KnitLob's Lair - Louhittaren Luola

Flash Your Fiber Stash

2012-01-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

I keep saying I've got nothing to spin. I use this as a lousy excuse to dye up some more fiber (although one needs no excuse for that).

Finnish spinners on ravelry had this thing today, called Flash Your Stash. And then, I had an Epiphany. (Yup, 'tis a pun.)

I can never, ever, ever (Priscilla, anyone?) use that excuse again. Ever. That pile of fiber is what I found in the first 3 bins in my den closet (right before ~~a massive bag of yarn fell on m~~ I gave up). There might be more, but I am frankly terrified of looking for it.

And before you ask, yes, it is my personal stash. There is fiber I couldn't sell to anyone (for various reasons, most important of which is I was afraid I would not get the colors ever again). There are fibers dyed to test new colors and combinations. And finally, there are fibers which remind me of friends and events.

Like this one.

It's merino-bamboo-silk mix (perhaps it is a 50-25-25 mix), there's approximately 3.5 oz. (100g) of it, and when I saw this at Allspunup, I had to have it. I just had to, although the colors are not me per se, but they're so bright and happy, they're like candy! And this is an important braid because it always reminds me of the days in Seattle, when I used to raid my friend Kristin's (of Allspunup) bins for fiber. This was one of them, and I still remember Kristin's face when she saw me holding this precious treasure I dug up. It was quite priceless.

Kristin taught me most of what I know about spinning and fiber, and we used to stir them ol' dye pots together quite regularly for quite some time. Happy times they were. She was gracious enough to let me dye up fibers, practise and experiment. Some of those fibers are still in my stash, along with the ones she gave me. (I was doing the right thing, helping a friend in need. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) And her fibers are so, so pretty. I wish I could mix colors the way she does, her eye for color is uncanny!

Here's a collage of (some of) her fiber in my stash (click to enlarge & see details):

1. merino-silk 7, 2. merino-silk (asu ice cave), 3. bfl 5, 4. asu enchanted, 5. asu polwarth, 6. merino 5, 7. merino-silk 5, 8. merino-bamboo-silk mix 3, 9. merino 4, 10. merino-bamboo-silk mix 2, 11. merino-silk asu ms crabtree, 12. merino-silk 1, 13. merino-bamboo-silk mix 1, 14. merino-alpaca mix 1, 15. asu goldwish wearing a tutu

As mentioned, there are some fibers I dyed to test different color combinations. Some were a success, some ~~fell into the category of dear-lord-what-is-this~~ weren't. Some could not be sold because colors leaked. It happens (especially with very intense colors), and when it does, those tops will never be sold, but end up in my oopsie bin and I am, yet again, stuck with fiber. It is a tragedy, really.

Here are some of the test batches and ones I just had to adopt.

1. bfl-silk 5, 2. sw bfl 2, 3. bfl-silk 4, 4. bfl 6, 5. bfl-mohair, 6. merino-alpaca-silk 3, 7. bfl-silk 3, 8. merino-alpaca-silk 2, 9. sw bfl, 10. bfl 4, 11. bfl 3, 12. merino-alpaca-silk, 13. bfl-silk-bling mix, 14. pigeonroof merino-silk, 15. merino 3, 16. merino-alpaca mix 2, 17. merino-silk 4, 18. merino-silk 3, 19. merino-silk 2, 20. sw merino 1, 21. merino 2, 22. bfl-silk 2, 23. bfl-silk 1, 24. bfl 2, 25. silk top, 26. bfl 1, 27. polwarth 1

And because I have a problem and I keep hogging fibers, I have adopted fibers from other dyers too. (I have merely helped friends, for their stashes have overflowed with fiber and I, though it pains me, will do anything for friends. And I have no stash problems. Tucked away in the closet, no one will notice them.)

1. pigeonroof merino-silk, 2. merino 1, 3. merino-silk 6, 4. sw falkland

If I'm being honest, I have a bit of a problem buying fiber on say, Etsy. The colors can be off by a mile, and after two very, very bad experiences with felted fiber, I've become rather timid when buying fiber online. These have landed in my stash merely after a friend has recommended the seller. And I think the bright, colorful Woolgatherings merino-silk would've landed in my basket even without recommendation. The colors are just perfect!

You can see all of these on Flickr. I'll try to update them onto ravelry as well, but after editing all these pictures, and organizing all this wool, I think I will need to spin now!

Stuck in Stockinette

2012-01-01T03:00:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2012 will be a better year than 2011, in every aspect. And what better start for a new year than a blog post about UFOs from the last! I have been hesitant to blog about UFOs as I can't take decent pictures of them - examples of that will follow -, but blogging about finished projects only produces .12 posts per year and it would be fun to post a bit more often. (One could always post pictures of recent purchases but one is ashamed to do so anymore, considering the Barn of Yarn already full of yarns to be knit.) The blog is, or I want it to be anyway, a journal about my projects, so UFOs have to be posted. I apologize for the pictures in advance.

I set up the studio and photographed all UFOs I could find. Granted, I didn't search every nook and cranny of the Lair - these were found within 4 ft of my desk. It seems I am stuck in stockinette stitch.

This is one of my favorite sweaters made with my trusty knitting machine. Finally, I seem to have found the measurements and adjustments with which my knitting machine produces the garment I want. And I have learned to sew the seams and work the decreases 3 sts in, so the seams sew up nice and properly. I'm really happy with this one, especially the collar.

The bpdy was naturally knit in pieces, bottom up, but the collar was knit sideways, with short rows for shaping. The shawl collar is a wonderful way to display shawl pins and brooches (of which one seems to have collected a decent stash), so I think I might make another sweater like this one. I used less than 5 skeins (and less than 2000yds) of my Väinämöinen sock yarn, so the sweater is rather lightweight but still quite warm.

I'd love to show you a picture of the sweater on me, but the reason I photograph with my trusty dress form is that I like to tweak and play with the flashes and my camera and take a million pictures of which perhaps three will end up here on the blog. That, and because my dress form has a waist line. Which I very clearly don't (damn Christmas, damn chocolate).

Speaking of the holidays, I spent them knitting stockinette as well. I spun some bulkier yarns in October, and one of them ended up being a cap/hat/slouchy beret-esque thing.

My display head is rather small, 20" hats would look best with it, so this hat looks a lot more slouchier than it is. But it is slouchy nonetheless, for I find very tight-fitting hats rather umcomfortable. This handspun merino hat is rather thick, so I knit up another one with my Louhitar yarn, which is a lot more lightweight and perfect for spring:

And as I was on a roll and dug up some Reynolds Odyssey yarn in my stash, I made a third hat.

All of these are knit from the top down with a garter stitch edging. I used the One for All Cap pattern as a sort of a reference, increasing 8 sts on every other row until the cap was slightly larger than my head, then knit in stockinette until the hat nearly covered my ears, decreased about 20% stitches for the garter stitch band which was knit until nearly out of yarn.

All three were surprisingly quick to knit, and the results are rather lovely. Stockinette stitch shows really well the colors and stitches in handspun and marbled yarns, and the garter stitch edging is a fun way to use up bits of left-over yarns.

(The reason why the hats are photographed with the display head is very similar to why I photograph sweaters with the dress form. The display has a distinctive and pretty chin. Just one of them. I, uh, don't.)

The Louhitar cap yarn was left over from a larger project, a cardigan I finished for the November craft fair in Tampere.

It is, again, just stockinette with garter stitch details, and the simplicity of it makes the colors really pop out.

The details for the cardi can be found on ravelry.

Colors really are very important this time of year, which is why stranded swatches have been on my needles not once, but twice.

The grey and white one is knit with KnitPicks Palette, the other one with Geilsk Tynd Uld. I bought a set of #000 and #00 (1,5mm and 1,75mm) DPN's and the smaller size is perfect for the Tynd Uld, producing some 10sts per inch in stranded pattern.

As much as I love stranded knitting, it is a little bit slower than just plain old stockinette. And colorwork doesn't necessarily mean it has to be stranded knitting - mosaic knitting can be just as much fun. Remember the cardi from nearly a year ago? It has literally haunted me ever since, I wanted it to be finished, but the colors really bugged me. I took the body apart several times, tried different color combinations, but could not make them work. So finally I used the original colors, paid attention to the color sequencing and the striping and knit away. I finished the body in early 2011, and went on to work on the first sleeve, but the colors were murky, so I frogged the first sleeve a couple of weeks ago. Another round of careful knitting with colors, and this is what the cardigan looks like now:

It could be better, the brown-orange-yellow contrasting yarn could pop up a bit more, but for now, I am relatively happy with it. And Kauni (or the Estonian wool yarns from Aade Long and Evilla) really works with patterns like these. I knit up a swatch with two solid colors and they just looked a bit dull. So Kauni it is, but perhaps I need to knit up another one with brighter colors, with more contrast. After I finish the second sleeve. Which would mean another trip to the stash, finding a third ball of the contrasting color. So it may be a while.

Especially since I cast on for another pair of the Sleeping Beauty Socks. (I have no excuses except for the fact that this hand dyed skein was just sitting there, literally, on my desk, and no digging in the stash was needed.)

I've made 3 pairs of these, one for myself and two for a friend who loved the pattern, so casting on was easy as I have the lace pattern memorized. The only difference to the earlier pairs is that this is knit with 68 sts and I've added two purl stitches to the large chart in the pattern. (The eyelet panels are then worked with 2 purl stitches on either side of them.) I want to finish them soon, for the color is really pretty and I can't wait for being able to wear them. And I promise I will photograph them on my feet (if they fit, the foot is a bit narrow)!

Till then, again, Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone!

2011-12-24T00:52:00.000-08:00

Some News (Including a New Pattern!)

2011-11-01T03:42:00.000-07:00

Although the blog has been silent for so long, the Lair is buzzing with activity. In late July, Mr HairyFeet and I bought a house, so packing and moving has eaten up my time quite well. There are news regarding the Lair, some yarn news as well, patterns to write etc. All will be revealed eventually!

I haven't had time for much else, but I squeezed in some spinning time with Jeremy. I love to spin fingering weight yarns (that's what I'll end up with if I spin on auto-pilot, as a friend once called it when she is spinning in her comfort zone). But they take a lot of time to spin, and knit, and it would be fun to spin heavier weight yarns every now and then, if for nothing else then to just know and get comfortable with how it's done.

So I dug up my fiber stash and the slowest whorl I could find and spun some singles.

My first attempt was a Bfl-silk-firestar blend that went oops in the dye pot. It ended up being worsted-weight yarn, when navajo-plied. I love the colors and I just had to knit the yarn into a scarf, but must wait until there's proper light for it to be photographed.

The second attempt was a dark teal BFL-silk-firestar blend, which ended up being navajo-plied to bulky weight yarn. (I think there is some 150 yds of yarn in this 6 oz skein.)

My biggest problem has been balanced, full-bodied two-ply yarn. So I dug out some merino and went nuts with it. I am not a fan of merino, the staple length is too short for my taste and it somehow feels a little, well, "dead" to my hand. So it didn't matter, if the yarn turned out to be horrible.

I still don't like merino, but I guess the yarn turned out ok. Another bulky weight yarn, as was the next attempt (Friends in Fiber pink and purple BFL-silk, pictured far left below):

I already knitted one scarf (another Baktus) with the red and purple and grey skein, but I want to knit them all! I don't knit with large needles too often, they make my wrists and knuckles hurt, but every now and then it's quite refreshing to finish something in a few hours. Baktus is a great pattern for handspun, it shows the colors so well and it's super-easy too. I'm also thinking one of these heavy-weight yarns might become the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb Cowl. The clever Quincy is also on my list of to-knit for the winter.

Speaking of which, the cold weather is here.

Perfect for staying indoors and knitting!

And finally, some pattern news. Remember the socks I posted in July? Well, the Northern Pike (Hauenleukasukat) pattern is available in English (on ravelry) and Finnish (on ravelry and Titityy). My apologies for using the same old pictures!

The socks were named after the stitch pattern, which reminded me of the story of Väinämöinen, one of the main characters of Finnish national epic, Kalevala. Väinämöinen made his kantele, a stringed instrument, using the jawbone of the Northern Pike. The socks are worked toe-up with easy patterning in the instep, heel and cuff, finished with a simple 1x1 rib.

Yarn
Knitlob's Lair Väinämöinen (100g = 400m, 75% wool, 25% nylon), 1 skein.
Needles and Notions
2 mm (US #0), cable needle, stitch markers (2).
Gauge
34 sts & 48 rows = 4" / 10 cm in stockinette stitch.
Sizes
Length of foot:
8½ (9½; 10; 10½; 11) inches or 22,5 (24; 25; 26,5; 28) cm.
Finished circumference of foot: approx. 8" / 20 cm.

Click the buy now button to purchase through ravelry (both English and Finnish pattern available in the same link) or click here to purchase the pattern through Titityy online shop!

A lot of effort went to the pattern editing, and I do hope it is now error-free. If you do find errors in the pattern, please let me know! Enjoy and happy knitting :)

Back in the Saddle

2011-08-27T23:44:00.000-07:00

So yeah, summer. Don't know where it went. Anyhow, it's Fall now, and it's not eleventy million degrees anymore and one can finally knit. And spin. Neither or which one has done this summer, one has entertained guests. With champagne. Good times.

Said guests got a chance to take out all the boxes in the Infamous Barn of Yarn.

I believe treasures were found. (Bags were screened before guests exited premises.)

Ahem. Knitting. A while back, a friend gifted me BrooklynTweed's lovely Brigdewater Shawl pattern via ravelry, and I had some KniPicks Shadow in Basalt just waiting to become a warm, comfy, big shawl.

It is warm, very warm. The shawl is knitted into a huge square, each side measured some 60" after blocking. Folded in half, the diagonal measures some 84". And it is warm, I used 4 skeins (so nearly 7 oz or 200g) of yarn for it.

I love the simplicity of the shawl. It is elegant, somehow old-fashioned, and at the same time practical, and very, very beautiful.

The shawl is perfect for the Fall mornings, when the morning dew sprinkles the cobwebs and the air fills with chilly mist.

And the idea of picking up your knitting (and casting on for a dozen projects - in one night) seems like the sensible thing to do. One look in the sock drawer and its dreary, worn and saggy inhabitants is enough to convince a knitter to cast on for many, many pairs of socks. And a merry accident in the dye pot yields the skein that will eventually become one of the many (many, many) pairs of socks.

Yes, eventually.

Speaking of dyeing, the dye pot and I spent the month of July together and churned out some 100 lbs of yarn. Will type up a proper post about the colorways and yarns and retailers soon (and by soon I do not mean by Christmas, as I intend to blog a bit more frequently now that there is something to show). One of my retailers organized a sock yarn club in July/August, and I wanted to design a sock pattern for the club.

I have a confession to make: I hoard stitch pattern books. Most of the pattern collections go unnoticed here, but a stitch pattern book is always a must have. My favorite stitch pattern books are Japanese, simply for the elegance and ingenuity of the stitch patterns seen only in Japanese books. I spend considerable amounts of time browsing stitch pattern books (hence this house has been vacuumed only a handful of times since the turn of the century). And sometimes there is a stitch pattern that demands to be knitted into something pretty.

The stitch pattern that embellishes the Hauenleukasukat (lit. Jaw of Northern Pike - there's a story behind the name, of which later) is one of these stitch patterns that grew into an obsession.

The stitch pattern is found on the foot, the leg and even the heel.

The English version of the pattern will be available in October. Will obviously notify everyone of this in the blog when the pattern is out.

In other news, there is a new member in the family, and he requires knits, too.

(I should clarify: that's the hand of my nephew. I realized the text was more than misleading, sorry about that!)

So I must keep my needles busy, which hopefully means more blog posts very soon. Til then, happy knitting everyone!

Exciting News!

2011-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed the lack of new knits here lately. There are several reasons for it (other projects, translated books, etc), but the biggest reason of all is that there are tons of new patterns coming out soon. There will also be translated patterns (Liuhu and One Skein Bolero will be next).

The one that has taken up a big chunk of my time lately is an exciting new project called Playground Knits!

The idea came from Tiina in Titityy, the yarns were provided by BC Garn and the patterns were designed by my talented colleagues: Veera, Tiina, Mari and Suvi! I have two designs in the eBook which will be published soon in both English and Finnish.

I was thrilled to be part of this project: it was the first time I designed knitwear for kids and I certainly learned a lot. I also discovered how hard photography is (nearly made me hate the sun), especially with kids, and also how much fun it is working with other designers. We all have our own style and way of doing things, and I felt I learned a lot by cooperating and writing with others. I wish to thank Tiina for asking me to be part of this project, and all of the other designers for being part of an eBook which, I believe, will be an answer to the most dire need of kids' knits. Details will soon follow!

One Skein Bolero Pattern

2011-06-07T02:32:00.001-07:00

Remember the one skein bolero? I know, it has been a long time, I finished the first version over a year ago. I promised the pattern would be out "soon" after the first pictures, but it took a very long time (and a relatively sharp learning curve) to be able to write up this pattern. I knitted the second version in December with a mohair blend, and there was even a third version with beads and handspun angora blend yarn.

The bolero features Haapsalu style lace and a Shetland lace border, and it's all mixed with the Tailored Sweater method. Making lace work with the method was a little tricky, which is why there are charts for all sizes. The lace is charted with 7-stitch nupps, but the nupps can be replaced with one knit stitch or a bead. All of these versions, with the two optional bind off methods and different sleeve lengths are pictured in the pattern.

Sizes
XS/S (M, L/XL, XXL).
Back width:
13(13.5, 14, 15) inches or33 (34, 36, 38) cm.
Chest circumference:
34(40, 45, 49) inches or 86(101, 114, 124) cm.

Yarn
Fingering weight 2-ply wool yarn, approx. 320(350, 400, 450) yds or 290(315, 350, 405) m for short sleeved bolero. For long sleeves, you will need an additional 200 yds or 180 m.
As the bolero is knitted from the top down, you can make the sleeves and the body longer than instructed. The amount of yarn given is an approximation only - you may need more (or less) yarn for your bolero. Always make sure you have enough yarn of the same
dye lot to finish your project.

Needles
US #5 (4 mm) circular needle 24” or longer.

Gauge
20 sts and 20 rows per 4 inches / 10 cm
(5 stitches and 5 rows per inch) in stitch pattern.

This bolero is knitted from the top down using The Tailored Sweater Method. No previous knowledge of the method is necessary to knit the bolero, but basic knowledge of how to knit from the top down is very useful with this project. This bolero is recommended for advanced knitters.

Get your copy through the pattern page on ravelry or follow the link below:

A lot of effort went to the pattern editing, and I do hope it is now error-free. If you do find errors in the pattern, please let me know! Enjoy and happy knitting :)

Colors!

2011-05-27T03:48:00.000-07:00

A skein drying is a solemn sight in the morning sun.

And it all gets better when the skein joins its 84 pals in a box of inspiration!

I've done some serious dyeing (and I'm not even finished yet). These 17 shades are just the tip of the iceberg, but I wanted to show them since the box was such a happy sight, when I took it outside just to look at all the colors. The yarn is a lovely Aran weight wool yarn. My Hedda cap is knitted of this yarn and it's very soft, yet durable. It takes colors well, and knits up fast with #8 needles. It may land in my shop, eventually, but for now, let's just enjoy the colors!

Engulfed in Lace

2011-05-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

This week I have done some light reading.

Done some lace knitting.

Knitted some lace too.

Photographed lace.

And dreamt of lace.

Dyed for lace.

Might even spin for lace.

You could say, then, that I have had lace on my mind lately. It's perfect for summer, lightweight and airy, especially if you use silk yarn. And I have fallen in love with silk! The color, the drape, everything about it makes me want to just use lace and destash my wool immediately. (Then I dyed some wool-silk-bling blend and came to my senses. Phew!)

The project that started it all was a marriage between a shawl and a bolero, hence the name shawlero. I love the construction and was surprised to see how well it worked - I did have my doubts. There will be many more shawlero designs, I'm sure. The back looks a lot like a shawl, but there are no "how do I wear this to show the lace" issues or "my sleeves are drowning in the punch bowl again" issues. I have had those issues with traditional shawls, especially rectangular shawls. This time I won't have sleeves smelling of punch (and hence indicating slight intoxication of the wearer as that never happens, never!), or weird lumps of lace gathered in a wild fashion around my shoulders in the hopes that it won't look completely horrible. I love lace shawls, I really do, but they're not the most practical accessories to wear, especially to parties with large punch bowls.

I must return to my reading, so I will leave you with a selection of fresh new flowers )or soon to be flowers) around the Lair.

New Fiber Club!

2011-05-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

There is a new fiber club at the Lair, just in time for your summer spinning!

You will receive one (1) package of The Lair's own custom blend of 60% BFL, 20% silk and 20% Firestar weighing approximately 100g or 3.5oz. This blend is supersoft, easy to spin and full of bright colors! The BFL will provide durability and softness, the silk and glittery Firestar add a nice touch of elegance, drape and shine. The club packages will ship out on Monday, May 16th. There will be a limited amount of these custom-dyed tops, so order yours now! The club package is 25€ (including shipping).

Klubissa saat yhden paketin Luolan omaa 60% BFL, 20% silkki, 20% Firestar -sekoitusta! Paketissa on yksi noin 100g topsi tätä ihanan pehmeää ja ilmavaa kuitua. Klubin paketit lähetetään maanantaina 16. toukokuuta. Klubitopseja on rajallinen määrä joten tilaa omasi nyt! Klubipaketin hinta on 25€ (sis. postit).

How to Order
To order, click the Paypal button below. You will be directed to Paypal for processing of your order, and you can pay with your credit card - no Paypal account is required. Please note: if this purchase is a gift, please fill out the "special instructions to merchant" selection at check-out with details of the recipient adress and your message to the recipient.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at tuulia . salmela (at) gmail . com! Thank you for your support and happy spinning!

Tilataksesi klubipaketin, klikkaa ylläolevaa painiketta, joka ohjaa sinut Paypaliin. Voit maksaa tilauksesi Paypalissa luottokortilla, Paypal-tiliä ei tarvita. Huomaa: Jos tilauksesi on lahja, täytä kohta "special instructions to merchant" maksaessasi, laita mukaan saajan nimi, osoite ja viestisi saajalle.

Klubeissa on rajallinen määrä paikkoja, joten toimi nopeasti!
Kysyttävää tai kommentoitavaa? Laita viestiä osoitteella tuulia . salmela (at) gmail . com!
Kiitos ja ihania kehruuhetkiä!

Election Day

2011-04-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

Today marks one of the most important elections in the history of Finland, so this post will be brief as I am about to watch the results show and knit (dishcloths, nothing very exciting). But I couldn't wait any longer, I had to show you this small stitched project I just finished today.

