small things knit

wrapping

2010-04-24T13:16:00.000-07:00

Moving house, again, has robbed me of knitting time. And blogging about the move, has taken all my blog time. But how could I resist these colours!?

The tiny top and crown were made for baby N, but the same yarns + the hot pink are also used in garments for her brother and cousins. Cute as candy for the girls, Pocoyo fun for the boys.

Size

2010-02-02T05:43:00.000-08:00

My first niece is due next month, and DD and I have made har a few small things. But as we give them the last finnishing touches and lay them out on a table, I notice that the sizes vary GREATLY! A few pieces actually fit the Baby Born, while others actually fit the almost-five-year-old over the chest (with zero ease and comfort). Note to self: USE the size chart. STOP EYEBALLING SIZE!

Adorably practical

2010-01-20T22:47:00.000-08:00

I just signed in to share this link to a pattern for a baby romper (or whatever the short version is called in your region). The pattern directions are in Norwegian, but the pictures might be insporational for all :-)

TINY things to be knit

2009-08-31T03:55:00.000-07:00

How well do you know Polly Pocket? For readers who don't know her, she's the size of a finger and her clothes are made of rubber. And according to my daughter, none of her handfull of Polly guys and dolls are actually called Polly. These three are Pippi, Anette and ...possibly her sister Jen.

The dolls come with a variety of clothes, sports gear, pets and food items. A few have a jacket, and one of them a sleeveless fur something. But none are dressed for Norvegian winter, and DD wants me to knit them something warm.

But did I mention the small fact that they are really, really tiny? I've knit a few capes, and blankets. And I know I should be able to knit some socks/snowboots. But she requests jackets and sweathers.

I would like to insist that anything can be knit with the right yarn (or if neessarily string, wire or dental floss). But this one requires some thinking! Not even my lightest lace yarn could fit between those tiny bodies and their even tinier arms...

A knitting room of one's own

2009-07-08T00:44:00.000-07:00

We just moved to a new 3-room appartment, and made a very bold decision: We have no living room. We have a quite large kid's room, an even larger guy's room half filled with computer stuff and playthings, and [ta-ta-tara!] mum's very own little room for knitting, sewing and chatting.

It has been ten years or so since I last had a room of my own, and I really enjoy the closed door sometimes. But even more, I love to bring my family into the tiny space with three cups of tea, two magazines and a box of Polly-dolls. Yesterday, the blonde Polly took her man shopping in Knitty, carefully tiptoeing over my laptop keyboard, before they had lunch on daddy's knee.

Today, I am carefully sorting my yarn into piles on the sofa. Planning where and how to store the different yarns, and what to knit this summer and fall. Taking my time to touch and smell the delicate fibres, combining different colours, and knitting swatches as I go. Knowing that if I can't finnish today, I can leave everything out, close the door and continue tomorrow.

Constitution Day knitting

2009-05-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, next sunday we celebrate Norvegian Constitution Day (AKA The National Spring Fest of Ice Lollies, Hot Dogs and Children's Parades).

Also, as some of you know, after my encounter with some rather strict regulations to who can buy materials and patterns to the national costume I have put my plans to make a "bunad" to rest.

But that does not mean I have run out of Constitution Day knitting! I still need to make a red boy's cap, a white girl's shawl and a few pairs of socks. I must darn a "Marius" sweather and rebutton a "Fana" jacket. And I would really like a new pair of wrist warmers for myself... perhaps in the "Fana" pattern, or inspired by the pearl embroidery on the belt of my grandmothers "bunad"?

Yikes! I knit milk!

2009-03-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got to try out the Viking of Norway yarn "milk and honey." It is made out of 70% milk fibre (and 30% cotton), and I still find it hard to understand ...WHY?

Of course, I do not quite understand HOW either, but that's for some future post. What I do understand of the process, however, is that it isn't easy nor cheap. It does sell on the eco-friendly wave, but I am not convinced that it is any more eco friendly than plain cotton.

