Ill

It is such nice spring weather and everything is getting greener and greener and I am ill. I've got acute sinusitis (first  time ever) and the worst bit is these terrible headaches. My eyes start to cross and I just want to do nothing at all. I even wake up in the middle of the night from the pain. Yesterday I got penicillin, maybe it will be over in a day or so....hopefully some knitting again as well.

Spring time....

Lente is there, even though it snowed just yesterday. I really like how this turned out. It is a warm, tweedy cardigan, but with spring-like as well. Good for this time of the year.

It will also be another challange, since I want to write it down, grade and chart it. New territories to explore. For Quimper Stripes, I still have to grade the sleeves, but otherwise it is almost ready to go to a tech-editor, but this one might even have bigger challenges. It's nice though, I'm learning new things and that is always a good thing.

The other slight problem is the yarn, I really like this yarn (angora-tweed from Yarnstudio/Drops) but it is not produced anymore. So to make it into a real pattern I need a substitute. A tweedy DL weight would be perfect. I'm thinking at the moment about Classic Elite silk and I will look more into that one...

The lace pattern comes from a Japanese pattern book, I adapted it slightly for symmetry reasons. The last time I was in Japan is exactly two years ago and some cherry trees were in flower. The colour of the cardigan reminds me of that blossom. I'm still chocked and worried and hope for the best.

 

Just to remind one that spring is coming, just see

Fundraising

 

I have very fond memories of my trips to Japan,  have collegues and friends there, so this week's news is just sad, worrisome and then some. So I have decided to donate all my proceeds during the next month from sales of my pattern Water Lilies to he Red Cross. It's not much, I know (and I will top up), but I just want to acknowledge the horror.

if you want to

just press...

I really hope that things get under control and that a rebuilding can start as soon as possible.

New Here, Lente

I decided to take my knitting stuff from Veberöd Chronicles and place them here... Nice to have an own spot I guess.....

Just to show what I am working on now:

 

 

A cardigan for the after-winter period..... I thought a cardigan with some lace would be nice for the tweedy yarn I got in a sale.  I wanted to have a combinations of bobbles and lace since I think they look nice in a more rustic yarn.  Also bubbles remind me of buds and buds remind me of spring. And spring I do need! After some searching I found what I wanted in a Japanese Pattern book, I adapted it such that the arrangement of the lace on the two fronts panels is mirrored.  It will be a slightly fitted  cardigan with a nice round neckline. The yarn is angora-tweed from Yarnstudio, unfortunately now for the 2nd time discontinued. I think the colour range was way too restricted, but I do like this soft rose which does seem spring-like to me. The angora will keep me warm, since it is still cold here.

The name Lente means "spring" in Dutch, and I'm so looking forward to spring...there is sleet falling right now.....

Quimper Stripes

Breton stripes are a huge thing here this year.... and if you are 11 you have to have a breton shirt.

Or you ask your mother whether she can knit one....

So here is the result: Quimper Stripes.

It is quite a simple sweater, but with Brettony stripes, a nice small roll neck and a bit of waist shaping. It is knit in one of my (at the moment) favourite yarns: Madelinetosh Tosh DK. The white is "antler", the blue is "Betty Draper Blues" . And yes the lure of that yarn is as much the name as the colour itself....




I hope to have the pattern ready somewhere in April....

And the little cat (our Totoro), he broke his leg 2 weeks ago and he is a very sorry little cat. He's getting better though (caught a mouse even with a broken leg just today), but he had to be in the picture!

Water Lilies

Last year I had a lot of meetings...I did a lot of doodling....

And one of these doodles became this little cardigan. The doodle had some dramatic pleats and I did like that, so I wondered whether I could actually make it into a knit. I knew the yarn to be used had to have drape and it probably would work the best in a fingering weight yarn. Which is of course not a problem since there are so many gorgeous yarns in this weight around. Since there is some contrast between the stockinette and reverse stockinette, I think this works best in a hand-painted yarn. The box-pleat has some unexpected columns that don't show immediately. Each front panel has a pleat while the back has a central pleat. Since it is mainly stockinette, it is only making the pleats which needs some extra attention.

The first cardigan I knitted, I used Jitterbug "Monet" and the knitted up fabric really reminded me of the "Water Lily" paintings that Monet made, so WaterLilies it is. The second cardigan is knitted in MadelineTosh Merino Light "Nectar" and this is a really lovely dusty rose-coloured yarn. And yes water-lilies again...The Jitterbug is just slightly thicker than the Merino Light and the cardigan has just a slightly different feel to it. Also the MerinoLight is a singly ply and that makes a difference too.

In both cases I was careful and alternated the yarn every two rows in order to avoid funny colour differences or pooling. The pattern is available in sizes 4-5 (5-6, 7-8, 9-10) years with actual measurements at theh chest: 68 (72, 76, 80) cm; 26.5 (28, 30, 31.5)".

And after standing still since mum is making dull photos.... this is what you do:

Little Summer Dress

Summer is finally here so time for easy clothing....

Last year I made small summer dress for M which she really liked. It was easy to wear, not too warm and a simple design with a bit of embroidery. I knitted it in Jaeger Trinity which is discontinued unfortunately. That yarn is like a thinner Rowan Summer Tweed and I really like it. Since I really wanted to make this into a pattern I thought it would be better to make it in a yarn that is available in shops. So I reknitted it in Debbie Bliss Amalfi and made it into a pattern. My first one! And I extended it to 3 sizes! I hope it works out, I feel still nervous about it but it is a nice nervous feeling. Marit is quite small and thin so I really hope the sizing is correct. I used tables (of course) but still... I guess this is just normal for a first pattern also meant to be knit by other people, the jitters I mean.


I just choose the Amalfi because I liked it (it has a bit of a rustic feel, not a dainty yarn) but really any DK yarn with a nice drape will work (think linen, hemp, bamboo, viscose or whatever). It's a pretty easy knit, you only need to know how to knit, purl and decrease. There is a bit of grafting for the underarms and a short-row construction in the yoke, but I think this is advanced beginners level. There are links to tutorials and such within the pattern.



And just to end with a picture: this was the one I knitted last year:

I did add an extra scheme to the pdf on the 21-6. Just to clarify how the markers are placed and how the short rows are knitted.

The pattern can be downloaded from:

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