Knitting

The new year has started with winter weather, some snow, some frost, some sleet. New bird watching list on the fridge door with ten species so far spotted. I have some projects started but no new finishes for this year, so I thought I could show you my end of the year knittings.

Craft Olympics socks and wrist warmers for DD. I made a similar set for another young lady but forgot to take a picture.

 

October knitting: infinity scarf and wrist warmers for someone special abroad. Here I combined a novelty yarn with some mohair type yarn in burgundy to add warmth.

 

First pair of mittens using my Granny's pattern I showed you last Summer when I figured out how she did it. She used to knit them on two needles to the end of  the two-colourd part, to avoid knitting purl stitches, but I used a circular needle and made both mittens at the same time.

 

That has become my favourite method and helps me make identical socks and mirror image mittens. This other pair is for a young man.

 

I just had to buy this soft wool blend yarn in Aubergine colour. Again, the rest of the yarn was used for wrist warmers to go with the infinity scarf.

 

 

That was all I can remember. Knitting soft yarns in the evenings in front of the fire is my main hobby nowadays. Preparing for the time when I'm really old an can't see any more, but my fingers remember how to knit!

 

Soon there will be more light to make decent photos, and I hope to get in the mood for sewing too. Now it is still time to semi-hibernate. Thank you for coming by again!

Craft Olympics - all my thimbles

Finally the secrets are revealed, Christmas gifts opened and I can show what I have been doing to get all those thimbles from Melanie's Craft Olympics. My first thimble was for a secret knitting project, toe to top two at a time socks for my daughter Kaija, and the rest of the yarn was enough to make wrist warmers for her busy hands. The yarn is hand dyed Araucania yarn from Lentävä Lapanen, the Flying Mitten knitting cafe, very lovely to knit. I'm also beginning to learn the idea of the toe to top heel!

 

 

 

The yarn was so lovely I bought another skein and knitted socks and wrist warmers for my daughter-in-law-to-be as well.

Second thimble is for this stitchery, where I learnt some new stitches.

 

My third thimble came with this Granny Square quilt I made for my sister, who is a granny. The grey and pink outer rounds of the blocks are from our Granny's old summer dress.

 

All the fabrics came from my stash as usual, and 90 % of them are recycled garments or bed linen.

My fourth thimble was a change of plans: I had no time to make the wool applique I had planned. Wreath making is crafty too, so this will be within the rules.

 

The fifth and last thimble was for a new skill, needle-turn applique. The pattern is one of Kaaren's freebies on her blog The Painted Quilt. My work is nowhere near perfection but I could give it another try, hoping for better results and rounder circles. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos, the days are really very short and dark at this time of the year here.

The applique is on the front of this bag I made for Melanie as a Christmas gift for her knitting projects.

The Craft Olympics has been a fun challenge at the end of the year, not too demanding as we could choose our crafts and change our plans during the Olympics. Go to Melanie - she always puts the kettle on when visitors arrive! - and see who else has been a crafts athlete. Melanie has links to all the finished projects on her sidebar.

Merry Christmas

It has been a long and dark Autumn and an early Winter. Not much has been done, but I hope to come back to blog reading soon. Thank you all for coming by, thank you, my special friends, for the thoughtful gifts I have received. Take some chocolate or dried cranberries, or almonds and raisins if you prefer, and smell the Christmassy scent of the hyacinths. Coffee and gingerbread are waiting on the other table.

 

Have a happy and peaceful Christmas!

Craft Olympics 4

Change of plans - my fourth Craft Olympics craft will not be wool appliqué but this Christmas wreath.

 

 

It is hanging on our newly (last Summer) painted wall by the door. The red wall makes a better background to the green fir twigs, and I didn't want to hammer a nail to the new door. The green needles remain fresh for quite a long time outdoors.

 

My last CO project is also finished but it is a Christmas gift so I will show it later. It has been fun making these small projects at the end of the year. Melanie's thimbles are nice trophies for the sidebar.

 

We have lots of snow so Santa's sleigh will have a good chance to reach every house on time next week. Be nice, the elves are watching you!

Winter Roses

It has been a busy time, like it always is for everyone at this time of the year. Most of my doings has been secret, but here is something I can show you:

 

 

Mr. K painted two walls in our hallway with the leftover paint from DS2's room renovation. We thought of ways to protect the wall from new dark green marks from this chair. I suggested a board, then thought of covering the board with some fabric and batting ... and my thoughts wandered and I came up with this idea:

 

 

 

A hood for the chair back made with some upholstery fabric leftovers from my mother. It is not quite the same colour as the seat I renewed some years ago, but they go together nicely. I added some double batting on both sides, and simple tape ties at the lower edge.

 

The Winter came with the advent time, we had lots of snow at the end of last week and the weather turned really cold after a long and unusually warm Autumn. Today our thermometer hasn't climbed to the warmer side of -20C/-4F all day.

 

 

Mr. Bullfinch has a snow moustache (click on the photo to enlarge) from digging for sunflower seeds in the new soft snow. All the little birds seem to have come back from the forest where they stayed during the Summer and Autumn as long as they could find their food there. We put the feeder out again in early October when we had the first cold days.

 

I'm not doing an Advent Calendar this year, but if you want a look at great talent and a dose of beauty without fuzzing about Christmas, you should go here every day and see what my daughter has created. When she was little, she was not allowed to cut in books, but now that she can make them from scratch, and buy her own books to cut, she can do the most wonderful things.

 

Sunday with Stephanie

Today I'm having tea at Loft Creations.

 

Her button coffee and thread cakes are delicious, but in this cold climate I prefer a hot cup of Earl Grey!

Have a nice Sunday.

Flying Mitten

Last week a knitting cafe opened in Järvenpää, our nearest town. It is called Lentävä Lapanen, the Flying Mitten.

 

 

The opening day was very crowded, so I took my camera for another visit yesterday when there were just a few ladies enjoying the luxury of lovely yarns and cosy atmosphere. Welcome in, pick a seat!

There are pattern books and magazines you can read and discuss with other enthusiasts.

At the other end of the shop there are chairs and tables for drinking coffee or tea.

 

Which rosy cup would you choose?

 

Maybe a traditional Finnish pastry or a sweet slice of cake? Take a seat now, enjoy your snack and have a look around the shop.

Noro yarns in wonderful colours and textures.

Rowan yarns ... I feel like I'm fainting. Look at all the colours!

 

Debbie Bliss - here is a free pattern you could use if you have just one hank of their yarn.

 

 

Debbie Bliss continued. New yarns are still coming in, the shop only just started.

 

These hand painted Araucania yarns come from Chile. I bought a hank to make a pair of socks and I will show them as soon as there is something to show. I'm still learning the Toe-to-Top two at a time method and only have the toe part covered by now.

Look at the candles matching the theme of the true knitting cafe!

This basket holds a knitted graffiti in process; anyone can add a row or two.

 

The shop also keeps a good selection of bamboo knitting needles and crocheting hooks. If the urge hits you, you can buy everything you need and just start knitting! It is definitely a place to go to even with a full stash of yarn at home. You can always have just a coffee and sit with your knitting, surrounded with all those wonderful yarns that inspire you to start a new project.