This is what I finished stitching on Friday:

The fabric is 32ct linen from the Lair, the design is L'arbre aux Oiseaux by Jardin Privé. I had to stitch it, the sheep are way too cute. I think the shape of the stitched design would show well in a round object, and as I was lucky and got some cardboard for finishing, and a fellow stitcher gave me some ideas as to how to do it, I finished it into this:

I have no idea what that is called, but it is now on the wall in our living room. I think it is quite cute. Here's the closeup of the design:

That's all for now, hopefully I have the finished Gingko shawl to show you sometime next week!

It's About Time!

2011-04-14T12:55:00.001-07:00

The Lair etsy shop has just been updated with yarn, silk and wool! Expect another update early tomorrow morning (or later today), the South American combed tops will be added then. The blog will be updated once all the fiber has been updated in the shop :)

Thank you for looking! :)

New Lessons in Photography

2011-04-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

I got my new lens over a week ago, and it is wonderful! (For the camera enthusiasts out there, it's a Canon EF 24-70mm/2.8L USM lens.) So now I have no reason to blame the equipment for the poor quality of pictures - the culprit can be found in the bathroom mirror. The 24-70mm lens is a very, very good lens, but also not a very forgiving one. You make a mistake in the settings, and it shows. This led to some serious navel-gazing and, eventually, I learned a few new tricks. (Such as, "hey, my camera has an 'M' setting - wonder what that is".) But along the way, I rediscovered some old truths.

One, burgundy is a very tricky color to photograph.

Also, single-ply yarn is always very, very pretty.

And fun to knit with!

The fiber is 70% BFL 30% silk, and it was the February club fiber in the Little Bit of Luxury Fiber Club. I managed to squeeze out some 550 yards or 500m out of the 6 oz (150g) of fiber I had. The top was gradation dyed, one end being darker burgundy than the other. But in between there are tiny specs of burgundy, and I didn't pluck them out, which resulted in a slightly striped yarn. I like the result a lot, and hopefully this'll become a nice shawl (the pattern is Gingko).

The second truth I learned was that dark teal is nearly impossible to photograph correctly. I managed to do it though, with serious tweaking of the settings. (These pictures are SOOC, I've only cropped them and added the copyright notice.)

The pattern is the amazingly cute cap/beret pattern Hedda by the incredibly talented designer, Vilma. I used some 200 yards of Aran weight yarn which will be introduced in the Lair in detail a little bit later. I wanted to test how it takes dye and what it is like to knit with, and the results are very nice. The yarn is 100% wool, has a lovely texture to it, and it's quite soft, too. I'm thinking of a cardigan in this lovely yarn (the only thing holding me back is the fact that it requires quite large needles and they make my hands hurt).

I knitted the slouchy version of Hedda, but didn't block it too vigorously and thus got a snug cap. But I don't mind at all, I think it looks quite lovely!

That's all for now! Stay tuned, the etsy shop update is coming up next.

Sparkling Wine with Wool

2011-04-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I packed my car with over 40 lbs of wool and headed south to the 4th knitting retreat. I have no pictures of the retreat, unfortunately, but you can imagine what happens when you combine 50 knitters (and 27 spinning wheels!), sparkling wine, sleep-deprivation and candy. (Hence, no pictures.) I came back on Monday (after nearly buying a spinnery) and since then, I've spent the last 4 days under my blanket, in my bed, shivering in bouts of fever.

I managed to spin a little, and I chose Allspunup's absolutely wonderful 85% BFL 15% silk blend.

Spun into fluffy 2-ply, I managed to get some 500yds out of the 4 oz of fiber. It was truly lovely to spin with, and I can't wait to knit it.

I got started on a second ASU braid, this time a merino-silk-blend.

I didn't get too far, since Jeremy is quite popular with the ladies, but I passed the time quite pleasantly with the aforementioned candy and beverages.

And Jeremy came back home with his own little herd of sheep. (A gift from a friend, they are adorable! Shirley is in fact a swap gift, the rest came in a set with another Shirley, but the other Shirley was too much for Jezza and couldn't fit on the bar!)

I have some wool left over from the retreat, and they will land on my etsy shop sometime next week. As soon as I get over this fever and as soon as my new lens arrives, you'll see pictures of them when I update the shop. 'Til then, stay tuned - the shop update will be announced here in the blog!

Addiction

2011-03-04T01:35:00.000-08:00

I am quickly developing an addiction. To Finnsheep wool. To rustic, durable, warm, beautiful Finnsheep wool.

These must be on my needles. Now.

The yarn is local natural-colored Finnsheep yarn which I dyed yesterday. It reminds me of Kauni and Estonian wool, but it is not as coarse. This is also slightly thicker. And oh boy how well it takes color! The colors are Sunflower Yellow, Orange, Deep Turquoise, Grass Green and Brown. I have a project in mind already, but I must finish a cardigan first. I've knitted and re-knitted it probably 3 times already, and I am almost sick of it. But now there's an incentive to finish it - I must knit these next.

Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe

2011-02-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

I promised this review on The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe (Storey Publishing 2008) a long time ago, but it took me some time to really get to know this book. It truly is a wealth of information - an instant classic in my opinion.

I have been looking for a book like this for some time now. It seems most of knitting patterns out today concentrate on using one color throughout the work, with different textures (such as lace or cables) being the focal point of a knitted garment. However, the possibilities of using color in knitting are not very widely explored. There are some designers who use colors very vividly and in an inspiring manner, but most knitting patterns with color concentrate on relatively simple stranded knitting, some even use clever mosaic or geometric techniques. And perhaps the color knitting techniques have been overlooked, as there are so many variegated, self-striping, handpainted and hand-dyed yarns out there. Colorful knitting is easy to achieve if you just have some variegated yarns at hand. But I always felt the wildly colored or textured yarns, while fun, were somehow difficult to use. And with the possibilities of hand-knitting, why not take very basic yarns, in simplest of solid colorways and use them in a bold and refreshing way? This is exactly where this book comes in.

What I look for in a book, first and foremost, are the pictures. I enjoy browsing through books for inspiration, and good pictures are what I look for in a book (especially in a knitting book). And this book may not be the most aesthetic book there is, but considering how color knitting as a subject can quickly lead to a book looking like a cat hawked it up, it is very clear and easy to browse. And the colors used for swatches are bright and clear - always a plus.

The book covers a remarkably wide range of subjects, from basic color theory to stripes, multicolor yarns, stranded knitting, pattern stitches and even...

Radcliffe has certainly made even intarsia sound like a fun thing to try. (Not that I would, yikes.)

The pattern stitches section covers a wide range of different stitch patterns. Some are knitted with two or more colors, but the section on multicolor yarns even shows what to do with yarns prone to pooling. The pattern stitches are familiar to owners of the Walker books, but if you're interested in color knitting (and who wouldn't be), this is a great collection of all of these clever stitches together, and in full color.

The best thing about this book, by far, are the techniques. Even with the simplest of stripes, there are clear illustrations on how to hide jogs in circular knitting.

The section on multicolor yarns concentrates on how to display patterns in variegated and self-striping yarns. Even textured and handspun yarns are discussed to show variations in stitch patterns and color display (for example in marbled yarns). And finally, the author introduces geometry - mitered squares, circles, octagons etc.

No book on color knitting would be complete without a stranded section. This book discusses stranded knitting, but it's rather straightforward and the approach is very practical. Holding yarns in stranded knitting is shown for both Continental and English knitters, and even a brief sample is shown to display the importance of yarn dominance. And even long floats are covered (I was happy to find my favorite technique among these on p. 157)! Each section ends with a couple of patterns, for the knitter who wants detailed instructions for trying out different techniques. Most of the patterns are small, quick projects such as socks, scarves and purses, which I think is a good and quick way of introducing a knitter to a technique.

And finally, the final technique section is "Other Techniques" which include helix knitting, shadow knitting, mosaic knitting, twined knitting, double knitting and entrelac. Every technique is well illustrated and clearly described, although some of them could be even more widely discussed. But all in all, there is very little extra I would add to this book - it truly is the essential book on the subject. The last two sections of the book are Finishing Touches and Design Workshop, the first of which can never be over-emphasized. Finishing, in my opinion, is what makes or breaks a garment, and I was happy to see this taken into consideration in the book. This interesting section covers neat edges, cast-ons and bind-offs, finishing trims, blocking tips etc.

I would say this book is truly the book to have if you are interested in color knitting. I found this incredibly inspiring (as the pictures of my last two knitting projects show clearly). I am glad I got my copy and I can certainly recommend this for any fellow knitter. I know this will be a go-to book on color knitting in the future.

Disclaimer: I bought this book with my own monies through Amazon. Storey Publishing has no idea who I am, and this is not a paid advertisement, but opinions of a knitter who likes this book a lot. You may disagree with my opinion, and if you do - please let me know! I'd like to hear what others have thought of this book.

So This Is the Life of a Knitter?

2011-02-14T04:48:00.000-08:00

I started blogging nearly 6 years ago. At that time, I only had a miserable little point-and-shoot, and no photo editing software. I learned very, very quickly to make my photos look relatively decent.

Then, inevitably, I bought a DSLR. I still have it, and use it for all my photographing needs. It's an ancient 400D, but works well for my needs with the nifty fifty (50mm f/1.8) lens. But this time of year, especially, is so very hard for shooting nice pictures - there just isn't enough light, or there's plenty of hard, bright sunlight combined with bright white snow. Neither are very good for taking pictures.

So last weekend, on a whim, I went and bought a studio lighting set. And I have since then discovered a whole new world. The combination of lighting, my camera and the wee lens is quickly becoming an adventure, which will probably take me years to learn.

I can say for a fact, though, that in the first 15 minutes of shooting, using my learning technique of oops, wait a minute, let's try again and oh no nononono, I learned more than I have in years. And I am happy with the results.

Now, I must say, I am by no means a proper photographer. I still use my DSLR very much like a point-and-shoot. I won't take pictures with the full auto setting, but have very little understanding of how good photos are taken. So I apologize for my pictures have looked horrible in the past, and they certainly will continue to look horrible in the future. There are so many things wrong with my photos, even the one above, that it will take me years to learn even the basic things about photography. Or let me put it this way: my camera and my lens and all of the equipment I have are capable of taking very good pictures; it's me who needs to learn how to use them properly. And that will take time, lots of it. But I can say one thing: I love learning this new stuff. I never knew that blogging would eventually lead me to learn new things about this wonderful world of photography. So, I started blogging about knitting, and now I am a knitter blogging about photography! Who knew this would happen? :)

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Confessions of a Knitter

2011-02-04T02:21:00.000-08:00

Most knitwear designers would have you believe that the road from an idea to an actual knitting pattern is relatively short and narrow: first you draw a sketch, then knit up a swatch, then proceed to charting, sizing, writing, knitting and some more knitting. I can tell you this doesn't happen here at the Lair. That is exactly why I don't consider myself a designer so much. Especially on a day like today. In what follows is a short narrative to how things can go so very, very wrong.

First, you need an idea. It may be based on anything: the yarn you want to use, a colorway you have seen, a garment in a store. Or you may stumble* on a stitch pattern so intriguing it must be used immediately.

*Quite literally, too. Who said leaving your Walker books in a pile right in the middle of the living room floor was a good idea?? Ouch!

So you have the general idea, but not much more than that. Then it hits, this faint memory of a yarn bought years ago. Naturally it is stored in the back corner of your storage room, so you go scavenging through some 300 lbs of yarn until said yarn is found. You even remembered what colors you bought (although quantities may have remained a mystery, thus introducing you to some unexpected problems with the intended colorway). And since you parade around the northern hemisphere telling people how they must (must!) swatch (always!), you take your own advice and vigorously knit up a swatch. Proudly, the newly-finished swatch is given a thorough bath and laid flat to dry. And then it's already 3am and it's time for bed anyway.

Next morning, the fourth gallon of coffee finally jump-starts the brain into proper knitting mode and you dig up the yarn you will use. Oddly, you may need to search for it, as you most definitely left it on the kitchen table, and somehow it ended up behind the couch. (Again! I think the gnomes had another party.) And you look at the great balls of yarn, feeling mighty proud of yourself, and think: "Why yes, I think they will go together." And clickety clack, off you go knitting happily away.

And it looks good, at first.

And you knit away some more. Several hours later, you look at it and wonder what happened. You even ask your spouse to give an opinion. He says, quite kindly, that it brings back some fond memories of the 70s.

I think I need some really pretty colors this time. And this time I do believe they will go together. Otherwise I will develop a serious substance problem.

Now, if you'll excuse me, it's 5pm somewhere and I need to erase the seventies out of my brain. Now.

PS. Happy New Year everyone! (Yes, I'm only a month late, but we here at the Lair have concentrated on knitting and not blogging. And frogging. See above.)

2010-12-24T01:05:00.001-08:00

First Ever Fiber Club at the Lair!

2010-12-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

And there's two of them! See below for the club descriptions and payment options.

The Little Bit of Luxury Fiber Club
You will receive three (3) packages in the months of January, February and March of 2011. Packages will ship out on the 15th of each month. Each package will contain approximately 150g or 5oz. of fiber. There will be one batt, custom-made for this club only, and two tops of fiber. Both will naturally be of very high quality with vibrant colors! The fiber selection for this club will include soft, but easy to spin fibers. The fibers are suitable for socks, shawls, hats and other accessories.

Klubissa saat kolme (3) kuitulähetystä: yhden tammikuussa, yhden helmikuussa ja yhden maaliskuussa. Villapaketit lähetetään joka kuun 15. päivä, ja jokainen paketti sisältää noin 150g kuitua. Yksi paketeista on karstattu batti, vain tätä klubia varten tehty sekoitus kuituja - kaksi muuta pakettia sisältävät topseja. Molemmat ovat ensiluokkaisia kuituja ja täynnä ihania, hehkuvia värejä! Klubin kuiduissa on mukana helposti kehrättäviä, pehmeitä kuituja, jotka käyvät ihanasti pehmeisiin asusteisiin.

The Heavenly Fiber Club
You will receive three (3) packages in the months of January, February and March of 2011. Packages will ship out on the 15th of each month. Each package will contain approximately 150g or 5oz. of fiber. There will be one batt, custom-made for this club only, and two tops of fiber. Both will naturally be of very high quality with vibrant colors! The fiber selection for this club will include soft, easy to spin and super-luxurious fibers (merino, angora, cashmere, silk etc.). The fibers are suitable for warm shawls, hats and other accessories.

Klubissa saat kolme (3) kuitulähetystä: yhden tammikuussa, yhden helmikuussa ja yhden maaliskuussa. Villapaketit lähetetään joka kuun 15. päivä, ja jokainen paketti sisältää noin 150g kuitua. Yksi paketeista on karstattu batti, vain tätä klubia varten tehty sekoitus kuituja - kaksi muuta pakettia sisältävät topseja. Molemmat ovat ensiluokkaisia kuituja ja täynnä ihania, hehkuvia värejä! Klubin kuiduissa on mukana helposti kehrättäviä, pehmeitä luksuskuituja, jotka käyvät ihanasti pehmeisiin asusteisiin.

How to Order
Depending on where you wish the fiber to be shipped, choose the EU or non-EU option at the drop down menu below. You will be directed to Paypal for processing of your order, and you can pay with your credit card - no Paypal account is required. Please note: if this purchase is a gift, please fill out the "special instructions to merchant" selection at check-out with details of the recipient adress and your message to the recipient.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at tuulia . salmela (at) gmail . com!
The number of spots for the clubs is limited, and the signups will close on December 31st, 2010.
Thank you for your support and happy spinning!

Valitse ylläolevasta valikosta joko Little Bit of Luxury Fiber Club - EU- tai Heavenly Fiber Club - EU -vaihtoehto. Voit maksaa tilauksesi Paypalissa luottokortilla, Paypal-tiliä ei tarvita. Huomaa: Jos tilauksesi on lahja, täytä kohta "special instructions to merchant" maksaessasi, laita mukaan saajan nimi, osoite ja viestisi saajalle.

Klubeissa on rajallinen määrä paikkoja, joten toimi nopeasti! Ilmoittautuminen klubeihin sulkeutuu vuoden viimeisenä päivänä.
Kysyttävää tai kommentoitavaa? Laita viestiä osoitteella tuulia . salmela (at) gmail . com!
Kiitos ja ihania kehruuhetkiä!

Concerning Socks

2010-12-09T03:06:00.000-08:00

For someone who has such a stash of sock yarns, and who also wears only handknit socks, you don't see me knitting socks too often. In fact, I won't pick up a sock knitting project until my socks are all worn out and in desperate need of darning - or all dirty. It's been at least 6 months since I last knitted a pair, which meant it was about time to get going with another pair. Preferably several, in fact, so I went and dug out some skeins of sock yarn. This got me thinking about sock knitting in general.

As I mentioned, I knit socks usually when I absolutely have to. There is normally a pair or two on the needles, waiting to be knitted when waiting at the car service or traveling, but it takes forever to finish a pair that way. Socks are perfect for travel-knitting, since they don't require a lot of thinking or concentration. But this means they're also very, very boring to knit. They would be more interesting with patterning, but I just prefer plain socks to any patterned socks.

My favorite type of sock is a plain stockinette stitch toe-up sock, with upside down French heel, and a 2x2 ribbed cuff. Sometimes I go wild and knit a small broken rib pattern on the instep and the cuff, but usually I prefer plain socks. Preference to plain socks is mostly due to the fact that most of my sock yarn stash consists of very colourful variegated or self-striping yarns. Choosing a pattern with such yarns would end up in neither of them showing very well.

Striping with two variegated would also be an option. I haven't knitted striped socks since "our boys" (= my younger brothers) were small and I knitted all sorts of socks for them in a collection of left-over yarns. In fact, I remember a time when I did all sorts of crafts but my knitting consisted only of socks for our boys. And they were well-worn socks too. In fact the high volume of socks knitted was due to the fact that they, being boys, went through them very quickly, and I didn't know how to knit very durable socks at the time. I'm not sure if we have a pair anywhere, anymore. But they were very traditional socks - cast on for a 2x2 ribbed cuff, which measured some 4 to 6 inches, then a reinforced heel with a regular sl1, k1 heel stitch, a sharp gusset decreased on every or every other row, and finished with a round toe. If striped, there would be 2 stripes in the cuff. The wilder version would have two stripes in the foot too. I don't think we even knew of variegated or self-striping yarns then, at least I don't remember knitting with them, ever. Those came later, but I was never truly drawn to them, until I started dyeing myself. And socks are perfect for very wild color combinations - small accessories as they are, and on your feet, they don't show as much as a scarf or a hat would. And you can choose colors which normally wouldn't be anywhere near your face. Such as orange!

Sock-knitting, while not necessarily fun, is very important then. Whether socks are worn only occasionally (like boot socks or slipper socks) or all the time, a good pair of socks is worth a lot of time and effort - and good materials. I prefer wool over any material. Cotton just feels odd in hand-knit socks, and loses its shape very quickly. (This can be due to the cotton used, or the fact that my feet are shaped very much like duck feet, they're only bigger.)

The best yarns I've used for my socks have been handspun.

But spinning sock yarn would make the process even slower, so when working with commercial yarns, I've loved Opal and Trekking yarns. They seem to last a long time, and they can be washed in a regular cycle without any damage to the knitted fabric. The colors are sometimes quite bizarre, but then again, my socks can be of very wild colors.

I always use the basic recipe for my socks: cast on 12 or 16 stitches (24 or 32 total) using Judy's magic cast-on, increase to 16 or 17 or 18 stitches per needle (64, 68 or 72 stitches total), then knit round and round and round until the gusset increases, which happen on every 3rd or every second row until I have about 20 new stitches. Then work the French heel upside down, with a small triangle at the base, turn the heel by knitting the 32, 34 or 36 stitches of the heel flap together with the sole stitches, and then work a 6 to 8 inch cuff and finish with 2 inches of ribbing. I've done it dozens of times, and it requires no thinking whatsoever, especially since I discovered that the foot is wide enough when I place the beginning of the sock on my left hand and my fingers have room to move around in the toe, and the gusset increases begin when the toe is long enough to touch the base of my thumb. The heel must be knit when the foot is long enough to cover my palm entirely.

There are slight variations to this recipe: sometimes I work a small pattern on the instep stitches, sometimes the ribbing is shorter than 2 inches, sometimes I work a Dutch heel instead of the French heel. I don't even have a preference for needles: I've knit them two at a time on one circular, or two circulars, or DPN's. I like bamboo needles, but mostly knit with metal ones.

But one thing is always certain: I cast on for socks at the toe.

Except when I knit my socks cuff down. :D

Cross-stitch swap

2010-12-08T01:56:00.000-08:00

Our local cross-stitchers organized a Christmas swap, with the theme being socks and the stitched item finished as a pouch. And here's what I got from the incredibly talented Minna! (Check out her blog for bettew pictures.)

She stitched two very pretty designs over 1 thread on Floba. It is big enough for Christmas cards, and comes in very handy as we don't have a place just for Christmas cards yet.

I love the designs, they're very delicate and traditional. And to think they're stitched over one thread of fabric - yikes! My pal did an excellent job! I am in awe, as I have tried stitching over one thread and it did not go well. In fact, it was horrible.

And Minna had included all sorts of goodies in the package: linen thread (my favorite!), Santa-shaped chocolate lollipop (not with us anymore, I'm afraid - yum!), a lovely star ornament (already bringing joy to the whole family in our living room), lots of tiny buttons and charms for finishing (always needed), a card with puppies (awww) - and a small stitched pin cushion with a sock! It is adorable! Thank you Minna! (And sorry for taking so long to post about it...)

I stitched a project bag for Lennu. Below are two pictures of it, but go check out Lennu's post, too - her pictures are far better than mine!

The design is Kitty Cat Row by Bent Creek, stitched with DMC thread over 2 strands of hand-dyed linen.

Liuhu Pattern!

2010-11-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

I have many, many projects to show you, but those will have to wait for now - I have important news!

The Liuhu Alpaca Tunic Pattern is now available through Ravelry! It's the first of the TTS sweater patterns and means a lot to me.

When I got this yarn, I wanted to knit a long, warm tunic with an air of elegance and grace. The yarn itself was ideal for such a project: 100% baby alpaca is extremely soft, warm and yields a lovely drapey knitted fabric. The beads add a feminine touch to the garment, and the shaping of the tunic was designed to complement many body types and sizes. The method of top-down knitting allows for modifications for the perfect fit and length.

The name Liuhu (pronounced Lee-oo-who) can be roughly translated to “Slinker” in Finnish. The name refers to the characteristic of the yarn - it is slippery and splits rather easily. The end result is worth it, though!

Sizes
XS (S; M; L; XL; XXL; XXXL).
Bust circumference 34(36; 40; 42; 44; 48) inches or 86(90, 106; 110; 115; 122; 131) cm.
Waist circumference (measured 4” below underarm) 30(32; 34; 36.5; 38.5; 41; 44) or 76(82; 87; 93; 98; 105; 114) cm.
Hem circumference 45(48; 51 1/2; 54 3/4; 58; 61; 64) inches or 115(123; 131; 139; 147; 155; 163) cm.
All measurements given for finished garment.

