Plucky Everyday

I´m thrilled to publish my latest design: «Plucky Everyday». This pattern can be downloaded for free, here: Plucky Everyday

I´m even more thrilled to update this post by telling you that this pattern is currently in the top 10 in Ravelry´s “hot right now”!! (28th of september). Quite happy about that…actually…..!!!! (well…very happy…indeed!!!)

This pattern is inspired by: Purl Bee´s ” Everyday Linen Raglan”

The yarn is Plucky Feet by the Plucky Knitter. 

I was intrigued by the simplicity of this baseball pullover and since I was lucky enough to get hold of some of The Plucky Knitter yarn, this pattern seemed like the obvious choice. I wasn´t sure that the amount of wool would be enough for long arms. 3/4 arms would be okay, but I prefer them long, very long in fact. So, I found it safest to start at the top, and therefore had to reconstruct the whole pattern anyway.  I also added a wider neckline, and constructed the longer-back a bit differently.

Yarn: «Plucky Feet» from Plucky Knitter; 90% merino and 10% nylon.

I ordered 4 skeins in the color “Medieval”, and used all 4 skeins (each 115 g), with a rest of 87 g.

Needles: Circular and DPN´s: size 3,5 mm (US 4)

Gauge: 22 st(s) x 36 rows = 10 x 10 cm (4 inch.)

Technique: top-down, raglan, seamless, longer in the back, positive ease.

One size only: European 38-40 (M)

Plucky Feet is a fingering weight yarn, and I have used a bigger size knitting needle than indicated with this yarn. Please check your gauge if you knit this pullover in another yarn.

The result is a very soft, yet “firm” pullover, which stays true to gauge and construction after washing.

This pattern can be downloaded for free, here: Plucky Everyday

Thanks to my beautiful and sporty model!

Winnowing

Before I can get around to post my before mentioned pullover design, I thought I might pop in to tell you what´s on my needles at the moment. «Winnowing» from Brooklyn Tweed, designer: Bristol Ivy. You can find it here: brooklyntweed . 

I downloaded this pattern a while ago, and forgot all about it, thinking it looked a bit too technical for a knitter not too familiar with lace-knitting. But once I started, I realized I was wrong, and now I feel like the «master of lace-knitting»! This pattern might not be a typical lace, but still……. I feel on the top of it!

The yarn is Blackhill Højlandsull (lambswool) from garnudsalg.dk, in the color «Midnat»

This is what I would call a perfect TV knit! Easy enough to knit while watching TV, and technically challenging enough not to fall asleep. I might even knit me another one…. I´ve got some cashmere/wool fine lace in the color «Kit», also from garnudsalg.dk. (not currently in stock) …or maybe in Koigu, KPPPM, 100% Merino, color 307,from pinnsvindesign.noIf I hurry up with the current one, I might get started on the new one in time for the new season of Downton Abbey on Norwegian television in just a few days. Oh joy!

Make, do and mend

I was looking for my darning mushroom, and found it…… inside of this sock! Another mission incompleted and note to self: don´t use Alpaca yarn to knit socks!

The reason for my search was a mending project that needs to be done before winter. My favorite «Selbu» mittens. Knitted by me, for me, in 2002. The yarn is Rauma Finull, a fingering weight wool yarn, from Norwegian sheep.

http://www.raumaull.no/index.php?mid=3&uid=7&option=include&id=produkt_oversikt&hkat=1&ukat=1

These mittens have handled years of cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, cykling in the rain, hiking in the mountains, trips to the pub, and years of holding hands with my daughter. You just can´t throw away a pair like that. So, some mending has to be done!

And while I was at it I found this, -a mini darning mushroom. So cute!

I have my own treasure chest filled with some quite unnecessary sewing objects, -and also a lot of very necessary sewing objects. Most of the first category comes from knowing nice old ladies, who just loves the fact that you are both sewing and knitting. They  open their sewing- or knitting cabinets, and starts throwing stuff at you, like; ribbon, silk thread, 50´s bra straps, 30´s armpit cushions, mini darning mushrooms and: “do take the Singer, will you?!” Could come in handy, and can not be thrown away! I´m planning to be an old lady like that myself, so you better start queuing up for those armpit cushions and even more yellow ribbon.

Sweets

Sweets – pattern in Ravelry store

I´m celebrating my first blog post by showing you my first knitting design published on Ravelry. I´ve been thinking of this for months, and being a keen reader of some great knitting (and other) blogs I´m inspired every day. Sharing your crafts and ideas with me makes me more creative and more enlightened, and I hope I can inspire some of you in return.

This design is inspired by a bowl of sweets, bought at the local store a saturday, brought home, danced around for a couple of hours and, finally, -placed on the table to be enjoyed around a board game.

To be honest I don´t get that excited in a sweet shop anymore. But give me a yarn store, or a fabric store for that matter, and I go bananas! It´s the colors, the texture and all the possibilities!

Though I usually never use cotton for knitting, I got the feeling of being “a kid in a sweet shop” when I caught sight of the colors of the cotton used in this design. I just had to buy some, and ran home to start knitting.

This is an easy and quick knit with some interesting details like longer in the back, and a small pocket in contrasting color. It´s worked in the round, seamless, with raglan sleeves and a positive ease. The pattern includes 4 different sizes: XS, S, M and L. The pictures shows “Sweet” in sizes extra small and small.

This pattern also includes a Norwegian version.

Link to Sweets in my Ravelry store: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sweets-2

As I mentioned above, cotton isn´t my fibre of choice. 99% of my stash is wool yarn, and my next design is a merino wool pullover. The yarn is fantastic, and the pattern will be for free.