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April 29, 2007
Flicca is done!
Yes, she is! This blog entry is filled with pictures of just Flicca. Let's start with a few shots of Flicca on a hanger.
Although the orginal is buttonless, I decided to add three buttons. The pattern advises you to knit the left edging band first, if you want to add buttons, so you can use that to decide where to put the button holes in the right edging band. This worked well for me. Because of the yarn I was using (which meant my gauge was completely off) I couldn't use the stitch counts for the collar and the edgings in the pattern. It took me a number of tries to get it right, but I finally did!
The pattern also advises you to sew in a ribbon along the inside of the neck, to prevent the neckline from stretching. I asked my mother to help me with this and in no time the ribbon was in place.
And now for some modelled shots:
I love the way this cardigan feels!
I decided to change the sleeves so they wouldn't be too wide at the wrists. Instead of starting with k3,p1 and decreasing to k2,p1 after a while, I started with k2,p1 right away. I'm glad I did, I like the shape of the sleeves this way.
Of course, the fit will be a lot more elegant when my big belly is gone, but I enjoy wearing it in my present state as well.
So that's Flicca for you. I will put her in the finished items album sometime soon, with some more details. For now: the pattern can be purchased through Anna Bell's website. The yarn I used is Lana Grossa Royal Tweed in color #10, on 6 mm needles. I used a little over 15 balls. As I said, my gauge was completely off, so I used the stitch numbers for the second largest size, with the lenghts given for the smallest size. I'm glad to say this turned out great!
Questions and answers
Leslie asked about the booties in my last blog entry: The booties are just adorable. What pattern and yarn are you using?
The speckled yarn is ONline Supersocke in color #220. I bought it years ago in Germany. I have no idea if it is still being made. The white yarn is some unidentified sock yarn (the ball band is long gone...). The pattern I'm using is from the summer 2004 issue of Marie Claire Idées, a French crafting magazine. Here is another pair of booties I made using this pattern.
yvonnep asked: Heb je de evening stockings op 4 of 5 pennen gebreid? [Did you use 4 or 5 needles to knit the evening stockings?]
I used 4 needles, like I usually do. I only use 5 if the pattern repeat is much easier to keep track of when divided by 4. To me, less needle changes means faster knitting.
Elske asked: When is your due date?
Well, let's just say I'm getting closer and closer.... I'm not going to publish the exact date on the internet! I'll let you all know when there's news to be told...
Posted by saartje at 10:26 PM | Comments (35)
April 23, 2007
Evening Stockings
I couldn't have picked a better time to start my maternity leave. The weather is absolutely gorgeous over here. Maybe even too gorgeous for the end of April (think global warming....) but I'm enjoying it anyway. Of course, I'm spending a lot of my free time knitting. So hopefully, in the next weeks, I'll have some finished objects to show you. Let's start with these:
The Evening Stockings from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. A great pattern, although I did change a couple of things. I didn't knit them as long as the pattern indicates, and I used my own heel and toe.
Here you can see the way I did the calf decreases. I like to do these to help the socks stay up better. I'm very happy with the way they turned out, even though after completing the second sock, I discovered I can't seem to count anymore: the foot on the first sock is 4 stitches wider than the second one. Oh well, they both fit fine...
Now I'm knitting some baby booties for a new niece:
The pattern is from an issue of Marie Claire Idees (Summer 2004).
And Flicca:
The last sleeve is on the way. Actually, this is a picture I took a couple of days ago, so it's done in the meantime. Next time pictures of the finished cardigan!
Questions
asked some time ago...
Elinor asked about the cardigan I'm making from Poetry in Stitches:
I really love the purple yarn you're using for the sweater. What is it? It's such a rich color.
It's Rowan Wool Cotton (50% merino wool, 50% cotton) in color #954 'grand'. It's a pleasure to knit with. I do wonder if it will pill a lot with wear. I've got only one sleeve left to do, so I'll finish it hopefully before summer. By the way, I love the baby caftan you made!
Monique asked:
i forget to ask you ..do you think it is possible to find again the strawberry set from the droguerie?? because i love this pattern but you bougth last year so..what you think?
I think you can still get the pattern from La Droguerie, when you buy the yarn for it. It is also in one of their pattern books, I think in the one called 'Des bebes toute l'annee a la droguerie' (you can see the cover of this book at the Droguerie website, scroll down a bit). Hope this helps!
Posted by saartje at 10:30 PM | Comments (20)
April 9, 2007
Finished Pea Pod
I found some buttons in my mother's button collection that I thought were perfect for the Pea Pod Cardigan.
So it is officially finished now! I like it, I'm especially happy about the color. Oh and, for those of you who don't know yet: the pattern for this cardigan is free from Interweave Knits. There are some other great patterns there too, go check them out if you haven't already.
Flicca is progressing nicely. So far, I finished one sleeve, the back and the left front. Both Dropje and Panter have tested the pieces and they seem to agree: nice and soft!
Nicole asked: How many balls did you buy?
I got 20 balls. Because of the smaller gauge I'm getting, I'm knitting the second largest size, but with the measurements for the smallest size. I just started the 11th ball, so I think I'm going to be okay.
This weekend, I paid a visit to a shop in Groningen I heard about, but hadn't been to yet.
Cordi Atelier
Oranjestraat 2
9717 GA Groningen
My mother got the yarn to make the beautiful Frost Flowers & Leaves Shawl from a Gather of Lace for my sister-in-law for her wedding. Remember this?
click
Because the shop is mostly a quilters shop (which you can tell from their very colorful website, no mention of yarn there), I wasn't expecting much. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this:
I think they are aiming at weavers mostly, but they have some great yarns I think would be lovely to knit with! How about Borgs Mora (that's the yarn my mother used for the shawl), Tuna or Brage?
The woman in the shop actually apologized for not having any synthetic yarn, only natural materials! I didn't buy anything, but I am happy to know where to find these yarns when I get a sudden urge to start something new.
Finally: a few interesting webpages I've run into lately, enjoy!
Free pattern for cute wristwarmers with knitted in mushsrooms from Norway Needles)
A scarf pattern I would like to try: My So Called Scarf by Sheep in the City
Pattern for a cat made out of towel cloth
Posted by saartje at 10:33 PM | Comments (26)
