Waiting for an inspiration...

Finally I'm able to enter my blogspot page! I'm not very clever in computers. It took me one hour to understand and resolve the problem - my browser was not updated. For a miracle I've managed to install the Google Chrom and now here I am. 

While waiting for a nice occasion to make some photos of my last completed projects (one of them is of my own design and before publishing the photos I have to publish the pattern on Ravelry) I want just to make a few notes on some WIPs.

Today I'm not in the mood to complete any of them which need any concentration or adaptation. Besides my little daughter is at home and I can't concentrate on my work.
Some examples?

1) Quaking Aspen Shawl http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/quaking-aspen-shawl:

I'm not sure I like the colors and it doesn't help to continue, even if all I have to do is to complete the border. I've tried for a couple of times this morning, but I didn't like the original lace pattern. May be I'll find another matching lace pattern. I'll think about it... next week.

2) Milano http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/milano:
To start the sleeves I have to calculate stitches and rows. I'm not able to do even this simple math.

3) Ena's sweater http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/enas-sweater-2,
Come una volta II http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/come-una-volta-ii,
To wear with a summer suit http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/to-wear-with-a-summer-suit:

I have no idea when my waist will be thin enough to wear any skirt, so both this projects are not actual (sometimes I'm practical and knit the things which I REALLY need). 

So, today is dedicated to Umaro blanket http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/umaro-3, which has become rather boring to knit (taking into account the size and the name of the project). It would be nice to get rid of this WIP - it occupies a big packet in the middle of our living-room. 

 

Some other knitting plans? When I'll get my straight 7 mm needles I'll definitely knit Market jacket

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/market-jacket, 

and next days I should knit legwarmers for my daughter. For now I chose this simple pattern

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/undercut-legwarmers.

Cove hat

This hat was intended to be a birthday present for my cousin Vicka (born in August), she liked this model, I bought the yarn... It happened in May... Now she finally is to come to visit us in December, and it's time to knit it. 

For her hat I chose Garnstudio DROPS Nepal yarn (65% wool, 35% alpaca, 75 m/50 gr). 

But before knitting a hat for Vicka I decided to knit a test hat for me, with another Garnstudio DROPS yarn - Alaska (100% wool, 69 m/50 gr), very similar to Nepal.

You can find this project here:

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/cove-hat 

I didn't buy a pattern, it was too easy, I just tryed to copy what I saw on the photo. 

I wanted to add the rib, I was afraid that the had would move, fall down on the face. But it would have made another effect. Instead I slipped every first stitch on the needle to take in the border.

First I knitted one skein with 7 mm needles, and then I reknitted all the hat with 8 mm needles. After washing the yarn became smoother and the hat became exactly like I wanted, not too heavy to fall down. Vicka approved the project, my Mom wants the same (for her it should be modifyed a bit, making the upper part shorter, creating a turban). 

Modern vintage.

There is a rather famous vintage pattern called "Your victory jumper". On Ravelry you can see some interesting interpretations of this sweater...  

As an alternative there is feather lace jumper by Sirdar.

They are both very simple - it's enough to choose the right color combination.

Waiting for knitting my own version, I bought this Chloe's sweater.  

This look is pretty vintage, isn't it?

Long forgotten skirt.

As I've already mentioned in previous post Nederdel., recently I've bought a marvellous sweater by MaxMara. To my joy it fits perfectly my skirt that for some years was waiting in my wardrobe for a right companion - slightly modified according to my size and fabric design pattern 108 from Burda Style May 2007:

The fabric is a fine spring linen-wool, it was a little too warm to wear with any summer T-shirt. And now I'm happy to revive this skirt.  

Nederdel.

Finally I'm in a mood for knitting my second Nederdel skirt. 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/nederdel---lace-tiered-skirt-2

I've knitted one several years ago, using 2 threads of rather crisp cotton yarn. 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/nederdel---lace-tiered-skirt

The fabric is very resistent and keep the shape (no "bubble effect" when one stands up). 

But this time I wanted to do something longer, may be more delicate, elegant. 

