Crisp

Some yarn are just crisp and therefore nice for summer knitting. So this summer I had good fun with a crop yarn, Allino. This is my latest project in the linen-cotton mix: my colour changed version of Flaming June:

Just a couple of words on the pattern, I really liked the design with the mitered corners, both at the edge of the cardigan and coming back in the sleeves. Also it is a drape-y summer cardigan and I like to have these to just put on when a chill comes on.

But what I didn't like was the very long sleeves and I though that the sleeve cap had a very strange shape and with the double decreases a possibility to get a very uneven edge and therefore difficult to seam neatly. So I changed the sleeves considerably…. Shorter and a different sleeve cap, more a classical shape sleeve cap for a set-in design. 

I think this will be a good layering item, just hope now for some nice indian summer weather….. (it is very suddenly autumn-like right now).

Recycling

 

Sometimes it is good that I keep things until they are really too ratty to be worn. In my cupboard some old sweaters that I knitted around 1990 are hiding. This is one of them, the pattern comes from a Lang magazine and it is knitted in a cotton-viscose mix (at least that's what I think) bough at that wonder of department stores, the HEMA…. I have not worn it in at least 20 years…. One of the reasons is that it is a drop-shoulder sleeve design and I really do not like to wear dropped shoulders. They don't do anything for me… but in those days, so many patterns were dropped shoulders and over-big was in. This is in no way "a very very much too big" item as some sweaters from that area so clearly are, but still...

But now these things come back into fashion, and while I will still not wear them, I have somebody who will… yeah for (nearly) teenagers….

 

 

On her way to school this morning, good thing I still had that sweater, and it is still a very nice stitch pattern…..

Malmö knitted

On monday the school will start again so then life will be regular again. To do a last nice thing we went to Malmö today since it is Malmö festival… We didn't really stay long, it got hot and S didn't feel too good, but I still think I should leave you with an impression of the city today…..

Quickie

Last week I was working again, summer holidays was over after some weeks of not doing much. Well it was a gently landing since I was at a conference in Norway and while it was work (and long days) it was not normal work either. Anyways this week I will go really go back to work but first….

 

Some days are just too good…. yesterday was such a day. There where not many perfect summer days this summer, but yesterday was definitely one of them.  Luckily as things go it was my birthday too :-) So we had a lovely summer's day in Copenhagen with perfectly behaved kids and a lovely dinner too…. In the evening it was warm enough and clear enough to spot a falling star, so I even could make a wish, just a great way to end the day. 

Other than that, I have been returning to Allino (BC garn) a lot this summer. Allino is a cotton-linen blend from BC-garn, 50-50 blend in lovely bright colours. I had knitted with it before but for one reason or another I have three project this summer that are knitted with it. I really like this yarn, it is  sport weight, so it makes light fabrics and it somehow combines the best of cotton an linen without taking in the negatives. The items I made from it are quite different too. The first one was Ramona, I had a picture on that some weeks ago. A small racer-back  top for M in a nice bright turquoise.

Next one up, was Cinnie in a golden hue, a lacy cropped cardigan for S:

I really like the way this came out, The lace is great and the yarn makes this a real great little summer cardigan. S is happy with it too, She is in a yellow phase, so this is just right. The pattern is fun, since it is all picking up and knitting at strange angles. Great stuff for the summer...

Now, I started a Allino project for me: Flaming June (knitty), except it is more Cooling Blue… Easy knitting, good for on the train. Tomorrow I am teaching in Copenhagen, north of the centre, at least 1.5 hours commute to it (and back as well), lovely knitting time :-)

Promenade

The best thing of staying home during the summer is that it gives the possibility to actually discover a bit of the place where one lives…. There are so many nice places and during the year one never has time to go to any of them. There are many small  and bigger nature reserves, places to go to have a walk and enjoy how things look like.

This afternoon we went to one smaller reserve just south of Dalby. There was lush forest and some unexpected high tops that give a beautiful view of the very south of Sweden. There are also sections with many dead Elm trees (Dutch Elm disease is a big problem here) and those give an eerie sight. I think it is kind of nice that they left the trees as they are, bald white skeletons, and let nature go on. There is quite a lot of vegetation and things will grow again, so it is good not to sanitize immediately…..

It is also getting close to harvest time, the wheat was looking actually quite high and healthy. There has been quite a cold and wet period this summer, but lately the weather has taken a turn, and last week was very warm and now it is very pleasant. I hope that the farmers here do have a good harvest, they could use one, but the fields do look good this year (but I am not an expert….)

I also had a small harvest:

Olearia finished. After the yoke I did actually not longer use the pattern. I decided it would be good if it was a slightly longer cardigan but with some contrast between the gathered portions. So the main body is in stockinette, but with some more gathers at the bottom. I included increase rows to make the cardigan more A-line shaped. The sleeves are knitted with the gathers, just straight down, no shaping, until the very last garter stitch sections where I did a row of k3, k2tog repeat. The sleeves are 3/4, since I though that would be good for summer. M is happy with her cardigan, so that is good too….