FO :: Polka Dot Sweater

I finally pulled myself together and weaved in all the ends and sewed on the pockets on Eirin's Polka Dot Sweater today. And it came out great! As it is knitted in acrylic, I didn't dare to use the iron and steam block the polka dot pattern on the sleeves and the pockets... So I dipped them in water, blocked them with pins and let them dry. They became less wobbley, but I still would have wanted them to be flatter. Hopefully they will become that with wearing.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Grellow Polka Dot
Yarn: Thea 326 g grey and 66 g pink
Needles: 3 mm / US 2,5 for ribbing, 3,25 mm / US 3 for the stocinette and 3,5 mm / US 4 for the polka dots
Made for: Eirin
Size: 34", fits my long and thin soon 12 year old
Started: April 16, 2014
Completed: May 9, 2014



Linking up with FO Friday :: Creative Friday :: Fiber Arts Friday

FO :: Stripes

Last time I stopped by my local yarn shop, I found some selfstriping yarn :)
This skein was in black and bright colours - they are a bit brighter in real life. The yellow and green pops out a bit more than I managed to capture in the photos..
I casted on a little fewer stitches than I normally do as the yarn is a little thicker than my ususal sock yarn.
I meant to knit them for myself, but Eirin really wanted them, so she'll get them. They are a little long for her foot, but it's good to have a pair she can grow into ;)

I decided to knit an afterthought heel. I have not made many of those before, but I keep seeing them on selfstriping socks and they do make those heels look a bit prettier than a short row heel. Anyway, this one seems to fit Eirin's foot, so I guess I'll knit it again for her. I have another pair on the needles for hubby and I'm  thinking about doing an afterthought heel on his socks too. Not sure if they will fit his foot, but we'll see ;)

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Cuff down with an afterthought heel, 2x2 rib
Yarn: 88 g Mellanraggi #28010
Needles: 2,75 mm / US 2
Made for: Eirin
Size: 64 sts, european 37/38
Started: April 12. 2014
Completed: May 6, 2014

Between other projects I need to have some mindless to knit on. These socks have been my tv-knitting projects lately ;) They are thick wool socks where the stripes are made from left overs. Great to use them up.

Pattern: Cuff down with a short row heel, 2x2 rib
Yarn: Sportsragg from Viking Garn, white #510 and multi #591 and Labbetuss Raggegarn from Trysil Garn #456
Needles: 2,75 mm / US 2
Made for: One pair for my sister and one for me
Size: Both have 56 sts, but different foot length.
Started: April 2, 2014
Completed: May 3, 2014

On The Needles :: Stormborn

When I saw that there was going to be a Game of Thrones mystery kal this month, I just had to play along :) I love the books and enjoy watching the series. And when I found out it was a shawl inspired by Daenerys it had to be blue.
The first clue came out on Monday, but I didn't have time until today to cast on. I finished it this morning and I really like it so far. It's not so easy to see, but we have dragon scales :)

Joining Ginny :: Tami :: Nicole :: Christina
What's on your needles today?

On The Needles :: Polka Dot Sweater

Joining Ginny :: Tami :: Nicole :: Christina

What's on your needles today?

After weeks with snw and rainy weather, we woke up to a clear blue sky today :)
So good to sit outdoors for hours knitting *bliss*

Knitting: I'm knitting Eirin a Polka Dot sweater in the same yarn I made her the Holmenkollen sweater. I have just the sleeves and the pockets left to knit, so I think it will be off the needles before the weekend :)

Reading: I love a good mystery/adventure book and it's even better if it has a historical twist to it. The Emerald Storm which is the 5th book in the Ethan Gage series is one of those books :) I love this series and if you like this kind of books, you should read them.

The year is 1803. Swashbuckling, ribald, and irreverent hero Ethan Gage has outsmarted wily enemies and survived dangerous challenges across the globe, from the wilds of the American frontier to the pyramids of Egypt. Now the rakish hero finds himself in the Caribbean with his wife, Astiza, on a desperate hunt to secure the lost treasure of Montezuma—a legendary hoard rumored to have been hidden from Cortés's plundering Spanish conquistadors. Hot on his heels are British agents who want the gold to finance a black slave revolt in Saint-Domingue, robbing hostile France of its richest colony. The French, too, seek the treasure for the secrets it contains, the key to an incredible new means of invasion that can ensure Britain's defeat—on its own land.
Caught between the French and the rebel slave forces, Ethan and Astiza are in a race for gold and glory that will thrust them into the center of a bloody struggle for freedom as they try to rescue their son. And this time, Gage's luck may be running out.
Brilliantly combining science, history, mythology, and wit, William Dietrich has woven a larger-than-life tale that sees Ethan embroiled in the Napoleonic era's ideals, opportunism, and inventions, which gave rise to the modern world. Filled with intrigue, voodoo, a hurricane, violent political unrest, and unexpected passion.

