Knitted dish rag

We went to a spa this weekend. I wont show you any pictures of that trip, but I will show what I made during that trip. The spa is approx two hour drive from our home and time spent in a car should not go to waste. I often knit while traveling (unless I'm driving of course). I did not have any knit work under way so I had to come up with something to make in matter of minutes just before we left. 

I had bamboo yarn at home and decided to make a dish rag. Exciting, right? To make a dish rag I was inspired by Hupsistarallaa and the pattern was inspired by Piipadoo. The pattern is not exactly what Piipadoo had used in their pillow, I just had a vague memory about the pattern and did my own version.

Yet another pair of baby mittens

I needed to knit something so I made a pair of mittens for Likka. Because of the horizontal stripes with purl knit these would be in Finnish called train mittens, I guess because the stripes remind of tracks, not sure though. But anyway these stripes for some odd reason help keep the mittens on. The knit makes these flexible like an accordion and also the cuffs are long so even when Likka tries to pull these off, she wont manage to fully do so.

The palm side of the mittens is straight, no stripes. If you are real pro like me (heh), you can knit similar just by looking at the pictures, but in case you are not here are the instructions. Although these instructions are not most detailed, so not for a beginner.

Using superfine yarn create 30 stitches with 3,5 mm needles. Divide on three needles.
*knit, purl*  *_*repeat for 15 rows
*knit five rows, purl five rows*  *_*repeat four times
knit five rows
*knit, purl*  *_*repeat for 10 rows
^knit four rows
*purl 15 stitches, knit 15*  *_*repeat four rows*^  ^_^ repeat three times
Knit making a decrease on every needle until four stitches are left per needle. Cut yarn and pull through all sixteen twelve stitches. 

Knitted vest for a toddler

This was supposed to be a knitted vest for a baby but I again did some missjudgement on the amout of stiches and this turned out way bigger than intended. 

And to tell the truth I was first making a jacket from the yarn. But that turned out way too big and I unraveled it. I don't know what is wrong with my math skills. Then I for some reason desided not to do a jacket at all but a vest. I was inspired by this pattern in Ravelry. I did not actually follow the pattern, maybe that's where it got wrong. Anyhow I finished it quite fast, the yarn was so thick.

Ostrobothnia cardigan

Ostrobothnia is an area in west of Finland. It is famous for its flat landscape, agriculture, people being bit cheap and the Jussi sweater. My dad is from the Ostrobothnia and so is my mother's mother. For some odd reason I have always been proud to say I have roots from there. Likka has roots from there too of course and so I made her a Jussi sweater inspired cardigan.

After the exponentially ascending learning curve from the previous cardigan, I started to make this one from the top down. This time I made a smaller neck and the knitting went very smoothly. I did do a bit of a mistake when calculating the placement of the arms but it does not really show on the finished cardigan.

On the previous cardigan I made too many button holes and I actually prefer zippers anyway so I sewed a zipper on the Ostrobothnia cardigan.

I'm really pleased with this cardigan, it is slightly too long, but that means there is some room for growth.

Cardigan attempt

Often I'm too eager to start a project so I forget to plan. Inspired by the On the edge of the cloud - pattern by Muita Ihania I started to knit a cardigan for Likka. I actually did do a test knit first and calculated how many sticthes I would need for the waist, but I think I either miscalculated or something else got wrong because the waist got too wide.

I knitted from the waist up. Once I hit the arms I started to look for instructions on how to make the arms. I did not find anything in the exact same size and yarn weight, but what I did find was a cardigan knitted from the top down. I had not realized I could have knitted it like that too and that seemed so much easier and better compared to the waist up style and I got bit deflated by my already started cardigan. 

So I did not find any good instructions and just started to knit from the top of my head. I knitted both arms and attached those to the body part. Then I knitted the straps (?) for the buttons, I assumed every ten rows could have button.

And then it was done. The waist is too wide, the arms compared to the waist are too narrow, there are too many buttons and the neck is too big. Also I was supposed to do the whole neck area with the blue but I run out of yarn and had to continue with the other colours.

I was not happy with this one and desided to make a better one. So... yes, I made another... that one on the next post.

