Shades of Grey / Harmaan sävyjä

I decided I'd finish my Urban Aran Sweater, which I started in the spring and left waiting, when I had to finish other, more important projects. I always figured I'd finish the UA eventually - I suppose the time had come. I cast on the stitches for the front and back on Friday, and I've reached the underarms already, so I am making rather fast progress. I find the UA a bit boring and dull, as a design. I squeezed in some excitement by making my own modification and knitting a cardigan instead of a sweater, but I'm truly bored already. But, then again, it is the perfect knitting for these very warm days, as you really don't have to think about it.

And the yarn isn't so tempting as it once was, either. The yarn is KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Lake Ice Heather - an impossible yarn to photograph as it seems to be something between very light blue, very light grey and very light purple. I try to think of it as a shade of grey but my camera, as well as PhotoShop, apparently disagree very strongly.

Mie alotin sitten sen Urban Aranin, ajattelin tirpaista sen loppuun. Se jäi kesken keväällä, kun tärkeämmät jutut ajoivat sen ohi, ja olin aatellut neuloa sen joskus, sitten kun joudan. No, ilmeisesti se aika on nyt, tuleepahan tehtyä pois. Loin silmukat perjantaina ja nyt ollaan kainaloissa, joten vinhaan tulee valmista. Malli vain on vähän tylsä, vaikka muokkasin siitä villatakin enkä -paitaa, ja lankakin on vähän tylsä. Se näyttää useimmiten hailakanlilalta, vaikka koitan kovasti ajatella sen olevan vaaleansiniharmaa. Ehkä tämä kuva näyttää värin kaikkein osuvimmin, vaikkei ihan kohdallaan olekaan.


And yes, I am using my stitchmarker, the one I made only a while ago. Pretty!

Ja oma merkkihän se siellä neuleen seassa killuu:


I also started something a little more exciting and challenging (although basic Fair Isle and basic cables hardly qualify in the Most Challenging Knitting category). I like both these colors, they are very nice greys - the other almost a blueish steel grey, and the other a brownish, natural and beautiful. These'll be mittens and wristwarmes, sometime soon.

Aloitin paria käsineprojektia, että olisi edes jotain (pienempää ja) haastavampaa neulottavaa, vaikkei peruskirjoneule ja peruspalmikot mitään kovin haastavia olekaan. Kauniit värit molemmissa, toinen on ruskehtavan harmaa ja toinen vaalea teräksen harmaa.


And I know I told my SP pal I'm not really interested in sewing, but somehow I couldn't leave these three fabrics in the store (well, they're closing, so what can you do?). In Finnish blogs, there's been an ongoing craze over Weekender bags, and I might sew something like that of that brown and white fabric. Or the blue one. So, my pal, you see, I am interested in sewing - I'm just not very good at it :)

Oltiin Sulon kanssa kangaskaupassa, ja enhän mie voinu näitä jättää sinne, varsinkin kun kauppa lopettaa pian. Näistä tulee jotakin Weekender Bagin tyyppistä, joskus.

Yarn to Dye For

When I ran out of yarn, I was sure I would have plenty to knit before I get the missing yarn, which should be sometime next week. That seems like a year away now, for I realized that despite a mile-long to-do list, and some 100 lbs of yarn, I have nothing to knit. Nothing! I could start a Fair Isle cardigan, but that would need some experimental dyeing. And somehow, when there's no pressure, I get great (well, acceptable) results, but now I should be able to get exact colors, and that's not good, when you're looking for a no-brainer project. And UFOs - what UFOs? -, well... I felt I almost should start something new, now that that cunning Telemark tricked me and I ran out of yarn. I should, shouldn't I? That's what I thought. ;)

Most of yesterday and all of today I have been digging frantically through my stash. In desperate and vulnerable state (both conditions are required if you are to dye yarn), I came across two yarns I have been meaning to soak in some Rit-Dye. So, to take off the pressure from dyeing, and to just do something and play with yarn, I grabbed my dyeing gear, and went on almost blindly, not thinking. (This is not very hard, since all you need to do is mix a little powder with water and soak the yarn in. However, it is possible to make catastrophic mistakes. Trust me, I know.)