Gauge
22 sts and 28 rows in stockinette stitch = 4 inches or 10 cm.

Needles
24” or 32” circular needle in US#4 (3.5mm) and #5 (3.75mm). Adjust needle size to obtain correct gauge.

Yarn
Heavy Sport or Light DK weight yarn 1100(1200; 1350; 1500; 1650; 1800; 2000) yards. Note: You may need more (or less) yarn if you modify your tunic. See pattern for modifying options.
Original gray tunic was knitted with KnitPicks Andean Treasure (110 yards/1.75 oz or 103 m/50 g) in Fog. Yarn sponsored by KnitPicks.

This tunic is knitted from the top down using the Tailored Sweater Method. No knowledge of the method is necessary to knit the tunic, but basic knowledge of how to knit from the top down is very useful with this project. This tunic is recommended for advanced knitters. For more information on how to work pullovers, tunics, cardigans, jackets, T-shirts, dresses etc. from the top down with your own measurements, see the Tailored Sweater Method information. There is also a Ravelry forum for the method.

This design offers you great possibilities for variation and modification. You can choose to work the neckline deeper or shallower than the original. You can also work the sleeves to a desired length, as well as the body. See pattern for modification options.

Get your copy through the pattern page on ravelry or follow the link below:

A lot of effort went to the pattern editing, and I do hope it is now error-free. If you do find errors in the pattern, please let me know! Enjoy and happy knitting :)

And I Find It Kind of Funny

2010-11-14T05:31:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, I am a huge Adam Lambert fan. Have been since the days of American Idol, and still can't quite understand how and why I happen to love his music. (My playlists usually consist of Metallica, Rammstein etc.) And since I got tickets to his concert in Helsinki last Saturday, I went hunting for proper accessories, and lo and behold, discovered a glitter-addicted person who won't say no to leather. I know, I was shocked too!

Last summer, a group of friends gathered to spin together for a weekend, and we did exchanged gifts too. My swap pal gave me the prettiest batt ever, which was (aptly) named Adam shortly thereafter. And the batt eventually became one of the prettiest yarns I have ever spun!

I just knew this yarn needed to be a shawl, one that would show it in all its glory. The batt had merino, BFL, firestar and silk in it, and it has a very elegant sheen to it. (Impossible to photograph but believe me, the glitter makes it shine like nothing else.) I searched far and wide for a proper pattern, until it hit me - this yarn needed to be another Icarus! I've knitted two or three already, and I love the pattern. It's simple and easy, and works incredibly well with handspun yarns.

Needless to say, I love it. Loved knitting it, love wearing it, love it.

I was a little worried of the yardage. 710 yards is not a lot for a shawl, but it ended up being just enough - I had probably less than 10 yards left when I cast off. I did five repeats of the body, then the full lace section, but left out the last 5 rows of finishing. I've never liked the way they look, and I would've run out of yarn anyway. In the end, the shawl measures some 40 inches by 79 inches after blocking.

A really poor photo below shows (hopefully) the glitter in the shawl.

And since I found the glam princess in me, a bonus photo: I went a little glitter-happy today.

October

2010-10-01T02:12:00.000-07:00

October is one of those months. You feel a slow, but inevitable transition, as the scenery and air gradually say farewell to early autumn and preparations for the colder months begin.

In October, autumn changes the colors of the trees, mist covers everything in the mornings, days become shorter and shorter, and you can feel the chill that will eventually bring November and winter.

In October, everything will slowly, but surely, turn grey.

There is a sense of grief, too.

I love this time of year, not only because I love the color grey, but also, because it's time for vigorous knitting, warm socks, a cup of hot chocolate. And colors.

Colors are found in little pools of happiness outside. Like this rhubarb leaf, which looks almost like purple piece of leather to me.

Or the lichen growing on an aspen. The mustardy yellow on grey is one of the most beautiful combinations of color.

And the still remaining green of the mushy forest undergrowth is not bad either.

And then, with a little digging and organizing, you can find treasures in the boxes stashed away months ago. Ahem.

This time of year, my mind always turns to colorwork. It is so grey outside, and the sense of colors disappearing in the nature, I dig out boxes after boxes of yarn, to discover all the colors that have been hidden and stashed away during the hot summer. Colors inspire, and excite.

Planning colors is almost as much fun as using them in knitting. Sometimes a skein of vibrant colors is what you need - but sometimes you need to go absolutely wild and combine many, many beautiful tones together to create a symphony of colorful joy. (Or a cacophony, which also happens. Those are the pictures I won't show today!)

And sometimes you get overwhelmed by the colors, and this happens from time to time, if you are like me and love all the colors. Sometimes you get stuck using one single family of colors, which happened to me with the bright and brilliant blues and turquoises. When this happens, I browse my books and photographs for inspiration. Through ravelry, I found this wonderful book for color knitters, and even with a quick glance at it, I can recommend it to everyone who loves to work with colorful knits!

It is called The Essential Guide to Color Knitting Techniques, and I like it a lot even though I haven't truly dug into the deepest depths of it yet. I'll post a proper review later.

Sleeping Beauty Socks

2010-09-20T23:54:00.000-07:00

I am surrounded by talented professionals and a team of absolutely wonderful test knitters, and thanks to them, The Lair can proudly present a new pattern for sale! It has been a while, but I hope the wait is worth it! And there will be many more to follow soon. I've also updated a few of the older patterns, see the end of the post for details.

The new pattern is a spur-of-the-moment thing. I bought two skeins of a beautiful semisolid turquoise sock yarn, slightly thicker than what I prefer for my socks. It was definitely too thick for gloves, and I was hesitant to use it for socks as it is 2-ply merino-nylon blend, and not too tightly spun. But then it hit me: I need a pair of sleeping socks, the kind you slip on when you get to bed and eventually end up kicking them off at some point at night. The merino would be perfect for them, it's soft and warm, and since it doesn't need to be very durable, I decided to use the newly acquired yarn for a pair of sleeping socks.

I wanted to knit lace for my socks. I usually have no patterning in my socks, merely because I like knitting stockinette and cables and other patterns would be uncomfortable to wear with shoes. I don't wear store-bought socks at all, so I knit stockinette socks mostly as they're an easy, perfect traveling project to take along. But with sleeping socks I could go wild and choose a lace pattern! And so I did, taking a lace pattern from a Japanese stitch pattern book and modifying it slightly.

The pair itself is relatively simple, knitted toe-up with a upside down French heel and a garter lace edging.

I really loved the pair I knitted. I thought it was the perfect marriage between yarn, purpose, color and stitch pattern, and then it hit me. Perhaps others would like it too! A quick call to my test knitters, and here it is: the Sleeping Beauty Socks Pattern!

This button will take you to Ravelry where you can get your copy of the pattern:

Red Dragon Shawl pattern has also been updated (new lay-out, no changes to charts or the pattern).

If you already own a copy, you can download your new version at the Ravelry pattern page. Don't have the Red Dragon yet? Here's the link to Ravelry where you can purchase your copy:

Also updated are the Deep in the Forest Mittens. They have been a true favorite - thank you everyone for your support! The pattern has a completely new lay-out and looks really good to me!

If you already own a copy, you can download your new version at the Ravelry pattern page. Don't have it yet? Here's the link to Ravelry where you can purchase your copy:

Exhausted? There's one more! The Winter Skirt has also a new lay-out:

You can find the new version at the Ravelry pattern page, where you can purchase a copy of the pattern. Or just click the button below:

That's it for now! Enjoy the fall weather and stay warm - we're feeling the misty chill of the mornings here and I've cast on for many many projects, which are soon ready for blogging. Stay tuned then!

Long Time No See

2010-09-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

I seem to have stepped and got stuck over there in the dark side (see last post)! The truth is, I haven't knitted much. This summer was the hottest on record, and it felt like it. This, for a knitter, means no wool. Even the thought of it made my hands sticky and eww. I did knit a little, though - but I suppose you don't want to see Mount Doom of Dishcloths, especially since they're all the same.

I haven't spun much, either, although I went a little crazy and bought a spinning wheel.

He (yes, he) is a Schacht Matchless, DT as you can see. And he is wonderful! His name is Jeremy, after Jeremy Irons and Jeremy Clarkson, although my friends seem to believe there is a connection with a Ron Jeremy, too.

If you have no idea who Ron Jeremy is, do not google him. Trust me on this.

Anyway, I love the new wheel! I've wanted one for a long time, after I tried my friend's Matchless. And I can't figure out why I didn't get one sooner. It's a true workhorse, does everything I want and need, and adjusting it is so easy. I've been a Scotch tension spinner, but have now seen the light and will spin everything in DD if possible. I absolutely love the double-drive, although my spinning technique did require some adjusting when I first learned to spin with a double-drive.

I also bought the WooLee Winder for mine 2 days after the wheel arrived, and a Strauch 405 carder, which will arrive sometime this week. I wanted the carder for blending batts, and working with finer fibers too. I spun some pure samoyed (mmm yum) and it turned out absolutely lovely - fluffy, soft and fuzzy. It was like an affair between angora, mohair and merino! But it could use a little oomph (that's a technical term, I'm sure it is). There is a seemingly endless supply of the fiber, and you know what I mean if you've ever seen a samoyed! So next time I'll use my fancy carder to blend it with a nice merino or Shetland or some other lovely fiber like that, and hopefully it'll have a little more elasticity then. However, 100% samoyed is a nice fiber for fluffy two-ply (longdrawn straight from the combed hair).

I have one more thing to show you, and it's proof of the fact that I still knit. In fact I finished this prototype in May, but I'm working on the second version right now with a team of test-knitters, which means the pattern will come out soon.

It's a top-down bolero with Haapsalu and Shetland lace. The prototype was knitted with devilish 7-stitch nupps (never again! at least never again in 85F weather), using 440yds or 400m of 2-ply wool. This can be knit with one skein of fingering weight then, but with two skeins, the sleeves and the body can be knit longer.

The second version on my needles will be worked with 6/0 beads instead of nupps, and with approximately 900yds of handspun 2-ply angora blend. I'll show you when it's finished, right now it's a fuzzy lump embellished with beads!

The pattern for the bolero will be out later this month, as well as the patterns for the gray Alpaca tunic and the Emerald Sweater you saw earlier this year. And there is also a sock pattern I'm anxious to show you! Next up will be previews of the new patterns, and updates on the older ones. And the next post will not happen in early April, but hopefully later this week!

Heresy, They Say

2010-04-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have stepped over to the dark side.

I bought a knitting-machine and got it two weeks ago. Mostly I have just played with it, but I managed to knit a sweater for Mr HairyFeet. The machine comes in very handy at times like these, when one is faced with fields of stockinette in light fingering weight cotton. Now, some knitters say it's nearly heretical to knit with a machine, but I disagree. (Yes, I am the one pressing the buttons.)

I think machine-knitting is practical at times. I love the uneven stitches of handknit fabrics, I love the zen that comes with knitting round and round and round for weeks at a time. I love seeing the colors emerge, the fabric being created right there at my fingertips.

But then there is cotton. The unrelenting, unforgiving, unpredictable and cruel mistress, which behaves almost always inappropriately and shows every single mistake. It is stiff and unbending, harsh and dry - and yet it produces absolutely beautiful knitted fabric when finished. But there is no way I will ever handknit light fingering weight cotton again. Ever. The idea of 400+ stitches per round, hundreds of rounds without any change, in stockinette.. I would rather knit with acrylic. (Well, no I wouldn't, but acrylic comes close.)

This is where the machine comes in. In two days you have the pieces done, then a wee bit of blocking and seaming and ta-da, you have a sweater!

And the fields of stockinette are all smooth and neat.

Sounds easy, no? Well, it's not. I made the first mistake when I decided to handknit the ribbings. As a result, I haven't knit anything in days - my hands hate cotton and decided to go on strike as a result of the ribbings. Also, I didn't realize how long seaming would take. It takes forever. And it's tedious. And for the life of me I can't sew a neat sleeve cap seam. See?

I learned a lot with this one, so I won't make the same mistakes again. (Ribbing attachment is all I'm saying.) And I am generally happy with this one. My favorite bit? The sleeve increases. And they're not even identical! Usually this would make me reknit the sleeves but not today. First and foremost, they're already sewn in, and secondly.. well it's beige.

But all that (beige) is past now (and out of my stash!), and DH has a nice sweater. He said he'd like another one, but I'll work on my sweater now. (More pictures of DH's sweater in Ravelry.) I dyed some merino-bamboo for my sweater, I only have the front to knit and then the blocking and seaming process. (I sound optimistic, because the reality of seaming for hours hasn't still sunk quite in. Self-delusion is a beautiful thing.)

I haven't given up the joy of handknitting entirely despite the new toy. In fact, I finished a sweater which was called Slinker while I was working on it. It's KnitPicks baby alpaca (Andean Treasure), and the yarn feels so slippery that it truly earned the name. I love the yarn, though - it's superwarm, has a beautiful halo, knits up nicely, the fabric is drapey, but the garment ended up being quite heavy. I used 15 balls of yarn for this sweater, so it weighs well over 28 ounces.

I am very pleased with it. It turned out just the way I wanted: it has a touch of pearls for a feminine air, but it's not bells and whistles girly.

And it fits! And there are no seams!

I like it a lot! And thanks to KnitPicks for sponsoring the yarn! The pattern will now go to my testknitters so we'll hopefully have a pattern finalized soon.

Finally, thank you everyone for your comments in the last post! They all mean so much to me - I've read them many many times and it truly feels great to be back. Thank you, again!

Edited to add: We now have buttons. Go press the disagree button! We like it, it makes us all tickly. :D

Coming Up for Air

2010-03-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hello, Blog. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Did you miss me? I see the Lair is quite dusty *cough*. Time for some spring cleaning then!

So I'm back. I honestly have no idea what happened. I knitted a cardigan, then cast on for a new one and what do you know, it's suddenly next year - next decade in fact! -, and nearly six months since I blogged. I needed the break, though, to figure out what to do with the Lair. It has also been a time of adjustment - we moved to a new country only a few months ago (I know it's my home country but after 5 years it felt like moving to a new country), and there have been times I wanted to pack everything and go home. It has not been the easiest of winters, although I have enjoyed the company of my friends and family, and it has been desperately beautiful outside, but it's also been a very dark and cold winter. Moving from a busy metropolis to a village of six (6!) houses has not been entirely easy.

On top of this all, I have been on the road a lot, teaching my sweater method to Finnish knitters. And it has been fun, meeting new people and knitting with them - but it has also drained me of energy. And I am applying to a university next summer, which means I have to read, read, read, and perhaps then read some more.

I have not been entirely idle and hibernating though! So let's clear out the dust and take a look at some of the items finished in the Lair over the past 6 months or so!

First up, the bathrobe. Clearly, not my greatest hour, despite the smug grin!

The yarn is a fuzzy acrylic blend, rather horrible to work with but knits up really fast. And it's warm, which was what I wanted. But it does look a bit like a bathrobe, and it wasn't really me - the color and the design looked awkward on me. I gave this cardi to Mum, she likes it and that's what's important.

The next big project was my Double Lattice Sweater. Like the green cardi, it is knitted with the top-down seamless set-in sleeve method, and I absolutely love the way it turned out.

The yarn was rather unforgiving, 100% mercerized cotton, which does not stretch, so the minicables were truly painful to work.

The result is a shining fabric which looks nothing like cotton fabrics - but wears well and is machine washable. Which is great, since normally, white and I do not mix very well.

And it fits just the way I wanted! I could lose a few pounds and it would be even better still, but I am very happy with it as it is. It has been worn a lot already, and it's surprisingly warm considering it's cotton.

And no seams!

I have also been spinning! The Lair has seen some changes in the wheel family - Butch is gone to a new and loving home, since here, he was badly neglected and lonely (and I think Sylvie verbally abused him on a regular basis). The Pocket Wheel is going through some repairs, and has not been actively in use for months. Sylvie is the same, although she has competition now: I have a new wheel. Sophie, a Kromski Sonata, is a true workhorse, not the prettiest wheel there is but a great companion. I'll show pics of her later, but for now, something we played with together.

First, a handspun Baktus, spun from the beautiful Allspunup Falkland fiber to a thick fingering weight single and knitted in a couple of nights to a warm and comfy little shawl.

The colors are truly breathtaking. I love the subtle tones and the variation of dark colors.

I love wearing handspun socks, and these are no exception. There is an element of rag rug-esque striping in the yarn, but I like the vivid colors. The fiber is 100% SW BFL I dyed and spun ages ago.

One last thing I want to show you: my Emerald Sweater. I was lucky enough to get some KnitPicks Gloss Kenai yarn for a sweater*, and used 10 skeins of this truly beautiful teal colored yarn for this design.

It is a simple design, twisted stitches on a reverse stockinette background, but in the cuffs and the hem there is a lace pattern I adapted from a Japanese stitch pattern book.

This was really a lot of fun to knit, despite the gazillion stitches on my #1 needles. The best bit: no seams!

Mr HairyFeet was kind enough to photograph it with me, and I wore it with my Winter Skirt. I really love the combination of these two handknits together.

Happily there is still a lot of time to wear both of them, the spring is only beginning here. As is clearly visible in this picture with the Mount Doom of Snow behind me!

And last but not least, the pattern for the Winter Skirt is finally available through ravelry! That's all for now, next time - Casbah!

*Yarn sponsored by KnitPicks.

Gray Is the New Black

2009-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

I finished my cardi, the epic project of this fall!

I know, the color choice is radical. But I wanted a gray cardigan, to go so well with all the handknit shawls and scarves.

It's warm, and comfortable, and it fits. There are one or two issues with it, mainly the size of the hood, but I'll take it as a learning experience. There is, in fact, no need to knit a hood so big an entire football team could fit in there. And play.

Otherwise, I can't think of anything negative about it. The broken rib band around the front edges and the hood nearly did me in - 530 stitches of worsted weight yarn on a 32" needle will take your soul, your will to live, your will to knit (gasp) and nearly, but not entirely, your love for gray yarn.

I do love the color. I don't know why, but gray is, and will always be, a favorite. (Ask me again next week, and it'll be green. Or blue. Or yellow!)

The coat was finished just in time. Last week, we had fall. This week, we got winter. Brr!

Amazing Travels and Beauty in the Morning (Marathon Post)

2009-10-02T00:17:00.000-07:00

(Still no knitting. Forgot to block. And photograph.)

Last week, on Thursday to be exact, I turned 30. It didn't feel any different from any other day, except that a friend bought a beautiful wheel and I taught her to spin. To celebrate, I went on a road trip and drove nearly 900 miles, to see friends and knit. A group of 40 knitters met for a weekend of knitting and spinning and yarn and fiber and books and tea and wine and such.

I also taught a class on the sweater method. We had fun.

I had fun, and I think the class did too. The picture above of one of our amazing organizers, Samma, was just too hilarious to miss. It was all very cordial, I was nice to everyone.

I swear I was.

In my class, the knitters were fun, smart, amazing artists. I was honored to meet them all. (I loved the Shetland shawl, it looked so warm.)

It all required a lot of concentration.

Their beautiful hands knitted very very fast. And they were all such a joy to watch.

I am so happy I got to meet my fellow knitters. It was a weekend of sheer joy, I hope there'll be another knitting retreat very soon. (I also may have bought another spinning wheel. More of that later.)

On my travels I also got to meet some animals I had not seen before. Lizards, and some snakes.

They were very scary and wild, all 12 inches of them.

These Columbian rainbowboas were truly most amazing animals: beautiful, strong, primitive, and an absolute joy to watch.

The green iguana did not approve of my photographing him.

But the little ADD lizard did not mind, at all. She was awfully cute!

Now that I have shocked you with lizards and snakes, let's look at some yarn. These came home with me. Green mystery lace yarn and blue Drops Alpaca adopted from fellow knitters.

Burgundy Drops Alpaca. What can I say, I love the yarn. And the color!

And then I went crazy. First, just a little.

And the I went completely bonkers.

Yes, I am aware it's yellow. But what a yellow it is! Mustard yellow, in all of the richness of the fall yellow that is only there this time of year! I had to have it. All of it.

Speaking of fall, it's here.

Enjoy your fall days!

The Little House by the River

2009-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

We're back! It only took me 6 weeks to get back to blogging :D So here's a brief recap on what has been going on.

We got here on August 9th and the first few weeks went past really fast, taking care of official business and all. Mr HairyFeet went back to work on Aug 17th and as our cars, the Amazing German Wonders, were still on a boat somewhere in the Atlantic, he needed a car for commuting. And so he graduated from a V-dub driver to a Mercedes driver.

So we have a 20-year old Mercedes now :D It drives surprisingly well, there are no issues with it, and it gets around 50mpg (around 5l/100km), so it's a perfect car for him to drive to work (70 miles one way).

In August, we also moved to a little house by the river. There is literally a tiny creek in our backyard!

The house was Mr HairyFeet's grandparents' place, and since they're no longer with us, it has been a summer house. It's fully redecorated and modernized inside and out, and with 3 bedrooms and around 1400 sq. ft (140m2), it's decently big for us. I love the fact that it has a huge fireplace and a sauna!

There are also 2 small sheds and a bigger barn/animal house complex, which haven't been in farming use for decades.

They're there for storage only (and especially the animal house is in a rather shabby condition). And in these storage rooms we have found treasures.

Treasures, I tell you. This is a Varpaloom "Kothe", it is at least 30 years old 24" wide, 8 harness table loom. The loom needed to new thinner heddle rods and new heddles, new reeds (none were found), but otherwise it is in perfect condition. I found several shuttles and a bobbin rack, too, and will get the new reeds shortly, so I can set it up. It even has a stand! It is exactly what I spent nights and days googling last spring, and I wanted to buy one, but luckily I didn't. The only downside is that it doesn't fold, but I can't really complain about that. We also discovered two antique skein winders (wooden ones) and a metal one with a clever mechanism, bobbin lace pillows and bobbins and instructions, and tons of needles and yarn. Mr HairyFeet's grandma was an avid craftswoman, and since no one else in the family needs these tools, I guess I need to learn new crafts ;D

But before I can settle down at the loom and start weaving madly, the yard has to be prepped for the winter.

This is only maybe 1/4 of the yard. It truly is huge, there is a small garden and apple trees and lawn all over. We have sunflowers...

And we have flowers all over the yard...

Rowans are full of berries.

And the flowers are full of bumble bees (which are surprisingly cute too).

But most importantly, we have amazing sunsets. (These are all straight from the camera, I merely cropped and resized them.)

More pics in Flickr.

That's all for now! I have been knitting a little so next time, we'll get proper knitting pictures. Til then, have a wonderful week!

The Most Important Thing in Life

2009-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

My friends are special. No, not that kind of special. They're special in a good way! They're kind, caring people, who support each other no matter what. And yesterday, we all gathered together for the last time, at least until we get together again. I won't post pictures of us (you should've seen Katie yank my hank, though), merely because ~~I may have been intoxicated and everything turned out blurry~~ I forgot the better lens and took only very poor pictures. But I do have pictures of the gifts, and they're as special as my friends are.

