The mind of a geniuos, how does it work?

I got the perfect idea today! You remember that I'd knitted wrong (because of faulty instructions, I'd say) on the sleeves for my most ongoing projet, right? Well, I haven't been very anxious to knit because I've known what's been waiting for me since I'm "frogging" by undoing one stitch at the time. Maybe you all have found smart ways to do this faster, but I haven't. That is, until today.

This is what I did. First, I "sewed" with the needle at the row that would be the first NOT to knit:

After that, I pulled out the needle I was working with originally! Oh my gosh!! Would this even work?

After that, I started to pull out the yarn. Gulp!

And look how nice it all turned out! In just a couple of strokes, the 7 rows had been frogged and I could happliy continue with my knitting!

I believe that this is very, very smart! So, maybe you think that this is an old trick that actually every decent knitter knows about. Well, don't tell me! I'm very proud of my solution and prefer to think that I'm a genious!

Progress report

So, I've made some good progress on my little project. I have finished the left front, but I haven't joined the fronts and the back yet. This is because I somehow got a different gauge on the shoulderparts on the fronts and the back. If I have time I'll rip the back's shoulders and join them later. Of the 6 roses I was supposed to do, I've only completed one, but no worry, they seem to be knitted quite fast.


What I have done though (which was assigned for next week) is to start on the sleeves. I've started shaping them, but in the instructions it says: "cast off 8 sts at beg of next row. Dec 1st at each end of next 5 rows..." This is what I have done, and now I've realised that I should have cast off 5 sts at beg of next 2 rows. Grrr, I hate when I make mistakes, but I like it even worse when it's because of unclear instructions!


I've also worked on my print 'o the wave stole, but the progress there is unnoticable without a microscope! Will I ever be able to complete it?

The Forecast's body is now finished, and I dare say that it will look gorgeous on me! I like that feeling!

Today I participated in Tjejmilen, for the first time. It's a 10 km-race only for women and I did it on the very respectable time of 70 minutes. It's not a bad time for me, but I feel quite anxious to start working out for next year's race already!

Character building

I just have to show you the last project I started. I know that I've said that I wouldn't start any new projects before some stuff are finished. I'm very ashamed of this, and that's the reason why I didn't show this to you after starting to knit this weekend. Anyway, it's supposed to be Shedir from Knitty and I'm using Drops alpaca, mmmm.

That's all I wanted to share. But can you understand how hard it will be for me to stick to that sweater-you- know-which, that I have to finish??

Project Plan - Rambling Rose

OK, this is the deal: my sister recently turned 30 and will have a big party on September 8th. I have promised her one of my knitted things. I will not mention which in case she’s reading this blog. I’m partly responsible for a course in project management at my uni, so I thought that I would make a very short project plan for this sweater.

1) First, I have to specify what my goal is, well it’s basically to finish the sweater on time!
2) What is my timeframe? Two andahalfweeks.
3) How can the project be broken down in smaller parts? And do I have to do things in a special order?

Sewing the steeks is depending on me getting in contact with a sewing machine. This leads to that I will start with the body, leave the steeks until I visit my parents next time (next weekend would be suitable) and meanwhile continue with the sleeves and adornments.

This week I will:

• Finish left front
• Join fronts and back
• Make adornments

Next week I will:

• Knit 2 sleeves
• Join sleeves
• Buy buttons
• Sew steeks (in the weekend)

Third and final week I will:

• Cut steeks
• Knit buttonbands
• Sew buttons
• Add adornments
• Friday: give finished knit to happy sister!

Do you think I will make it? I’ll post a picture Sunday evening and let you know about the progress I’ve made!

A one-year-old knitter

I have recently realised that I've been knitting for a year or so now. I've been thinking that I should sumarize this year; as a blogger, but also as a knitter! I put together everything I've knitted (and finished) during this year, and I'm amazed to see that I've been so productive!

So, what have I done?

First up, I learnt how to do garter stitches, and it resulted in a beutiful scarf for M. After that, I started on a matching sweater for him which made me learn how to rib and knit in stockinette. This was followed by a blue-brown vest, where the new thing was the I-cord that was used as a belt. I also made wristwarmers with beads that matched the vest, and a horrible sweater which was a quick knit and gave me some more knowledge of construction . All these projects belong to what I call my naïve period!

After my naïve period, I went to New York, where i started to experiment. A horrible poncho, which taught me to make goodlooking decreases and some random projects with novelty yarns. Mistakes were followed by a real good knitting: the famous Eunny Jang's argyle vest. Not only did I knit lovely argyles, but I also made steeks!

Since coming home from NY, I've become a more mature knitter. My best experience this year has been the Ferragamo bag, not only was it fun to knit, but I also enjoyed to decide how the inside of the bag, the leather top and the knitted outside should work together. I call this my first design-experience, small scale, but anyway. I knitted Knitty's Starsky and I learnt how to cable and sew pieces together and make it look good. I've also made some baby-socks where I crocheted (!) and I've knitted a second ferragamo bag for a friend. From now on, I don't knit for friends. Knowing that someone was waiting for me to finish killed all joy. I can knit and give the finished stuff to friends, but thay can't "order" anything.

Actually, I hope that someone that doesn't know how to knit should read this and understand that anyone can go from beginner to a mature knitter (my own words, I know) in only a year. And that everything shown above is made of knit and purls in different shapes and orders. Knit and purl, that's all you need to know, baby!

Obsession continues...