So, these are the two yarns I started with: some fuchsia Vuorelman Helinä (a discontinued Finnish yarn intended for machine knitting), and some Novita Nalle (again, some Finnish yarn). Nalle is good for Fair Isle-projects if you don't have a sensitive skin, and the Helinä.. well, there's almost 700 yds of it in 3,5 oz, so it's right down my aisle!


And here's what I got:

The fuchsia yarn is now amazingly pretty burgundyish purple, deep with hues of red wine. Actually, it is rather close to KnitPicks Shadow Vineyard, although I didn't get a very even color, which makes the yarn even more interesting. And the other yarn is a very nice blueish purple, or purple-ish blue. Maybe it is close to a dark cornflower blue. (I couldn't get the color of it quite right, not even with PhotoShop.) Both yarns are a lot better than what I started with, so I'm happy.

However, this doesn't solve the question of what to knit next. I have plans and even swatches knit for the next few projects, but I don't have the yarn yet. I could finish the Urban Aran cardi, or knit another pair of Latvian mittens, or maybe go the easy way and knit Eris. I think I'll climb to bed, next my snoring Mr HairyFeet, and see if I'm any wiser in the morning. Ta-ra!

Mie värjäsin vähän lankaa, kun iski epätoivo, että mitä neulois seuraavaksi. Suunnitelmia olisi, mutta niiden suunnitelmien langat on vielä postipaten armoilla. Tongin lankakaappia pienen manian vallassa, ja löysin vanhaa Nallea ja Vuorelman Helinää, jotka päätin nakata väripataan, kun en muutakaan keksinyt. Lopputulos oli oikein soma, fuksianpunaisesta Helinästä tuli viininpunaisen ja tumman lilan kirjava, ja vaaleanpunainen Nalle on nyt kaunis ruiskaunokin sininen - ei ihan reilu sininen, muttei ihan lilakaan, vaan jotain siltä väliltä. :)

Vieläkään en tiedä, mitä neuloisin. Ehkä aamu on viisaampi - nyt petiin!

Rockin'!

MakePeace ja Haka ja Tellu olivat tämmöisellä paiskanneet:



Tattista, plikat :)

MakePeace, Haka and Tellu think I'm a rocking girl blogger. Thanks girls :)

Keskiviikkojännäri / Wednesday night thriller

Surely, the Welshman is a wonderful actor (and the movie isn't bad, either), but the true thriller for today was still whether or not I have enough yarn for my cardi.

Neuleita ja anarkiaa esittää keskiviikon jännityselokuvana kaksi huisaa pätkää: Hannibalin ja Riittääkö Lanka? Molemmat taattua K-18 -kamaa.


And a thriller of this kind can't end well, right?

Niin, ja kuten arvata saattaa...

I bought a couple of very pretty rubber stamps and a sepia inkpad, and got some very nice results. I bought a carte postale stamp and a flower theme stamp, I just couldn't leave these in the store!

Mie ostin kauhian somia leimasimia, vaikken ole mikään korttiaskartelija tai noin. Näitä nyt en vaan voinu jättää kauppaan, en millään. Ostin seepianvärisen leimasintyynynkin, ja näistä tuli oikein retroja - ja trés chic!

I stamped one card with the flower stamp, and on the other side, I used the Handmade by -stamp that I bought a few days ago. In this picture, you can see how the little tags look both on the front and back. I find them rather pretty! The card was a bit thin, so the ink shows through, so maybe I'll get some better cards next time. However, I am really happy the way these turned out to be. I have a few ideas for these stamps, I'll show them later if they turn out ok.

Yhden kortin leimasin tuolla kukkaleimasimella ja toiselle puolelle käytin tuommoista ylen somaa Handmade by-leimasinta, joka tarttui mukaan päivänä muutamana. Tässä näkyy noiden pikkutägien etu- ja takapuolet, näistäkin tuli nättejä, vaikka tuo korttipohja oli hiukan ohuenlainen ja muste näkyy vähän läpi. Täytyy hommata eriväristä, vähän paksumpaa korttipohjaa :) Mutta silti, on näillä aika kiva laittaa menemään omia tekeleitä maailmalle :)


