Knitting - an Ice Breaker

Today I woke up to a snow-clad yard. New snow is beautiful (I spell that word in my head every time I write it... funny! Does anyone else?).

This evening, on my way back home (yes, I actually call my room at Lambertseter my home! I like it here. You are more than welcome to visit me.) from town, I sat down on my train and took out my knitting. An elderly lady sat next to me and commented on it. She had used to knit a lot before, but then her hands became unwilling to do such work. She once knit herself a winter coat! That's respect! Cannot see me doing that. Not on the train anyway. So we talked about knitting till she got off.

Yes, I am knitting socks again. And two hats on order (I really felt that was not the correct word to use, but I couldn't find any better ones...), and the baby jacket, and I will start a head band tomorrow, and I've an order for a pair of wrist warmers with pearls, and Christmas is closing in. Good.

And I drank a cup of black coffee today. *proud*

I am writing my journal entries.

Last weekend I was on the train, basically. Home for my aunts 5oth birthday party. An the train brought me between Oslo and Stavanger (from which I took boat/bus), app. 8 hours each direction.

So, what do you do on a train for such an extensive time period? You bring your new book about crocheting of course!
On my way there, I learnt some new stitches and made a "gryteklut" that got almost finished. I didn't have enough yarn for finishing... Anyway, I left it at home. And there I also left the vintage bottle warmer I started on.

So, on the way back I had to start over with some new things! So I tried a wave pattern with double crochet stitches:But I want some more yarn in different colours to finish it.

And I learnt how to do tunisian crocheting (hakking):These three panels are made in "enkel", "rett" and "vrangvendt" tunisian crocheting. (My book is in Norwegian so I don't know the correct English names...) The plan is to make several panels in different colours and turn them into more "grytekluter". Do they always twist like this?

And lastly, when all I had left was white cotton, I made this little hexagon thingy with spirals:

Back in Oslo I have been working on a very large and baggy Turn-A-Square which will fit my head of dreads:

The poor thing has been waiting for me to find the dpns for a long time now so I can finish the bind-off... Almost done. I used some left-over yarn. The white is Denim Chunky from Sirdar and the purplish one is Shadow Tweed from Patons. Needles 6mm. Don't remember how many stitches I cast on... But I increased several times afterwords.

This summer I started working on a baby jacket in BabySilk from DSA. It looks like this now:

And I've started a Kiri-shawl in Tynn Alpakka from DSA:

I love DSA.

what?

You thinks it's been too long since my last update? No idea what you're saying...

I've been knitting quite a lot. And watched way too many episodes of Numb3rs. But that's ok. Right now it's fall break, so I have a lot of time on my hands! Not that I should be writing entries for my professional journal or anything.

In the last five weeks I have attended five concerts. Now that's something! Let me list them up for you: St.Morritz, The Ranger and the Unsuspected Stranger/Onkel Tuka, Kirk Franklin, Ole Børud, Garness. Not bad?

I'll just...you know...get back to my knitting.

a shawl made of Nille-wool. (Østlandsgarn)

a bib (smekke) of bright green double bambino cotton

another "Turn a Square" of Østlandsgarn

and two pairs of ribbed socks

Knitting

Lina was finished last Sunday.

Turn a Square is the hat of the month in September. I made it on Friday.

This summer i bought a sock-knitting-kit. But the pattern was boring. So instead I'm knitting the Clover Lace Rib pattern, which can be found in The Sole Solution. There's something I don't quite understand in the heel turn, it consists of short rows shaping. Maybe I'll get it right on sock number two... I'm at the toe shaping now, will finish it today, I suppose.

And I've started a new pair of socks in Østlandsgarn. Just ribbing all the way, easy peasy. I', doing it for the Two Nation Knitting Battle between Norway and Denmark. The Turn a Square hat will also be parttaking of the battle.

What's going on?

Two days ago I was surfing some blogs, and found a recipe for vegetable cupcakes. And I thought that was I fantastic idea, so yesterday I made a whole bunch! They're going to be my lunch for a while. They were quite good, I must say. I changed the recipe a little bit, I put in the potatoes and carrots without "forvelle" them first. Just let me know if you wanna come over and have a taste.


And this is how far my "Lina" is coming along.

And today I've ordered a massive amount of books from amazon.com and bokkilden.no. I've never ordered from either before, but there are others in my class who have got their books there. It'll probably be ok, won't it?

And last, I just found this fantastic video: Baby Preacher

Hello!

I've been thinking. This year I'm doing English at the University College of Oslo. My thinking is this: The more I use this language, the better I'll be at it. So, I've decided to write all my blogposts in English for the year coming. Wasn't that a great idea if I ever had one?!?

Yesterday I bought myself the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary. I've been wanting it for years and years, and now, all of a sudden, I had a perfectly good reason to get it: I need it for school! Isn't that just great? I sure think so.

So far, Oslo has been OK. Haven't had too much to do, but I guess that will change relatively soon, as my first written assignment is due in two weeks. It's nothing big, just three pages. I'll get that done in a flash!

I bought a lovely yarn for the August hat in the KAL. It's a silk and alpacca mix, called Chiri. Really soft... And it's in a cold blueish colour. I'll have the hat done in a few days I hope. I better. Or else I'm out of the competition. I actually think I'm gonna make a go for it right now! I'll just show you a quick picture of the progress so far first:

Ferdige handarbeidsprosjekt

No tenkte eg at det var på tide med nokre bilete att. I tidlegare innlegg har eg presentert undervegsprosjekt, og no er dei ferdige. (Eg har faktisk INGEN ufoar!!!)