Tardis socks

A has two god daughters, the other who I made the hamburger and other crocheted food is 2,5 years old the other is 17 years old. The older one studies in England in Wales. The school building or castle is from the 12th century. That combined with English heating system must make the place drafty.

So she needed wool socks. Her mother thought she would want Dr Who inspired socks because she is a big fan of the show. I found a pattern for Tardis socks from Ravelry and knitted those for her as Christmas present. 

When I started making these socks I at first assumed that I would use the size 4 mm needles and bought three skeins of blue light weight yarn. I don't know why I did not check the instructions before heading to the store. Anyway at home I noticed I should have bought superfine weight yarn. Luckily the store I bought the yarn from had also the blue in superfine and I was able to return the wrong yarn and buy the right one instead even though I did not even have the receipt anymore.

Once I noticed I had to use such a slim yarn I was bit afraid these socks would be really burdensome to make, but I was so wrong. I finished these unbelievably fast, these were fun to knit.

Knitted diaper pants 2

Happy Independence day to all Finns!

I was thinking of making an independence inspired post but could not think of what to write, so instead I'm showing another knitted diaper pants I made. Sexy topic or what do you think?

 

Well, the diaper pants are for the future tax payer of Finland so this topic is somewhat related to the Finnish independence day. Very loosely.

 

 

I more or less followed these instructions (click) when making the pants. I think those turned out awfully big, I hope those are good for Likka before the age of two. But we have not tried these yet, maybe those just look big.

The mossy wool trousers

Before the baby news I had bought two coils of wool yarn, Schoppel wolle Reggae print. The yarn was really really expensive, but I liked the colour, it reminded me of moss and the texture was so nice, plus it was on discount. So I bought it even though I had no idea what I was going to make from it.

I have been reading a lot about cloth diapers and have desided to give them a try. I have mainly been reading this site (in Finnish) and a book Vaippailmiö by Tiina Törnström (only available in Finnish). In the book was a pattern of wool cover or trousers for cloth diapers. And what did I deside to do... I desided to make cloth diaper cover from the super nice, expensive yarn.

Now I must praise the yarn for a while... I LOVED knitting with it. I have never ever got such a nice knit from any other yarn, the surface of the knit is just so smooth and beautiful and because it was thick yarn I got the trousers done in no time. And no Schoppel wool didn't pay me anything to say this, I bought the yarn with my own money and thought it was expensive, even when it was on discount. I truly love the result I got when using that yarn and even though I can sometimes be really cheap this is a yarn I could buy again, maybe even without any discount... well let's not exaggerate...

The trousers were supposed to be long and narrow, because according to the book they will get wider in use, but if I wouldn't know that I would think the book assumes we are having a baby giraffe.

New socks again

While on the plane to Amsterdam and back I knitted wool sock for the kid. She or he will be a fall baby and if the kid is anything like me she or he will have cold feet all the time. But I hope the kid wont have really big calves because the leg part is not very stretchy because of the colour knit. The pattern for the leg was inspired by these socks by Piipadoo.

By the way if there is one thing I like about Finnish language it is that we do not have separate word for he/she. We just have one word "hän" for both sexes. Really annoying to write anything in English if you don't know or don't want to specify if someone is a man or a woman.

Almost like knitting in miniature

Besides the knitted jumpsuit you saw on the earlier post I have not knitted much. I have lots of ideas on what to knit, but I have been bit restricting my knits, because I would not like to buy more yarn and most of the yarn I have is quite itchy wool and I don't think that would be too good on baby's skin. I do have some cotton and just some baby wool.
 

From the baby wool I've made a pair of thumbless mittens and two pairs of quite standard socks. The green ones with the weird cuff are in Finnish called "train socks", maybe because the vertical stripes remind of tracks. Mine don't have exactly the right amount of tracks, but I will call them train socks anyway. These small things I must admit are really fun to knit because those finish so quick.

I also knitted a hat for the kid. It's the Aviatrix hat from Ravelry, it first looked quite complicated but it was really fast to knit and I learned a new knitting technique which is always fun. I used the Drops Alpaca yarn on this one, it was left over from the Icelandic gardigan, it is quite silky yarn. I hope it's not too itchy.