And last, but not least, I made some new stitchmarkers, too! There are 4 heart-shaped Swarowski beads (2 clear or rainbow-colored and 2 red), 4 butterfly markers (2 pink and 2 green), 6 Chinese porcelain bead markers (2 giant beads and 4 smaller ones) and 4 pink ones which are similar to the ones I made a few days ago, only different color. In my post, I said I couldn't figure out where I got the beads, and yesterday went shopping (DH wanted me to go and buy some engine oil so I bought beads) - and I found the beads ;) I'm glad I did, I adore them :)

Ja lopuksi, kun ei ole mitään valmista neulottua näyttää, taas läjä silmukkamerkkejä. Kaksi kirkkaankukertavaa Swarowski-sydäntä, kaksi punaista samanmoista, 6 kiinalaistyyppistä posliinimerkkiä, 4 perhosmerkkiä ja 4 pinkkiä pyöreätä. Viimeksimainitut ovat samanlaisia helmiä kuin ne siniset, joista laitoin kuvan pari päivää sitten. Harmittelin silloin, että kun en yhtään muista mistä ne on ostettu, ja eilen shoppailureissulla (Karvis pisti hakeen moottoriöljyä Viiviin - tulin kotiin helmien kanssa) ne sitten marssivatkin vastaan. Ostin läjän mukaan, ne on niin kovin somia.

SP11 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I'm a very simple person, I like simple things. Anything goes, as long as it's natural. My absolute favorite fiber is wool, I knit wool the most. I also love mercerized cotton, linen, silk, alpaca... Any natural fibers then. :) Blends are fine, as long as the artificial fiber content is not too high. What I absolutely hate are all acrylic yarns and "novelty yarns" (eyelash or other fuzzy, furry, glittery yarns). I'm also not very fond of very thick yarns, I prefer fingering weight yarns.

I have some favorite yarns. I'm fond of all KnitPicks yarns, I've knitted them a lot and I like them all. I also like Opal and Regia sock yarns. My favorite alpaca yarn is Drops Alpaca. I must admit I'm very picky when it comes to yarn, and I don't try new things easily, so I haven't really tried any of the more expensive yarns out there, since I've been so happy with KnitPicks.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needlecase for my DPN's, which is actually an old paint brush holder. It is a very simple black roll, and very ugly. I've been meaning to sew a new needlecase, in which I could put both my DPN's and my circulars (I don't really have any straight ones), but somehow I don't seem to get to it :) I have a large plastic box for my circ's and my knitting notions.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting ever since my Grandma taught me, I must've been around 10 at the time. For the past 2,5 years I've knitted regularly and it has become a passion. I'd say I'm somewhere between intermediate and advanced, since every day I realize how much I still have to learn about knitting.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

I do have one in Amazon. I'm not sure if this link works, but you might find my wishlist here. Or, just search for it using my email address (tuuliasalmela @ yahoo dot com).

5. What's your favorite scent?

I love the scent of orchids and roses (and jasmin!). In fact, I love all fresh scents, I'm not a big fan of musk or very umm.. heavy scents. I do not like pumpkin or gingerbread cookie (unless I baked them!) scent, or Christmas scents in general since they tend to be too much on the heavy side.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I wouldn't say I like sweets. I do enjoy fudge occasionally, or blueberry muffins, but as for sweets in general, I can't say that I am very fond of them. I like Ghirardelli chocolate and most Swiss and Belgian chocolates, and Harry and David chocolate covered fruits, but I'd say if I want something sweet, I prefer real fruit.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I'd love to learn spinning and weaving! So far, I haven't had the time to learn, but someday I will. I make my own stitchmarkers, but am not really interested in beading in general. I also cross-stitch passionately, and paint and sew (e.g. quilts) occasionally, but I don't seem to have enough time for them.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I have a Metallica tattoo, and I've been a fan for 15 years, so Metallica is my absolute favorite :) I don't really listen to music that much, but if I do, it's usually Metallica or Rammstein or something like that. So I'm a heavy metal gal, but I enjoy classical music and jazz, too. My computer plays MP3s, as does my car ;)

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I don't really have a favorite color, I like almost all of them. I can't really wear any bright yellow or very bright green, but I don't have any colors that I can't stand. I don't like extremely bright colors, I prefer muted and heathered colors. My favorites are greens (like moss green), browns, blues (especially teal) and natural greys and natural white. I have a lot of white yarn in my stash and I wear white a lot (although I am messy so it won't stay white for a long time :D). I am not a big fan of variegated yarns, especially if the colors are very bright or have a strong contrast. Slight changes in tones are very pretty, though.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with my husband, we don't have any kids. We only have a betta and a bigger fish tank, but we're looking for a collie puppy.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

I don't really wear scarves or hats or ponchos. I love shawls and mittens, though!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I knit a lot of sweaters, socks, mittens (and gloves) and shawls.