But great political, philosophical and ethical questions aside, let us concentrate on the important perspective: The knit.

Honestly, it felt like cotton. Slightly less plied and thus also a looser knit than the cottons I prefer, but not at all like some brands of 100% cotton. So, why bother adding that much milk to the blend? Need I try the new 100% milk fibre?

Interchangeable needles problem

2008-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have borrowed a set of Knitpicks interchangeable needles to test. If you are not familiar with the idea, the set consist of different sizes of needles and langths of cable that you can put together, and some very clever stoppers that allow you to store stitches safe on the cable.

Indeed an intriguing concept. But I face trouble: My right hand needle keep unscrewing. Not to the point where I drop the needle/stitches, but that is only because I notice the snagging and rescrew it. Anyone else encountered this problem? Any ideas on how to solve it?

Mind the gap

2008-10-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, the wall behind the girly-princess' bed gets really cold, and sometimes she complains about a draught. But mum rushes to her rescue, knitting up a bed-lenght pillowcase for a folded duvet. Problem solved!

Finding closure

2008-09-25T22:49:00.000-07:00

I can't decide if I like this mother of pearl closure. What do you think, ladies and punk?

It the bag it was pretty enough, but I really don't like how the "buttonhole" part tugs at the fabric.

Considering the crime

2008-09-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

My brother forgot his sweather with me. Last spring. How long must I wait before I can call it mine without actually stealing it? Will it be theft to borrow it occasionally? How often, and how many times, can I borrow it? May I bring it out of town? Leave it at the cabin?

Or should I simply bring it next time I visit him?

Not to forget: Just how cruel would it be to hide it whenever he comes over to my place?

Longies

2008-09-23T23:42:00.000-07:00

As it turned out, it was too hard for me to send away any of my UFOs. But revisiting the Basket of Limbo I finally finnished some of them. Knitting second mittens, sewing in loose ends... and happily finding new recipients for all the outgrown children's stuff.

These longies were originally cast on two years ago, the same week we moved into this appartment. Now I will gift it to a neighbour, and hopefully the embroidered name and appartment number (not shown in the photo) will make it a keepsake to remember our happy years here.

UFO-exhibition

2008-08-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

The people at Norsk Trikotasjemuseum (The Norwegian Knitting Industry Museum) are preparing a display of unfinnished knitting. In today's local paper they invite you to send them your UFOs and UFO-histories.

Size

2008-08-13T01:01:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a jacket for a friend's baby. The pattern directions were for 0-3 months, but due to different yarn and gauge the garment measures were equal to those for size 3-6 months. I actually planned this, and hopefully the soft merino/silk-blend will keep Baby L warm all winter.

But here's what surprised me: I do not have a baby measuring doll, so I got my skinny three-year old to model the unassembled front and back pieces while I marked where to set in the sleeves. And it fit her perfectly! I had her try it on again after blocking, and the wide, cosy baby jacket was really cute as a slim fit, 3/4 sleeve jacket for the girl. Too bad the real recipient is a boy. I can't imagine his mother dressing him in white lace past his first year.

(But I am curently knitting one for my girl from the same pattern.)

Long, loved leggings

2008-06-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I found my favourite knit childs leggings on sale. Ribbed, colourful, eco friendly merino wool... of course I had to get a pair (uhm, two pairs) for Jenny to wear come winter.

And she loved them. Apparently, winter starts today, and the orange and raspberry one has already made its debut. Never mind the fact that it is so long, it folds back up to mid thigh.

Fiber snob

2008-06-19T23:51:00.000-07:00

Askeladden sheep friendly merino have been my favourite yarn for three years, but the more berries jacket gave me a crush on alpaccas from Du Store Alpakka. More than half my projects this winter and spring have been made from this alpacca: The more berries jacket and shrug, a few baby gifts, mittens and scarves for DD and myself, and a lace cap we still fight over.