Fyrst, den sjølvkomponerte luva i Kitten Mohair. Som planlagt har den no fått ein strikk inni den oppbretta ribbekanten. Her er før, undervegs og etterbileta:

To prosjekt som no er ferdige. Den fyrste Odessa-luva mi har fått ny eigar som likar den veldig godt. Det er eg glad for. Ü



Og den halvferdige veska er her vist samansydd. Den er har no vorte tova (mykje meir enn eg hadde tenkt, men det går jo bra), og den har fått ein hekla blome til pynt på kvar side. Men dette har eg gløymt å ta bilete av. Veska vart litt stor i opninga, så eg har planar om å strikka ein liten klaff som skal festast med ein knapp. Men det får bli ein annan dag.

Nyhende

Det kan sjå ut som om det er skrekkeleg lenge sidan sist eg la inn bilete av handarbeida mine her. Det var jo dumt. For eg strikkar jo mykje! Og heklar litt innimellom. Så no kjem ein oppdatering. Ser du noko nytt forresten?

For ikkje å skræma deg heilt av så syner eg i fyrste omgang berre luvene frå "Luer for huer", knit-a-longen på Hobbyboden.

Januar: Gemma Beret, strikka i Silja


Februar: Lake Park Hat strikka i Silja


Mars: Hand Made Hat strikka i Gullgarn


Mars: Robins Blue Egg Hat strikka i Topp't'Tå

No er mamma eigar av denne luva.

April: Short Rows Wavy Hat strikka i Alfa med glitter



Mai: Nottingham strikka i dobbel Silja


Andre kategoriar av handarbeid kjem då ein annan dag.

te med honning

Der var det blitz ja, men det gjer vel ingenting. Honningen er like god den.


Her er byrjinga på mi fyrste Odessaluve. Silja, pinnar 3 og 3,5, perlene hadde eg liggjande frå før... 130 masker, eg tok på 150 perler men veit ikkje kor mange som kjem til å gå med... Vert spennande å sjå. Men så fiiiin den er!!! Skal til å byrja på fellinga no.


Det nyaste paret med pulsvarmerar. Babyull frå Sandnesgarn trur eg. Eller Dalegarn... 45 masker, pinnar 2,5. Går med 168 9/0 perler på kvar. Men dei vart litt store... Skulle berre hatt fem hjerter og ikkje seks. Men då veit eg det til neste gong.


Her er ei veske som eg har hatt liggande i ein pose i fleire år. Margot starta på den ein gong...men hadde aldri planar om å fullføra den. Så fann eg ei oppskrift som likna, og strikka den ferdig her ein dag. Veska skal monterast, få hank og tovast. Veska i oppskrifta eg fann hadde og ein hekla blomst på glattstrikkpartiet... Lurar på om eg skal prøva meg på den og. Den er strikka i garnet Arctic frå EuroPris, grå og mørkgrå, veit ikkje kor mykje eg har brukt... Pinnar str 7.


Til helga skal eg på leir. ACTA inspirasjonshelg i Fjon Fjellkyrkje. Dei seier det er fint der... Så det vert kjekt! Lurar på kva eg skal ta med meg av garn? Eg kan gjera ferdig Odessaen... Og Rannveig ynskjer seg ein svart Gemma Beret... Så det går seg nok til.

I løpet av februar skal eg og Ingrid Vik (barne- og familiearbeidar i Normisjon Hordaland) starta opp eit Soul Children-kor. Kult?

Gemma Beret

er ei kjapp og grei luve å strikke, og no er ho ferdig! Altså, eg presenterar januarluva!


Det gjekk med 60 gram garn. Nokså nøyaktig ifølge kjøkkenvekta mi.

Luver

Jess. Eg er attende i verda til nynorsken.

Og eg strikkar luver. To på ein gong. Tihi! Og for ein gongs skuld har eg planer om å fotodokumentera prosessen. Litt inspirert frå hobbyforum kanskje.

Den fyrste luva er sjølvkomponert. Kitten Mohair frå SandnesGarn og 3,5 pinnar. Då eg la opp masker gløymde eg å fylgja med. Så det vart 164 masker i staden for 120 som eg hadde tenkt. Det var kanskje mindre lurt. Luva vert veldig stor...

Men eg har ein plan!


Fyrst tenkte eg at eg kunne tova luva etterpå. Men eg veit ikkje om garnet tovar, lite sannsynleg. Dessutan er det fletter, og det vert visst ikkje så bra. Så den nye planen er å bretta opp ribbekanten og leggja ein strikk imellom, så ribbekanten passar til hovudet. I toppen snurpar eg saman når nysta er tomt. Trur det vert ok.


Nummer 2!

Eg har meldt meg på luvealong på hobbyboden. Det vil seie at eg skal laga ei luve kvar månad dette året. Lurar på om eg klarar å halde ut...
Luva heiter Gemma Beret, garnet er Silja frå SparKjøp, og pinnane er 3, 4 og 4,5.

Eg tykkjer den ser knallfin ut!

Eg var på kaffimisjonen idag, saman med Margot-Helene. Ein nyopna kafe i same byggjet som kontoret til Normisjon Hordaland og Norkirken Bergen. Kjempekoseleg mann bak disken som gav meg varm sjokolade med etiopisk espresso. Den var god, så eg drakk opp heile sjølv! Ü