13. What are you knitting right now?

I'm knitting a shorter and simpler version of Louhi (my own pattern).

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Absolutely!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I prefer circular needles. I like bamboo needles if they're size #1 or bigger (smaller needles tend to bend too much), but my absolute favorite needles are KnitPicks Options.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I have both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Emm... Well, it must be a mohair sweater that I started in January. Mohair is really not my favorite type of wool, because some mohair yarns shed a lot, and my sweater, although a nice simple pattern, is pain to knit because I'm covered in hairs everytime I pick it up!

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, definitely. I love the food, I love the spirit (although I'm not religious at all), and I just love everything about Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

I'm a history junkie, so I'm interested in everything old, especially books. I also love Lord of the Rings, the book and the movies (and have seen them quite a few times). I collect LOTR stuff (books, pictures, calenders, everything!), especially Alan Lee's pictures. I try to restrict myself when it comes to buying trinkets, but I can't say no to anything Tolkien ;)

I also realized I collect tincans (like old cookie cans, metal tincans for tea, candy tincans...) and all sorts of needlework memorabilia. I try to avoid any sort of unnecessary trinkets, but I can't say no to any vintage items, or tincans, or pretty crochet hooks or cute sheep brooches or... I also collect (I realized this only a few months ago) pincushions, mostly because my pincushions are vile and cunning creatures and thus never at hand when I need them.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I don't subscribe to any magazines, I buy an issue if I happen to like it. I do like Interweave Knits, and sometimes find something nice in Vogue Knitting too. I don't really have any patterns that I would want, since I knit mostly my own designs. My wishlist on amazon.com is filled with books I'd like to have, and I update it every time I buy books. I would really love to get Walker's Treasury of Knitting Patterns (parts 3 and 4).

As far as needles go, I love KnitPicks Options and will probably toss my old ones (or most of them anyway) and replace them with Options. I don't have any yarn that I'd really, absolutely want. As I said, I'm always open to new things, and will try anything, even if I'm lazy to find out about new things myself. :)

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Oh, there are so many! I still haven't knitted any major entrelac or mosaic projects, I've only knitted a swatch or a pair of mittens or so. I want to play with domino knitting, and right now I'm experimenting with a seamless set-in sleeve (like raglan sleeves knitted simultaneously with the body, only the sleeve is a set-in sleeve).

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I do knit a lot of socks. My shoe size is roughly US 10 or 40-41 European. My foot is about 10 1/4" (26 cm) heel to toe, the foot circumference is 9,5" (24 cm) and leg circumference is roughly 9,5" just above the heel. I love socks that have a longer leg, at least 5 inches.

23. When is your birthday?

September 24th.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

Still on queue. :)

Edit: I added some info after reviewing my stash and my bookshelves. The added bits are in bold. I hope this is useful :)

On täällä neulottukin, siis ihan omia neuleita ;) Tulin näyttämään ihanaa solkea:

Ja illan valossa ihastelin tätä somaa silmukkamerkkiä. Näitä on vain neljä, koska en millään saa päähäni, mistä olisin ostanut näitä helmiä, joten jos noita helmiä ei kävele vastaan niin nämä jäävät ainoiksi. Merkeiksi ovat raskaansorttisia, mutta paksussa palmikkoneuleessa ei ole niin väliä.


Yes, I have knitted something of my own lately. I'm stuck knitting just one project, constantly (and those who know me, know also that this is extremely rare), and seem to make some progress. Only stopping and wondering the beauty of these new stitchmarkers and clasps is slowing me down. They are very pretty, and I couldn't help taking a picture and sharing their beauty :)