A (w)hole lotta knitting

Thank you for watching episode 5 of the podcast! Here you can find the shownotes.

Finished objects
Cladonia shawl

Works in progress:
Details of yarn, pattern and needles used can be found on my Ravelry page.

Michelada sweater

Rose City Rollers socks

New stash
Baerenwolle Baerenfluff sock yarn

Giveaway
Join the group if you like some chatter

Ta-daaah: volcano socks

I surprised myself, I knitted socks! I was never a big sock knitter, however lately I have been drooling over knitted socks on instagram and ravelry. So I visited one of my local yarn shops in Rotterdam and bought some Lana Grossa Meilenweit Magico II.

About the yarn, I really love the colours! It is hard to capture the colours on photo since they are so bright!

So, great colours...But I don't think I would buy this yarn again. It isn't that soft and a bit scratchy. It not so great to knit with. The knitted fabric is a bit more soft but my stitches look very uneven. They might look better when washed (haven't done that yet, we'll see).

The pattern is the populair vanilla latte socks by Virginia Rose-Jeanes. Great pattern. I tried to make matching socks, but on the second sock the turned out slightly different. Aaah well, I do like to wear them. Even Mr. Boyfriend steals them when his feet are cold :-p. 

I do like to knit another pair of socks, does anyone have some suggestions for a pattern that is a bit more interesting? 

You can find more details on ravelry.

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Ik verbaas mezelf, ik heb sokken gebreid. Ik ben niet zo'n enorme fan van sokken breien maar ik zag zoveel mooie sokken voorbij komen op instagram en ravelry. Dus bezocht ik een van de wolwinkeltjes in de buurt en kocht een bol Lana Grossa Meilenweit Magico II.

Wat een prachtige kleuren! Het is moeilijk om de kleuren goed op de foto te krijgen omdat de camera wat moeite heeft met de felle kleuren. Behalve de prachtige kleuren ben ik niet helemaal weg van deze wol. Hij is ruw en jeukt een beetje. Het is niet heel fijn breien. Het resultaat is gelukkig iets zachter, maar mijn steken zien er heel rommelig uit. Misschien dat het er beter uitziet als de sokken gewassen zijn. 

Het patroon is vanilla latte socks door Virginia Rose-Jeanes, een heel populair sokkenpatroon. Ik heb geprobeerd om de sokken hetzelfde te breien, maar het kleurverloop is helaas toch iets anders geworden. Ach, volgende keer beter. Ik vind het heerlijk om ze te dragen en Mr. Boyfriend heeft (natuurlijk) al weer gestolen omdat hij koude voeten had haha. 

Ik heb eigenlijk wel zin om nog een paar sokken te maken, iemand een idee voor een leuk patroon dat wellicht iets interessanter is? 

Meer details vind je op ravelry.

(semi) finished object: Exploration Station by Stephen West

Details

Pattern Exploration Station by Stephen West

Needle US 6 - 4.0 mm

Yarn 
Manos del Uruguay Alegría

Manos del Uruguay Serena

Artesano Definition

Artesano Alpaca Silk 4 ply

Difficulty Medium

Well, this one isn't totally finished...it still needs to be blocked. I keep postponing it, anyone else having problems with postponing blocking your finished projects? I know it will look so nice once it is blocked, but I already love wearing it! It is so warm and soft. 

This pattern came out as a mystery knit along in november. The idea is you only know what kind of yarn to buy and what needle to use. The outcome of the pattern is a surprise. I got a piece of the pattern every week. I loved the idea, but I couldn't keep up at all. I did enjoy the surprise of it though and I might join another mystery call one day. 

Now that spring is in the air, I might wash and block it before storing it. When winter comes again, it will be looking oh so fine. 

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Details

Patroon Exploration Station door Stephen West

Naalden - 4.0 mm

Wol

Manos del Uruguay Alegría

Manos del Uruguay Serena

Artesano Definition

Artesano Alpaca Silk 4 ply

Gemiddelde moeilijkheidsgraad

Dit project is stiekem nog niet helemaal af, het moet nog steeds gespannen worden. Ik stel het steeds maar uit, iemand anders ook last van uitstel gedrag bij het spannen van breiprojecten? Ik weet dat de sjaal er mooier uit zal zien als hij gespannen is, maar ik draag hem zo graag! Hij is warm en zacht, heerlijk. 

