Three columns!

Wow - I did it! Almost didn't believe my eyes when I checked the preview and saw the three columns!

I have been wondering about how to get three columns. On Merete Veians blog (in Norwegian) I found some links - but none of them for my blog template (Rounders). So I tried google: rounders three columns blogger - and arrived here: An easy-to-follow tutorial for dummies like me!

Still have to figure out how to change the text colours in the left sidebar, though...

Have a nice summer, everyone!

Annie Modesitt - one corset tank top and 1000 fabulous hats

I've been wanting to make Annie Modesitt's Corset Tank Top since I saw it on Flickr three years ago. I purchased the pattern last winter, but other projects have been coming in the way. Until now. This will be one of my summer projects.

Having finally started, I thought I'd have a look at the designer's blog. And I learned that she was in need of hat photos for a book project, 1000 fabulous hats. So I decided to try and help her out a little bit, and uploaded some of my hats. I don't know if my photos are good enough, but anyway, I tried, at least.

The deadline is July 1st, so hurry up if you have some hat photos you want to show!

Football hats - miscellaneous

- that is, non-Norwegian, non-English football hats. First out are two Italian hats, AC Milan and Juventus, and one Spanish, Barcelona. Next up probably Dutch National team. Post will be updated when new patterns are ready.

ETA - all football hats patterns are free and can be downloaded here.

AC Milan hat

Juventus hat

Barça hat

Hup Holland!

2 pairs in 52 weeks

No, it's not a misprint, I'm not one of those crazy sock people who're planning to make one pair of socks every week for a whole year! Have a look at their Ravelry group 52 pair plunge III and blog. I'm not a sock knitter, I made one sock a couple of years ago, and before that I hadn't made a sock in years. But I must admit I get inspired by all the beautiful socks out there. Pinneguri has already made #4 of 52 pairs. She's also inspired me to buy a German sock knitting book: Socken aus aller Welt.

I did learn German at school, but knitting vocabulary was not part of the curriculum - so we'll see...

My ambition for the next year is, as the title indicates, to make 2 - two - pairs of socks: One in stranded pattern, maybe these or these, and one pair of lace socks, these maybe (photo from the book):



But why does sock patterns have such tight gauge? I'm a loose knitter, and I hate using needles thinner then 2,5 mm. So how the ...... am I going to get a gauge of 36 sts / 10 cm?

10 000 owls!

Some patterns become big favourites on Ravelry and on the knitting blogs: There are now more than 500 finished Owls sweaters out there - more than ten thousand owls!

21 of them are mine, and I love them.

The pattern is by Kate Davies, and it's free. You can read about it here.

It's my first project with Cascade 220, and definitely not the last. It's a lovely yarn. I used needles 6,5 mm, got gauge 14/10 cm, resulting in a soft, stretchy, and not too thick fabric. I didn't use more than 3 1/2 skeins.

The pattern called for a looser gauge, but I followed instructions for the largest size and ended up with a perfect size 38. I made only the lateral half of the back decreases and increases, afraid the sweater would be too tight. The result is ok, but if I knit it again, I think I would follow the pattern. It's my first sweater with short row shaping, finally understood this 'wrap and turn'-thing.

Only the central six owls in the front have buttons, for three reasons: I think it looks nice that way, I didn't find 42 similar buttons that I liked or that had a reasonable price, and I don't especially like sewing on buttons.

English football hats

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ETA 2011: All these patterns are now available for free, and you find them here.

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This will be the English football hats' post. The post will be updated when new patterns are made.

The patterns and the hats are all sold to raise money for two new football fields for the kids in our town.

ManU

Norwegian pattern and
English pattern





You'll never walk alone!

Norwegian pattern

English pattern









The Gunners!
.
English pattern available






Aston Villa

English pattern available








Chelsea hat -

English pattern available

FFK hat

"What about FFK? You should make a Fredrikstad hat, too!" said a friend when I was trying to sell some hats and patterns during av football game.

"You would buy it then?"

"Of course."

I had no idea what the FFK logo looked like, but I found it was a nice and "knitable" one.

There are some criteria to be fulfilled to make me go ahead designing another hat.

• I want a buyer for the model hat
• I want it to be a club that is supported by more than this one buyer, so the pattern will sell
• And it has to be a logo that I am able to turn into a knitting pattern

FFK is Fredrikstad's football club, and it's one of Norway's oldest football clubs, with a rich tradition. The town is called "Plankebyen" (plank town) because it used to be an important timber harbour. When searching for the logo, I found that it was inspired by the Polish flag, after a match between FFK and Poland. Hopefully, my friend, who is from Fredrikstad, will help me sell the FFK-pattern - coming soon!!

Update: Now available, 50 Nkr