Source of inspiration for the blog

After the news about the kid I for a while even considered to quit blogging because I do not want a baby blog, that would just be too personal. I know I will do even more crafts related to the kid and I will have less interest working on the home stuff than I have before. So if I do want to keep blogging I need to include posts related to the kid, otherwise I will have no (or too little) contents in my blog. But this will never be a baby blog, let me tell you! This will continue to be a crafts and DIY blog like before but with a new source of inspiration.

Since I have done a lot sewing and knitting projects for the kid already I have created separate posts from those. I'm afraid if you are not interested in baby gear the next following weeks (or months...) will be quite boring for you. I even myself know that I might have gotten a bit too excited about the new possibilities in crafts after I realized I'm pregnant. I have not spent that much more time doing crafts than before but I've just changed the target. So far I have loved making children's clothes and stuff. Those things are so small that those finish in an instant. I have also spent lot of time in Ravelry searching for new things to knit and crochet. I'm not even finished with all the things I have started but yet I look new stuff to do constantly.

So today's post will just be a sneak peak of the stuff I've done. I have made proper posts from them all, so keep tuned.

Newsflash

The things I've shown in this blog are not the only crafts I've done since New Year. Besides the spring jacket and the night gown I have started all sorts of things and have finished lot too. So even though I've done a lot I have not wanted to show you what I've done. That would have been just too early. Now since time has passed and all my family and friends know I think it's safe for me to tell you guys too. Next pictures might open it up for you...

Yes yes.... we are having a kid. He or she should born around early September. So that is what's been happening here. (Oh and it's funny that just this Monday Santa from Homestilo came forward with similar news, really exciting and fun, I've been following her blog for more than a year and now Kaboom! she too had news like this. Her pregnancy is bit further though.)

This is now the week twenty in the pregnancy (for those who do not know, like I didn't, pregnancy usually lasts about forty weeks). Both me, the kid and A have been feeling surprisingly good. Only when I found out about the pregnancy I got a one and a half week long anxiety attack, which made me feel like I could not eat, sleep or even breath. But that passed once I got accustomed to the whole idea (and yes this whole thing was planned and all, I have no idea where the anxiety attack came from). But ever since that I have been feeling more or less normal, which of course is excellent, there has even been times that I've forgotten about the pregnancy thing altogether.

Anyway there is a newsflash for you!

Summer shirt

I started making this summer shirt while I was knitting the Icelandic gardigan because I needed something simple to make. I made it more or less with the pattern from Picless. I did not follow it exactly so maybe that is why I do not like it that much. At first the shirt was too wide and short, then I washed it and pulled it longer, but now it does not drape. 

Well maybe it's a good backyard shirt.

Two colour knitting practice

When I was knitting my Icelandic gardigan I searched for instructions on how to do a colour knit. I did start the colour knit on the gardigan without any instructions but when I noticed that I'm so slow with it I tried to learn how to do it the right way. Most instructions I found from Youtube were done in the principle of running the yarn from both right and left index finger. I don't seem to be able to keep the yarn on my right index finger. It just did not work out. So I continued my Icelandic gardigan in my own slow style. Later I found from the Youtube this super cool video about knitting the colours individually. Check the video if you have any interest in colour knitting. It's a very long one, but very thorough.

I love the principle shown in the video but I cannot seem to get it work nicely. It's a fast style but none of my test knits have turned very nice looking. The yarn that runs on the back keeps pushing itself to the right side (see the orange on the blue pattern). I've tried to keep the running yarn tight so it would not show through, but still it's not working. So annoying. I would so like to learn this, because I don't have the perseverance to learn the right way.

Icelandic gardigan

When we were in Iceland year and a half ago I saw that (↑) Icelandic gardigan on a rack in a shop. It was hand knitted, fairly modern, a gardigan - not a pullover, from soft yarn, it was just really lovely. And it cost 300 euro. Outch.

So I didn't buy it, but I thought I can make one (hence I took the picture of it). I knew I would knit something anyway so I might as well do this. On September I finally started to knit it. I did not find any exact pattern from the web. I did find some similar ones with much thicker yarn and different pattern on the shoulders. But based on those I calculated a new pattern which you saw here. I estimated the amount of yarn I need and got to work.