Shelly and her DH came with a huge bundle of flowers!

Purplish blue Irises! Gorgeous Alstroemerias! Yellow Chrysanthemums! (I hope I got the names right.) They're all beautiful! The Irises remind me of the Irises I used to have in our backyard, years ago. They're such gorgeous flowers. The combination of blue and yellow is one of my favorites.

The Alstroemerias are so delicate and fine. And the specs are the most beautiful color of maroon. They are also called the Peruvian Lily or Lily of the Incas, which, knowing Shelly, makes these flowers all the more special.

And Chrysanthemums, they're happy flowers! Maybe not the most delicate flower, but they're perfect for almost any occasion, easy to take care of and the flowers last a long time. And the color is the happiest yellow there is! (And you know I have issues with yellow.)

Thank you Shelly! I never get flowers, ever, (I forget to buy them, and Mr HairyFeet buys me suicidal potted plants which only live for about a week) so these are very special. And her DH picked out the ones most in bloom, because we won't be able to enjoy them for very long, so they got the ones that are in their best bloom right now. They're all gorgeous!

My friend Katie photographed her Dragon Shawl with a wooden dragon, one of those wooden puzzles you find at a craft store. I was very very jealous when I saw her gorgeous picture, mostly because her shawl was so pretty, but also because I thought the dragon was very cool. And then last night, lo and behold, she gave me a dragon puzzle!

Dragons are special creatures to me. I find them inspiring and puzzling and to me, a dragon is a positive, powerful but slightly frightening creature. (Just like spiders.) So Katie's gift is a special one too. And the kit, it's perfect as it is flat and small and will fit in my suitcase :) Thank you Katie!

Speaking of the Dragon Shawl, I've made four of them and I never got to keep one. I don't really remember how it happened, but as it is, I don't have a Dragon Shawl myself. This will be quickly corrected, since Kristin gave me a bowl of lace yarn!

The yarn is extremely beautiful, merino-silk-bamboo blend and she spun it to lace weight (800yds to 3.8 oz). The colors are deep and rich and lustrious - the photograph doesn't do them justice at all. There are specs of gold and oat and chocolate and silver - it's breathtakingly beautiful.

And the bowl.. Kristin made this a while ago and I've been secretly coveting it every time I visited her. She said this was a happy mistake bowl, but to me, it's definitely art, in every sense of the word. I love everything about it, the colors, the shape, the glaze, everything. Thank you Kristin, for the most perfect bowl and the yarn that will definitely be a hug from a distance.

I am lucky enough to know a painter, an artist whom I admire and who I find truly inspiring: Carol Brozman. Her use of colors is genious, and the geometric abstract shapes are a source of new ideas, everytime I look at her pictures. (And I have spent hours just looking at them.) And a few weeks ago, Carol gave me a painting. (Carol, I apologize for the poor picture!)

She called this "Be Careful with Me" and it's one of her original paintings (approx. 30" x 40", acrylic on canvas). I saw this in her bedroom, and it.. talked to me. There is no other way of describing it - the painting talked to me. And then yelled. And whispered. And sung! I don't know what it is about it, but I am mesmerized by it. It is not a happy picture, per se, or something that will lift your spirits or make you feel positive. It's actually a rather sad picture, thought-provoking picture, puzzling picture. I immediately saw an Inca figure, maybe an Inca god, in the picture. (I actually called it The Inca the first time I saw it.) But I also see rooms. And fields. And a door.

I really do apologize for the picture above, it doesn't show the colors true at all. (Neither will the next two pictures.) Also lost are the details, the way Carol uses colors and small brushes to bring out details that you only see when you examine the painting closely.

Like the burgundy specs in this picture below. They only become visible when you take the time to look at the picture closely.

What an amazing piece of art. Thank you so much, Carol, for The Inca!

As much as I appreciate all the gifts, it's the thought and the person behind them that matters the most. I feel so lucky to know all these talented, inspiring people and to have them in my life. Most of what has happened in the Lair during the last year would never have happened without my friends. They're all different in their own way, and yet there is room for all of us to be who we are, whether man or woman, black or white, straight or gay, atheist or believer, knitter or not. And we all get strength and inspiration from those around us, and to have such a circle of friends, it is a rare thing.

Do take care of your friends, everyone, because friends really are the most important thing in life.

Summer Knitting

2009-07-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

Photographing lace in a dark, hot, humid apartment full of boxes is a challenge. See below.

Yesterday was the hottest day in Seattle history, and it felt like it. It hit 107F (41.7C) in Bothell yesterday! In the evening, 90F felt almost comfortable! So I haven't been knitting much. I wanted to cast on for an Aeolian Shawl, since I spun some yarn for it in the Tour de Fleece challenge.

I dyed the 6 oz (170g) Wensleydale top using the block method, and spun the top directly from braid into 1100 yards (1100 m) of laceweight singles.

My inspiration for this was a project I saw on ravelry, and I think I did a pretty good job with it.

But it has been so hot, and the idea of knitting hairy, slightly coarse wool was not very appealing, so the the skein is sitting in my basket while I work on my unfinished projects.

So I have been knitting some cotton. I finally finished my lace cardigan!

I call this project the Black Widow (spiders, y'know!) :D This is another one of my top-down seamless concoctions, and I absolutely loved every minute of knitting this. It has no seams, so when I cast off it was done! And I added some short rows and side shaping to make it fit better.

And the cherry on top - the set-in sleeves.

The yarn is Mandarin Petit, and I had 6 balls of it. (I think Terhi from Mustaa villaa sent it to me years and years ago.) The original idea was to knit a short bolero to go with a summer dress I bought, and I wanted to use all of the yarn. By the time I reached the bolero length, I still had 3 balls left, so I kept going and ended up with a full-length cardigan.

I'm sure this will be a summer favorite! I've worn it a few times and I like it a lot. The cotton yarn feels cool and soft and comfortable, and the simple arrowhead lace makes it rather girly. And the vintage buttons my MIL gave me, they give it a touch of elegance.

Needless to say, I am extremely happy with this project.

Now, the moving business is getting more and more hectic every day, and it hit me I should probably dig out my UFO bin and finish my projects. Don't want movers accidentally poking themselves with stray needles sticking out of half-finished sweaters, you see. So I dug out my Hyrna Herborgar Shawl.

I cast on for this shawl in the plane, over Greenland, on our way to Finland last summer. I needed a simple project for the trip, and this pattern is really very easy to knit. Fast too, unless you forget it in your UFO bin.

I grew so fond of the middle stitch pattern that I accidentally knit too many repeats. I didn't want to tink back (lifelines, bah!) so I kept going until I was ready to knit the border.

I am glad I made the little mistake, since finished, this measures some 66" x 33" (168 cm x 83 cm) and I used maybe 3 oz of KnitPicks Bare lace-weight. It is just the right size for wearing around your neck with a winter coat.

Before blocking, I dyed the shawl in light blue, because since it was begun over Greenland, it needed to be glacier blue. It's a little too warm blue for my taste, but it is still light blue so it'll do. I think the color is closest to truth in this picture.

All in all, a nice project then. I may knit another one of these, in Icelandic yarn, as I liked working the pattern and it turned out very nice. But that will have to wait until winter!

No pictures of the finished T-shirt yet. We're expecting cooler weather this weekend so maybe I'll shanghai MrHairyFeet to photographing again! Until then, stay cool everyone!

Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

2009-07-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of summer, necessarily. Sometimes it's so hot, and it feels sticky and stuffy and there are bugs. And knitting with wool is not a good idea, unless it is a rainy summer day. But there is sun and warm evenings and flowers and spiders and everything smells fresh. And you get to knit with cotton!

Of course, one can knit cotton whenever one feels like it. But for some reason, I often find myself knitting with cotton in the summer. I like the way it feels, the way it knits up, how heavy and yet light the fabric feels. And the stitch definition is just heavenly.

I just finished a T-shirt for myself, out of Nashua's new ecological cotton. It really feels nice and fits like a glove. Due to a tripod-related mishap at the balcony, I will post pictures of me wearing the T-shirt a little later.

Another project I am working on is still just a lump. A black lump, which photographically yields an interesting challenge. As you can see, I still have a lot to learn.

Photos aside, I love this project. Although the fingering weight cotton feels like it will never end (6 balls of Mandarin Petit will go on forever it seems), and black yarn and lace is a horrible combination for knitting especially in the evenings, but the simplicity of the lace and the drape of the fabric makes me want to finish this quickly so I can wear it with my summer dress.

I haven't entirely abandoned wool. I spun some 100% superwash BFL for socks.

But mostly, I have just enjoyed these beautiful warm evenings and the sounds and smells of the short summer. I hope it doesn't end just yet, I could get used to this.

Where Did the Month Go?

2009-07-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

I just realized it's been over a month since my last update. And I don't know where the month went, it just all disappeared. As some of you know already, we're moving in about a month, so while not blogging (or knitting), we have taken care of some moving business. Our German wonders, the two V-dubs we have, have already begun their journey. Our furniture (and some wool) will follow in a few weeks. This, of course, means that the blog will remain quiet for some time.

In the past few weeks, not a lot has happened except for the moving business. I had my sister and my brother-in-law here for a week, which was fun. We went to pick up some wool Gretchen washed for me (of that later), and we went to the zoo, to Snoqualmie Falls (which fans of Twin Peaks will recognize) and Mt Rainier. No pics of Rainier, it was as it was last year when MrHairyFeet and I drove there. So was the parade on 4th, which we went to see.

But Gretchen's Farm was the most amazing place. I love everything about it, it's so beautiful and serene. And the animals seem very, very happy!

Some of her sheep were more of the dignified kind. They couldn't be seen fooling around.

(Aren't her eyes so pretty?)

The young ones were still practising the cute routine, which, as we know, is essential in becoming a full adult sheep.

Practising teh cute must be taken very seriously.

On Gretchen's Farm lives a very special chicken. Her name is Tuulia. She got her name on the day I took the fleeces to Gretchen, she had escaped and returned while Gretchen and I were fondling some wool. She has stayed on the farm ever since, though.

She's the brown one. I'm told she is a Buff Plymouth Rock kind of chicken, and is about 10 weeks old in the picture. She's very pretty, her feathers are almost entirely brown but there are small black specs on the tips. She's a feisty one. She'll keep the other chicks on their toes. They're appalled by her independent behaviour!

But even Tuulia is not a match for the ducks. They look like they mean business.

Do not be fooled by their innocent looks. They're downright mean birds. They're the sheriffs of the farm.

After visiting Gretchen, we drove to the Snoqualmie Falls. It was a beautiful, hot summer day.

The wild flowers on the mountains are probably the prettiest kind of wild flowers.

The nice weather continued the next day, when we went to the zoo in Seattle. The wolves and wild bald eagles were keeping a keen eye on the visitors.

In the zoo, the animals practice teh cute on a daily basis. I think this artic fox has just about mastered it.

The penguins are getting close, too.

Very, very close.

Some practised the menacing look, instead of the cute. Not very successfully, I can say.

The lizards, however, seem to have the menacing look without even really practising.

See what I mean?

Others thought the day too hot for practising the cute. Or anything else.

The hippos were merely enjoying the day.

I'd like to be a hippo. They have it made. Nothing better than enjoying the sun in a pool of warm water.

The orangutang thought the sun was a bit too much. He needed a blankie.

The snakes didn't have blankets. They had to just hang in there.

The spiders sought comfy little ~~lairs~~ caves for themselves.

Or wove cosy hammocks for chilling later in the afternoon. They might have enjoyed some drinks too.

The gorillas had already found the booze, though.

At the flamingo pool, the swan found things were getting out of hand.

So he took off.

The giraffe found out about the flamingoes' orgy. The smell gave it away.

He did not approve. At all.

But in the end, he couldn't be bothered.

So that's the daily life of animals in the Woodland Park Zoo! Next post, I promise, will happen sooner than a month and it consist mostly of purdy fibers and yarns. And art!

(This is not art. This is yarn.)

Till then!

When Healthy Passion Becomes Unhealthy Obsession

2009-06-10T08:42:00.000-07:00

There will be unspun fiber for socks. (Of which one was dug out and has been spun.)

There will be unknitted sock yarns wound into balls, waiting to be knitted. (Of which one was dug out and knitted.)

There will also be unfinished socks. (Of which none have been finished.)

And no, I do not have a problem. I can quit at any given moment, for I do not have a problem.

Happiness Is a Little Kitty

2009-06-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happiness is a little kitty sleeping.

The little nose.

The wee paws.

The tiny ears.

The silky soft coat of gray.

Happiness is a little kitty.

(I went to see my friend's new 9-week old kitty Gus yesterday. I just had to share!)

Winners!

2009-05-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your comments! It was fun reading them! Your impressions on The Lair varied from handspun yarns and cabled and stranded knits to "a witch" (I take it as a compliment!), Tolkien (well, that's where the name comes from) and Mr HairyFeet. And the lack of cross-stitching, which I really am sorry for. I am such a slow stitcher, but I should have more finished pics soon. I am on a UFO finishing spree, but it takes a long long time.

Olihan blogikisa! Kiitoksia kaikille kommenteista, niitä oli lysti lukea! Luola muistetaan neuleiden lisäksi ainakin Karvajalasta ja hämähäkeistä. Ja ristipistojen puutteesta, joka kaivaa omaakin mieltä, mutta olen onnettoman hidas pistelijä, joten niitä vaan ei synny (varsinkaan kun rukit huutelee vieressä). Olen viimeistellyt paria pistelyjuttua, jospa saisin ne valmiiksi piakkoin.

Anyway, we have a winners! Congratulations, Jaana and Julia! Go on, have some cake and do a victory dance, we'll wait!

Meillä on voittajiakin! Onnittelut Jaanalle ja Julialle! Ottakaa vähän kakkua voiton kunniaksi, me ootetaan täällä.

You're back? Good.

Jaana and Julia will both get a skein of handspun, which both have been seen in The Lair before (feel free to go dig through the posts) :D I hope they like them - they're both special skeins and I do hope they will be loved and knitted to something warm and exciting. Congrats to both of you and everyone else, thank you so much for your comments! I got lots of ideas for new posts from your comments, I'm glad you enjoy The Lair so much.

Jaana ja Julia voivat ootella käsinkehrättyä postissa. Molemmat on nähty blogissa aiemmin, toivottavasti ne ovat mieleen :) Voittajille onnea ja muille kaunis kiitos osallistumisesta - Luolassa ollaan vallan häkeltyneitä osanotosta ja kivoista kommenteista :)

Many of you mentioned handspun yarns, lace and pictures. We have all of those today! Let's start with the spinning. I have some merino-bamboo (60-40) on the bobbin.

Moni mainitsi kehruut ja pitsit ja kuvat. Kaikkia noita löytyy Luolasta tänään! Kehruupuolella rukin rullalla on merino-bambua.

I recently bought a lace flyer for Sylvie, and had to try it with this wonderful blend. I really like the lace flyer, it is superfast! The bobbins are old and slightly worn and I need to sand them, but otherwise I enjoy spinning lace again. I have spun so much sock yarn it feels good to go back to lace weight. But, even with a lace flyer, spinning feels slow, much slower compared to sock weight.

Ostin pitsilyhdyn (vai kehrän?) Sylville ja koeajan sitä tämän ihanan kiiltävän kuidun kanssa. Pitsilyhty on hurjan nopea (nopein kehrä on kai 40:1). Rullat on vähän kuluneita mutta lyhty toimii hyvin ja sen kanssa on kiva kehrätä. Sukkalankojen jälkeen on kiva kehrätä oikeasti ohutta, vaikka aika hidasta pitsinkehruu onkin.

Speaking of lace, I finished a Swallowtail Shawl with some handspun. I managed to get some 660 yards (607 m) of merino-silk blend, and it was perfect for this shawl. I made it slightly bigger than the pattern said, and it turned out to be roughly 36" x 70" (90 cm x 180cm). This will be a gift, the colors were perfect for the recipient.

Pitsistä puheen ollen, neulaisin lahjaksi Swallowtail Shawlin käsinkehrätystä pitsilangasta. Lankaa oli juuri sopivasti kivankokoiseen huiviin. Tein tästä vähän ohjeen huivia isomman, kakkoskaavion toistoja on 19. Lankaa meni noin 515m.

I am sorry for the poor pictures, I find lace so incredibly difficult to photograph. The shawl turned out really nice and delicate, it weighs only 3 oz (some 85g).

Pitsiä on tosi kamala kuvata, mutta itse huivi on minusta kiva. Toivottavasti saaja tykkää.

I find sock yarn almost brainless to spin. So I spun some. Allspunup club fiber for May was this breath-taking blend of greens in superwash merino.

Sitten niihin sukkalankoihin. Allspunupin kuituklubin toukokuun kuitu oli kaunis superwash merino-topsi.

I spun it to 440 yards/4 oz (400m/approx. 110g) in 3-ply, and knitted a lovely pair of socks.

Sain siitä irti sopivasti sukkapariin kolmisäikeisenä, ja neulaisin sukat itselle.

These socks were knitted with the same formula as always: toe up, 72 sts, upside down German heel, with a ribbed cuff. It works, and it's easy to knit, and it fits me, so no need to change, right?

Well.. I wanted to play a little. I tried Cat Bordhi's Riverbed construction (in New Pathways for Sock Knitters) and came up with a round heel that works for me, and I used this combination in another pair of socks I finished a few days ago.

Yleensä neulon sukat samalla kaavalla: varpaista ylös, 72s, nurinniskoin saksalainen (eli lappukanta, neliömäinen kanta jne) kantapää ja vähän joustinta sukansuuhun. Toimiva ja istuva malli, joten ei syytä muuttaa sitä, eikö? Innostuin leikkimään kuitenkin Cat Bordhin rakenteilla, ja neulaisin seuraavaan pariin Riverbed-mallilla pyöreän kannan. Yleensä pyöreät (ranskalaiset) kannat nurinniskoin ovat minusta jotenki liian leveitä tai pussittavia, mutta sain tästä stetson-mallisesta mielestäni aika hauskan ja sopivan, ainakin omaan jalkaan.

These fit really well, but the best thing, by a mile, is the richness of the colors. The colors in this yarn were just incredible! The fiber is superwash BFL which I dyed to crazy wild colors (you saw the fiber and the yarn a little while ago), but I never expected the variety and range of colors to appear. I know I will spend the rest of my life trying to duplicate these colors. And most likely, will never succeed!

Sukkaparista tuli ihan mukava ja sopiva, mutta kaikkista parasta näissä on värit. Värjäsin pätkän superwash BFL:ää, ja en todellakaan olettanut kaikkia näitä värejä. Ja todennäköisesti vietän loppuikäni yrittäen saada näitä uudelleen..

The night I finished these the sun cast its final rays in our living room. The colors are even richer in the evening sun.

Päätellessä ilta-aurinko paistoi sopivasti neulomistuolin käsinojaan, värit tulivat siinä vielä kauniimmin esiin.

They looked good in the morning sun too, though.

Joskaan eivät ne ole hullummat noin aamuauringossakaan.

I will have to learn how to darn really well. I don't think I can ever, ever throw this pair away. It will be worn to pieces and darned and reknitted and it will end up looking horrible, but how can you throw such beauty away? It'd be a crime.

Nyt täytyy opetella siis parsimaan hyvin. En varmaan raaski ikinä nakata näitä pois, joten niitä parsitaan ja neulotaan uudelleen ja todennäkösesti ne päätyvät näyttämään ihan kamalilta mutta eihän tämmöisiä voi nakata pois, eihän?

Blogiversary!

2009-05-23T08:21:00.000-07:00

The Lair turned 4 years yesterday! I still can't believe it's been 4 years already!

Meillä Luolassa on synttärit! Luola täytti eilen 4 vuotta!

I remember the night I started blogging. It was a Friday night (I think), and Mr HairyFeet had gone to a friend's house for a beer and videogames. (He came home around 6.30 the next morning.) I was bored. So I started a blog. It wasn't called The Lair then, it had a boring name. And some really, really horrible pictures.

Luola sai alkunsa neljä vuotta sitten muistaakseni perjantai-iltana, kun KarvaJalka oli mennyt yhdelle kaverin luo (ja rantautui kotiin aamupuolella). Oli tarpeeksi tylsää niin aloitin blogin! Tosin se ei ollut Luola silloin, nimi oli tylsä. Ja kuvat aivan hirveitä.

One of the things I love about having a blog is seeing the progress in projects, and in the pictures. I knew absolutely nothing about photography when I started blogging. (I still know nothing, but now I have a better camera and PhotoShop.) In the beginning I blogged relatively often, now my pace is very slow. I'd like to blog more often, but it seems coming up with good post titles and taking decent pictures is a lot of work. And I would like to write funny posts, or thoughtful posts, or at least meaningful posts. None of those have happened. I also forget to thank you all for your comments (or respond to them), which is not intentional. The comments and suggestions really mean the world to me - you have no idea how happy I am to see others like what comes off my needles! It really means a lot to me.

Blogaamisen hauskin puoli minusta on prosessi, kehittyminen neulojana ja valokuvaajana. Aloittaessani en tienny kuvaamisesta yhtään mitään (en edelleenkään tiedä mitään mutta nyt on parempi kamera ja PhotoShop). Alussa polkkasin usein, nyt tahti on maltillisempi. Mieluusti polkkaisin enempikin, mutta siinä vaiheessa kun on kuvat ja valmis neule, aivosolusta harvoin saa tiristettyä viksun otsikon ja viksumman tekstin. Ja yksi mikä oikeasti hävettää on se, että en kiitä kommenteista tarpeeksi usein, enkä muista vastata niihin. Ne on tosi tärkeitä - ette arvaa miten ihana on kuulla että toisetkin tykkää neuleista joita puikoilta pukkaa yön pimeinä tunteina. Joten kiitos kaunis kaikille kommentoijille!

This last year has been a very good one. I learned to spin some 13 months ago, and this year I have been spinning a lot. I still have a lot to learn, though.

Viime vuoden isoin juttu on ollut kehruuhommat. 13 kuukautta kehruuta takana, ja kolme rukkia talossa, joten rukin ääressä on vierähtänyt tovi poikineen. Vielä on kyllä paljon opittavaa.

But it's been fun! Although no one told me that the fiber doesn't really disappear from your stash after spinning - you need to knit it too. And there are so many skeins and colors and pretty fibers I'd like to knit and spin right away! And spinning doesn't help with the existing stash. The yarn sitting in the plastic bins is going nowhere while one plays with the wheel. I could use more hours in a day. Maybe 50 or so would do.

Mutta lystiä kehruu on! Tosin mulle ei kerrottu että se villa ei katoa varastosta minnekään ennenkuin sen neuloo. Ja kehruu ei kyllä auta olemassaolevien lankojen kanssa - jonkun pitäisi keretä neulomaan eikä istumaan vain kehräämässä. Selvästi vuorokauteen tarvitaan enempi tunteja - viitisenkymmentä ainakin.