But now I have gathered my last scraps of alpacca to embroidery on a kimono, and the crush is over. Promise.

But before I return to the crisp merinos, I need to explore the Askeladden merino/silk-blends. Currently on the needles: Delicate, white lace for a baby and a soft, green shrug for me.

Did I knit that?

2008-06-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is an adventure to dive into a drawerfull of unfinnished knitting.

Last night, a friend kindly adopted a pile of bibs and washcloths from the drawer. I think I saw the green one smile as it left for its new home, longing to have its loose ends tucked in by his new mama.

I also revisited some pieces of lace, missing only a crochet edging to be a cute present for a baby girl. Several socks with forked yarn-end tongues. And quite a few other items I cannot remember when or why I knit.

Knight's jacket and a "lapghan"

2008-06-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Just a quick pair of photos on the go.

M.I.A.

2008-01-03T02:56:00.000-08:00

It was a shock to return to the blogosphere and discover it has been more than a month since my last post. I left it in a (failed) effort to reach a December 1st deadline for a thesis-chapter. Then I spent two weeks with my nephew while his mum got back to work, and soon christmas hollidays was thrown at me together with a flu.

I have not posted a single knit christmas pressie, even if I gave away quite a few this year. I even presented a friend with a very blog-worthy toy wafer press in wood and felt - crafted by my father and me. But the world of blog is hard; unpublished news more than a week old stays unpublished.

Barely within the limit, I give you my new Julia scarf from The Friday Night Knitting Club. I got the book from my mother a short time after my November 22 post, and the yarn, pattern and needles from my aunt for Christmas. But the actual knitting was done just before new years eve, and I wore it for the local children's parade. It can be seen to the very left of this picture from Firdaposten (please look there for more pictures of both the children's and the midnight parades, it's a fab tradition!).

The puffless, sleeveless, puffy sleeve shrug

2007-11-22T06:02:00.000-08:00

...is now ready to wear. In fact I have already worn it, but now all loose ends are finally tucked in and sleeping. I close it with one of the large safety pins I use for a stitch holder, demonstrating its position in the twilight zone of straight off the needles and never to be blocked.

I have considered using the same basic structure for my all-fall project the More Berries Jacket, but now I see that it needs some bust to stay in shape. This is not kidswear.

Tea cosy

2007-11-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

I am too tired for words today. I retire to assemble a tea cosy.

Crochet afghan

2007-11-05T00:22:00.000-08:00

The last few days I have swapped my knitting for crochet. With a fat size 7 / K hook I made a toddler size afghan in an evening!

What's even better: Driven by the speed enthusiasm, I went on to crochet a doll's blanket and a scarf for a friend from the scrap yarn. These project did not increase my stash by more than a few metres of pink wool. And I already plan to use that for decor on my tea cosy.

not knit by me

2007-10-31T01:01:00.000-07:00

Jenny is a really knit-conscious two year old, and wanted me to show off her new dress knit by "besteBjørg" - her favourite great aunt. She has worn it more days than not, and every time I help her button the back she makes sure to tell me who knit it. And to comfort me by telling me that she really do like the mittens I knit her as well, she just don't want to wear them.

Wristlets

2007-10-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Mum came to visit this weekend, and I finnished her mittens saturady night - sadly forgetting to take pictures before they left. From some of the leftover yarn I will make her a pair of braided wristlets to use together with the mittens on real cold days, or alone when spring returns.

The pattern was originally written for toddler Simon in a laceweight alpakka/silk. But I have come to love it knit in a heavier merino - I have a pair myself, my sister have one and I made three or four for a bazaar last year. They are a faster knit than they look!

40 stitches in the round on dpns, repeats of *k2, p2, k4, p2,* then cross the stitches in the k4-sedtions every 6th row using only the dpsn. For thumb hole, knit 12 rows back and forth, then join in the round again.

