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2014!

In the first months of 2014 I promised myself to write down everything I’d craft in the year and make a fancy list of if by the end of the year. I made a list of almost everything I did and tried to put it all up on Ravelry with photos. However, some pairs of socks and mittens were missed by the camera and it’s not a complete list for the year as I’m definitely forgetting something…

So here it is, in no particular order:

Knitting 

Baby set for the wee one; a sweater, hat and socks

Ysolda’s MKAL shawl

A green BSJ

A purple BSJ

Striped socks

Kenzie shawl

And… loads of mittens, socks and hats for the kids.

Crocheting

A blanket for the wee one

 Herðubreið shawl

 Blanket for a new nephew

Jóhanna af Örk hat/cowl

 

I’m setting the goal for even more crafting in 2015!

Hello world!

It’s almost July and we have not seen the summer here in Reykjavík, Iceland. We did have a good spring though so I’m not complaining over the weather… yet ;)

This spring, on the 24th of March me and my husband became parents to a beautiful baby girl whom we named Urður. Here is a photo of her on her way home from the hospital.

2014-03-25 13.49.53

Sweater and socks
Pattern: My own design. Will be published later.
Yarn: Lanett

Baby cap
Pattern: Classical baby cap, pattern can be found in Icelandic here
Yarn: Lanett
Needles: 2.5 mm.

Blanket
PatternBabysvøbet – Det hele kongerige by Marianne Knorborg
Yarn: Dalegarn BabyUll
Needles: 3.5 mm. and 4.5 mm.
The whole kingdom on Ravelry

Well hello 2014!

I love doing lists of all kinds of things and I got super inspired by a list of FO’s made by my friend Linda. I started my own but I felt overwhelmed so I stopped and promised myself to make my “crafted in 2014” list as I go…

However, I love looking back. On January 1st 2013 I wrote:

“What a year 2012 was! The highlight was without a doubt giving birth to my first, Draupnir, and get to know him. He’s a fantastic little boy, charming and happy. I can’t wait to see what 2013 holds for my little family.”

Well…2013 was a blast! Watching my son grow and learn is amazing and he is always the same charming happy boy. In 2013 it was clear that the little family was growing bigger and in 2014 we’re having a baby girl! Exciting times ahead!

In the blog post from January 1st 2013 I also shared some crafty resolutions with you, let’s see how I did:

Crafty resolutions for 2013 – How did I do?

1. Finish and publish a pattern that I’m working on at the moment. – CHECK! This year I published my Mia Baby Blanket and my Jasmin socks! :)

2. Design and publish a pattern for a children sweater (at least one!) – NOT CHECK!  However, I have few design and I’m going to try to make it a whole book!

3. Design and knit or crochet mittens, hats and socks for Draupnir as he grows. – CHECK! Mostly hats though :)

4. Knit myself something really beautiful and nice! – CHECK! I crochet myself a shawl and a cowl/cap.

So bring on 2014 with all its glory – it’s going to be super!

Stitching through grief

My grandmother passed away in  February. She was a brilliant and strong woman. When I was younger I always had hand knitted mittens and socks from both of my grandmothers and they were a great inspiration for me as a knitter.

The night she died we knew it was coming. I was too restless to work on my knitting so I picked up a crochet hook and started crocheting a classic granny square. I had never made one before but I knew how to do it so the square came pretty easily. As I sat there crocheting one square after the other I decided that I would put up a yarnstorm in the memory of my loving grandmother. And so I did.

Öldustígur

My grandmother lived in this house since the middle of last century. This is where she raised her children and had her most joyful and hardest times. In her loving memory, I left these granny squares on her fence.

An owlie sweater

I love owls. They just look so cute and smart. So knitting an owlie sweater for my little son was great fun!

Pattern: No. 41 from the knitting magazine Ungbarnablaðið Tinna no.13
Yarn: Lanett
Needles: 3.0 mm. and 3.5 mm.
The Owlie sweater on Ravelry

The Danish Royal Baby Blanket

When I got pregnant I decided to knit a blanket that had been a favorite of mine for a long time: Babysvøbet – Det hele kongerige! by Marianne Knorborg. It took me from January to the end of April to finish the whole thing. I technically knit the inner border 6 times as I decided, after knitting two sides, that I wanted the lace to be more open.

So I went up a needle size, frogged the already knit borders and knit all four of them again. I’m really happy with the result! The outer border took the longest and the blocking was a bit tricky. But with great help from the husband and my new blocking wires (LOVE THEM!) it “only” took an hour and a whole room in the apartment!