I used Drops Alpaca yarn. I'm used to knitting with wool so the alpaca at first felt really silky and bit slippery to knit, but I got used to it quite fast. I knitted the sleeves and the middle part surprisingly fast untill the pattern for the shoulders started. Knitting with three different yarns turned out to be really slow. I can not remember when was the last time I had done a colour knit. I did not remember I was so slow at it. It took me quite some time to finish the rest of the cardigan. I even started knitting another thing in the middle of the project, because I needed something simpler. But eventually I did finish the Icelandic gardican and I love it, it's almost exact copy of the one in the shop, it's light but warm and just lovely. The first few rows of the colour knit are a bit poor quality, I should have practised with some test knit before hand, but I did not bother. So now the thread that runs in back pulls slightly, but I don't mind about it that much. I'm so happy about the gardigan, I jumped up and down when I had the gardigan on for the first time.

And I would not sell it for any less than 300 euro.

Stitch markers

Wednesday I visited Piipadoo blog, they had been to a crafts fair and had taken some photos of cool knitting stuff. On few photos there were products from a company Succaplokki and they have an Etsy shop where they sell stitch markers and other knitting accessories. I did not have to browse long till I noticed that I would like to buy all their stuff!

But I contained myself and realized I can make stitch markers on my own and I also realized that I have all the equipment already in home to make them. I noticed that I was sort of irritated that I had not realized that earlier. I cannot even count how many times I've stood on the knitting accessories aisle on the local super market and pondered if I should buy the plastic round markers. But I never did buy those, I thought the ones in the super market were too ugly for what they cost. The Succaplokki ones are beautiful and fun though but those made me realize I can also do them.

I used some beads and wire I had at home. I still like the Succaplokki ones more, but at least now I have stich markers. I'm thinking of buying the owl earings from the company. I like odd earings, I have actually quite a collection of weird ones. I don't have radish earings like Luna Lovegood, but that would be just my cup of tea.

Also linking to My Creative Space

Bespoke a knit pattern

You can do it. Designing your own knit pattern that is. It's not difficult at all. Okey maybe it's not beginner level knitting, but not far.

You only need cross ruled paper (not necessarily sponsored), test knits, some common sence and a grafical calculator.

Kidding! regular calculator will do. Draw the whole pattern on a cross ruled paper. If it's a small pattern you can assume that the hight and the width of the stitch are equal, but if you want a bigger pattern you should check from your test knit what is the ratio between the hight and the width of the stitch. Therefore you will have to draw your pattern to appear quite long on the paper. In the knit it will look normal. You could also make a grid with excel that has the correct ratio and design the pattern on it.

Divide the total amount of the stitches on your knit with the amount on the pattern, you should end up with an even number, but most likely you wont. Then find out what is the closest amount of stitches that would give an even number. Adding a few stiches or removing some wont affect much on the size of your finished knit. Unless it's like really tiny, like a baby mitten.

By the way, yesterday I saw on the pharmacy a woman that knit, she was about my age. That was so cool, but not that rare. But few years back I saw in a bus a girl that was making a cross stitch, that was even cooler.

Project bags

I made reusable vegetable bags over a year ago. But I'm afraid they did not work. The problem was that the sticker from the scale did not stick to the bag so not only once I had lost the sticker with the price of the vegetables somewhere and had to look for it or then I had to be really careful not to loose the sticker by placing the bag and the vegetables very carefully into the cart. So after I realized it was just too difficult to use the bags in grocery shopping I left them home and did not touch them in many months.

Then I was knitting few days ago and noticed that I'm using ugly plastic bags to temporarily store and move around knitting and crocheting projects. And then I remembered having those reusable bags which are see through. Just perfect. So that is how I found new use for the vegetable bags.

Rain and cold

Rain in a way is nice, it's calming some how. We've had some pretty heavy rain showers but the temperature outside has been surprisingly warm. I am just the one feeling cold. I have a flu. I've spent most of my time drinking tea, knitting and watching junk from tv.

Positive sides of blogging

It was a good idea to show to everyone all over the blog world my unfinished projects. It was good because that post brought to my attention the projects that I've seen all the time but have not noticed in a long time. Now that I was "forced" to actually see them I began to work on them more actively. So far I've already tied off the threads from the gloves and I did finish the onion bag I almost had desided to unravel. I even made a nice lace edge on it. I'm still not liking it though. But it will do.