Fire Festival KAL 2016-2017

Ella Gordon just announced this winter's knitalong - Fire Festival KAL 2016-2017, where the colours are inspired by Up Helly Aa!

With all the yarn I bought at Shetland Wool Week this year my intention was not to take part in this winter’s KAL. But when I saw my favourite yellow I could not resist, and placed my order… Looking forwards to a colourful KAL!

Photo from the Jamieson & Smith blog

Last year I made a pair of mittens in the Winter Wollies KAL, using seven of the eight colours. The pattern is called "Pysje mæ alt", and is found on Ravelry. 

For the summer KAL I decided to use all the eight colours, and try to make a pattern that would use as much of the yarn as possible. 

The result is the Ringdans  cowl. 

I have an idea for the Fire Festival KAL too. Stay tuned!

New pattern - the Ringdans cowl

I just published my new cowl pattern, Ringdans ("round dance").

This cowl was designed to make the most of the 8 colours of Jamieson & Smith 2ply jumper weight from the Spring and Summer KAL 2016. It uses just under one ball of each colour and can be wrapped twice around your neck to keep you warm.

Besides that, it's a fun knit.

The pattern is available in Norwegian and English.

The three year sweater

I started this in May 2013. I knew it hat been a while, but was surprised to see how long. Ravelry never lies...

This was one of the main projects I had in mind when I challenged myself with the Finishing&mending2016 in January.

And finally it's done!
And I love it!

I usually am not a fan of Superwash yarns - but for a fitted sweater like this it has one advantage, well two, maybe, when you include the fact that it can be easily washed: It is not as warm as a woolly wool sweater would have been, so it's easier to use. Especially since my husband and I do not agree on the temperature inside the house. I think it's perfectly normal to wear a wool cardigan, while he wants to wear a t-shirt only. I'm sure you all support me!

S for summer and shawls *3*

I call this shawl "Norsk sommer", which means Norwegian summer. It is inpired by the colours of summer in Norway. Originally I made it as a baby blanket, but as it was growing I saw that it would make a lovely shawl when folded double. 

I have used yarn from my stash, except for a couple of green balls that I bought to add more variety to the greens. It is all 2ply fingering yarn, Rauma Finullgarn, Sjølingstadgarn, J&S 2ply jumper weight and probably some other as well. 

The shawl (or blanket) is worked from the centre out, following the same recipe as the "Hurramegrundt" baby blanket that I made last spring. 

I am working on the Norwegian version of the pattern, so if you're interested in test knitting (and knows Norwegian), please let me know. 

The thumb gusset and the mitten geek

Mitten geeks discuss thumb gussets when they meet. To beginner knitters the thumb gusset can be a mystery. In September this year I am very lucky to be able to go to Shetland Wool Week. If you're going too, and are curious about the thumb gusset, you can join one of my 

two classes. 

I'm really looking forwards to meeting other knitters, to seeing wonderful yarn and knitwear, and enjoying the Shetland landscape. This will be my third visit to Shetland Wool Week, and I can't wait.

The first time I went to Shetland, for the Wool Week in 2012, I fell in love with the heathered Jamieson & Smith 2ply jumper weight yarn. The first evening I bought a few balls, and casted on immediately for a pair of wristwarmers.

The small houses just popped up in my head as I was knitting, and when I was planning the gusset class, I decided to use them again. I have made this new pattern specially for this class. It features different thumb gusset constructions, and lots of small houses, where you can play with your colours if you want.

I will also be showing some of the mittens from the Mitten Guild's book, "Eventyrvotter"  (Fairy Tale Mittens). For an additional price the book is included, with a download link to get 14 of the 20 patterns in English.

Summer knitalong - because winter is coming

Of course I could not resist when Jamieson & Smith announced the 

Spring and summer knitalong 2016: 

Use at least 5 of 8 specified colours, do some Fair Isle knitting (2 colours per row) and make any accessory or garment. 

In the Jamieson & Smith group on Ravelry you can see many lovely projects. Here's mine:

 I'm making a cowl - or infinity scarf -  using all the 8 colours

I'm nearly there, just a few stripes, 

some ends to weave in, and the joining. 

Stay tuned, here, on Ravelry or on Instagram.

No finishing in February

But I almost finished this pair of mittens, 

and now, on March 6th they're done, 

with all ends woven inn too.

 I actually gave them away in a birthday party on the 24th of February 

- so I had to finish! The pattern is my own, 

En smak av Muhu (A taste of Muhu), 

published in the Swedish online magazine Avmaskat this winter. 

After six months I can self publish it on Ravelry, 

so it will be available in Norwegian and English this autumn. 

But if you read Swedish, the Magazine is good value, 

with seven patterns alltogether. 

And I did start the second sleeve of my Blomekrans sweater, 

so now I just have to transport myself down to the cuff. 

I now I should have been able to finish this in February, 

but as often before, a secret mitten project came in the way. 

Finishing and mending in March, then? 

I will finish the sweater, 

and perhaps some more secret mittens. 

Feel free to join the finishing & mending chat in my Ravelry group!

Kukufrakak  has recently finished a lovely yellow Tuin sweater!

Merrygoatround

When I was gifted this candlestick, I fell in love with the cute goats and immediately thought of using them in a hat pattern - the pattern name also came quickly.

My plan was to use different colours for each goat, but I decided to make a two-coloured version first, just to try it out. Here I used one of my favourite yarns, Pickled Pure Wool.

For the multi-coloured hat I used lots of different left over yarn. 

And a new to me technique - intarsia in the round. 

It's ok for a small project like a hat. 

I recently had the chance to try it in the cold, and it works perfectly. 

There will be a pattern in a little while. 

Hurramegrundt! - Baby blanket - now in English

I'm not sure how to translate the name of this blanket, Hurramegrundt. 

But it's s fun knit, where you can use your stash yarn mix all the colours you want. 

I've had some amazing test knitters help me, Vatkugle, bedofroses, besto and eloja22! 

Thanks again, super knitters!

The pattern is now avaiable both in English and Norwegian.

Whose is the knitting heritage?

Who has the right to use our traditional patterns? Is it the yarn industry, or is it our common heritage that we can all use?

One of our talented Norwegian designers had to settle with a large yarn company that demanded exclusive rights to over 100 years old knitting patterns. Me and some other indie designers are making patterns in solidarity with her, offering new patterns that are inspired by traditional Norwegian patterns.

My contribution is the hat Marjusmonster. It has now been translated to English, so feel free to dowload it from Ravelry. 

The hat is worked in Rauma Mitu, in red, white and blue. I needed a little more than one skein of the blue colour, so if you work the striped garter stitch brim in only red and white, you can perhaps do with only one skein of each color. You don’t need more than about 25-30 g of the red and white.

The pattern is not test knitted, so if you encounter anything strange, please tell me.

Gorra Otavalo - in English

In spite of the Spanish name, the pattern is not available in Spanish, but in Norwegian, and now also in English!

Pattern sale

Boring part: Because of the EU VAT, Ravelry fees will go up after June 1st. Hence pattern prices will increase too.
Fun part: Last week of May you can get 2 patterns for the price of 1. You need to put both patterns in your cart to get the discount.

Mini Tuin in English

Mini Tuin Sweater

now in English

Four sizes: 3-6 months, 1 , 2 and 4 years

Sjølingstad hat - from me to you!

Inspired by the Shetland Wool Week hats, I have made a hat pattern for a knitting event at Sjølingstad Uldvarefabrik (Mandal, Norway) in September.

Free beret pattern here, beanie pattern here.

Enjoy!!