- From Goodreads -

♡ Socks For My Sister ♡

Last time I visit my mom, I came home with lots of yarn :) Some of it was socks yarn, and I decided to knit my sister a pair. She, like me, always has cold feet, so I know they will get a lot of use.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: I used the pattern Mine hjerter from the book Sokker, strikking hele året. But the pattern can be bought as a single pattern both in english and norwegian here.
Yarn: Sisu, 55 g pink #4517 and 31 g white #1001
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1,5
Made for: Monica
Size: One size, but it is about an eurpean 37/39
Started: April 17, 2014
Completed: April 26, 2014

 S

Just waiting for summer to arrive...

Becasue all these little seedling want to get out and grow!!
And I love my litte paper potter. I think I'll have to see if I can find one that makes larger pots too, as these gets a little on the small side for some seedlings.

One have to be creative...
Dreaming of a greenhouse.
But until that happens, I just have to grow my cucumbers in my window ;)
Hopefully we will get some this year. I finally think I have found the right kind of seeds. So fingers crossed!

My Borlotti beans grew so fast I had to put them in big pots and find some bamboo sticks for them to climb in. I'm also growing a few suger peas and some flower peas.

It's so fascinating to see how they stretch, twist and hold on to the sticks with these treads.

I like to use what I have on hand, so my onion set was planted in these, which are from the kids lego advent calendars ;)

They seem to grow fast and with 24 in each, there will hopefully be 72 onions to plant out.

The carrots are growing too. I need to give them a head start indoors as the summer is so short here... But I'm still trying to find the right kind for us. So far we have tried a mix of several colours - which the kids liked. But I would like to find a good sort for storing and that taste good.
This year I have planted some orange and some purple. The purple have we tried before.

And the bumblebees needs some food too. So they will get some pretty Borage - Agurkurt to endulge in. They are edible for us too and looks pretty in a salad.

A mix of rutabaga, kohlrabi, brussels sprouts, iceberg lettuce and beetroot.
I haven't tried to grow any of them before, so we'll see how it goes.

And some swiss chard. Looking forward to try these.

On the Needles :: Colourwork socks

Joining Yarn Along :: WIP Wedensday :: Keep Kalm Craft On
What's on your needles today?



Knitting: I'm still enjoying knitting socks with a colouwork pattern :) I'm almost done with the decreasing at the back of my "kosesokker" (cosy socks), so I will cast on the second sock and knit it the same length before I knit both heels. That way I know they will look the same.
The pink heart socks is for my sister. I love this pattern and I think I'll have to knit myself another pair too. Maybe one with a little longer leg then the pair I have.

Reading: I'm reading moe than one bok as you all should now by now. But the one I seem to pick up most are "Mormor hilser og sier unnskyld" by Fredrik Beckman. It's a fun, but also heartwarming book about seen year old Elsa who has just lost her grandmother.

Elsa is seven years old and quite precocious. Grandma is her best friend. Her single, actually. Grandma used to be a genius and worked as a surgeon, but now she drives a car without a license and stand on the balcony with an open bathrobe and shoot at unannounced visitors with a paintball gun.

People say that she is different. Crazy. But Grandma has a secret language and a private kingdom, "Miamas", and there is all different. That's where grandma takes Elsa when Elsa's parents gets divorced and when Elsa is beaten at school because she is not like any other seven year olds.  "Miamas" is their free zone until grandma one day become sick and learns that she is dying.

As a final adventure, she gives Elsa a series of letters, where her grandmother would ask their neighbors to apologize. They lead Elsa to a stairway filled with militant members ofthe cooperative, fanatic coffee drinkers, fighting dogs, monsters, drunks and ordinary bitches. But they will also be the prelude to a story in which a child is trying to learn to accept that everyone you love will die, and where she bit by bit may know the truth of both the Kingdom Miamas and her grandmother.