Some months ago I bought a cotton yarn Liliya of Moscow Yarn Company of a beautiful ochre-choccolate color. http://www.ravelry.com/people/Natie379/stash/liliya- And I remembered my old decision to make another Nederdel skirt. 

I've decided to use all 3 skeins, so the final lenght was limited with 1171,3 meters. 

I repeated the first pattern 12 times, omitted the second stripe, and made the decreases of the third stripe according to the amount of the yarn I had.

I wanted the first stripe  to be as long as possible, but now I need to find a linen as the skirt is rather transparent. A kind of shapewear skirt.

When I finished the skirt I realised that it didn't look good with any simple T-shirt, not even with any hand-knitted garment. It's very different to combine 2 hand knitted garments, and for me if the skirt is tight, the sweater should be loose and vice versa (especially if you are not a model). Fortunately I found this MaxMara silk-linen assimetrical sweater that fits my skirt perfectly. The color is gorgeous too. And it has a beautiful construction which I'm going to use one day for a handmade sweater.

Halcyon blouse.

This project took me almost a year to be finished. 

Well, sometimes we knit just for the process of knitting itself...

14/07 This project is planned to be a travel one. And I’ll start it only after completing the Little Chris. For now I’ve knitted one piece for testing the pattern and prepared the yarn balls. 3 ply should be enough. 

05/08 Finaly it is on the needles. The first thing to change is the size of the needles. I’ll knit the rib part with 2,75, and the rest with 3,25. 

08/08 Last night (or this morning, it was almost 4 o’clock) I made the first 24 rows of the pattern. Now I should understand the increasing part. It was easy, but i realised that 2,5 and 3 needles are better. So, back to the rib part. 10/08 This morning I’ve finished the bottom part, 366 stitches. This time without any mistakes. It took me less time that I’ve expected, and the lace pattern was easy to remember. It looks great, I was planning to make it in yellow, but wasn’t sure of the amount of yarn. But this color looks even better. My Mom likes it, and this matters a lot. After 366 stitches 172 stitches of the main part seems nothing. I made the provisional cast on for the rib part, so I picked up the stitches for knitting the main part. 

12/08 Today we are leaving for Moscow. Ultimate photos at dacha, the first photos of my Halcyon. 

26/08 172 stitches seem to be not enough for the original loose shape.  But I  like it the same (I can’t not like it, I’ve knitted too much to  restart  it).  A added 34 stitches to  knit the front part. Maybe, I’ll make the sleeve shape to make it less bulky in  the shoulders. At  least  the  original (almost) pattern remains. 

28/08 The front bottom part is done. 439 stitches. It looks great but needs so much time. With all those beautiful paterns I have in my queue... Will I wear therm when I'm 70 years old?

03/09 The front part is almost finished, I've got back to the back  front (i found a mistake  in the 4th pattern repeat, so I had to undo it). I have to finish it by the middle of this month. Sardegna should see it. 

20/06 Almost a year has passed... Yes, this sweater has travelled even to Sardegna, knitting is a great idea to spend hours on the ferryboat... And now we're in Civitanova Marche to make some photos. 

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Umaro blanket.

The summer has arrived, but I love working with wool and alpaca yarn! I was so happy to hear that DROPS makes a 35% sale on all their wool yarns, and I decided to make the biggest order of my life. 

Several colors of my favorite Alpaca and Baby Alpaca Silk for sweaters:

Lima for Market Jacket http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/market-jacket-2, 

Nepal for some hat and cowl, 

and a lot of Merino Extra Fine and Baby Merino for these baby blankets: 

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/sunny-spread  

http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/bear-claw-blanket

And for these Umaro baby blanket (by Jared Flood), which was completed just 2 days ago

 http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Natie379/umaro

Here are some notes on this project:

Having read the comments on this yarn, I decided to experiment with the sample pattern, I had try with 4 mm and 4,5 mm needlesa and washed the samples several times to see how the yarn grows. 

At the end I cast on 119+13+13 st with 5 mm needles, which gave the blanket the effect of the lace shawl. I was going to repeat the pattern 9 times, but stopped after the 8th. I used a little bit less then 7 skeins, and the result is the soft, light and warm blanket. Hope it will resist washing. If not, I'll knit another one!