.
• Wednesday, Nov. 21: Wait impatiently for grey-turned-variegated-cherry-tropical-red (much prettier in real life) yarn to dry. Eventually heat sauna and hang yarn in there. Wind dry yarn into ball pictured right.
• Thursday, Nov. 22: Cast on 9 to 5 socks (pictured center) at noon using 2,5 mm needles. Make note to self to never buy Novita Nalle again after this project, feels like knitting plastic. But the color is nice.
• Thursday, Nov.22, midnight: Blog about said project rather than knit heel flap.

Question: What are the odds there will be two finished 9 to 5 socks by 6pm Friday, Nov. 23?

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And because I can't be bothered to write a separate post about the Fair, here's what I bought:

Ornaghi Filati Merino oro: Teal and Brown
OnLine Supersocke Silk
Katia laine nylon
Wetterhoff Sivilla

Four socks and a piano

One pair for him and one for her.

Pomatomus socks
Pattern: Pomatomus from Knitty
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino in blues/purples
Needles: 2,5 mm dpns

Boyfriend socks
Pattern: Boyfriend socks by Alice Bell
Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura bamboo/wool blend
Needles: 2,5 mm dpns

FO galore

I don't seem to take time to blog very often, but here's proof that at least I'm knitting. And there's more where these came from, albeit unblocked and with ends to weave in. Anyways, first out, a nothing-fancy-or-spectacular happy pair of mittens:

Mittens with Lozenge Pattern
Pattern: my own, using standard ribbed cuff,
thumb gusset and two-stitch top decrease
Yarn: Pirta Villanalle 100% superwash wool
(bought at Citymarket sometime in the 90s)
Needles: 3,0 mm dpns

Next, a cutie-hat for the baby in the family. A clever little pattern with a very nice fit and i-cord ties. I modified the size to fit the head of the receiver and added the garter stripes. Love this one (both baby and hat)!

Top down bonnet
Pattern: Top down bonnet by Adrian Bizilia from Hello yarn
Yarn: Schoeller & Stahl Limbo superwash wool (brown)
and Regia Silk (blue)
Needles: 3,5 mm dpns

And finally a bit o' lace.

Swan Lake
Mystery Stole 3 without beads
Pattern: MS3 yahoo group knitalong in the summer of 07
Yarn: one strand of Grignasco MerinoSilk, pearl grey, 30 g (!)
Needles: 3,5 mm Addi Turbo circulars
For my mom

I'm addicted to lace, there's no denying it. I may not always want to wear it, but there is no other kind of knitting I enjoy as much as the process of reading a chart, watching the pattern unfold on the needles and then seeing the true beauty of the lace revealed on the blocking board (and still I managed to get a really wonky edging along the point of this stole, but let's not dwell on petty details).

I make no claim to originality with this one since there are about 5 000 other knitters making the same stole, but I really like the asymmetric design and the "wing" on one side. It turned out quite small and is light as a feather, so it doesn't have all that much drape, but there is a delicacy to it that I find very attractive.

Having finished this, I went right on and signed up for The secret of the stole, Mystic waters and the Spring Shawl Surprise knitalongs. I haven't started any of those yet, though, as there are other projects, lace and more, waiting in the wings. But more on that next time.

Oh, and Ravelry really is all it's cracked up to be. A great organizing tool (how else would I have remembered what size needles I used?), a great source of inspiration, a friendly community, and a great time sucker. I've been seeing knitting thumbnails pictures in my sleep lately.

I'm in!

After having waited for two agonizing months and checked the waiting list a zillion times a day (I'm a geek, I know. I have no life), my Ravelry invitation finally arrived. Oh, the pictures, the patterns, the people ... All in one placce. Ingenious. I'm Majtessa, come on over and say hello.

Now excuse me while I disappear into a Ravelry-shaped hole.

Yarn for sale

Oh my, the months just fly by. There is, however, plenty of knitting action going on behind the scenes. And a bit of stash inventory resulting in yarn looking for a new home.

Jaeger Luxury Tweed
Shade 824 Kingfisher
65 % merino wool, 35 % alpaca

10 x 50 g/180 m (minus a small swatch)
SOLD!

Here's a pic of the swatch, showing the subtle variegation.

More pastel goodiness:

Novita Kid Mohair
Color 593
80 % kid mohair, 20 % polyamide
5 x 50 g / 200 m
14 euro + postage

Both yarns are now discontinued in production.

If you're interested drop me a comment or an email at majtessa at yahoo dot com, in any language ;).