Ins Blaue hinein....

Some words or sentences can only be uttered in one language. “Schadenfreude” is of course well known, ins Blaue hinein (maybe best translated as “into the wild blue yonder"), is maybe only a dutch germanism. But summer time is also the time of the year that one more than ever wants to have some freedom to go towards blue yonder. For me knitting can be the same. Sometimes I do like to use a pattern, sometimes I just knit almost on the fly, see where I will end up. This cardigan was a little bit like that, I knew what I wanted, but not entirely and just going forward and see where it ends up. I knew I wanted top-down and set-in sleeves. Barbara Walker’s simultaneous sleeves basically, and texture... So in the end it is mostly good, some small improvements could be made and I arrived somewhere nice.

I like the result, maybe the neckline should have been a bit higher and more narrow (next time) but the shoulder fit is good and I do like the change in texture between the purl ridges and the very simple almost mesh like lace. And it is linen so it is nicely fluent. M does like it, just the kind of thing she likes to wear.

We had fun making the pictures too, pulling faces and looking very annoyed

but just some seconds later….

 

giggles...

Midsommar

Last weekend I was “up north” in the middle of the most Swedish part of Sweden, Dalarna. It was for work not for pleasure but it was still a pleasant visit. I have been there many times now ( we have a yearly meeting there) and almost always very close to midsommar and each time I am again struck about the light. The photo above was taken at about 23:00…. and yes there is that much light still present.. It was very nice weather, not very warm but as there was hardly any wind and it was very sunny it was very nice indeed. And green so very green, with perfect blue skies above..

On the way back I travelled all the way back to Skåne by train, about 700 km….straight down south. I have been travelling a lot this month (and still have some to do) and it was actually nice to take a slower way of transport than a plane. I would only have gained a couple of hours by flying down as I would have needed to go to Stockholm, wait a couple of hours for the connecting flight and then…. The train was nice, I could do some work, could do some knitting and could see Sweden passing by...

The cardigan I am knitting at the moment is  linen cardigan for M. Barbara Walker again, top down simultaneous set-in sleeves, ribs by purl rows at the top, lace by rows of simple yarn-overs at the bottom. And blue or blauw in dutch, proper summer stuff. The yarn is sparrow an favourite of mine. One of the nicest linen yarn around!

 

Mesh

 

 

In my too big stash I had some Classic Elite Firefly that really needed to be used. As it is summer now, a top with a bit of Mesh lace is a goo thing for warm days, so I improvised this one. gentle round hems, waist shaping and mesh lace at top. Finished with attached I-cord, and voila warm days can come...

Scientific......

I have been away on a tour (that how it is feeling right now….) giving two talks at a conference in the US and another one at Brookhaven, I am tired and jet legged, but… just some photos:

One of the commercial exhibitioners at the meeting had a raffle and for the first time in my life I actually won…. There were two lots drawn each day, and on the last day mine was up!  The price was a hot balloon trip over the Rio Grande, and sorry to post these pictures but it was just grand. 

But just assure that I also have been doing work, this is also a picture of something that excites me:

 

This is the inner workings of a synchrotron, in this case Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island (yes I travelled a bit too, from New Mexico to New York), which is a brand new synchrotron under development. It is impressive to see the machine and colourful too...

Since I was on long plane rides, I finished Angie too…. And as is often the case with Kim Hargreaves, no modifications whatsoever. I found the vintage button in a second hand shop in Malmö and they go very well with tho little summer cardigan, which is really a breeze to make!