Underdog

 

In this time and age, I don’t think that there are many parent who haven’t encountered Harry Potter in one way or the other. In our case we have read all the books to the eldest one and are now on a cycle for the youngest one as well. We’ve seen the movies (more than once, especially the 3rd one as I do think that is by far the best one) and we have seen the train going over that bridge (it helps when there is a strong link to Scotland). With a daughter very much into cos-play, it is just a wonder that there wasn’t a call for a knit earlier. Well I knitted the “Harry Potter” sweater many years ago, but apart for that, that has been it. And there has been quite a bit of really nice knitwear in Harry Potter…. So it didn’t came as a surprise that I got a request for a “school sweater”. What was a bit of a surprise was the house, it had to be a Ravenclaw sweater… The other day we were at the Science Fiction book-shop in Malmö and like “Forbidden Planet” they do have a good collection of bits and pieces of merchandise including Harry Potter stuff. Hagrid comes as an extra sized vinyl pop figure and so on, and there are Gryffindor & Slytherin badges and even an odd Hufflepuff scarf but the one that is absent was Ravenclaw. One of my favourite characters from the books & films is Luna, clever and loopy, but so very insightful. So why is Ravenclaw so neglected? To be clever at school and actually liking to learn can be a reason to be bullied, the trope of the clever scientist to wrapped up in his/her experience to forget that (s)he has gotten over to the evil side is quite common. Hufflepuff is charming and innocuous, Ravenclaws are too clever for their own good. Why Hermione is in Gryffindor and not in Ravenclaw is another good question I guess…. In any case I am knitting a Ravenclaw sweater…..

Magic

 

 

 

I guess the best one say about a pattern, I did not make any adjustments at all, just plain sailing…. This one was like that, no adjustments at all, so not a lot to write about. One of the main attraction for me about this pattern was the treatment of the shoulders, better seen in the picture to the left. It is difficult to find the name “French shoulders? German shoulders I have also seen and a couple more names. I think it is a nice treatment. I also like the stockinette vs cable contrast, the trims and the slipped stitches. A very nice knit. The pattern is Plum Wine knitted in Madelinetosh DK Twist in a lovely lively blue.

So a little bit of magic here...

My next project is also magic related but in a completely different manner… To be honest one of the reasons that I was drawn to Plum were these shoulders and those I will employ again on the next project, but that one will be own design, a request again from S…. Lots of stockinette so a nice contrast with this one… good to blend things!

Lipstick

 

Finding the right red for lipstick can be a difficult thing. I think I found it, only it is wool and it is called Tosh Merino Light in Scarlet… 

Seeing red

I seem to knit a lot with red these days. I am not sure how that happened, but I am on my fourth project in a row that features some red or red-like colours. It seems that things come in waves. I knitted striped projects in a row, or I had a period where every other project was blue. Now it is red and in the bleak midwinter it is somehow fitting. Anyways I knitted a beret that was a nice fast knit as I was kind of deciding what to make next.  

And my next project is a very cheerful red, s small shawl in red&white in Tosh Merino Light. I got this yarn as a grab-bag and the white colour way is called Holi festival and yes it is white with splatters of very vivid colours, just like Holi festival. But I am actually not a big fan of the splatter colour ways, I prefer the more tonal ones where there is a shimmering of very similar colours to create a nice effect. In any case, if you get the yarn very cheap, one shouldn’t complain, so I thought, combined with a more solid colour it might just work for me. So there, combined with a very cheerful red, I think this is a nice combination. And cheery is just what we need! 

 

After this I have a cardigan planned (in blue) and S wants a sweater (in Grey), end of the period red?

Tee for mee

 

Sometimes it is just good to make something for yourself…. a nice wool, a good colour and a pattern to match…. Not much to write about though when things seem to work. Well almost that is, the collar is not entirely as I wanted it. It is finished with an i-cord trim, but that I-cord is flipping upwards and not downwards and that makes that there is an extra line there. It is not ugly, but just not as sleek as I wanted it. Ah well as I do not know why this is and I guess that more blocking with this in mind will work, I will live with it. And otherwise it is a feature….

I am happy with it, and after all that’s what counts or?

Pictures are not great, melting snow day and I just didn’t want to go outside….

A good start!

The winter holidays have been a real good time for me. slowly knitting away on my cardigan project. Today was the first day that I actually did really touch work related stuff again (I am preparing for a presentation I have to give on Friday) so in good time I finished my stranded knitting project yesterday. And I am pleased!  I had to tweak the design that I used on the main body to be able to do the decreases in the yoke, but as I used the same design on the sleeves i still think it comes together very neatly. I used the formula for a yoked sweater from “The Opinionated Knitter” , 4 rows of decreases in total. Some short rows just under the the yoke shape the neckline.

I found some neat fish-eye buttons at a 2nd hand/vintage shop my eldest likes to go in Malmö. They matched one of the pinks exactly so that was real lucky too.

Now I didn’t make many notes (too busy with the knitting), so I fear that this will not become a proper pattern. I do have the schematics for the colour work though... 

 

So with that I can just wish that you all will have a good 2016!

Time to relax

 

Being at home for the winter break with truly terrible weather can be quite relaxing. No real work to think about, apart from keeping the house reasonably clean, no major projects planned, no big travels ongoing, so I can do a bit more complicated knitting. I am making a cardigan for M, some stranded colourwork of an own design. It requires just some attention, so good for days like these. I am enjoying myself, hope you are too finding time for some relaxing things….

The yarn is Onion Nettle Sock yarn, a fine fingering yarn with 70% super wash wool and 30% nettles. It has a very nice sheen and great drape. It behaves quite a bit like linen but it is much softer. It comes in a range of muted colours that just called out to me… It is more spring like, but in a way that is good too for this time of year.