Fortune teller

2007-10-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

Between a sick child, a breakdown in my master's thesis and the house move I have still not knit the last thumb of mum's mittens. Hence it is no triumph that the second morning of frosted leaves came exactly the day I predicted - the day the mittens were scheduled to arrive in her mailbox...

(oh, "frosted leaves" might be a good name for daughter's glittering pink lace shawl!)

Hopefully the weather will be dry enough to finnish the mittens in the playground this evening. Then Jostein can mail them on his easily predictable (I'm getting really good at telling fortune!) snack expedition.

mittens for mum

2007-10-11T00:47:00.000-07:00

A few days ago my red and white I-have-a-new-coat mittens had their season debut, with one of toddler's green and gray Fana mittens snuggled inside on our way to kindergarten. And toddler reminded me that I promised to knit my mum a new pair.

Mum chose the yarn and colour and toddler chose the pattern - and I got to change both for easier options. I present: The road of least resistance squirrel and oak mittens (original pattern at Hello Yarn).

Puffy Sleeve Shrugb (without the puffy part)

2007-10-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

After the house move, I found myself with a very limited portion of my yarns available. Huge thanks to Jostein for bringing my leftover basket!

Unraveling half a teddy bear I found yarn for the Puffy Sleeve Shrug from winter 2006/2007 knit.1 magazine. (Abbyjaye has a flickr shot of a PSS in the same stage of progress as mine, and almost the same colour).

I am intrigued by the body geometry of this thing. But I might alter the sleeves to unpuffed ones, I think.

I wanna rock!

2007-10-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

No, really I want to do some really rebellious knitting. This weekend we are moving out of our house to get new pannelling in the bedrooms and living room, and I have to go through the massive amounts of unnecessary stuff we have accumulated over the last year or so. The house is a mess, and I feel a growing desire to toss everything away in a childish tantrum. We don't need half of this, my conscience screams. And theorethically I really want to destash.

But, you guessed it, I am too emotionally attached to my stash. Especially the yarn stash representing hours of creative and recreational knitting. That's why I want to knit instead of sorting: Giving away knitwear is so easy compared to throwing away unknit yarn. Not even the knowledge that some of my cheapest and oldest and shortest pieces of yarn have already been replaced by better yarn can make me do that.

I wanna knit.

Autumn leaves revisited

2007-09-30T23:53:00.000-07:00

The maple tree outside my bedroom window has a new look this week. The red heart in its midst is no longer bright, it is spotted with deep browns and the colour is dissolving among the shades of orange that is rapidly replacing the vibrant greens and yellows.

Perhaps this is the reason why I started knitting yellow and green mittens last week, while Siri chose red and orange for her pair this weekend?

2007-09-28T01:25:00.000-07:00

A few years back I had a crush on apple green. The green pearls are leftovers from a beach top I crocheted to match my apple green bikini.

I still like the pearls, but matching them to my dark autumn wardrobe was a challenge. And I think I have succeeded. This is the early stage of a pair of wristwarmers that will match up with my charcoal jacket, my camel duffel or even my bright red coat. In real life the bronze pearls are vibrant enough to compete with the acid of the green and the matte, brown alpakka bring them both back to earth.

In need of a pattern?

Measure the circumference of your wrist and divide on the lenght of a bead to get the appropriate number of right-side rows. Then add this number with three to include three pearsl a row. (Or wing it, you can always break the yarn and add more pearls at the cost of two extra ends to fasten).

Pearls are strung in repetitions of green-bronze-green.
Thirty-odd stitches are knit back and forth with pearls placed from the back side between the 4th and 5th, 5th and 6th and 6th and 7th the first 6 rows. Then the pearls are placed 3 stitches further in from the edge, starting between the 7th and the 8th.
thirty-odd stitches

I'm in!

2007-09-27T01:15:00.000-07:00

...at Ravelry!

And now I'm off to surf.

Mittens submitted

2007-09-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

My mittens have been submitted to the auction, and I am getting anxious to know who will wear them.