I’m never blocking a huge piece like this without blocking wires…

Size before blocking: 100 cm x 100 cm

The borders drape pretty nicely.

PatternBabysvøbet – Det hele kongerige by Marianne Knorborg
Yarn: Dalegarn BabyUll
Needles: 3.5 mm. and 4.5 mm.
The whole kingdom on Ravelry

Well, hello world!

I spent the beginning of summer being very, very pregnant. I also lost my knitting mojo somewhere on the way so there wasn’t much going on in that department. It was a very hot June here in Iceland which makes knitting with wool very warm and sticky. But at the end of June, when my due date was just around the corner I decided to take matter into my own hands. I didn’t want to start waiting for the arrival of the little one so I started to knit him a sweater to wear on the way from the hospital. That way, each day waiting became another day spent knitting to get the job done!

I finished the sweater. And a little baby cap. I managed to knit one sock but then my little one decided it was time to join us here in the outer world ;)

In the middle of the night on the 6th of July me and my husband became parents to a beautiful baby boy whom we named Draupnir. Here is a photo of him on his way home from the hospital.


Sweater
Pattern: No. 41 from the knitting magazine Ungbarnablaðið Tinna no.13
Yarn: Lanett
Needles: 3.0 mm. and 3.5 mm.
The Owlie sweater on Ravelry

Baby cap
Pattern: Classical baby cap, pattern can be found in Icelandic here.
Yarn: Lanett
Needles: 2.5 mm.

Blanket
Pattern: Babysvøbet – Det hele kongerige by Marianne Knorborg
Yarn: Dalegarn BabyUll
Needles: 3.5 mm. and 4.5 mm.
The whole kingdom on Ravelry

Monogamous knitter?

I’m far from being the monogamous knitter. I started out as one but knitting a project that makes you lose your knitting mojo is just not satisfying in the long run. I decided that life is too short to knit things you don’t like.

My argument for knitting many things at one time is that it’s practical. I’m usually working on some pattern that I can’t easily travel with or can’t knit while interacting with people, so that automatically becomes my “knitting at home” project. Then I need something I can take with me to knitting clubs, meetings or cafés and can knit while talking to people.

Ok. You might say that I have a case of the startitis. A bad one! But at least I try to justify it :)

So, what am I knitting now?

The royal blanket for our baby, expected this summer. This one I can’t travel with and I’m no fun talking to while knitting it!

A striped sweater, also for the baby, but I don’t like how the pattern turns out. It’s an old pattern of an open sweater, knitted lengthwise from one front to the other using short rows for shaping. It’s in two colors which gives the sweater a cute striped look. However there is no wrapping and turning or any other method to avoid the tiny holes when you do the short rows and the way the different colors twist at the turns really bothers me. And there is no way I’ll dress my baby in a sweater that gets on my nerves so I’m frogging this one, using the yarn for a hat or mittens. Or tiny shoes!

A little baby hat, my own design. I’m having a little fitting tonight and hopefully I can photograph it on the model. Then I just need to finish the pattern and publish it!

A sweater, also my own design. It’s on the “sketching, calculating and gauging” stage but will soon develop into the “writing the pattern and knitting the first prototype” stage. I’m very excited about that one.

A Mini sweater. The pattern is Mini by Else Schjellerup. I fell hard for this pattern and the yarn is a gorgeous silk/merino blend from Design.Club.Dk. I mean, look at it:

Ok, I’ll admit it: I haven’t cast on the Mini Sweater just yet, but I’m winding it up in a ball right now and THEN I’m casting on!

Knitted gift… for me!

I don’t get many knitted gifts. That’s why I got super happy when my mum knitted these beautiful mittens and gave me when I graduated as a folklorist from the University of Iceland last Saturday.

 

Knitting for babies

I’ve knitted many sweaters, hats and blankets for newborn babies of friends and family. This year, I’m knitting for my own baby, due this summer. I want my knits to be nearly perfect: Nice, good quality yarn, nicely knitted etc. But knitting for your first child tunes up the need for perfection. Because of that I have now frogged a week’s worth of knitting, because it didn’t turn out the way I wanted it. It was not a major mistake, it was only a tiny matter that I doubt people would have noticed. But it’s a blanket for my own baby and it shall be perfect!

So on the knitting needles now is the baby blanket “Det hele kongerige”. It’s a blanket that babies in the Danish Royal family get when born. Here are the twins of Mary and Frederik wrapped in the blanket:

I’m using Dale Baby Ull, it’s really soft and nice. Here is the pattern on Ravelry. I will of course post mine when it’s ready :)

And… we’re having a boy :)