Blogisynttäreiden kunniaksi Luolassa järjestetään pitkästä aikaa kunnon arpajaiset. Säännöt lyhyesti: Jätä kommentti tähän postaukseen 30.5. mennessä, kommentissa kerro ensimmäinen asia mikä tulee Luolasta mieleen. Se voi olla mitä vaan, kommentti ei vaikuta arvonnan tulokseen joten saa sanoa rehellisesti! Ja jätä joku yhteystieto, linkki blogiin tai spostiin, jotta saan kiinni, jos arpaonni suosii. Palkintona on ehkä sukkalankaa, ken tietää. Jotain yllättävää kuitenkin!

I haven't had a blog contest or a raffle in a long time. So it's about time we celebrate this properly with a contest. Here are the rules. To participate, leave a comment by May 30th (one week from today). In your comment, write the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of The Lair. It can be anything, from "cheesecake" to "the crazy lady with a bazillion spinning wheels"! You can be critical or not, or leave suggestions for improvement, or not. The result will be absolutely random, so leave honest comments. And when leaving your comment, please link to your blog or email so I can contact you. And the prizes? Maybe some sock yarn? Who knows? It'll be a surprise!

Ok? So... go!

WIPs and New Projects

2009-05-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

I have severe startitis.

The brownish gray project is a coat for me, the warm brown is the Toffee Sweater which has been neglected lately, the white circular thing is Kristel's Springtime Swirly which I have knitted and frogged several times now, the light blue lump will become Swallowtail Shawl eventually and the green wonder is yet another pair of socks.

I never said I was a monogamous knitter.

And I really, really shouldn't start another project. Really, I shouldn't.

But I want to!

The newest skein is 100% BFL, spun to fingering weight at approximately 386 yards or 347 meters and it weighs around 3.5 oz. It will become my 6th WIP today, and I am proud to say, 2/3 of my WIPs are knitted with handspun yarn (both sock projects, one shawl and one sweater). Not bad, I think.

I promise the sock pictures will cease soon. I think I am running out of fiber suitable for socks! (However, lest ye be worried, I'm not running out of fiber anytime soon. Or sock yarn. Or yarn.) But there will be skeins of handspun, I have several bobbins full of yarn ready for plying!

I never said I was a monogamous spinner, either!

Random Fluff

2009-05-16T08:25:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much for your comments on my Dad's cardigan! I'm glad you like it :) As for the pattern, I wrote down my notes but didn't write an entire pattern for it just yet. I can be bribed with say, alpaca! :D

I promised some sock pictures in my last post. So let's look at some socks.

I finished the red and white handspun socks, finally. They are super comfortable and soft! And they fit really well, especially the foot, which has been my problem lately. I tend to knit the foot bit too short in my socks, but this pair is just perfect for my gigantic feet. (I am not kidding you, my shoes made my Mom say they would be perfect for some rowing, "one only needs oars "...)

The colors and the texture reminds me of rag rugs that my Grandma used to weave, years and years ago. She made beautiful patterns with recycled materials. I wonder if we still have some of her rugs, I must ask my Mom if we do.

(I told you my feet were huge. This picture makes the feet look even bigger.)

I also finished the calico colored socks. They might be my favorite pair so far.

For some reason, the socks are nearly identical, only the heel is slightly darker in the other. I have no clue how this happened, I wasn't planning for it. I used about 3 oz of regular 3-ply for the socks, the cuffs are knitted with 1 oz of the same singles, only chain plied.

The socks are the same size as the red and white socks, so they also fit really well. And I managed to cast off both pairs loosely so the cuff is nice and stretchy too! The socks are superwarm, and the colors are really pretty.

I have spent far more time at my wheel than I have spent knitting, which is why I don't have more knits to show. But I have yarn!

The pink and gray is 100% BFL, spun to light sport weight and might eventually be a pair of gloves or mittens for me. It's very soft, and BFL, as usual, was fun to spin. It really is a wonderful fiber for nearly any project. I want to knit a pair of BFL socks, but this is slightly thick for that purpose, and I am afraid I don't have enough yarn for an adult-sized pair. (Especially if you have huge feet.) The yellow and teal skein is 100% superwash Colonial, and also sport weight 2-ply. I didn't like spinning the fiber, it felt like spinning steel wool, but the finished skein feels fine. I planned on knitting this for socks too, but yardage may be an issue. There's only about 280 yards of yarn in each skein, I don't think it's quite enough.

Which is why I am spinning this now: 100% superwash BFL in crazy wild colors!

It looks very promising on the bobbin (I won't torture you with blurry pictures of singles on a bobbin). This'll be chain plied, hopefully I'll get some 400 yards out of this one, that would be enough for socks. And I can always spin more, I have plenty of this in my closet.

Come to think of it, I have plenty of pretty much everything in my closet. So much so that it is not even contained any more.

I believe my friends are planning on an intervention.

Some might even say it's long overdue.

Actually, I took those pictures for my swap pal in the Finnish knitters' swap on ravelry. I told her (like I tell everyone) I don't really have a favorite color, but it seems I have a lot of blue and green in my stash. But maybe these will give her an idea of colors since the swap is color-themed, and if not, well, white is always good - one can always dye it!

Enjoy your weekend!

Dad's Cardi

2009-05-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

No pictures of socks or handspun yarn today, I promise! (They're in the camera, still waiting to be photoshopped..)

Tällä kertaa ei sukkia eikä käsinkehrättyjä. Ne kuvat on vielä kamerassa.

This cardigan took forever to finish. My Mom asked me to knit a cardigan for my Dad, and she gave me this yarn last July when we went to Finland. The first picture of this was posted in January and I had swatched and sketched for weeks before that. Now it's finally finished!

Äiti lykkäsi mukaan pussillisen seiskaveikkaa viime kesän Suomen-reissulla ja pyysi isälle villatakkia. Ekan kerran kuvasin tämän alun tammikuussa, sitä ennen tätä iisakinkirkkoa neulottiin ahkerasti. Nyt se on vihdoin viimein valmis.

I was sick of the design and the color and the yarn and everything by the time I finished it. But I am very happy with the way it turned out!

Neulominen meinasi jäädä kesken moneen kertaan, mutta tästä tuli kyllä ihan kivanoloinen takki loppujen lopuksi.

There are some issues with it, obviously. The sleeves are a touch long, especially for my DH who modeled the sweater. (It's also too big for my DH, but it wasn't designed for him.) But my Dad likes long sleeves, so I hope they're not too long. The zipper could've been longer but apparently, 28" zippers are impossible to find. And the 26" zipper I found was not green, but I hope Dad won't mind. The collar could've been more snug, too.

Ihan täydellinen tämä ei ole. Hihat ovat pitkähköt, varsinkin KarvaJalalle, mutta isä tykkää pitkistä hihoista joten toivottavasti ne eivät ole liian pitkät. Vetoketjukin olisi saanut olla 70-senttinen, mutta kaupasta ei millään löytynyt sopivaa takkivetoketjua. Ja 65 cm pitkä, jonka löysin, oli vääränvärinen, mutta jospa se kävisi kuitenkin. Ja kauluskin olisi saanut olla tiukempi.

But I am happy with the cabled design, and the saddle shoulders especially.

Tykkään noista palmikkokiemuroista kyllä, ja erityisen tyytyväinen olen noihin satulahihoihin.

The broken rib is very warm and looks good in men's garments.

Valejoustinneule on tosi lämmin, mikä oli yksi toiveistakin.

The back design is my favorite (sorry for the poor pic).

Kuva on surkea mutta takakappaleen alareunan palmikkokuvion loppu on minusta hauska yksityiskohta.

I hope my Dad likes it. I'm happy with it!

Toivottavasti isä tykkää tästä. Mie kyllä tykkään lopputuloksesta, toivottavasti tämä on sopiva.

Next time, more sock yarn and more socks! (And fiber pictures!) Enjoy your week :)

An Excuse to Blog

2009-05-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all your comments on my socks!

As you have noticed, I'm horribly lazy when it comes to blogging. However, today I have an excuse to do so: I bought a new 50mm f/1.8 lens for my beloved Rebel. I hate to disappoint you, I have no finished projects, but pretty pictures of fiber and yarn. And flowers.

I bought this beautiful red gerbera on Friday. I was on my way to see my friend, when (as I stopped at the grocery store to pick up some blueberry muffins) I saw the new fresh flowers. I got one for my friend, and I just had to bring this red one home with me. The color and the big flowers make me really happy - it doesn't feel like spring unless you have at least one blooming flower in the house.

And even though it is spring and surprisingly warm, one needs socks in the evenings. And one especially needs handspun socks. Before that, one needs to spin the sock yarn.

Kristin from Allspunup dyed this incredibly beautiful combed top and the colorway was her clubfiber for October last year (I think). The fiber is 100% superfine merino, it feels very smooth and yet somehow a little sticky to spin. I haven't had the guts to tackle this 4 oz braid of utter beauty until now. This doesn't mean I have improved as a spinner, I can still make a biblical mess of this yarn.

But the colors... I can't mess them up. I hope.

The spinning has been slow, mostly because I am working on some socks again. (There is also a sweater project but let's pretend I didn't mention it.) It's the calico yarn you saw a little while ago.

I love the wee bumps of the heels. (And I absolutely adore the new lens!)

That's all for now - next time, maybe something finished!

One Year of Fibery Bliss

2009-04-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you, everyone, for your comments! (I know I don't say this nearly enough but they all mean so much to me!)

I learned to spin exactly one year ago (thank you Kristin!). And on this special anniversary, I am very proud to present my first pair of handspun socks.

I love the colors.

And the feeling of the fabric.

I know it's not the pair I showed you in my last post. But when I spun the merino-alpaca blend to navajoplied yarn, I had to knit it right away.

I just had to.

If the socks look like they're not the exact same size, you're right. The other one is slightly bigger. It seems I somehow managed to spin the second half of the skein a little bit thicker. I blame Lord of the Rings. Kristin and I spun madly on Friday, with the help of the Fellowship of the Ring and some wine. Wine and hobbits lead to uneven yarn.

I stayed away from both, and got a really pretty skein of the same blend in different colors.

I tried to make sure I had 3 lumps of fiber, all same size, but for some reason there were a lot of leftover singles, which I navajoplied. The bigger skein is a regular 3-ply. I like the way the colors show differently in the skeins. These will be a skein of socks for me (and yes, I have cast on already).

And finally, we have some sun in Washington! So I went outside and played with my camera. I don't know what these are called, but the flowers were so pretty, I had to take pictures.

Old Friend Returns to Rule the Lair

2009-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

I love knitting my own yarn.

Ittekehrättyä on sitten lysti tikutella.

I would probably never buy this kind of heavily marbled yarn in a yarn store, but when it is handspun, it's suddenly the greatest thing ever.

En varmana ostaisi tämmöistä hurjan marmoroitua lankaa kaupasta, mutta kun se on oman rukin rullalta lähtenyttä, se on jotenkin hyvin erikoista ja kaunista.

I forgot to photograph the skein, but it's 100g/3.5 oz of hand dyed (in the Lair) superwash merino, and there is 500 yards of it. This is my first true 3-ply skein, and it's also the very first skein where I got exactly the yardage I was going for. I love the look of 3-ply, and knitting this yarn is a pleasure, although superwash fibers have a weird feel to them - they don't feel quite natural. Still, I can't wait to finish these, but there is a good chance I will be distracted by this beauty:

Unohin kuvata vyyhdin, mutta sain aikaiseksi 100g ja 450m aitoa kolmisäikeistä lankaa. Ensimmäistä kertaa tein kolmisäikeistä "normaalisti" (enkä navajokertaamalla), ja sain justiinsa sen verran metrejä kuin aioinkin. Kolmisäikeinen on tosi kauniin näköistä lankana, ja vyyhti on yllättävän kivaa neulottavaa, vaikka superwash-kuidut tuntuvatkin aika oudolta ja luonnottomalta kehrätä. Haluaisin nämä heti valmiiksi mutta nurkissa huutelee jo uusi ihanuus:

Nevermind the uneven plying, I still love this 2-ply 80% merino, 20% silk yarn. It's roughly laceweight, there are some 670 yards of this, and I have another 3 oz of it if I run out of yarn. I think the Swallowtail Shawl would look nice in these spring-like colors.

Ei haittaa vaikka kertaus ei aivan osunut nappiin, merino-silkki-sekoite on aina kaunista lankana. Sain 100 grammasta noin 607 metriä, sen pitäisi piisata keväiseen huiviin. Ja kaapissa on tätä vielä vähän lisää jos loppuu kesken.

The reason for this recent spinning mania (apart from avoiding things I should do) is that I have my wheel back. Sylvie is back!

Kehruuvimmaan on ihan oikea syy (muukin kuin Oikeiden Hommien välttely). Sylvie on takaisin kehruukunnossa!

I thought I had some "before" pictures, but I can't find them. Anyway, Sylvie came to me last May, and she had some dents and scratches, and desperately needed new parts. Since then, I have replaced the driveband, brakeband, and both driveband and brakeband tension knobs. I also bought a new sliding hook flyer and a lace flyer, several bobbins, and a double-treadle kit. She really feels like a new wheel now, with all her new parts.

En löytänyt koneelta "ennen"-kuvia, vaikka otin ne kyllä. Joka tapauksessa, Sylvie tuli viime keväänä aika hurjan näköisenä meille, ja tiesin jo silloin että uutta pintaa ja uusia osia tarvitaan. Alkuperäisiä osia ei ole montaa, lähinnä kaikki tukirakenteet ja pyörä. Heti alkuun ostin uuden nyörin, jarrunyörin, molemmille nyöreille tapit, ja uusia rullia. Sittemmin olen hommannut uuden pitsilyhdyn, liukuvakoukkuisen (hieno sana, eikö?) lyhdyn, ja kaksoispoljinsysteemin. Ja kaikki kolinat ja kitinät on nyt poissa, ja Sylvie on kuin uusi rukki.

And she looks like a new wheel, too. I took her completely apart, removed the 30-year old stain, sanded everything, and refinished her. And added some cherry blossoms too.

Sylvie myös näyttää uudelta. Otin ja hajotin Sylvien aivan osiin, poistin vanhan pinnan, hioin ja petsasin. Ennen lakkaa maalasin vielä vähän kirsikankukkia, jotka muuten kukkii just nyt.

I have spent hours and hours just playing with her. I really love the sliding hook flyer, it's so nice to use.

Viime aikoina olen oikeastaan istunut leikkimässä Sylvien kanssa. Uusi lyhty on parhautta, sitä on tosi mukava käyttää.

Ashford owners will notice that's not an Ashford bobbin. I noticed the sliding hook flyer "arms" sit further apart than in the regular flyer, and I had a Majacraft bobbin (for the Pocket Wheel) sitting around. The Majacraft bobbins are the same length as the Ashford ones, but wider, and they have a bigger hole in them. I glued two washers to my Majacraft bobbin, and ta-da! Fits perfectly. Now I have big plying bobbins to go with the new flyer!

Ashfordien omistajat hoksinevat että kuvan rulla ei ole alkuperäinen Ashford. Se on itseasiassa Majacraft-rulla, hankin niitä 3 taskurukkia varten. Majacraftin rullat ovat samanmittaisia mutta leveämpiä kuin Ashfordit, ja normilyhtyyn ne eivät sovi. Tuossa liukuvakoukkuisessa nuo sivut ovat leveämmällä kuin normilyhdyssä, ja Majacraftin rulla sopii siihen kuin nakutettu (jahka lisää pienet prikat molempiin päihin, Majacraftin rullan aukko on isompi kuin Ashfordien). Aivan loistavia kertaamiseen, rullalle sopii melkein parisataa grammaa lankaa.

Here's a picture of the fiber I am spinning right now, some superwash merino and alpaca blend from Allspunup. Both I and Sylvie love this, and we're almost done with spinning it. Hopefully it'll make a pretty pair of socks.

Loppuun kuva rullalla olevasta villasta, Allspunupin merino-alpakka-sekoitusta. Sylvien kanssa ollaan tää melkein jo tahkottu valmiiksi, tästä tulee varmaan aika lystikäs sukkapari sitten joskus.

Immediate Knitting

2009-04-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

I had a pair of gloves. So far I have only needed one pair of gloves, for my daily use, but since I have used them quite a bit, there were some pilling issues, and finally, last week, a hole. The fabric was already quite worn so I decided I needed a new pair, at once. I even had the yarn in my stash, some hand dyed and handspun BFL. However, I wasn't sure the yarn would knit up nicely - the ball made the yarn look a touch dirty.

Mulla on ollu käytössä vain yksi ainoa pari hanskoja. Pari vuotta ne uskollisesti palvelivat, mutta olivat reppanat kovin kuluneet ja nyppyiset ja hiutuneet. Viime viikolla, peukunpäähän tuli vielä reikäkin, joten uudelle parille oli suorastaan välitön tarve. Lankaakin oli ihan kaapissa, joskaan en ollut aivan varma että millaista jälkeä tulee. Kerällä lanka näytti vähän suttuiselta ja oudosti likaiselta.

Happily, I was wrong.

Onneksi olin väärässä.

The gloves turned out quite nice, with subtle shades of blue, silvery gray and warm white.

Näistä tuli aika kivat, tykkään erityisesti sinisen ja hopean ja lämpimän valkoisen sävyistä.

The fit is quite snug, which is exactly what I wanted. Knitting them was fun, seeing the colors pop up, and the yarn is very soft. I used 62 grams (some 2.2 oz) and 240m (270 yards) of yarn for these on size #0 needles.

Kätöseen sopivat aika napakasti (mallikäsi on paljon pienempi kuin omani, siksi ne näyttää noin suurilta). Neulominen oli hauskaa, tosin lankojen päättelyssä vierähti Idols-jakson verran. Lanka sinänsä on tosi pehmoista, nurja puoli varsinkin on ihanan pörheä ja pehmeä. Lankaa meni 62 g ja noin 240 metriä kakkosen tikuilla.

I also finished spinning the gray Shetland wool you saw in my last post. It might be my favorite skein so far.

Sain Shetlannin villankin kehrättyä. Tämä vyyhti on ehkä viehkoin mitä on rukilta toistaiseksi tullut.

It's thin, very very thin. Cobweb, even.

Ohuenohutta.

There's 67 g or 2.4 oz of it, and I got 750 m or 833 yds of yarn. If this was a full 114g/4 oz skein, I might have gotten some 1300 m or 1450 yds of really fine yarn. I hope the 830 yds will be enough for a Shetland stole though, this was all of the fiber I found at my LYS. Although, I did buy some white Shetland wool from Paradise Fibers, I wanted to spin for a bigger rectangular shawl too. But before I tackle such a big project, I want to knit this!

Lankaa on noin 750m 67 grammassa, joten täysi sadan gramman vyyhti olisi ollut toista kilometriä, jos villaa vaan oisi ollut. Ostin kaikki mitä tätä lankakaupassa oli, mutta retkahdin netin houkutusten äärellä ja tilasin shetlantilaista vähän lisää, ihan oikean kokoiseen neliöhuiviin. Sitä ennen tikuttelen tämän kapeaksi huiviksi, toivottavasti lanka piisaa.

And as Niina noticed, I made some labels for yarns that are spun or dyed here in the Lair. I started labeling my wool and yarn merely because after the fiber or yarn is lost to the depths of the Lair, no one remembers what it is or how much there is of it. So I needed labels, and I felt very crafty the other day so I made my own. And what I spin or dye for friends and swap pals, I label them too. And as I am so lazy as a spinner and dyer, these labels are definitely collectors items :D

Ja Niina hoksasi kuvista oikein, Luolalla on omia lappusia lankojen ja villojen merkkaamiseen. Aloin merkitä villojen ja lankojen koostumusta ihan siksi, että kun villa kerran katoaa Luolan mustiin nurkkiin, kukaan ei enää muista mitä se on tai paljonko sitä on, joten laput ovat tarpeen. Ja sitten reippaana hetkenä tein niitä läjän, että voin panna niitä omiin ja lahjaksi meneviin vyyhteihin ja villoihin. Nää on kyllä keräilyaarteita jos tämmöisen saa, kun olen niin hidas ja laiska värjäämään ja kehräämään :D

Soon, though, I can attach another label.

Pian, tosin, on taas uuden lapun aika.

New Love

2009-04-06T12:22:00.001-07:00

This is in English only as I feel very lazy today.

I have been spinning. I bought some Shetland wool, and it wanted to be spun. So I spun some.

And even as the sun came out, I spun it.

I fell in love with the coarse, but yet strangely soft fiber. The silver grey color, which has an unbelievable glow and warmth to it. The texture of the singles. I even love the little hairs poking out, even if they will be scratchy. And most of all, I love to spin this fiber. It's smooth and easy to spin, not sticky at all, and it just wants to be really, really fine.

And yes, I do love looking at pictures of a spinning project in progress!

I noticed the thread I spun looks a lot like the GGH Kid Melange I bought this weekend. I seem to have a thing for gray, which is quite alright now that the spring seems to be finally here and one can see other shades of color except only gray. And gray yarn never goes out of style. Right?

So did you notice? Did you see some odd bugs in there? Look closely, we have spiders in The Lair!

Notice the spiders, nevermind the sock yarn I bought. (Ahem. Yes, another skein of sock yarn.) And yellow, of all things. Although technically, it's mustard-y, so not yellow at all. Right? (I have serious issues with yellow..)

The spiders, however. They're awfully cute! And they brought their cute little fox friend too! A friend of mine sent me this surprise from Finland, her MIL makes these cute little things. She was inspired by the spider logo of the Lair, so hence the two spiders. They're adorable! (Spiders are very adorable, with the exception being black widows which are just nasty. They're creepy, and make hundreds of babies behind your boiler and scare you out of your wits at 6am in the bathroom. Black widows are nasty.)

I have been knitting my dad's sweater, which is now almost done. I still need to work on the sleeves but it's getting heavy and uncomfortable to knit. So I have been spinning.

First, green merinosilk became some very soft and squishy singles, which have a gorgeous glow to them when closely inspected.

I spun the 4oz/110g top to some 478 yards of singles which average at sport weight.

And after the purple merinosilk, which was some 640 yards, I tried to spin a little thicker yarn. I got 4 oz and 570 yards of this red beauty (but it isn't technically thick, it's light fingering weight). The original top had a lot of red, but some specks of silver popped out when spinning it. I liked the way it turned out!

Finally, Villa Lankala and Mari have awarded The Lair with the Kreativ Blogger award. Thank you girls! It means a lot to me to hear you like my blog! I can't forward this to anyone, there are so many great blogs out there. So I would like to give this to all of you who stop by at The Lair :)

Laminaria for a Friend

2009-04-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

I dyed this.

Värjäsin.

And spun it into this.

Kehräsin.

And then knit it into this.

Neuloin.

And found lace to be too difficult to photograph.

Havaitsin pitsin olevan kamalaa kuvattavaa.