- a woman, probably, due to the size.
- someone with an allergy to wool?
- ... or someone who works outdoors and needs mittens that are more durable than the woolen ones.
- someone who likes pink (but then, everyone likes pink these days).
- someone with a crazy pink and lime coat!
- ... or someone with a classic black or camel coat who wants a fresh compliment colour.
- perhaps someone will get them as a present ... from a secret admirer who noticed the heart shaped petals in the ornament flowers.

Very possibly, I will never know. But they are made with love for any and every woman in need of warm hands and a warm thought.

Autumn leaves

2007-09-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

There's a box of crayons in the window,
silently tempting me
to fix the beautiful colours of the autumn maple
on pattern paper.

The one to the left has a flaming orange heart
among the yellows and greens,
perfect for an afghan

with dark brown edge stitches.

Flower buttons

2007-09-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

My knitting budget was already spent when I found Jen's favourite buttons in a smaller size. But I think I will have to go back for them, imagine how pretty they will be down the back of a spencer dress in spring colours?

Mitten progress

2007-09-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

I wonder, should I add a sprinkle of pearls?

Temptation

2007-09-05T01:34:00.000-07:00

I did get the time to knit last night, but the deadline for the mittens seemed so far away I was tempted into working on the pattern for something else: A luxurious children's jacket for the holiday season, knit in merino and silk, with velvet edgings and swarovski cufflinks.

Sadly, I named this blog SMALL things knit, or I would have been tempted even further and made one for myself as well. Foolishly expensive as it might be.

wip: oktoberrosa mittens

2007-09-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

Work and Civ3 with the boys eat into my computer time, but blog silence does not mean I do not knit. The mittens I want to submit to Oktoberrosa are nearly done. Hopefully I will find the time to finnish them tonight, and unless I have to work extra (a very real possibility) I will get to photograph them in daylight tomorrow.

Shop hours

2007-08-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

These days family life is adjusting to my new job, and everything tends to go slow motion. When I got home this afternoon, we had dinner with friends and family in the sun until toddler bedtime and the rest of the night has been spent pondering over the pattern for a knit wristlet.

Finally giving up on the wristlet and leafing through possible pictures for the blog, I found one featuring this bedcover (lovingly knit by gran) - adding some pearls and ribbon I have my pattern!

'night, all!

ETA:Yes. She does bring the bear, the goat and (as noticed by observant viewers) the pink pig to bed. Not visible in the picture are two baby dolls, a plastic tractor(!) and a ghost hottie. Not to mention the butterfly pillow or the two toy dogs on the floor. You can always trust her to find ways to be properly spoiled, no matter how busy our days.

JOSI+DRAGON

2007-08-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

Today's post has been cleverly disguised inside the code for www.josiogdragen.com.

No, just kidding. But I have been too busy writing for JOSI+DRAGON to post. Again.

Thanx to Jostein for coffee, and to Siri for over-my-shoulder proof reading.

New job!

2007-08-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence, I've been offline. But blogable stuff has been going on: Tomorrow I start work at Perlehuset, among beautiful pearls and some beautiful people.

Wake up and smell the strawberries!

2007-08-10T03:20:00.001-07:00

Finally, Jennys strawberries are bright and shiny red. Yesterday I spent the afternoon knitting in the garden while she mastered the art of checking both sides before picking, and this morning she taught me to smell my way through the plants like a hedgehog. (Yes, hedgehogs apparently eat strawberries).

I have not knit for 48 hours!

2007-08-09T04:03:00.000-07:00

Not that I need to knit every day, but I believe this is the first time this summer that I have not. And summertime is usually the time of year when I knit the least...

What i have been doing the last days, is preparing the website layout of JOSI+DRAGEN, coding, bughunting and finally proofreading the text. It is almost like knitting: Tiny details make up a complexity of lines, colours and textures. And when you think you are done, there's all the loose ends to weave in.