After a thorough reading of the blogs of the participants in SP8, I've narrowed the suspects down to lucky dog knits, Dandelion Spinnery, Extravayarnza, knitting solo, KNITTIOTHERAPY or craftomatique. All the others are excluded because they have already shown what they have sent their spoilees, or just written that they've sent yarn - something that my SP didn't send me! Now, the question is, who of you is it?

Phew! This detective work is exhausting!

Yesterday I had the last tennis lesson of the intensive course I've taken this summer. I've learnt so much! So far I've played tennis outdoors, so I have to find another tennis-place (court?). The choice is between a place who only want members that can pay 9400 SEK (more than 1000$) a year without a problem (according to their rules) and a place which has "People to the tennis and tennis for the people" as their slogan. Tough choice, eh?

I'm about to mail my last package to my SP-spoilee. I've finally found the required customs-form CN22! Yiha!

Open letter to Secret Pal 8

Dear Secret Pal!

Don't you worry about being occupied, I understand! While I'm waiting for the grand finale I've been picking up on an old hobby of mine: to be a secret detective! I'm on the hunt for you, SP8! Or should I call you PurlPirate, Ignoble Jen, Sheep-frog, Sally or maybe Wye Sue? You see, I know that ou're from UK (It took great bravery and enormous brainpower to find that out). So I've narrowed it down to these five knitters! You'd better look over your shoulder, because soon I'll figure out who you are!

/S.D.V. (Secret Detective VivaPia)

This is how far I am at my Forecast. Am I this thin? Will I solve that whith blocking and/or dieting if it turns out that I'm not?

Tam-Ta-Dam

I've started to knit Forecast and it feels great! I've never knitted anything top-down and it's so fun to watch the shoulders grow for every row. The backlash is that for every row, there are more and more stitches, but that's part of the deal, right?

The colours are very good on the photo for once. I think it shows quite well that the two yarns are different in colours. The wool is more purple and the alpaca is more pink. They make a perfect mix and just enough colour-exitement for me.

I've realised that I'm knitting (sort of actively) three things now, Forecast in winered, Rambling Rose in pink and Print 'O the wave... in a soft purple. Very girlish coulours! And both forecast and Rambling are cute, feminine cardigans with bubbles and stuff. I thought my taste in knitting was more clean and "cool". Obviously I was wrong. :D

My camera works!

Today I've been to Marias garn and bought wool and alpaca (no tweed) for the forecast-to-be! I really love the colour! I know I've promised myself, and you, -my readers :) that I wont start with a new project until this and that, so at first I wasn't planning on actually buying any yarn. I was just looking! But then I fell in love with the colout, so I had to buy it!

About my camera, M fixed it when he got home. I don't know what he did, but he's not the violent type, so maybe some love and kind words were all it needed. :)

FO: Ferragamo Bag II

Look, something terrible has happened: I've finished my second Ferragamo bag, took a lot of pictures, uploaded one of the bag hanging on a chair:

Uploaded a second one (which turned out to be the blurry one, not the good picture I had planned to upload):

And then: my camera breaks!! How, I don't know, but the picture disappeared, it started to sound funny, and the green light indicating that the camera is on was only shining a little. Now it doesn't shine at all! Guess I have to get the camera fixed, I hope I have some guarantee-papers for it somewhere.

I kept the blurry photo for you to see that since I had to give the bag away (I made it for a friend from the beginning) , I made a little piece where I sew "Från Pia" (which basically means "From Pia" in Swedish). I've already given the bag to my friend, so no more photo opportunity on that one.

When I got home today, there were 2 (two) knitting magazines lying on the floor just waiting for me; Interweave Knits and Rowan No 40!

I've just scrolled them and have already found a couple of projects I'd like to do. What do you think of Rowan's "Dotty" for M, perhaps in different colours? Or the crazy "Organic bag"? Don't you all fell that it's time for all these autumn-projects. That even if the weather's still hot, we've all noticed that the evenings are getting cooler... Right? brown, dark reddish things, that's what we want now.

I also found the Gatsby Girl pullover from Interweave. I don't like the short sleeves, but I really like the pearls on the shoulder!

Bag-progress

So this is the pastel-grey Ferragamo bag I'm about to finish. It's not as big as my last one, but hopefully it will be just as charmy! So, the knitted piece:

And the fabric -inside (but shown inside-out in the picture) with an almost hidden zipper! Quite nice, I hope you all can tell that I'll soon be mastering the art of sewing superbly!

Ok, now I have to finish it!

Gosh, how do I find the time?

More than a week has passed since I wrote my last entry here. So what have I been up to? well, this week, I've been to a concert with Laleh at Skansen, danced tango outside Stockholm's stadsmuseum, started a Tenniscourse (very intense: 3 times this week since I skipped wednesday's lesson because of the concert). I also went home to my friend who wanted the gray Ferragamo-bag and borrowed her sewing machine for the inner-bag that's made out of fabric after monday's lesson. All of this I've done in one work in the evenings after work. I'm exhausted!

Since I'm still at work now, I can't post any pictures of my progress. I think I'll see my friend tomorrow, at the Stockholm Pride festival, so tonight I will try to stitch the leather beautifully to the bag so it will be finished tomorrow. After I've gone out jogging, that is.

I got the last number of Vogue Knitting yesterday. I liked it, but nothing special got to me. Right now I just want to finish everything I've got on my needles. And I'm dreaming of a litlle sewing machine and all of the wonderful things I could do if I had one...

Ciao!