FO :: Angee and Rye

With an easter with not so good weather, there have been time for finishing socks. I casted on this about a month ago and are so happy they are off the needles. I really like the colour - too bad the yarn is discontinued :(

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Angee
Yarn: 79 g Ranco Solid #103 by Araucania
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1,5
Made for: Me
Size: About an european 39/40
Started: March 12, 2014
Completed: April 18, 2014

Next out is another pair of Rye. It's my 4th pair and I know there will be more. It's such an easy and mindless pattern!! I casted on the number of stitches I normally do for a pair of vanilla socks, 64 sts, and did garter sts over 20 of them.
It's the first time I knit socks with a merino, alpaca and nylon blend. It was SO soft to knit with, but I'm not so sure how well they will hold up when I start wearing them... Hopefully they will not get holes. And sadly this is another discontinued yarn. I wish I had some in another color...

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Rye (free pattern)
Yarn: 70 g Imagination Hand Painted Sock Yarn #seven dwarves by Knit Picks
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1,5
Made for: Me
Size: 64 sts, european 39/40
Started: April 12, 2014
Completed: April 18, 2014

FO :: Nancy

I've finally bought buttons for my Nancy jacket.
I'm not super happy about the fit, but it's good enough to wear around the house.

Since I made it from thicker yarn, I had to use the pattern for the Nancy sweater to get the right gauge.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: 0611-20 Sweater with Round Yoke by Sandnes Design incorporates Nr 12 ”Nancy” kofte med rundt bærestykke
Yarn: Gjestal Superwash sport
Needles: 3 mm / US 2,5 and 3,5 mm / US 4
Made for: Me
Size: L
Started: January 24, 2014
Copmleted: March 27, 2014

And we have had a wonderful weather today, so we went skiing :)
More photos here.

FO :: Holmenkollen Genser

I managed to buy more of the purple yarn for Eirin's sweater. Since the yarn I had was a few years old, the new skeins was a little lighter in colour... I did alternate the two skeins, but I still got a few stripes just before I started the pattern. But it's just in a certain light it shows, so it doesn't bother me.
Eirin has been living in it since I finished it :)
It's knitted in acrylic yarn - not my favourite, but when you have kids with sensitive skin and you really want to knit all the pretty things for them, you just have to find the "right" yarn. She likes this so much that we went out and bought some grey yarn for another sweater :)

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Holmenkollen genser
Yarn: Thea, 310 g purple and 81 g white
Needles: 3 mm / US 2,5
Made for: Eirin
Size: xs
Started: March 8, 2013
Completed: April 8, 2013

Linking up with FO Friday :: Creative Friday :: Fiber Arts Friday

On The Needles :: Kosesokker

Knitting: Seems like this is going to be the year of stranded knitted socks :)
I have wanted to knit a pair of knee high socks for a while, and when I got the book "Garnglede i Rosendal" I knew I had to make one of these. It's an easy pattern, but I don't like the kids of heel the attern has, so I'll have to do some thinking when I get there...

Reading: I started to read Odinsbarn a few days ago. It's the first book in a series of three about Hirka. I love this genre and I don't want the book to end...

Imagine missing something everyone else has. Something that proves you belong in this world. Something so important that without it, you're nothing. A plague. A myth. A human being. Fifteen winters old Hirka gets to know that she is an Odin child - a tail loose rottenness from another world. Despised. Feared. And chased. She has no idea anymore who she is and someone will kill her for it to remain a secret. But there are worse things than Odin children and Hirka is not the only creature that has broken through the gates. Odinsbarn is an original fantasy. A settlement with xenophobia, blind faith and the right or the will to lead.

Snow, Seedlings & Socks

It's been a while since I posted something, but I'm here. Still knitting a lot, but there's also been a lot of

SNOW.
So I've been shoveling more than knitting the last couple of weeks...
Hopefully we've gotten our share of snow for now. I long for spring!

Endre is standing on a hill of snow that's been buildt up by the snow blower.
Perfect for sledding and digging snow caves :)

Before                                            After

We had to do a lot of shoveling on saturday to find our fire pit and benches.

And lunch tastes so much better after some hard work outside.

I've also planted some seeds.

And it only took a week from seeds to seedlings!!
So far the borlotti beans are winning the race ;)

And of course there has been some knitting, although mostly of the mindless type ;)
My Nancy jacket is done, but I need to but some buttons. Eirin's Holmenkollen sweater is also done, I just need to sew in the ends. So there will be some FO post coming :)
This pair of socks are for my sister, who has just as cold feet as I do, so I know they will get a lot of wear.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: 60 sts 2x2 rib and a short row heel
Yarn: 82 g Rauma Fagstrikk #4730 Multi Orange
Needles: 2,75 mm / US 2
Made for: Monica
Size: About an european 37/38
Started: March 23, 2014
Completed: April 3, 2014