Last minute gift

2007-08-07T23:58:00.000-07:00

I am late with a birthday present. The big day is tomorrow, and there is no time for mail. But I came across this (free) ebook version of a 1904 knitting and crochet book for the e-card and her local yarn shop has agreed to let her pick out her present in the store. Nice save?

Oktoberrosa

2007-08-06T00:36:00.000-07:00

Oktoberrosa (wordplay on october pink/october rose) is a craft auction in support of breast cancer survivors. I want to make a pair of selbu mittens, but before signing up I need some advice on yarn. Do you consider these statements true or false?

Selbu mittens can only be knitted in pure wool.
Mittens for cancer patients should be knit in a non-itchy synthetic.

Blog etiquette

2007-08-05T02:59:00.000-07:00

Please tell me: Now that I have a knit blog, am I supposed to blog everything I knit?

This short row cap was knit for a friends birthday last week, and I did not want to publish pictures before the big day. But blogging it now seems strange... And although the pattern is something of a wolf in sheeps clothing with the intricate colour stranding inside, there's not much to say about it.

The wool cap for a summer birthday is a private joke - he's got a matching coffee-pot cozy.

Housewife

2007-08-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Somehow, people tend to believe that knitters are good homekeepers. Do they not realise that knitting time eats into our laundry and cooking time?

When I found these two magazines - Better Homes and Good Housekeeping - in an old drawer, what excited me was the thought that they might feature a vintage knitting pattern. Only later did I rush through a few recipees (the fast and easy macaroni and cheese among them) and leaf past the pages on everything "good," "better" or "housekeeping."

No knitting patterns, though. But a quilt competition and a how-to on needle point lace. The mags are up for grabs, free for readers in Bergen.

UFO: selbu something

2007-08-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

Abandoned for six months, and destined for a future as teddy bear stuffing, this piece of a selbu mitten resurfaced a few days ago.

The second mitt was lost somewhere along Bergensbanen, and this one has been harvested for yarn when making a cap for Jenny. But the remaining pattern is still so pretty, I want to make something out of it... perhaps a pocket hottie?

I need to do some thinking. But for now, it is repromoted from the scrap bag to the UFO basket.

New Baby

2007-08-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my cousin and her new baby!

It is time this super cool display of retro babywear leave my hall. Romper and shirt from VintageBaby, jacket from Nøstebarn, Tulip Toes from Knitty, Dragon Cap from Josi+Dragen and red box from Posten.

Bye, bye, eye candy!

Buttons

2007-07-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

This picture is from last years preparations for Jennys daycare, she is choosing buttons for a now outgrown romper. Today she has her first day back after summer break, and I have just placed her new clothes in her new "big girl" drawer. No more easy grown-up access to diapers, but a drawer she can reach herself when putting away her jeans before napping. And this year's knitwear has big, round, plastic buttons for toddler fingers.

Has she already outgrown the cute porcelain flowers and funny animal shaped buttons? No way! As soon as she can handle them, they are back on.

Student slippers

2007-07-26T01:26:00.000-07:00

In spite of the chunky wight, I feel the powder pink and the discrete lacing at the heel give these ancle socks an air of vintage. Ancle socks, I believe, are quite modern. But these are more like the slippers from pictures of the early Hollywood Starlets.

Nevertheless, the pattern is adapted from one I learnt from my mother as a child, and that she referred to as my granmother's. And this pair is the first of a basketfull I am making for my mum's housewarming next month: She is going away for university college, and will need something warm and cosy for long hours of reading.

Baby Bib

2007-07-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

These square bibs seem to be popping up in blogs everywhere. Yesterday I made my first two, one with a heart and one knit from corner to corner.

The general pattern is simple: One 20x20cm square (8x8 inch) and a 4X30cm strap (1X12 inch)with button holes, in any stitch pattern that will not roll.