Het patroon was onderdeel van een mystery knit along in november. Het idee bij zo'n knit along is dat je niet weet wat het eindresultaat zal zijn. Je weet alleen welke soort wol en naalden je nodig hebt, de rest is een verrassing. Elke week krijg je een stukje van het patroon toegezonden. Een heel leuk idee, ik kon het alleen totaal niet bijhouden. 

Nu de lente is aangebroken, zal ik de sjaal toch maar wassen en gelijk opspannen. Dan kan hij netjes de kast in, klaar om met het koude weer gedragen te worden. 

10 reason's why I love my Stitch 'n bitch group

Stitch 'n Bitch is a name used by knitting groups that meet on a weekly or monthly basis at locations throughout the world. We knit, we talk and drink coffee / tea. I love these meetings and I wanted to share what is so great about them. 

Every once in a while I visit the Stitch 'n Bitch group at my local yarn shop. 

1. There is tea, coffee, delicious scones and blondies.

2. It is a great way to meet new people. It is so easy to make new friends since yo have at least one thing in common; a passion for yarn. 

3. Other knitters can give you some tips and tricks for new techniques. 

4. You get inspired by the projects of others. Sometimes this isn't a good thing since I tend to have enough WIP's as it is haha. 

5. It's the perfect environment to knit. All those hanks of yarn, colours and pattern books. 

6. Did I mention the scones already? 

7. You have all the resources at hand, like scissors, stitchmarkers, needles etc. 

8. You can whine about all your knitty problems, like dropped stitches or how much you dislike a certain part of a pattern. I don't have many friends who knit or crochet and it is soooo nice to be able to chat about these things.

9. Joining a meeting gives you an excuse to knit undisturbed for a few hours. No chores, no work, just knitting or crochet. 

10. You leave with some extra rows done on your project. 

If you want to join a Stitch 'n Bitch, check the various groups on Ravelry. 

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Regelmatig bezoek ik de Rotterdamse Stitch 'n Bitch groep bij mijn lokale wolwinkel. Stitch 'n Bitch groepen ontmoeten elkaar wekelijks of maandelijks op verschillende plekken in de wereld. We praten, breien en drinken koffie en thee. Ik ga er graag naar toe, hier is waarom:

1. Er is thee, koffie, heerlijke scones en blondies (brownies met witte chocolade). 

2. Het is een goede manier om nieuwe mensen te ontmoeten. Je hebt in ieder geval al een ding gemeen, een liefde voor wol. 

3. Anderen kunnen je tips en tricks geven als je een nieuwe techniek probeert. 

4. Je vindt zoveel inspiratie door de projecten van anderen. Dit is niet altijd handig, want dan wil je al snel aan iets nieuws beginnen. 

5. Het is de perfecte omgeving om te breien. Bolletjes wol, patroonboeken, Het tikkende geluid van breinaalden. 

6. Had ik de scones al genoemd?

7. Je hebt alles bij de hand, schaar, stekenmarkeerders, naalden enz. 

8. Je kan zeuren over al je breiproblemen die niemand anders snapt. Een gevallen steek, een lastig patroon, het is zo fijn als andere breisters dit helemaal begrijpen. 

9. Het geeft je een excuus om een paar uur ongestoord te breien. Geen klusjes, werk of andere afleiding. 

10. Je gaat terug naar huis met een project wat weer iets dichter bij afronding is. 

Als je ook een breigroep zoekt, kijk dan eens op Ravelry voor een groep in de buurt. 

Artesano Alpaca Silk 4ply - Yarnreview

Artesano is a new yarn brand for me that I recently used for some projects. I used the Artesano Alpaca Silk 4ply in the colours Envy 0961 and Cyclamen 5225. I want to share my experience with this yarn.

Tension: 28sts in 36 rows on a 3 mm needle
Weight: Fingering
Length/Unit Weight: 200 metres/ 219 yards in 50 gram hank
Composition: 70% Alpaca. 30% Silk
Available: This brand is mainly available in Europe, www.artesano.co.uk. I bought mine at my local yarn shop Ja, Wol. 

Like:
+ The material is amazing, alpaca and silk! 
+ The yarn comes in 16 wonderful colours. 
+ It knits a really soft and fluffy fabric.
+ I think this yarn is very suited for shawls, scarfs, hats and mittens.
+ Alpaca is so nice and warm

Don't like:
- It is a bit to expensive for my taste to knit a very big project with this one. 
- You can only hand wash this yarn
- Even though this yarn is very soft, alpaca is not itch free for me. However, this might be due to my sensitive skin. 