But the shawl is pretty.

Mutta huivi on viehko.

It's Laminaria from Knitty, for a friend of mine. In September 2008, I ordered my Pocket Wheel and it was supposed to arrive before August 2009, but there were delays and it started to look it wouldn’t arrive by that date and would have to be shipped halfway across the world (which was a scary thought).

I dyed some merino-silk for this shawl, and it was the first skein I spun on the wheel. I got a decent amount of yards, and I had been wanting to knit the Laminaria Shawl since it was published, and luckily the yardage was enough for the smaller size. I gave the shawl to Karin to thank her for giving me her spot. The color was gorgeous on her :)

Huivi on Laminaria Knittystä. Neuloin sen ystävälle joka antoi oman paikkansa Pocket Wheel-jonotuslistalla minulle. Vyyhti on ensimmäinen taskurukilla kehrätty. Tykkäsin neuloa huivia, reunakuvio oli vähän omituinen mutta kokonaisuutena huivi on aika viehko. Tein täsmälleen pienen huivin ohjeella, mutta lankaa meni oudosti enempi. Värit sopivat huiviin ja saajalle hyvin, ja saaja tykkäsi huivista kovasti :)

I Have Grown Old (and still can't take pictures)

2009-03-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

And I have proof of it. I knitted a skirt.

And I have worn it too! I am not a skirt person at all, and always thought only elderly women wore them, but then I wanted to use some of this yarn (Novita 7 veljestä, a Finnish worsted weight sock blend) I had in my stash. It needed to become this skirt, so I knitted it for the Finnish textile history class and the Finnish mitten class I was teaching at the Nordic Knitting Conference last weekend. It was a fun knit, took me about a week, and it fits nicely. It's superwarm - perfect for winter! (We had snow again yesterday..)

Neulaisin hamosen. En ole hameihmisiä ollenkaan, jostain syystä en ole viihtynyt hameissa ennen. Mutta veikkaläjä halusi (päätti) olla hame, joten pistin hameen puikoille. Neuloin tämän neulekonferenssia varten. Olin opettamassa pariakin kurssia ja päätin että pistän jotakin hauskaa neulottua päälle, ja tämä hame sopi siihen hyvin. Viikon verran tikuttelin, ja tykkään tästä kovasti. Se on tosi lämmin, sopiva talvihameeksi. (Lunta tuli taas eilen taivaan täydeltä.)

Here's a detail of the stranded patterning in the hem. I chose these patterns from Eeva Haavisto's book, they're both traditional Finnish mitten patterns which I modified for the skirt.

Kuviot on Haaviston lapaskirjasta, valkoisella pohjalla oleva kuvio on Rovaniemi-lapasista ja reunuskuvio on tavallinen ässänväärä.

The classes were a lot of fun! I enjoyed teaching and I hope my students enjoyed the classes too. There were some knitters I had met before, and some new ones. I even met a fellow blogger, Lauren from Lolly Knitting Around! I hope to meet her again, I had so much fun with her :)) (I forgot to take pictures, go bug Lauren so she'll post hers!)

Oli tosi hauskaa olla opettamassa! Toivon mukaan kurssilaisillakin oli lystiä, mie nautin viikonlopusta kovasti. Kanssapolkkaaja Lauren Lolly Knitting Around-blogista oli tullut ihan maan toiselta laidalta asti - meillä oli kovasti lystiä mutta tietenkin unohdin ottaa kuvia :D Lauren varmaan polkkaa niistä jahka pääsee kotiin asti.

For my classes, I also made a pair of socks. I guess every Finnish girl must have had a pair like these at some point. They're fun to knit and very pretty.

Perjantain kursseja varten neuloin sukkaparin. Joka tytöllä on varmaan ollut tämmöinen pari joten se sopi teemaan varsin hyvin. Näitä on aina ilo tikutella ja lopputulos on aina sievä. Tämä pari tuli Nalle-langasta, väri muutaman vuoden takaa muistaakseni lehmuksenvihreä nimeltään.

The stitch pattern reminds me of dragon scales.

For our class, I designed a mitten pattern which is traditional, and yet it isn't. The hand pattern (gray and white) is very simple, and traditional, but I paired it with a dramatic red and white pattern which I adapted from a Karelian embroidered tablecloth border. I think the combination looks really nice, and knitted up relatively fast with sport weight yarn.

Lapaskurssia varten suunnittelin lapasparin, jossa on perinteitä käytetty vähän uudella tavalla. Kämmenen kuvio on perinteinen kuvio, mutta varren kuvio on muokattu karjalaisen kirjonnaisen reunuksesta. Teknisesti se ei siis ole perinteinen lapaskuvio, mutta perinteinen kuvio, jonka muokkasin lapasiin. Minusta nää näyttää suorastaan viehkoilta.

I call them the Karelia Embroidery Mittens. (Pattern coming soon.)

I found a hand on ebay - now I can display my mittens a little better. Here's another picture of my new favorite mittens.

And another knit just for the class was a pair of socks. I chose the pattern from Mary Olki's book, and used fingering weight yarn for these. They turned out to be really nice, but I think I will reknit this pattern for a pair of knee-high socks.

Kursseja varten neuloin parin nilkkasukkia Mary Oljen sukkakirjasta. Muistaakseni ohjeen nimi on Piikkiön sukat, koko on lapselle mutta muokkasin tästä isomman koon. Malli on tosi kaunis, taidan neuloa nämä polvisukiksi paksummasta langasta jahka löydän aikaa jostain lisää.

The cuff pattern is very pretty.

I was teaching on Friday and had most of Saturday off, so I went to pick up a new flyer for my Sylvie. I also needed to pick up my "Forest" mittens from the Fiber Gallery. Nearly by accident my mittens ended up in the mitten contest Fiber Gallery organized in February. A fellow knitter in our knitting group asked me if I wanted to enter mine in the contest and as he was on his way to the yarn store, he dropped them off for me. Happily, my mittens won the first place and I got a gift card. I thought about what I should buy and decided to go for laceweight mohair blend since I have wanted to knit it for at least six months.

Lauantaina en ollut opettamassa enkä istunut kenenkään kurssilla, joten painelin lentsuntorjuntamielessä lankakauppaan. Hain uuden kehrän Sylvieen, ja hain metsätumput pois. Ne olivat päätyneet pienen sattuman kautta lankakaupan lapaskisaan ja voittivat yleisöäänestyksen. Siitä hyvästä sain lahjakortin, joten mulla oli ikäänkuin tekosyykin ostaa lankaa. Päätin että ostan Kidsilk Hazen tyyppistä mohairsekoitetta huiviin, koska semmoista on tehnyt mieli neuloa varmaan puoli vuotta jo.

I bought the lace yarn.

Ostin pitsilangan.

I told myself I could look at other things too. I did.

Ja katselin vähän muitakin.

It was Cascade Ecological Wool. And a discontinued colorway of Noro Silk Garden. I'm sure you understand.

Cascaden Ecowoolia hyppäsi koriin paidallinen, ja Norojen väri oli lopetettu joten ymmärtänette, ne oli pakko poimia (raukkaparat!) mukaan.

Happily, I didn't buy everything I wanted. I wanted to be sensible and only buy stuff for which I had a plan. And I certainly wasn't going to buy anything on a whim.

Päätin että en normaaliin tapaan tyhjennä kauppaa vaan olen järkevä ja ostan vaan lankaa jolle on suunnitelma. Eikä mitään heräteostoksia olleskaan.

Good thing I was so sensible on Saturday, because on Sunday.. I just had to have this brooch.

Hyvä etten repsahtanut lauantaina. Sunnuntaina sitten senkin edestä. Pakkosaada-solki.

It's pewter and will be a gorgeous shawl pin. I don't know the manufacturer but there is a stamp that says it was made in Norway. It's only 2,5 inches long, but I love the delicate design on it.

Korumetallinen solki on tehty Norjassa ja mittaa sillä on kuutisen senttiä. Tälle täytyy neuloa huivi kaveriksi oitis, se on täydellinen huivisolki.

The conference took my time for a few weeks, and finally on Sunday, I was ready to play and design again. I have this new skein of yarn I desperately want to knit. Right now. It was beautiful in the top when I dyed it...

Neulekurssien valmistelu ja edellisen postauksen tekniikkapaketti vei ajan ja energian muutamaksi viikoksi. Sunnuntai-iltana neulekonferenssi oli ohi, ja mie päätin leikkiä vähän. Merinosilkki huutelee joksikin, oitis. Kaunis oli villaletti kun värjäsin...

..but as yarn, it's even better! Some 640 yards and 3,5 oz waits for me. Screams for me to knit it. Now.

...mutta lankana se on vielä kauniimpaa. 580 metriä ja noin 100 grammaa oottaa että neulon sen. Hetimiten.

Did you notice it? Yes, there is a new kid on the block.

Huomasitteko? Meillä on uus perheenjäsen.

It's my new Pocket Wheel! I picked him up a week ago, and after a rather rough start, there's definitely some love in the air. I'm going to write more about him when he gets his new finish but I had to spin with him just a little. Which is what I plan to do for the next few days - I got a cold over the weekend and I think I need to just spin and rest. It was a fun weekend and I met some really wonderful people, but the cold drained me of all energy.

Se on uus Taskurukki! Käytiin hakemassa tää ja sen sisko (ystävän uusi lelu) viikko sitten lauantaina. Alku ei ollut lupaava, mutta pienellä säätämisellä tästä pikkuruisesta rukista on tullut kovin tykätty. Mie kirjotan tästä tulokkaasta enempi jahka saan sille vähän väriä pintaan. Sitä ennen parantelen lentsua ja kehrään vähäsen ja otan iisisti. Viikonloppu oli tosi antoisa mutta lentsu vei mehut, joten pieni kehruuloma lienee paikallaan :)

The Tailored Sweater

2009-03-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

It began nearly two years ago. Slowly, but surely, it grew into an obsession. The obsession grew into system, and then a method. And then into some sweaters. A circle of friends encouraged (and cracked the whip), and test-knitted vigorously.

And now it is here. (Click to enlarge the preview photos.)

The Tailored Sweater is a 38-page PDF tutorial on how to knit seamless garments (sweaters, T-shirts, cardigans, dresses etc.) with set-in sleeves from the top down. The tutorial comes with an Excel spreadsheet, which creates patterns based on your measurements and your gauge.

The method includes set-in sleeves with the sleeve caps worked simultaneously with the body. The number of stitches to pick up is very small. Sweaters knitted with this method have no seams to sew, which means, when you have cast off your stitches and woven your ends in, you're ready to wear it!

You will learn the steps of the method one by one, with an included pattern for a sample sweater. When you're ready to design your own sweaters, you will insert your measurements and gauge into the spreadsheet, and it will create a pattern for you! Use the spreadsheet over and over again - and get a perfect fit every time.

I have written this tutorial for my fellow knitters who are interested in trying new designs and new ways of constructing garments. I sincerely hope you will find it to be of use! I have done my best to bring you a top-quality tutorial and spreadsheet, but if you notice a problem, please let me know. Thank you for your support!

Get your own copy of The Tailored Sweater!

See kramox's amazing Li'l Brown Ridin' Hood!
And Charisa's beautiful striped sweater!
Note:

The newest version of The Tailored Sweater is 1.2, and was published on August 1, 2009. If you have purchased The Tailored Sweater prior to August 1, 2009, you will automatically receive the newest version.

If you have purchased the Tailored Sweater package from Lulu.com prior to July 31, 2009, you will receive the most recent files by following these instructions: forward your Tailored Sweater purchase confirmation email from lulu.com to my email address (in my profile). You do not need to purchase it again - you will receive the updated versions in e-mail from me.

System requirements: Microsoft Excel 2003 or later, for Windows or Mac. Adobe Reader. This product may work with other non-Microsoft products that run Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, but was not tested on any other products than Microsoft Excel and is sold with warranty only for MS Excel.

Errata:
PDF, p. 26, Back:
Row 1: (WS) Slip 1, purl 11 stitches, cast on 17 stitches between the shoulder pieces, purl 12 stitches.
PDF, p. 26, Right Front Shoulder:
Begin the right shoulder of front by picking up and knitting 12 stitches along the cast-on line of the Back Right Shoulder. Purl one row, then knit one row.
Row 3: (WS) Slip 1, purl 7 stitches, wrap and turn.
Row 4: Knit to end.
Continue according to pattern.

The Small Print
This tutorial and spreadsheet, including all illustrations, are copyrighted material. When purchasing the tutorial, you are granted a limited license to download the tutorial and the spreadsheet to one personal computer and to print a hard copy for your own, personal non-commercial use. You may not e-mail or otherwise share or duplicate any part of this tutorial or spreadsheet.

You may use this method and the spreadsheet to generate your own patterns, for personal or commercial enterprise, but you cannot reproduce or duplicate the tutorial or the spreadsheet or any part of them in any format without prior written permission from the designer.

Any other use, including commercial reproduction or modification, distribution, transmission or republication in electronic or any other means without prior written permission from designer is prohibited and is a violation of copyright and intellectual property rights. If you have any questions regarding the use of this tutorial or spreadsheet, please contact me via email and I will be happy to assist. Purchasing a copy of the tutorial means also an agreement to these terms.

Wee Basket and some Bugs

2009-02-23T10:02:00.000-08:00

When we went to Portland a few weeks ago, local knitters were there to greet us. We also received some fiber samples from Susan of AbstractFiber.com, and I got this pretty sample of merino in fall colors.

Muutama viikko sitten Portlandinreissulla paikalliset neulojat olivat tulleet meitä moikkaamaan. Samassa yhteydessä saimme paikallisen värjärin näytteet mukaan, mie sain tämmöisen kauniin syksynvärisen nöttösen.

On Saturday, we had a little spinning get-together, and I spun it to 40 yards of navajo plied sport weight yarn.

Viime lauantaina kehruuporukka otti ja istui päivän kehräämässä. Mie huruuttelin tuon merinonöttösen noin 36 metriksi navajo-kerrattua karkeasti Nallen paksuista lankaa.

I wanted it to become something really special, and I have been meaning to knit myself a little catch basket for my wheels. It's better to have a little basket than throw the nupps and bits of fluff on the floor, so I made myself one.

Halusin Portlandinnöttösen olevan jotain tosi erityistä, joten neuloin pienen kehruukorin siitä. Kehruukorin ajatus on, että siihen voi pistää villasta nypityt kehräämiseen kelpaamattomat pikkuiset villatupot, niin että höttö ei päädy lattialle.

The colors are absolutely amazing, and I love the way my little basket turned out to be. I cast on at the very bottom with 12 stitches, increased until I had a total of 52 stitches, purled two rows and knitted until I ran out of yarn. The corners are done with 1 slipped stitch on every other row. I finished it with a lobster clasp and a jump ring, for the i-cord handle, as my wheels don't have hooks for the basket and this way I can attach it to nearly any wheel. I chose the basket form so I can put it on a tabletop too, if need be. It measures some 2.5" per side.

Nuo värit on tosi makeat, ja muutenkin kori on vallankin onnistunut. Aloitin pohjasta 12 silmukalla ja lisäilin sopivasti, neuloin kaksi kerrosta nurjaa ja jatkoin sileätä kunnes lanka loppui. Nurkat tein nostamalla yhden silmukan joka toinen kerros. I-cord-kahvaan pistin lukon, että saan sen kiepaistua semmoiseenkin rukkiin, jossa ei ole koukkua korille. Korimalliin päädyin siksi että se seisoo pöydälläkin jos tarttee. Kori on noin 6,5 cm kanttiinsa.

And it is awfully cute!

Ja son ylen soma!

A few months ago when we went to spin and knit in Bellingham, I spun two test skeins for my Toffee Sweater. My friend Nicole asked me if she could have my test skeins, and I was happy to oblige. At the Saturday spin-in she gave me a pair of wrist warmers, and she used my test skeins to knit them. They're awesome!

Viime lokakuisella Bellinghamin keikalla tein pari koevyyhtiä paitaprojektia varten. Kanssakehrääjä Nicole kysyi saisiko koevyyhdit, ja mie annoin ne pois kun en niillä varsinaisesti tehnyt mitään. Viime lauantaina sain vyyhdit takaisin - ranteenlämmittimien muodossa! Ne on ihan huiput!

A few weeks ago fellow knitter Vilma (who, by the way, has the cutest little Doxie ever!) featured some ridiculously cute lady bugs in her blog. I missed the ones she sold, but thanks to Vilma, I was able to find them online! And now I have a herd of bugs myself. (Psst, some of these may end up in the wee shop, too!)

Muutama viikko sitten Vilmalla (jolla on maailman sulosin mäykky!) oli blogissa läjäpäin leppiksiä. Mie en ehtiny saada niitä sillon ittelle, mutta löysin Vilman vinkistä helmiä netistä, ja nyt mullakin on pikkulauma näitä. (Näitä saattanee eksyä puodin puolellekin.)

The ladybugs have helped me with my newest project..

Leppisparvi auttelee uusimman projektin kanssa. Siitä sitten aikanaan lisää.

Kuvissa näkyy nykyään ©-tiedot, ihan siitä syystä että tämä aiheuttaa taas kummaa kaplakkaa blogimaailmassa, ja olipa omiakin kuviani luvatta kopioitu. Kerrataan siis vielä: joka ainoa kuva tässä blogissa (ja ravelryssä) on omani, ja ilman lupaa niitä ei saa julkaista (mm. blogissa). Kysy lupa jos haluat käyttää kuvaa, mutta älä lainaa luvatta. Asiaan liittyen tekaisin napin, saa ottaa mukaan ken tykkää. (Sanavalinta on muuten tietoinen - mie toivoisin että asiaan suhtauduttaisiin vakavuudella ja toisten oikeuksia kunnioittaen.)

What's Happening in the Lair - and Yarn for Sale! (EN only)

2009-02-14T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Lair's been buzzing with activity lately! (Not the blog though.) I took Elsebeth Lavold's class last weekend, and have been so inspired I haven't had much time for teh interwebs, as I have been sketching and swatching and dyeing yarn and knitting. This means more knits in the future but right now the Lair has very little to show.

I have been really busy and will be for a few more weeks. The Nordic Knitting Conference is coming up in March, and as I am teaching, I have been collecting samples and materials for my classes. It is very exciting! Also, I have been working madly on the sweater method and the spreadsheet, which means that very soon there will be some big updates on the top-down method. I'm working on several patterns to go with the method, so that's also something to keep me rather busy in the near future.

However, I am not too busy not to dig out my dye pots every now and then for some color therapy! I went a little crazy the other day...

They're already in the wee shop, as I can't possibly keep them all. So go get yours! :)

And Then Some Kauni Happened

2009-01-31T09:18:00.000-08:00

The little trip to Portland I mentioned was a day of fun: thanks to our great organizer Charisa, a bunch of us Washington knitters took a train from Seattle to Portland! I think there was some 60 of us and we had so much fun! We knitted, we chatted, we walked a lot. And we bought yarn!

Me neulojapoppoolla tirpastiin junalla Portlandiin viime viikonloppuna. Ja meillä oli lystiä! Neulottiin yhessä, käveltiin paljon, puhua papatettiin vielä enempi, ja ostettiin tietenki lankaa!

I had sort of promised myself not to go all crazy, but then again... one does not simply walk into Knit/Purl (and walk out with no yarn). How could I have left these in the store?

Mie olin aatellu etten (taas) ratkeaisi kauheisiin määriin lankaa, mutta sitten päädyttiin Knit/Purliin ja.. en voinu jättää näitä kauppaan.

I congratulated myself of being very brave, though: I walked away from the walls of Koigu and Shibui. Mainly because I couldn't figure out what to make out of all the pretty colors. Lame excuse, considering the five balls of Kauni I bought (which also have no plan whatsoever) :D

Osoitin mielestäni kovinkin suurta itsehillintää kun en langennut Koigu- ja Shibui-seinien äärellä ollenkaan, kun en keksinyt mitä niistä tekisin. Ei kauhean hyvä selitys, kun ei näille viidelle Kaunillekaan ole suunnitelmaa ainakaan vielä :D

Lately, I have been obsessed with thick, rustic yarns, and when I found this Aran Wool (by Kerry Mills) in Dublin Bay, I couldn't leave it there. Four skeins should be enough for a cardigan for me. It's very rough, and it feels it'll last a lifetime. I love the colors, the feel of it, the comforting touch of wool.

Jostain syystä olen kaivannut paksuja, maanläheisiä lankoja viime aikoina, ja Dublin Bayssa käveli vastaan aivan ihanaa Kerry Millsin Aran Woolia, joten kaappasin senkin mukaan. Neljästä vyyhdistä pitäisi piisata villatakilliseen. Lanka on hurjan karkeaa ja melkein kovaa, ja tuntuu siltä että se kestää ihmiseniän. Värit on tosi herkulliset, mutta eniten tykkään langan tunnusta.

I can't wait to knit it, but there's this that needs to be finished before I can get to it.

Kädet haluaisi näitä tikuttelemaan, mutta sitä ennen on tikuilta saatava pois tämä villis.

I Haz a Cowl

2009-01-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

I love LOLcats. They're addictive.

So are cowls, too! I can see why cowls began to be so in. They're quick and fun to knit, and a great way to use up some stash quickly. I made mine in a day!

Nämä kaulurit olivat kuuminta hottia joku aika sitten, ehkä ovat vieläkin. Alan ymmärtää miksi, näitä on tosi nopea neuloa ja näihin saa pienenkin määrän lankaa mukavasti käytettyä. Tähän omaan versioon meni noin päivä.

This was knitted with handspun yarn I finished a little while ago. It measures 11,5" x 23", it's superwarm and comfy and big enough to cover my neck entirely. For an emergency knit (which means you begin and finish the project 48 hours before deadline) this turned out to be great. I need this for a little trip tomorrow.

Käytin tähän käsinkehrätyn vyyhdin, ja mittaa tuli noin 29 cm x 58 cm. Just sen verta nafti että istuu likellä kaulaa, ja sen verta korkea että peittää koko kaulan. Hätäneuleeksi (=alle 48h ennen deadlinea aloitettu ja päätelty neule) tästä tuli aika kiva. Tämä oli pakko neuloa nyt, tartten sen huomiselle reissulle.

The pattern is simple but effective, the yarn has a lot of character so nothing but a simple design would work. I did add the little crocheted edging to give it a little bit of interest, it turned out very pretty.

Malli on simppeli mutta toimii aika levottoman langan kanssa hyvin. Virkkasin pienen reunuksen, siitä tuli suorastaan viehko.

New Year's Resolutions and Artsy Pics

2009-01-20T11:38:00.000-08:00

I don't usually make any New Year's Resolutions, as I've usually found myself breaking them by the night of January 2nd. If it's been a good year, that is. But this year, after digging through my sock stash (and sock yarn stash), I decided it's time I knit some socks. No fancy-schmancy socks, just plain stockinette socks, brainless to knit and perfect for wearing in shoes.