If you want a detailed pattern, here's a simple one for Mandarin Petit cotton:

CO 40, knit 40 rows. Bind off 32 stitches, knit 40 rows. *Make button hole: K3, k2tog, YO, k3. Knit 3 row* repeat from * to * two times more, bind off. Attach button to upper left corner.

I make matching bibs and kitchen cloths for presents, possibly with a matching TripTrap pillow when I have the time.

New yarn

2007-07-24T04:29:00.000-07:00

Today I am unpacking a treasure.

My aunt has gifted me three large bags of yarn, and it is an adventure to dive into them and discover the wonderful balls and skeins inside. "Look, here's a cardigan for Jenny," I call out as I pull out a delicious soft ball. My boyfriend laughs at me, he cannot see the magic of yarn. But moments later he tilts his head in consideration of what colours to use for a baby blanket.

Playing ball

2007-07-23T03:33:00.000-07:00

I think it is time I learn to write down crochet patterns. And what I most frequently crochet is nets like this one. One 50g ball of cotton is perfect for this small ball, but the net can easily be scaled up for a grocery bag or a beach bag. Or scaled down, for a yarn bra. My next one will be home to a family of rubber ducks currently living in a nearby bath tub.

Please consider this a beta pattern, and let me know of any errors or difficulties.

Square base:
Ch 18.
Ch 6 dc in stitch no. 18, ch 6, dc in stitch no. 12, ch 6, dc in stitch no. 6, ch 6 dc in stitch no. 1 (Creating 4 loops). Turn.
Ch 6, dc in loop. Repeat to end. Turn.
Repeat last row 2 times more.

Sides:
Do not turn, but continue loop pattern along the edges of the square and continue spiraling: ch 6, dc in loop.

Finishing:
Do two rows of single crochet along the edge. Make handles without breaking yarn: Divide the edge into four sections, first division marked by your live stitch. Ch 150 (or desired lenght) and dc to bag edge at second division point. dc to third division, ch 150 and dc to fourth division point. dc to first division point, kut and fasten tread.

Anyone able to use this pattern and help me improve it will get as fab a prize as I can get on my non-existent budget... How about free copies of my next 3 patterns?

Choc'late

2007-07-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Chocolate is my fave knitting supply. And this year I am fully prepared for a long, cold autumn and winter: 25 kilos of cocoa powder has arrived in my kitchen.

Ghost hottie pattern update

2007-07-19T00:43:00.000-07:00

The Josi-crew accepted the hottie, and Norvegian and English versions have been mailed to beta-testers.

For the French, I had to call for backup. Hopefully Siri will come to my rescue after testing the Norvegian pattern.

Building vocabulary

2007-07-18T03:12:00.000-07:00

I might claim that I know how to knit. That I learnt it as a child. But I still have a lot to learn about yarn choice, techniques and patternings. And if I am to have an English knitting blog, I need to build my vocabulary.

Today I tackle a distinction I have not given thought since knitting for my Barbie dolls: warp and weft knitting. Weft knitting is what most hand knitters do: feeding one or more lines of yarn through a horizontal line of loops or stitches. Warp knitting is the technique used in your T-shirt: with one strand of yarn for every vertical line. Warp knitting was also part of the secret that made the tiny doll's garments impossible to copy without making the fabric too chunky over any decreases or increases.

Blooming

2007-07-17T01:56:00.000-07:00

It is time for lunch, and for two hours straight I have been knitting flowers and searching the web for more knit flowers. Cleaning out a closet I found a bag of old yarn samples that I would really like to make something out of - and the colourful pieces of yarn seems perfect for flowers. As before my "small project" tends to grow, and I am toying with the idea of sewing together all the little flowers to make an afghan.

But so far I have only covered the palm of my hand, and I need to get back to house cleaning. I leave you with a few links to free flower patterns, and one pattern of my own:

Use any yarn and needles, I prefer one DPN per petal.

