Saturday, May 23, 2015

Crunchy stuff

 

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Every spring there is in Malmö a “Symässan” ( a kind of crafts expo) and some years I go and in some I don’t. It is basically focused on sewing and quilting and while I do sew and have made quilts, it is not like knitting for me. But the last years, knitting has become more and more popular, the local yarnshops do carry more yarns, there are Swedish knitting magazines (I do not like them very much, but they are there at least) so there have been more yarn people at the mässan as well. This year I didn’t really want to go, busy at work, and then a weekend just pottering around the house can be quite OK. But S, who is sewing more and more to make costumes for cos-play, asked if we could go, so in that case….. So I went with S and M and this year, there was so much more yarn….. Lovely really!

I came home with too much, Kalinka linen and a linen/wool blend and then a cotton yarn which I just could not not buy. It was Isager Strik Japansk Bomuld , a cotton tape yarn that really feels papery. It is made in Japan and probably quite like some Habu yarns. It is a fine fingering cotton and it just looked to be tested (the price is nice as well). S choose the colour, an apricot-pink to match with a skirt bought in Japan. I wasn’t completely sure what to knit with it, but for sure a summer top, so after a good browse at Revelry, we decided that Jan might fit the bill. This is a kind of experiment, as Jan is knitted with a fine wool and a cotton is of course drastically different. The yarn knits up more like linen than cotton, it gives a bit uneven effect but very pleasing nevertheless. And it is featherlight. So far I do like this one, with the back (or front as they are the same) finished. It is a pretty easy pattern, hardly any shaping (except for the set-in sleeves) and a very easy lace. 

I do think this will be an experiment that works, a blousy small pullover for summer days….

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Friday, May 15, 2015

Back to normal

 

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Back to normal with a summer project for me. Pomegranate in Hempathy, nice yarn, sturdy and crisp, and a nice lace decorated pullover to go with it. Just right for Swedish summers….. (I can now start to complain, but May until now hasn’t been great).

My gauge was off, so I had to tweek a bit, not a lot but just making a XS to get an S. I also had to figure out where the neckline should be and thus where the sleeves had to start and I made it a bit longer. I also did one more increase round in the shaping. In the end I actually like this length better, I find it easier to wear so that is good too.

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I am wearing it with no ease at the bust, which I think works really well for this kind of pattern where you want to show of that delicious lace…. The sweater i skin in the round, with short row set-in sleeves . The pattern was easy to follow and apart from issues created by myself, no problems whatsoever.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2015

And now for something different

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M is quickly becoming our pastry sous-chef. She loves to browse through my dessert cook-books and every now and then I buy her a Swedish baking magazine as she loves them. She also loves it in a practical sense, baking, whipping cream and all that. So during the weekend she made a batch of vanilla ice-cream mixed with Macademia nuts and toffee sauce (yes I have to start to watch my weight) and there were quite some egg-whites left over. No avail, egg-whites,  are needed for meringue or a pavlova… so next project a pavlova it was. Also that left-over toffee sauce (home-made) can be used on a pavlova…. So as it is the start of a long weekend here, a bit of summer feeling with a pavlova with bananas, passionfruit, cream and toffee-sauce…. like I said, I better watch my weight…...

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