Pinkefeller Shawl by Stephen West

Details

Pattern Rockefeller by Stephen West

Needle US 2½ - 3.0 mm

Yarn 
Malabrigo Sock, Natural
Manos Del Uruguay Alegria, A9452 
Artesano Alpaca Silk 4ply, Cyclamen 5225

Difficulty Medium

Pattern review

I adore the designs of Stephen West, they have a modern, funky and fresh feel to them. 
This shawl is knitted in four parts, this keeps the pattern interesting to knit. You will have to follow the instructions each time you start a new part of the pattern, but it will only take you a few rows before you get the hang of it. I was able to knit big parts while watching some of my favorite shows. It is a great way to learn short rows and slipped stitches. 

The pattern says you need 450yds / 411m of colour A (the white) and 505yds / 462m colour B (the pink/rainbow). I only had 445yds and 407m of the pink/rainbow Manos del Uruguay, so I run out. I should have bought two skeins when I had the chance, since my favorite yarnstore run out when I wanted another skein later on. Lesson learned, don't be stingy when buying yarn! 

I loved, loved, loved knitting this one! I highly recommend buying this pattern (if you didn't already). The shawl looks complicated, but it really isn't. I don't think it is a beginner project, but if you have knit some simple projects you can definitely give this one a try.

Jacobus the knitted monkey

Meet Jacobus

He is a bit shy

Details

Pattern Monkey Jacobus by Anita Wildschut

Needle US 2½ - 3.0 mm

yarn Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino Superfein

Colorway 747

Difficulty hard

Pattern review

I’m a TV-knitter, this is not a pattern you can knit while watching your favorite show...well at least I can't. 

I struggled, although the pattern is very clear and it comes with pictures to help you. Just follow every step in the pattern and you’ll be fine in the end. The result is stunning! 

I might make another one….one day….not too soon though :-P.

I made the tail a bit longer and to get a nice curl, I added a pipe cleaner.

This little monkey was a gift for a little baby girl and she is very fond of him. I think it makes a perfect gender neutral gift. 

Love triangle

© Pickles.no

A little while ago I spotted this pattern on the website called Pickles. They offer some very beautiful, simpel patterns. One of the patterns is this gorgeous poncho, it was love on first sight. After some smal knitting projects like hexipuffs, hats and scarfs it is time to try something bigger! I ordered some yarn online from Drops Karisma in Natural 01 and Light greyish green 02. I never knitted with this particular yarn from Drops, so the first thing on the list is knitting a gauge swatch. Normally I skip this part of the process, since I'm a very lazy knitter, but this time I want to make sure my gauge is right. This project isn't a small hat afterall.Wish me luck ;-).

Een poosje terug vond ik dit patroon op een Noorse website genaamd Pickles. Ze hebben een aantal simpele, maar oh zo mooie patronen. Dit is een van de meer ingewikkelde patronen en ik was spontaan verliefd. Na armbandjes, mutsen en sjaals is het toch echt tijd om een wat groter draagbaar item te breien.

De wol heb ik besteld via internet en is van Drops Karisma in de kleuren Naturel 01 en Licht grijsgroen 02. Ik heb nooit eerder met deze wol gebreid dus eerst maar eens een proeflapje maken. Normaal ben ik daar te lui voor, maar aangezien dit project best flink is leek het me toch verstandig.
 Ik ben benieuwd of het lukt!  

FO Friday: You can leave your hat on!

Winter is here and so I needed a hat, a quick one. So I found this pattern. This free pattern by Katharina Nopp is calles wurm and is knit using one of my favorite yarns, Lana Grossa Cool Wool Merino.

I rushed to the yarn store, bought me two skeins of this yammy yarn and got started!

It was so easy and very quick and so warm for your ears.

I made the smallest size and even in small the hat turned out a bit slouchy, but this is just the way I like it!

Hop over to Tamis Amis for some more FO's! 

FO Friday: Beaded cowl

First of all, thank you for all the warm welcome back comments. I feel very lucky.

 

Now, time to share some knitting! Remember that I had to frog the last project and started all over? 

I finished it!

 

I even made some new friends.

It is oh so soft made of one skein of Malabrigo lace. Check out the project page on my Ravelry for all the details. 