Knit with both tails to avoid sewing in more ends than necessary.
Cast on 3 stitches. Knit stockinette with increases both sides of every knit row until 9 stitches. Break yarn, leaving stitches live on the needle.

Knit more petals like the first one, I prefer to put each of them on a separate DPN for easier assembly, but you might well keep all petals on one straight og circular needle.

Knit two together over all stitces/all petals, (in the round to avoid seaming, letting petal yarn ends follow the new yarn weaves them in). Break yarn and pull it through all live stitches, fasten.

kamikaze knitting

2007-07-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

For the four hour drive north, I bring my Kiri shawl-in-proogress. Hopefully the four hours and one more ball of Lanett will be enough to complete it - or to be honest, I'd prefer warmer weather.

technorati

2007-07-12T03:49:00.000-07:00

Now that I finally have a knitting blog, I want the world to know. And almost equal to my love for innovative knitting is my love for innovative words. Technorati is one of my five fave new www-words (along with blog, facebook, knitandtonic and flickr). Getting a Technorati Profile seems like the obvious next step.

knit a cake

2007-07-11T06:17:00.000-07:00

Knit a cake, knit a cake, bakers man.
Knit me a cake as fast as you can.
Knit it and purl it and sew in loose ends.
Put it on the table for a needle cussion!

large thing not knit (yet)

2007-07-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I joke that it was pure luck when the first-and-only sweather I started to knit for my boyfriend was attacked by our sweet-but-viscious kitten, and ended up as a series of winter socks. But ten years later I am getting ready to challenge the sweather curse again by knitting him a vest.

The Berroco free pattern Peter might be just the thing. I have already chosen the colours (chocolate and cream), and my knitting spot in front of a log fire.

But for now, this vest serves as an example of what I do not knit this warm summer day. Instead I knit yet another ghost hottie - they're so cute, I hope I can bring you a pattern soon!

bedtime stories

2007-07-09T02:38:00.000-07:00

Last night my toddler did not want me to sing her good night, and she did not want a story. Instead she touched my heart by asking me to bring my knitting to her bedside.

A cunning plan indeed. Instead of the usual few minutes, she postponed sleep a good two hours before I remembered to tuck her in. Luckily her gran was here to let her sleep in this morning. And I really appreciated the two hour knit and chat.

Oh, and what did I knit? A soul-warming ghost hottie that I will probably present for the Josi crew next week.

baby booties

2007-07-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

My neighbour's new little girl needs a present, and in spite of h-o-t weather I am knitting her a pair of snow jog booties. As promised to her brother, I will also knit her a Dragon cap...

assembly line knitting

2007-06-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong: I love the design, and I am proud that people want my stuff. But halfway through my 18th cap I find it hard to live up to the promise of "lovingly knit by..."

Luckily I just ran out of green yarn, and take the opportunity to go for a long walk to a not-so-local yarn shop. Tonight I call in reinforcements: The girls, pop-corn and a movie better put the love back in my knitting.

Any suggestions for the movie?

knitting in my mind

2007-06-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I am going nuts. But with my fingers occcupied knitting samples for JOSI, my brain keeps working with more creative knitting on its own. Some of the patterns developing in my head, like the doll's knit mosquito net, will probably be realised later. Others, like the living room rug, will never be more than a dream. I admire people who are patient enough to finish large projects, but I do not aspire to become one of them.

I need a knitting blog.

2007-06-27T04:05:00.000-07:00

The question pops up more and more frequently: Do you have a knitting blog? Increasingly, poeple even skip the "do you?" and just demand the address for my nonexistent blog. And today someone finally stroked my hairs the right way with the question:

Where can I see more of your works? May I google your blog?

I had to admit to it's nonexistence, and point the sweet petitioner to the blog of Josi and the Dragon instead. But I also headed straight home to create a blog of my own. With the birth of Josi my knitting time is tied up this week, but that only means I will need to do some leisure knitting afterwards. And then I will need a room with a view of my own.