Mie en tee uudenvuodenlupauksia kun en kykene niitä pitämään yleensä kahta päivää pitempään. Tänä vuonna aattelin kuitenkin luvata sen verran, että neulon sukkia, kun sukkalaatikosta on poistunut pareja auvoisemmille sukkamaille ja sukkalankalaatikossa on suorastaan tungosta. Ja sukat on hyvä, aivoton väliprojekti, ja kulkevat kivasti mukanakin, joten tänä vuonna neulon sitten tylsiä sukkia!

I got off to a good start.

Pääsin hyvään vauhtiin.

I've found I happen to own several skeins of discontinued KnitPicks Simple Stripes, and while some of the color choices seem odd at best (wait til you see the next pair!), they do wear nicely. So I dug a few skeins out and started knitting. This is the first pair of those, I still have yarn for at least 4 or 5 pairs. The skeins yield at least one pair for a US size 10,5 women's feet, but there's plenty of left-over yarn so I may knit a Frankensock pair out of the left-over yarn.

Jostain syystä laatikoissa kummittelee useita nöttösiä KnitPicksin Simple Stripes-sukkalankaa, ja vaikka jotkut väriyhdistelmät ovat vähintäänkin railakoita (oottakaahan kun näätte seuraavan parin), ne kestävät kulutusta tosi hyvin. Mie kaivoin keriä laatikoista ja pistin tikutellen. Näistä eka pari on valmis, toka puikoilla, ja vielä on varmaan 4 pariin langat olemassa. Näistä saa isompaankin jalkaan kahdesta kerästä sukkaparin, ja jää lankaa ylikin, joten varmaan ylijääneistä saa yhden parin ainakin.

Whilst digging in stash, I found a skein my friend sent me. Lo and behold, a pair in three days. I've already worn these, and I love the way they just get better the more you wear them. These are made out of Austermann Step, and while I'm not fond of knitting the yarn (it splits madly), it does feel nice on my feet. I tried a new cast-off method (tubular cast-off), and I liked it a lot. It looks very neat and it's stretchy enough for cuffs. I found the excellent instructions in Montse Stanley's Knitter's Handbook.

Kun tongin laatikoita, löysin kerän Austermann Steppiä jonka ystävä lähetti. Nitkuttelin parin kolmeen päivään, ja nämä kerkes jo jalkaankin. Lanka on vähän turhan halkeilevaa neulottaessa, mutta jalassa tuntuvat ihanan pehmoisilta ja Steppi kestää käyttöä tosi hyvin. Kokeilin Montse Stanleyn kirjasta uutta päättelykeinoa, italialaista päättelyä, ja se näyttää tosi hyvältä ja siistiltä.

You have noticed by now, haven't you? The artsy-fartsy pics? I had a chance to test out a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens, and I love it. It makes even plain ol' socks look nice!

Huomasittehan Ylen Taiteelliset Kuvat? Mie sain kokeilla Canonin 50mm f/1.8 -linssiä, ja se on kyllä mainio kapine. Tavalliset sukatkin näyttää tosi hyviltä. Tartten selkeästi tämmösen ittellekin.

A friend gave me two skeins of Regia 6-ply, and it became a warm, comfy pair of socks. I like the tweedy bits a lot! These socks have a decrease cast off, and I like it even better than the tubular cast off method. Again, Stanley has excellent instructions for this stretchy cast off (the book is one of the best knitting books ever!).

Viininpunaiset sukat on Regian 6-säikeistä lankaa, jonka sain kanssaneulojalta. Pari on oikeen lämmin ja kaunis - tykkään erityisesti noista tweed-kikkaroista! Tein näihin samasta Stanleyn kirjasta decrease cast off-päättelyn. Sekin tuntui hyvältä, ei olleskaan niin työläältä kuin italialainen ja joustaa sopivasti nilkassa.

As I had the lens in my camera, I decided it's about time I photograph some handspun, too. I've been having an intense affair with the Louet, we've been spinning some singles.

Kun linssi oli kerran kamerassa niin otin ja kuvasin vähän kehrättyjäkin. Louet'n kanssa ollaan istuttu monta iltaa näissä savotoissa, kokeiltiin sukkalankaa ja vähän yksisäikeisiäkin.

A 5 oz skein of BFL, 210 meters of z-spun singles. And yes, it is as soft as you'd imagine. BFL just loves to be fat singles.

150 grammaa BFL:ää, metrejä 210. Tosi pehmoista ja kuohkeaa lankaa.

Also BFL in singles, 4 oz and 246 yards of it. This needs to be a cowl for me ASAP.

Toinen BFL-kerä, 100g ja reilu parisataa metriä. Tästä tartten ittelle oitis kaulanlämmittimen reissuun.

The Louet spins sock yarn also nicely, and BFL doesn't mind being spun into fingering weight. There's 4 oz and some 400 yards of this. I can't decide if this should become a pair of gloves or a pair of socks, but I love the colors. I hand dyed this roving last fall, so it was about time I got it out.

Louet'lla onnistuu sukkalankakin mainiosti, ja BFL:stä tulee viehkoa kaksisäikeistä. Tätä on 100g ja noin 400 metriä, eli piisaisi sukkapariin mutta en osaa päättää, haluaisiko tämä olla sittenkin hanskat. Värit sekoittuivat kivasti kehrätessä, valkoisia läikkiä ei oikeastaan jäänyt olleskaan. Villa on itsevärjättyä viime syksyltä.

A new fiber for me to spin was Falkland. I liked it a lot, it has some qualities of both merino and BFL. Again, a skein of 4 oz and 400 yds.

Kokeilin uutta kuituakin, Falklandia. Se tuntuu hauskalta käteen, se on hyvin joustavaa mutta kuitenkin pehmeää ja vähän pörröistä. Sukkalankavyyhti, taas itsevärjätystä villasta.

And now for something completely different. My friend has a pottery wheel, and her son wanted to show me how to do it, so I did. I have thrown on a wheel years and years ago, but I think I did pretty well in the 5 mins I sat down at the wheel. I made this rather odd looking little cup, which my friend's son finished and glazed for me, so this was our joint project. I like it a lot - it's on my desk holding stitch markers for me!

Ja nyt jotain vallan muuta. Ystävä hankki dreijan, ja ystävän poika halusi että kokeilen sitä, joten istuin ja pehersin saven kanssa kokonaiset viisi minuuttia. Olen joskus kauan kauan sitten kokeillut dreijaamista, ja jotain näyttää olevan muistissa vielä. Ystävän poika viimeisteli ja poltti tämän pienen kipon mulle, joten tämä oli vähän niinkuin yhteisprojekti. Viehko kuppi kököttää työpöydän nurkalla, pistin siihen silmukkamerkkejä.

Dragon Shawl

2009-01-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

We're very proud, once again. There's a new pattern in The Lair, for the Dragon Shawl.

Luola ylpeänä esittelee uusimman ohjeen, Dragon-huiviin.

I finished my third shawl with this pattern, and it turned out really beautiful. It has been finished for a few days now, but there hasn't been enough light to photograph it.

Kolmesti olen tämän tikutellut ja tykkään kovasti, vaikka itse sanonkin. Yllättävän nopea tätä oli neuloa, edellisen tein 4 päivässä ja tämän, vähän isomman, vajaassa viidessä. Valo piisasi vasta nyt kuvaamiseen asti.

This particular shawl was knitted with KnitPicks Sock Garden in Daffodil. The original color was.. loud. Let's just say it was better overdyed.

Lanka on mielenhäiriössä hankittua KnitPicksin Sock Gardenia. Nakkasin ennen pingotusta väripataan, ja tykkään kovasti syvän tummanruskeasta sävystä (jota ei ole toivoakaan saada kaapattua kuvaksi asti). Alkuperäinen väri oli suorastaan räimeä. Uusi väri on kovasti paljon parempi!

Click picture above to enlarge for a preview of the first pattern page. This shawl pattern is modular, which means it can be knitted to desired size with almost any yarn. Finished shawl size depends on the yarn and needles used. The pattern is in PDF form, and includes charts.

Kilkkaa isommaksi, kuvassa näkyy ohjeen ensimmäinen sivu pienennettynä. Dragon-huivin ohje on modulaarinen, toisin sanoen sen voi tehdä mistä hyvänsä langasta haluttuun kokoon. Tein ensimmäisen näistä pitsilangasta, kaksi viimeistä paksummasta, fingering-paksuisesta langasta. Puikkokokoa ja toistojen määriä vaihtamalla huivista saa haluamansa kokoisen. Ohje on PDF-muodossa ja sisältää kaaviot.

You can get a copy of the pattern through Ravelry or by clicking the button below.
Ohjeen saa omakseen Ravelryn kautta taikka suoraan napin takaa:

I have done my best to bring you a top-quality pattern, but if you notice a problem, please let me know. Thank you for your support!

Olen koittanut tehdä parhaani ettei tässä olisi mokia, mutta jos sellainen seasta löytyy, olisin kiitollinen jos ilmoittaisit siitä (sposti profiilissa). Luola kiittää kiinnostuksesta jo etukäteen!

The End of Year Review

2008-12-31T07:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a good year.

Nollakasi oli oikeen rattosa vuosi.

1. Kainuu Mittens for my MIL, 2. Scarf for FIL, 3. 4 Socks, 4. Brown Dragon, 5. Denim Henley, 6. Deep in the Forest Mittens, 7. Red Dragon, 8. Turquoise Tote, 9. Cotlin Tee, 10. Cotton Sweater, 11. azalea 3, 12. F&F Shawl for Mom, 13. Gloves for Mr HairyFeet, 14. Li'l Red Ridin' Hood, 15. Opal Socks, 16. Chevalier Mittens, 17. Print O' the Wave Shawl, 18. Tuesday Socks, 19. Revontuli, 20. Icarus Shawl

So, 5 shawls (2 of them my own design), 4 sweaters/cardigans (all of them my designs), 6 pairs of socks (and all of them toe-up), and 4 sets of gloves, of which my favorite pair is definitely Deep in the Forest Mittens. Compared to last year, this was not a good knitting year, but this has been a very exciting year in every respect.

Kaiken kaikkiaan 5 huivia (joista kaksi ihan omasta päästä), 4 paitaa (kaikki omaa Disainia :D), 6 sukkapariakin (ja kaikki varpaista aloitettuja) ja neljä käsineparia, joista tietysti metsätumput on ylitse muiden. Viime vuonna neuleita tuli paljon enempi, mutta viime vuosi oli viime vuosi, ja tänä vuonna oli ohjelmassa muuta jännää.

This year, I learned to spin. Kristin from Allspunup was kind enough to show me. She even gave me her old wheel. Sylvie is the queen of our house, and she has a Louet S10, named Butch, to play with.

Mie opettelin kehräämään. Kristin Allspunupista näytti mulle miten se tapahtuu, ja antoipa vielä kaapissa eläköityneen rukkinsa mulle. Sylvie on talon kuningatar, ja leikkikaverina sillä on Butch, sekin käytetty rukki, Louet-mallinen.

1. Green Dragon, 2. Lemongrass, 3. Toffee Swatch, 4. BFL skein, 5. Allspunup Club Fiber, 6. Red Dragon, 7. Merino-Alpaca, 8. BFL, 9. Merino-Nylon, 10. Merino-Nylon rullalla, 11. Merino-Alpaca, 12. BFL, 13. Summer, 14. Test Skeins, 15. Second Skein ever, 16. First Try

This year, I've spun some 4000 yards of yarn this year. It isn't a lot, but it has been fun. I've spun it mostly on Sylvie, although she is no match for Butch when it comes to bulky yarns. Or plying. I have so much to learn about spinning, I still feel like a total beginner with three feet (slow flyers teach you to treadle like it's the last lap of F1) and one left hand when I sit at my wheel, but the learning process is so much fun. The most precious project in spinning this year was definitely the Red Dragon Shawl - my Ravelympics project. I spun the fiber I dyed, and designed a shawl for the yarn, and knitted it, in 17 days. And all this with the slow flyer (6,5:1) - and I can honestly say never again. My feet hurt for a week after that mad spinning spree :D

Rukin rullalta on lähtenyt tänä vuonna reilut 3,5 kilometriä lankaa, ja osa siitä on neulottukin. Ei se paljon ole mutta meno on ollut lystikästä joka tapauksessa. Suurin osa näistä on tulosta iloitteluista Sylvien kanssa, mutta se ei kyllä pärjää Butchille kertaus- ja paksulankahommissa. Olen kehruussa ihan noviisi vielä, joka kerta tuntuu että mulla on kolme jalkaa (hitaalla kehrällä oppii polkemaan niinko ois viiminen kierros vormuloissa) ja yks vasen käsi. Opettelu on kyllä mukavaa, ja varsinkin kun taloudessa on kaksi ihan erilaista rukkia - on pakko miettiä että mitä tekee. Vuoden Kehruuprojekti oli kyllä Red Dragon-huivi. Kehräsin (itsevärjätyn kuidun), suunnittelin ja neuloin huivin 17 päivässä olympialaisten aikaan, ja totesin että ei koskaan tämmöistä enää. Hitaalla kehrällä suruutellessa jalat kipeyty niin että ei tehny mieli koskeakaan rukkiin pitkään aikaan :D

So in general, it was a good year. I designed a lot, I even put up my first for sale pattern, and I got some knitting done, despite some hefty procrastinating. Two thousand and nine looks very promising - I have more patterns coming out, and ideas for so much more!

The Lair wishes you all a very Happy New Year 2009!

Yleensä ottaen oli siis varsin mukava vuosi. Päästä pursusi ideaa korvasti, jopa myyntiohjeeksi asti, ja neuloinkin jonkin verran, huolimatta ankarasta laiskottelusta. 2009 näyttää erittäin lupaavalta vuodelta - uusia ohjeita on tulossa ja ideavihkossa on materiaalia varmaan vuosiksi eteenpäin.

Luola toivottaa kaikille lukijoille Oikein Hyvää Uutta Vuotta 2009!

Holiday Knitting

2008-12-29T08:27:00.001-08:00

I didn't knit much for Christmas - just one pair of mittens, one scarf and some socks.

Jouluneulomiset jäi aika vähäiseen. Tikuilta pääsi vain yksi pari tumppuja, yksi huivi ja vähän sukkia.

My MIL got a pair of traditional Kainuu mittens. I hope they fit her. She has much smaller hands than I do, so I wasn't sure if they fit. Maybe they'll stretch with washing if they're too small. I used 6 colors of KnitPicks Telemark for these.

Anoppi sai Kainuun lapaset, KnitPicksin Telemarkista. Toivottavasti ne sopii, tai ainakin venyisivät pesussa sopivaksi.

My FIL got a scarf. I used two skeins of Cascade 220 for this, the stitch pattern is a herringbone stitch of sorts. The scarf curls a little, but I hope he won't mind. I tried a new cast-off method from Montse Stanley's book for this, called the stem stitch method, and it looks great. It pairs nicely with the long-tail cast-on. I couldn't get a good picture of it, black/dark gray yarn is a pain to photograph.

Appiukolle neuloin huivin kahdesta Cascade 220-vyyhdistä. Mallineule oli verraten aivoton herringbone-versio, joka tietenkin vetää rullalle vähän mutta jospa se ei haittaisi. Kokeilin uutta päättelyä Montse Stanleyn kirjasta, nimeltään stem stitch method, joka näyttää samalta kuin ristikkäin luotu alkureuna. Toimi oikein hyvin, käytän sitä vastakin.

My friend asked me if I would knit some socks for her family. I made four pairs of socks for her, for her DH, DD and DS. Her son wore them all day Christmas day when we went there for dinner - he was seemingly happy with them. The other socks fit really well, and I was very pleased as I was worried they might not fit. I hope the socks will keep their feet warm this winter :) My friend picked the colors for them, they're all made of Novita Nalle. The colors are by Novita, except for the purple socks which is hand dyed. All are knitted toe-up with a square reinforced heel.

Ystävän perheelle tikuttelin pyynnöstä läjän sukkia. Tein nelihenkisen perheen sukat Nallesta, lila on itsevärjättyä ja muut Novitan padasta. Pikkupoika piti omia sukkiaan koko joulupäivän kun oltiin siellä syömässä, oli ilmeisen ihastunut niihin :D Muutkin parit sopivat ilmeisen hyvin saajilleen. Kaikki on neulottu varpaista alkaen vahvistetulla hollantilaisella (lappu-)kantapäällä.

For my friend's husband.
Ystävän miehelle.

For my friend.
Ystävälle itselleen.

For my friend's 7-year old daughter.
Seitsemänvuotiaalle tytölle.

And final pair for her soon 4-year old son.
Ja melkein nelivuotiaalle pojalle.

I've been knitting and spinning a lot, hopefully I can take pictures of them soon. A few days ago it was awfully pretty and white and bright outside (click to enlarge).

Luonnonmullistusten keskellä oon kököttänyt sisätiloissa ja neulonut ja kehrännyt kovasti. Otan kuvia heti kun ulkona näyttää muultakin kuin harmaalta ja pimeältä. Joulunajan komea takapiha on poissa - nyt puut on paljaat ja rumat.

But now we're back to gray and dark and boring, so pictures will arrive if I find a spot where there's enough light to take any. Luckily the streets are almost clear, so we can go pick up our smaller car, and I won't be stuck at home anymore!

2008-12-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Lair wishes you all a very, very Merry Christmas!

Yesterday Was Not a Good Day

2008-12-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

(Still in English. Blogging in Finnish will resume soon.)

I have been stuck at home for days this week. Because of the snow.

It's awfully pretty outside, but the driving conditions are horrible. Nevertheless, we decided to do some Christmas shopping yesterday - a trip to Costco and Fred Meyer took us nearly 4 hours. The lines were longer than I've ever seen. I'm guessing everyone hit the stores since a storm front was supposed to be arriving in the afternoon. Now, I'm fairly skeptical when they say "storm". In San Diego, a light mist in the morning was considered a "storm". And in Washington, rain for more than 15 minutes is supposedly a "storm". This week, they predicted some snow in our area and it didn't arrive when they said it would, so I didn't believe them when they said we'd get some snow on Saturday evening.

Stupid me.

So, as I needed some company of my dear friend, I took our smaller car and went to see her. I noticed some light snow coming down as I got to her house, but didn't take it seriously. In two hours, however, there was nearly an inch of it on my car, so I decided to get home.

I couldn't get up the hill. In the end, I left the car there, my friend's husband took me home, and now Mr HairyFeet is mad at me for being so dumb. I'm mad at myself, too. Mad for going out on a day that didn't start too well (my wheel broke down in the middle of some vigorous spinning), mad for not taking the forecast seriously. And mad at the snow! :D

I blame cabin fever for all of this. And when I say cabin fever, I mean it. It got really, really bad, in just a few days. See what I mean:

Yes, I bought them. With money! *sigh* So, not a good day, yesterday.

So now we're waiting for the snow to melt, which might take a while, before we can take the wee car home. I'm not going anywhere today, or tomorrow, or the day after... but I certainly won't be buying any Red Heart even if I have to stay home for days now. Instead, I think I'll browse for some cute afghan patterns :D

Let me end this post with a happier note. San tagged me for a meme so here goes.
First, the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they've been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

So six random things about me.
1. I don't like lace socks. The holes make my feet feel cold. I prefer the plain stockinette stitch socks, and wear them constantly. (Just started another pair!)
2. I am afraid of fire. I have to unplug the coffee maker every time I go out, because I don't trust electric equipment, and it might catch fire and burn down my house which is my worst nightmare. I don't know how this happened, but I remember always being afraid of fires. Not the small kind, such as in a stove or a lighter or candle, but the big kind. I have nightmares of our house burning, all the time.
3. I like cats, if they're the friendly kind, but I don't trust them. I know several really lovely cats, such as Ben (and Ben I would trust), but in general, I find them a mystery. Maybe it's because I don't understand them, but they make me slightly uncomfortable.
4. I love horses and dogs. They're beautiful (most of them), and so gentle and smart animals. I haven't met a horse (and hardly a dog) I didn't like. And the bigger the better. My dream is to one day have a draft horse and a bunch of Great Danes.
5. I am ~~a hoarder~~ an avid collector of stuff. I find myself collecting knitting needles and yarn and fiber and dyes and stitching supplies and beads and buttons and the like. And then I never use them, because they're so pretty. This is something I'd like to get rid of as a habit.
6. I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. No idea at all.

I won't tag anybody but do let me know if you did this meme too! I'd like to read six random things about you!

Finally, thanks for all the shawl comments! I'll try to get the pattern out by the end of the year, I should have ample time to review it in the next few days. :)

Getting Ready for Christmas

2008-12-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

We have decorated the tree.

And we have done some Christmas knitting, too.

I'm fairly certain the recipient is not reading my blog. And even if she is, I'm sure it's not a big deal. :D

The shawl above is reknit of the Red Dragon Shawl. I did it this time with fingering weight Peruvian wool, which I hand-dyed. It turned out lovely - I love the colors and the texture of the shawl. It's actually a large shawlette, it measures some 33,5" x 69 " or 85 cm x 175 cm, and weighs 3,5 oz or 100g. It was a really quick knit: I started this shawl on Sunday afternoon and was done with it yesterday evening.

The wool in the tree is a selection of braids I dyed. I have been busy at the pots since we had some snow this week and I haven't really left the house for a few days. I know how to drive in the snow, but with summer tires I don't want to take any chances.

And it's still snowing. I hope we get a white Christmas, it's so pretty outside right now. The snowing means I get to stay inside with some hot cocoa, and knit. Something for myself this time - I'm done with Christmas knitting!

Vigorous Knitting but Very Little to Show

2008-12-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

I have proof. I have been knitting.

I need this finished by Thursday, and it seems I'll make it. I still need to knit some 8" for the body but the sleeves are done - finally. I knitted both sleeves twice until I was happy with them. This yarn scares me endlessly. It was really expensive, so I want it to be perfect, but it also has so much character and elegance, so it needed the perfect design to bring out the best in the yarn. I hope I achieved that. Luckily, the yarn doesn't seem to mind ripping and reknitting. I hope I have pictures of this soon, it's been a joy to work with.

Olen mie neulonu. Neuloin angorapaitaan hihat kahdesti, per hiha, nyt ne alkaa olla aika hyvät. Vartalosta uupuu parisenkymmentä senttiä, joten eiköhän tämä valmistu määräaikaan (torstaina) mennessä. Lanka, Elsebeth Lavold Angora, on ollut aivan ihanaa neulottavaa, mutta mallia on säädetty, koska Kallis ja Arvokas ja Kaunis Lanka vaatii Täydellisen mallin ja niitä ei synny ihan noin vaan. Näyttää toistaiseksi lupaavalta, ja onneksi lanka ei ole moksiskaan purkuoperaatioista, joten säätää on saanut rauhassa. Kuvia tästä heti kun sää on muutakin kun masentavan harmaa.

2008-11-25T08:56:00.000-08:00

Inspiration never comes when you want it to. Even if you get out the yarn and admire the color and then dig out all your books and graph paper, it remains hiding.