I'm loving the pattern, nice and simple. Want to know how I did the beading? I used a tiny crochet hook. Check youtube for a tutorial. 

One skein of the lace yarn is enough for this cowl and I can highly recommend it. It makes it an affordable project.

Hop over to Tami's Amis for some more finished projects.

Frogging...

The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy. Work, chores, visiting friends and lots of outdoor activity. 

Mr. L. and I even had some quality time.

We visited the "wereldhavendagen" which is world port days in English, meaning the city buzzing with lots of visitors and ships.

We also visited some ships and Mr. L. was mostly excited with the warships.

Boys will be boys, right?

Back home it was time to knit in the spare time. Remember this project:

Great pattern, great yarn, beads.....

Not so great!!! They are waaaaaay to heavy for the delicate lace weight yarn. I asked the ladies of my local stitch and bitch (a little knitting get-together) what to do and they suggest I could put on some beads at the other side of the cowl too. 

Of course I ignored them, thinking it would turn out fine with beads at one side....

Well, it didn't. 

So, I frogged it. 

And then I started again.

Yes, I frogged more than fifty rows just to start all over again. 

The good news is, I found some new beads. Much smaller ones of course. 

Unlike the other bold and funky beads, these are neutral, calm and soft color tones. It has a different feel to it now, a bit more sophisticated.


I'm still thinking to add a pop of bright color in there to spice it up a bit. So I might visit the craftstore today to see what they have to offer. What do you think?


Calm, neutral and sophisticated?


Or a bit funky, perky and fresh?



I can't wait to finish it so I can show it to you properly.

For project details check my project Ravelrypage.
For more great WIP's hop over to Tami's Amis!



Thanks for stopping by! 

A 2nd year of projects update #1 Sock Megalomania

Well, here it is. My first sock ever. 

Knitting it was so much fun, I couldn't resist trying it on all the time. 

There is only one problem....this sock is waaaay to big for me. I have a shoe size 40/41 (size 7.5/8 in the USA), but my feet are very slim. The pattern I used stated to cast on 64 stitches for my size, but since my feet are slimmer than normal feet I cast on 60 stitches. Still the sock turned out way too wide, my gauge was a little bit bigger so I might have to use smaller needles. 

Anyone else ever made socks that were too big? 

I think I will let this project rest until I know what to do. Make a new pair or finish another sock this side and donate them to my boyfriend (he is not a big fan of purple though ;-)). 

You might have already seen the baby booties that I finished and I also started another project on the list. A little sneak peek: 

Take a look at the Ravelry group page for some more updates! 

FO Friday: Baby booties

I have a small finished object for you to see. It is one of my projects on the 2nd year of projects list and it was a fast one. 

Little baby booties.

Knitted straight on a pair of 3.5 mm needles with some scrap acrylic yarn. This pattern is a gift and I know it deserves some soft baby merino but I wanted to get this project done on time. Also, acrylic is easy to wash.

They are grey and if it would be my baby these would be made in the most colorful sock yarn, but since this is a gift I had to tone it down. 

They are in the 3 months size, since the baby will be born in summer and these would be a little too warm. 

Want to make them too? Find the free pattern on Ravelry here.  

Want to drool over some yarny projects? Check out Tami's Amis for some awesome Finished Objects. 

One a day: Somewhere over the rainbow...

At the beginning of my hexipuff journey, I'd never thought I would last. Of course I had to join the crowd in making these little hexies, but they would probably end up as a pillow and nothing more. 

Then more hexies were made and I started asking myself what my goal was. Lots of knitters asked me the same thing; what I was making with these cute little squishe thingies? I had more than enough for a pillow so I wanted to make something bigger, so I got this idea:

A mini quilt so I can sit in the window! Wouldn't that be awesome?

But then I realized something....

This is a pretty cute idea, but....

.....I already have enough for hexies for this idea and I'm not ready to give up knitting them! 

Look at all the colours...

There is no way I am calling this a FO yet! It will turn in a gorgeous quilt of at least 400 hexies! Yep, you are going to see them some more. I am so in love with this project, and it is perfect for summer knitting. No big bulky project on your lap, just your tiny DPN's and a little skein of sock yarn. 

Speaking of sock yarn...

I dyed another miniskein after being inspired by this post at Pumpkin spins, rainbow style. I don't know why I never did, it turned out very cute and bright. I can't wait to knit it into a hexie. 

Hop on over to Carole's place for more One a day projects.