Today's favourite books

 Working on a sweater design. But just forget you read that, I have so many other projects going on, so it'll take ages befor I can show anything. But I love these two books! The one on the top bought in Shetland during the wool week, the other found in a second hand book store in Edinburgh on the way home.

Details: 
200 fair isle designs by Mary Jane Mucklestone
The Complete Book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila McGregor

Lilyhammer news

Yeah, another season is coming!

ETA removed the video that didn't work, and changed it for a beautiful winter photo. Season 2 takes place only in winter, apperently that's what the American audience prefers. So this year, the Christmas decorations stayed up almost till Easter because of the Lilyhammer production.

Kntting news

The new Twist Collective is up! (Spring 2013)

The programme for Shetland Wool Week 2013 is up!

And there is a torirot design group on Ravelry, with an invitation to join a Blomekrans Vest KAL.

Sunny Easter Tunic

I didn't plan this project. 

The yarn was meant for something else,

a new design

so far only in my head.

I started, but realized, 

the colours had too little contrast 

for what I had in mind. 

The needle size I had brought

was wrong too.

So I ripped it, and changed my plans.

The Lady Marion Tunic 

is a very cute,

and well written pattern. 

It calls for fingering yarn,

so I had to make some modifications, 

working with a thicker yarn,

Rauma Mitu, a wool/alpaca blend.

I think it worked out quite nicely.

I'm surprised this pattern 

does not have more projects on Ravelry.

It's published in English and Danish.

It's perfect for stash busting.

Designing the blomekrans vest

I promised to tell you some more about this vest. 

I had the idea during the Shetland Wool Week. I saw a vest when visiting Shetland Collection Open Studio, with fair isle pattern all over, and a round neckline, that I liked. I decided I had to make patterned vest with a similar neckline. I don't know where the flowers came from, suddenly I just saw them. Here's the first sketch I made in my notebook. 

And here's the finished vest from behind. 

During the Wool Week, I had already bought yarn for two sweaters, and this vest idea came to me just before leaving Shetland, so I had to order most of the yarn online.I had some of the colours already, and it was a lucky match. It's not always easy to match colours from online photos. 

I was struggling to figure out how to do the waist shaping with these big flowers. Suddenly I realized I would have to make decreases and increases between the flowers, and not only in the sides, and I was glad to see that this actually worked. Making the charts for the different sizes was also quite a job. I have not used a technical editor before, but for a multisized garment like this, I saw that that was absolutely necessary. I was happy to have an experienced designer and tech editor help me, Sarah Hatton.

I was also very happy to have two super skilled test knitters, who both have done a lot of fantastic colourwork before, Pinneguri and Jettshin.  Pinneguri actually made two vests! Jettshin turned it into a very colourful short sleeved sweater. I'm planning to make a sweater version myself. But then I have lots of other plans too, so I'm not sure when. 

 

 

A thank you to knitting mothers

I asked on my Facebook page about test knitters for the Lillehammer hat. And three of my friends offered their mother to test knit. (I don't think the mothers were asked first).

Anyway, one of the mothers has finished her hat - the daughter posing and smiling (maybe she gets to keep the hat too?)

You find the pattern here.

Best Easter ever

... say the Norwegian newspapers. Or was it best Easter in 30 years? Anyway, it's been a fantastic Easter in most of Norway. My good frient Elisabeth shared this photo on Instagram:

You'd think they were made to match, but they're not. The hat is Sheep Heid, by Kate Davies, that I made for her this Christmas. The mittens were a Christmas gift the year before that, "All I want for Christmas"