Ei tule suunnitteluhommista mittään. Neulon tämän päivän angoraa.

Which is why I'm spending today with some coffee and angora.

(Nothing says Seattle like a new Space Needle stitch marker and a new Starbucks mug.)

Mullon uus muki. Starbucksista hain, ihan vaan siks kun siinä on palmikoita. On kovin Seattle-henkistä kun on paikallista kahvia paikallisen kahvipuljun motissa ja neuleessakin Space Needle-merkki..

The Classics and the Forgotten

2008-11-24T17:17:00.000-08:00

Amelie started it. She posted about her older knits - which were used and loved and which weren't. I have been meaning to do this for a while now, so now that she inspired me, here goes.
Amelie sen aloitti. Kaiveli kaappeja, ja kertoi neuleiden tarinaa. On pitäny tehdä sama ittekin, joten inspis iski ja tongin vähän arkiston uumenia vaihteen vuoksi. Täältä pesee - ja linkoaa.

I finished this blue T-shirt in the summer and it was a fun knit. I liked the design and the fit, but sadly, even though the label said it was machine-washable, I don't think it is. It was full of fuzz after the first wash and it doesn't look neat anymore. I was so sad when it happened, but I think it'll be nice enough for the summer, to wear occasionally. In the house, that is. :D
Mie sain tämän sinisen t-paidan valmiiksi kesällä ja sitä oli lysti tikutella. Tykkäsin mallista ja istuvuudesta, mutta lanka oli pettymys. Vaikka vyöte väitti että koneeseen voi sulloa, ei olis kannattanut. Lanka nyhjääntyi käytetyn ja "vanhan" näköiseksi ekassa pesussa, joten sitä ei ihmisten ilmoilla viitti pitää. Kotona kekkalointiin sopii edelleen ihan hyvin.

The same happened with this sweater, my first top-down sweater with seamless set-in sleeves (tutorial coming soon). This was knitted with cheap cotton and I knew it probably wouldn't last a long time, but it shrunk and pilled horribly in the first wash, so I haven't worn it after that. It was a good excercise knit, and I learned a lot, but it would've been nice if it had lasted a little longer. Just like the Cotlin sweater, though, it taught me one thing: non-mercerized cotton is not for me.

Sama juttu tämän neuleen kanssa. Tämä on eka (onnistunut) ylhäältä-alas paita istutetuin saumattomin hihoin (ohje näihin tämänmallisiin on tulossa). Neuloin tämän harjoitusmielessä halvasta puuvillasta ja kävi kuten olettaa saattaa. Tämä olisi nyt sopiva noin 130-senttiselle reilusti ylipainoiselle naiselle, joka pitää vanuttuneen ja pörröisen näköisistä neuleista.. Harjoitusmielessä sinänsä ihan onnistunut neule, isolla puikolla tuli nopeasti valmista. Mutta ei koskaan enää merseroimatonta puuvillaa neuleisiin.

The Li'l Red Ridin' Hood has been one of my favorites. I've worn it almost too much - it has some signs of wear but the Patons Merino has held up fairly well. It's so warm that I can't wear it inside except for this chilly winter weather, but it's a nice spring coat for warmer weather. I love it, the fit is great and I like the color. I can't wear much red without looking like an overtanned air hostess but this cold red goes well with my chubby face. The only thing I am not too happy about are the shoulders, but luckily I figured out a way to knit them so that they're not so pointy.

Punahilkka-villis on sen sijaan pitänyt kyllä kutinsa enemmän kuin hyvin. Olen pitänyt tätä melkein liikaakin, mutta lanka on vain vähän nyppyyntynyt. Tämä käy talvella sisävilliksestä ja keväällä välikauden takista. En tajunnut tehdä olkapäistä viksumpia joten ne törröttää vähän, mutta menköön sekin oppimisen piikkiin.

I finished these socks around the same time, and I must say, I love Opal yarns. They don't mind the washer at all, and they even get better in the dryer. I've worn these a lot and they still look brand new.

Sukkapuolella ei oikeastaan haavereita ja epäonnistumisia ole sattunut (vielä - odottakaahan kun kehrään langan sukkapariin). Opalin langat on kestäneet kaikissa sukissa tosi hyvin, joka pari on ahkerassa käytössä ja pesussa vaan paranee.

Speaking of socks, all my handknit socks have been worn a lot. They're so much more comfortable than store-bought socks, and prettier too. I have been lucky, I haven't had a bad sock yarn experience, and I only had to throw one pair away. The socks got torn apart in the washer and the yarn unraveled, and I didn't want to darn them. It was an old pair, and had served well, so it deserved to go to Sock Heaven :D

Sukkien kanssa on vain yksi pari pitänyt nakata mäelle. Kairahelvetti söi sukkaparin, lanka purkautui koneessa enkä viittinyt parsia, ja pari oli aika vanhakin, joten se pääsi autuaammille sukkamaille. Oma vika oli sekin että sukkapari tuli tiensä päähän ennen aikojaan - olisi pitänyt neuloa tiukempaa.

Some socks I am nearly afraid of wearing, because they are so pretty. The Tuesday socks are such a pair, although I am sure Trekking would not mind using and washing and using and washing...

Jotkut sukat on melkein jääneet pitämättä, kun en jotenkin muka raaski. Tiistai-sukat on just semmoset, vaikka Trekking ei ole pesusta ja pidosta moksiskaan.

The Helene Socks belong in this category too. I haven't worn them a lot, mainly because they're not machine-washable and they seem to be so delicate. They are warm though, and Telemark doesn't mind wearing, although the soles got a little fuzzy after a while.

Helene-sukat kuuluvat samaan sukkajoukkoon. En ole pitänyt niitä paljon, kun ne pitäis pestä käsin, ja tuntuvat pehmoisilta. Telemark ei sinänsä ole huono sukkalanka, mutta kyllä se kokolattiamatolla pörhöttyy käytössä.

Back to sweaters.

This shirt was finished a while ago, and I have worn it once. Under a jacket. I hate the bamboo yarn, it stretches and pills and looks weird. The fit is awful - the garment would have to be reknitted entirely, and I am not sure I'd want to do that. I don't know what to do with this T-shirt - I may end up throwing it away.

Takaisin paitoihin. Neuloin tämän aikaa sitten, ja olen pitänyt kerran. Takin alla. En tykkää bambulangasta pätkääkään, se venyy ja paukkuu ja nyhjääntyy. Vaate ei istu mitenkään, se pitäis melkein neuloa uusiksi jos haluaisi tästä käyttövaatteen, mutta en taida viitsiä. Nakkaan pois sitten kun se alkaa risoa liikaa.

Last year, I knitted (I think) 16 sweaters. One of them was the Pohjan Neito Cardigan (the white one in pic below), which I have only worn once or twice. The reason is that it feels too festive for daily wear - I wore it once to a Christmas party (on a boat, so I needed something warm) and it was perfect for it, but it's not an every day garment. I do like it a lot, though. I did a bad job sweing the clasps, one of them needs to be resewn before I can wear this again.

Viime vuonna neuloin kai 16 paitaa. Pohjan neitoa näistä on pidetty pari kertaa. Se tuntuu vähän liian juhlavalta että sitä viittis pistää kun hilpasee Siwaan maitoreissulle. Kaunis se kyllä on, mutta juhlavaate.

I also knitted my first-ever Fair Isle cardigan, Ilmarinen, last year. It took me 3 weeks to knit it, and it has been worth every stitch (every 140,000 of them). I love it. It's so warm, and Palette as a yarn is very durable and warm. I can't wait to knit another Fair Isle project with Palette, it's one of my favorite yarns.

Viime vuoden neuleisiin kuului eka kirjoneulevillis, Ilmarinen. Kolme viikkoa siihen meni ja joka silmukan väärti on ollut. Palette ei ole moksiskaan paljosta pitämisestä, ja neule on tosi pehmoinen. Sitä voi pitää ihan t-paidan päällä eikä kutita olleskaan. Tätä lankaa neulon varmana vielä jatkossakin paitoihin, siitä tuli tämän jälkeen yks suosikeista.

In February last year, I went through a sweater phase and knitted five sweaters. The Starsky cardigan is superwarm and has been worn to pieces. Literally, I might have to just throw it away soon, I've worn it too much.

Helmikuussa otin ja neuloin viisi villistä. Niistä Starsky on pidetty ihan silpuksi. Sen voisikin neuloa uudelleen, malli on kaunis.

Milk 'n Oats, the Blueberry Sweater and the light blue ribbed cardi have not been worn a lot. Milk 'n Oats doesn't fit that well, it's too wide and should've been knitted with a lot tighter gauge. The Blueberry Sweater was knitted out of yarn that sadly pills a lot. Also, I realized when I wore it for a few hours, that I hate raglan sleeves and o-necks. I have tried to wear it lately as I need layers and layers of garments when it is so cold, so that I won't have to throw away a sweater that would be otherwise alright. So it's something I wear at home. The light blue, just like the Urban Aran, is just way too short for me. Bad choice from me to not make them longer, but otherwise they both look fine. I gotta dig them out of the closet too and wear them at least a little bit.

Kaurapuurotakki, Mustikka-paita ja Lemmikin nimellä kulkeneet neuleet on jääneet kaappiin. Kaurapuurotakin malli on liian lyhyt ja leveä, ja neulos liian löysää, jotta tykkäisin. Malli sinänsä on vinkeä, sen voisi vaikka neuloakin uudelleen. Mustikka-paitaa pitäessäni totesin että lankavalinta oli huono (näyttää nopeasti vanhalta), vihaan o-kauluksia (varsinkin kun se on molemmin puolin samanlainen), ja raglaneissa näytän itäeurooppalaiselta painijalta. Nyt on ollut sen verta vilakat ilmat että olen pitänyt Mustikkaa kotosalla hiippaillessa, ettei sitten tartte nakata melkein pitämätöntä paitaa mäelle. Vaaleansininen takki, samoten kun Urban Aran, on vaan aavistuksen liian lyhyt, muuta vikaa siinä ei ole.

(So I was learning PhotoShop then... Meh.)

The Bolero Sweater has been used a lot, though. It's very warm and the color's nice, but the shoulders are bulky. The design would have to be tweaked for the next one, which I'm sure I'll knit because I like the design in general. It's just the excess fabric in shoulders that is a tad unflattering.

Boleropaitaa on pidetty muidenkin edestä. Tykkään väristä ja se on sopivan lämmin, mutta hartiat on vähän.. romuluiset. Liika kangas tekee niistä vähän möhköt, joten jos ja todennäköisesti kun neulon tämän uusiksi, viilaan noita hartioita uuteen uskoon.

Are you bored yet? Yes? Nevermind, I got a couple of things to show: shawls. I have no idea what makes a favorite but the Icarus and the Revontuli Shawl have been worn a lot. They're superwarm and I like wearing them, they cover my arms perfectly when typing on a computer :D The Shetland shawl has not been worn at all, because the yarn still smells like a used cars salesman and because I want to save it. For what, I am not sure, but I'm saving it.

Joko kyllästyttää? Ei se mitään, täällä on vielä pari asiaa esittelemättä: huiveja. En käsitä miksi yhdestä tulee suosikki ja toinen jää kaappiin, mutta Icarus ja Revontulihuivi ovat olleet ihan suosikkeja. Niitä on pidetty paljon, kädet jää sopivasti vapaaksi kun istuu tietokoneella ja hartiat pysyy lämpimänä. Shetlanninhuivia sen sijaan en ole pitänyt, kun jemmaan sitä muka johonkin. Mihin, en tiiä, mutta jemmaan kuitenkin. Ja sen lisäksi se haisee käytettyjen autojen kauppiaalle, kovasti. Pitäis pestä ja tuulettaa.

This is just a fraction of what I've knitted over the last two years. I hope you enjoyed this review - I certainly liked it! One should do this more often. I realized I have worn my knits a lot, it just doesn't feel like it. :) I haven't worn most of my gloves and mittens until now- Washington is a good place for a knitter. You can wear a lot of knitted items when living here. Some knits have become favorites, but the ones that haven't become favorites usually have a crucial flaw: poor design, bad choice of yarn, wrong type of garment for my body shape. And I should give up saving knits - one can always knit them again.

Tässä on vaan osa neuleista mitä on puikoilta lähtenyt viimeisen kahden vuoden aikana. Toivottavasti tykkäsitte! Täytyy tehdä tämmöinen katsaus uudelleenkin, vaikka niistä mörvelöistä ja puretuista yksilöistä. Huomasin tätä tehdessä että aika paljon on tullut pidettyä neuleita, vaikkei siltä tuntuisi. Ja täällä pohjoisempana asuessa neuleille on tosi paljon käyttöä, hanskat ja huivit on olleet tarpeen. Osa neuleista on ollut käytössä enempikin, mutta ne pitämättä jääneet on olleet vähän viallisia: huono malli, väärä lanka, väärän mallinen mun vartalolle. Ja jemmaaminen on ihan pöhkö tapa, jonka vois lopettaa - ainahan voi neuloa saman neuleen uudelleen jos se on ollut mieluinen.

I also noticed that my knitting, and especially my cross-stitching, has slowed down a lot when I learned to spin in May. It doesn't mean that I don't enjoy knitting and stitching, it has just opened new perspectives like dyeing and more possibilities to work with fiber. The amount of time, however, is limited, but I do knit and stitch a fair amount whenever I can. I hope to show pictures of them soon, and I promise to blog more often! I think about blogging material all the time but I never get around to it. I'll try to post more often from now. And comment in your blogs too! Speaking of which, I'd like to see others posting about the stories of their knits after they were finished. Leave a comment if you decide to do so - I'd love to read your stories!

Huomasin myös että viime vuonna, kun en vielä kehrännyt, neuloin ja pistelin paljon enemmän. Teen niitä vieläkin, mutta kehruu ja värjäys vie enempi aikaa nykyään, koska ne on uusi ja mukava tapa touhuta villan kanssa. Muutama neule olisikin pian polkattavaksi asti valmiina, koitan parantaa tapani ja polkata vastaisuudessa useammin ;) Polkkauksesta puheenollen, olisi kiva nähdä teitinkin neuleitten tarinoita. Jätä jälki kommenttiraidalle jos kirjoittelet neuleiden tarinoista - käyn mieluusti lukemassa!

Denim Henley

2008-11-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

I finished my Denim Henley a week ago, but didn't get pictures until yesterday when I lured Mr HairyFeet to the balcony and we got a couple of decent shots.

Puijasin KarvaJalan ottaan kuvia sinisestä paidasta. Viikon verran se odotteli silitystä ja nappeja, mutta eilen pääsi vihdoin päälle asti.

I'm really happy with the way it fits. The pics don't show it too well, but it fits like a glove.

Kuvista ei näe kunnolla mutta se istuu tosi hyvin. (Kamerassa oli kyllä läjä niitäkin missä näkyy istuvuus. Ja liuta jenkkikahvoja...)

This is another one of my concoctions, knitted from the top down with seamless set-in sleeves. I am especially happy with the way the sleeves turned out. They look sewn, but I didn't sew one seam. I love this method, and wouldn't even consider knitting sweaters any other way now that I got the hang of it.

Tein viime kesänä puuvillapaidan samalla idealla, mutta en käyttänyt näin laadukasta lankaa siihen. Pikkuhiljaa olen säätänyt tätä "ylhäältä alas saumattomilla istutetuilla hihoilla"-metodia paremmaksi ja nyt tää alkaa vaikuttaa aika hyvältä. Ei kyllä tulis mieleenkään enää neuloa paitoja missä joutuu ompelemaan saumoja metritolkulla. Tässä ei ole ainoatakaan ommeltua saumaa.

The henley collar is very simple. The collar was created by casting on all the stitches for the front at the same time and the extra fabric folds to form the collar. The back of collar was knitted separately and I crocheted a chain of stitches to give it extra oomph.

Kaulus on tosi yksinkertainen, loin kerralla silmukat etukappaleisiin ilman lisäyksiä ja ylimääräinen kangas kääntyy kaulukseksi. Taakse tein pienen kauluspätkän lyhennetyin krs:n ja virkkasin koko kauluksen ympäri reunuksen että ois vähän tukevampi. Tykkään kauluksesta kovasti. Napit on kierrätyskamaa, jostain vanhasta paidasta pelastettuja.

I used 8+ balls of Plymouth Yarn Company's Fantasy Naturale for this, and even though it is a heavy sweater, it doesn't feel like it. It's super warm and comfortable and mercerized cotton, although a pain to knit, behaves so well in a finished knit. This sweater feels like it'll be a favorite and last a lifetime.

Lankaa meni 800g ja risat, ja vaikka paksu lanka tuntui hurjalta neuloessa, paita ei tunnu olleskaan paksulta. Se on tosi lämmin ja mukava, ja merseroitu puuvilla, vaikka on kauheaa neuloa, on valmiina neuleena tosi nätti. Tykkään kovasti - tätä varmana tulee pidettyä kovasti.

Spinning Green

2008-11-12T11:04:00.000-08:00

It is a gray, gray day. Perfect day for spinning, then. Sylvie and I rekindled our love with the help of the new flyer, and we both love it.

Harmaata, harmaata. Syysmyräkän aikaan täällä on vaan kehräilty. Lämmiteltiin Sylvin kanssa suhdetta vähäsen - uusi kehrä (?) on ihan ykkönen.

I finished a skein of lace weight merino-silk blend for my Dragon Shawl. I dyed the top myself, but the finished yarn wasn't green enough for me, so I overdyed it with yellow. Now it might be a touch too yellow for my taste, but I'll knit the shawl and re-dye it if need be. There's 4 oz and 680 yards of this.

Merino-silkkiä 105 gramman läjä, metrejä kuutisensataa (ehkä pikkasen päälle). Tästä tulee huivi mulle. Mie värjäsin tämän letin vihreäksi ihan omin käsin, mutta lankana siinä oli aika paljon vaaleita läikkiä, joten nakkasin uudelleen värjäytymään. Ihan hippasen liian keltainen tämä saattaa olla, joten katsotaan meneekö huivi vielä pataan jahka Joku(TM) neuloo sen huivin enste.

This is also merino-silk blend, but I didn't dye this top. My pal Kristin from Allspunup did, and I wanted to do justice to her beautiful colors. I split the top in half, and spun the first half to singles for a cowl. I think I have enough - there's 2 oz and 167 yards of this. The second half will become 2-ply for a pair of wristwarmers. This amazing fiber is very, very soft and I can't wait to knit the singles. I never really understood the appeal of lumpy bumpy single-ply yarns until I started spinning - and this yarn is absolutely one of my favorites!

Toinen erä merino-silkkiä, tällä kertaa Allspunupin Kristinin värjäämää. Tirpaisin letin kahtia, ja kehräsin eka satsin yksisäikeiseksi, varsin möykkyisäksi langaksi, jonka kohtalona on kaulanlämmitin. Toisesta puolikkaasta kehrään kaksisäikeistä lankaa ranteenlämmittimiin. En ole tuon yksisäikeisen tyyppisistä langoista tykännyt olleskaan ennen kun otin ja kehräsin sellaista ihan itse. Parhautta oli myös se että tämän langan (60g/150m) lehruuseen ei mennyt kuin pari tuntia.

These gray days just demand some color-therapy and since I got my massive 8 oz jars of Jacquard dye, I decided to go a little crazy.

Harmaisiin päiviin tarttetaan vähän väriterapiaa, ja kun postinsetä toi 225 gramman väripurkkeja oivan läjän, otin ja kokeilin vähän.

I dyed some merino-alpaca blend with browns, oranges and black to sort of Calico colors and some merino-silk with shades of teal and brown. The merino-silk is one of my favorite fibers, and these colors are my favorite colors, and I was very happy with the way it turned out. It'll be lovely when spun up and merino-silk is such a joy to spin!

Merino-alpakkaa calico-väreiksi ja merinosilkkiä turkoosin ja ruskean sävyissä. Merinosilkki on yksi suosikkikuituni, ja värit kestosuosikkeja, joten olin kovasti tyytyväinen. Calicosta tuli just semmonen kun pitikin (mikä on pieni ihme sinänsä). Molemmat kuidut on aivan ihania kehrätä, varsinkin ohuenohueksi :)

I have finished my Denim Henley (and even cast on for another sweater) but I can't get good pictures when the weather is so crummy. I hope I'll get pics soon!

Sininen paita on valmis, ja uutta villistä pukkaa jo, mutta surkea valo estää kuvat. Mie koitan näpsiä niitä loppuviikosta, jos keli kirkastuisi viimein.

Blue Is My Favorite Color

2008-11-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

(Also in politics!)

I love knitting socks. I should knit them more often, considering how much sock yarn I have. Terhi wanted to see her readers' sock yarn stash, and I already got out the 20 gallon tub of sock yarns. But then I realized it would take me forever to photograph them all, so I took a picture of the blue sock yarns I have managed to collect.

Sukkia on sitten lysti neuloa. En neulo sukkia tarpeeksi usein, siihen nähden kuin paljon sukkalankaa kotona majailee. Ja käytän sukkia joka päivä, pitäisi ottaa ja neuloa niitä lisää. Langasta ei ole sukkavajauksessa kyse, ajasta enemminkin. Kaivoin Terhin innoittamana jo 80 litran sukkalankalaatikon esille, mutta sitten realismi otti ja yllätti, ja napsin kuvan vain sinisistä sukkalangoista. (Sinisyys liittyy tiistain uutisiin ja siihen että sininen on yksi suosikkiväreistä.)

Clearly, I don't have enough blue sock yarn. (I may or may not have bought some sock yarn recently. It may or may not have been blue. I'm not confessing anything here. But it was gorgeous!)

Sinistä sukkalankaa voisi olla kyllä enempikin. (Saatoin ostaa vastikään sukkalankaa, joka saattoi olla sinistä. En tunnusta mitään, mutta upeaa se oli!)

One of my favorite shades of blue is denim blue. Especially if it is a deep, bright, slightly variegated denim blue, in thick mercerized cotton.

Sinisistä yksi kaunein on farkunsininen, erityisesti jos se on tummahko, kirkas, aavistuksen epätasainen farkunsininen, ja lanka paksua merseroitua puuvillaa.

Today, I will be sewing some buttons. (See, I still knit!) The project above is a sweater I've been working on. This yarn, Plymouth Yarn Company's Fantasy Naturale, started life as a sleeve, which I then frogged. Now, this will be one of my top-down sweaters, and I already like it very much. Hopefully I'll have pictures of it very soon.

Kyllä täällä neulotaankin! Tänään pääsen varmaan ompelemaan napit uusimpaan paitaan, jota on tikuteltu kaikessa hiljaisuudessa. Malli ylhäältä alas, lanka PYC:n Fantasy Naturalea, joka kävi olemassa hihoina toisen malliseen paitaan, mutta purin hihat ja neuloin tämän version nurinniskoin. Hyvältä näyttää - toivottavasti kuvia blogissa piakkoin :)