Apparently I've been living under a rock. Thank you Turtlegirl for making me aware of the mystcal circustances. Never knew that the company called "Mystical Creations Yarns" got itself in big trouble. Stories of bleeding yarn, orders being late or not filled at all, felting and tangling.... Just check out this thread on ravelry.

I'm taking the MCY out of the drawing, but I do have something in it's place:


Opal Hagebutte. I got two by mistake :)

a brighter note

After a couple of busy days, I have a promiss to keep. I'd like to give some yarn away.

Regia 4-fädig Nordic Color nr. 5510. Bought it with my dad in my mind years ago (ahum) and forgot all about it. My dad likes blue better.





These two balls were purchased on Etsy. They are of a brand called Mystical Creations Yarns, colorway Golden Sierra. I've tried many differfent kinds of socks, but they were not meant to be my socks. Maybe you could make a nice shawl out of them?








Leave a comment and tell me which one you'd like. I'll draw a winner on... next Tuesday

burden

I had my birthday Tuesday. Couldn't blog about it untill now - too much to do, too little time - but it wasn't really something to brag about either. On the one hand my friends - the ones who actually showed up - were great. Didn't get a yarny gift, but hey, I have plenty-o-yarn at home.

On the other hand - or other side of the room - my mother sat moping and groping, ignoring a particular person in the room. The one I've been sleeping with. The one with three (lovely) kids. The one with the divorce. The one who's 12 years older.

My mother was a 10 year old Tuesday. I can't really blame her for her behavior, but I do blame her for the burden she has put on my shoulders. I can't make her happy.

Tomorrow a more cheerfull post and a yarn giveaway....

Nice things

Done.



specs:
- Noro Kureyon Sock yarn and Regia Solid Black
- Spey Valley by Nancy Bush (but with a twist cause I casted on too many stitches for the third time)
- 2.00 mm needles
- 72 stitches for size EU 44 feet

The start of this project was a bit of a pain ( check this post) but was soon forgotten. It took a while to finish these socks - there were many time-limited-projects in between - but since there's no rush to finish them I took my time.

The Yarn
The reviews I read on ravelry rave about the colors of this yarn and I agree. The shifting colors are so well picked and put in a sequence. And the rural look is something that appeals to me. I hope these socks will last long, eventhough there are uneven spun parts and it doesn't seem very strong (you can pull it appart without using a lot off force). I can recommend 2mm needles. Making these socks took some persistance as the yarn is rough on the hands (but really softens up after washing!) and has little give. Hope that the ribbed pattern will keep the socks up nicely. Tried elastic thread on the cuff but I HATE KNITTING WITH ELASTIC THREAD.

The Needles
Knitpicks metal needles.... a dream for this yarn! Smooth, but not slippery. Good hold, but bendy however. I squeeze needles.

The Pattern
I just used half of the pattern and it was okay. I do tend to be cautious with the sizing of Nancy Bushes socks. Either her models have big legs, or mine are thin. They are usually too big for me so I choose a smaller needle size.

These socks will be given on a special, very special occasion. They have a lot of love in them and I know that the recepient knows their significance.

We're having a baby!

Me and my appletree, that is :)



My dad got this tree from a befriended fruittree-cultivator (really don't know the right word for 'person who grows trees for a living', boomkweker). It's an offspring of Newton's gravity theory tree and this is it's first apple. A little miracle considering there isn't another fruittree in the area and bees are just not interested in this area considering the current trent in gardening.

Meanwhile, I've chosen to knit on the Spey Valley 'with a twist' socks. Getting closer to the toe of the second sock...

After finishing the last two pairs of socks I really felt divided between two urges. Casting on a new pair or go on and finish some other things lingering in the WIP-bin. In my 2009 stash basket there's a pair of Rivendell socks waiting to be cast on in Aracunia yarn. There's a pair of Cookie's Ornette socks in Lang Jawoll. Just needs to be knit. My fingers were itching, but...

No. I'm going to clean up the project in progress pile a little first.

There are four pairs of socks in my stash that need attention. First I grabbed the pair of flickering flames socks in Mystical creations yarn. Knit a row. Knit another row. No. I don't like it. Not even a bit. So I ripped it. I'll either give away the skein or try something not-sock with it. Maybe try to get the colors to pool on scarf? It's just not ment to be socks.

Then, I picked up Lorna's Laces in Flames. Yes, this is going to be just perfect for working fair isle with black yarn on the leg. (The Flame colorway on it's own is just not my thing) But where's that skein of black regia gone to? Ow.... that's right. I'm using this for the heels and toes on the Noro socks.

Wat is wijsheid? How to proceed now? Should I finish the Noro socks first (they are for a friend, thought he won't get them untill fall this year) or have a go at the fair isle socks first? Why did I stop knitting on these socks after casting them on, giving them my time for a while?

Men, and the socks we make them

After a long period of not finishing anything, I finally got around to finishing two projects I was working on. Both of them are presents for men that had their birthday weeks ago, but they will be well received anyway.

The socks on the left are for a dear friend who's been nagging about getting a pair of pink socks for his bigfoot feet for ages.

Yarn: Scheepjes Noorse sokkenwol and Bravo acryllic by ????

Needles: 4mm Size: EU46

Then, the next finished pair of socks is a really simple pair of stockinettes for a smaller footed boyfriend of a best friend. A simple knit, but so satisfying. I did break 4 bamboo needles on these, though. I sat on the project once (and broke 2 needles) and two snapped in my hands.

Trekking Ombre in a Dark Blue colorway. 72 stitches on 2mm needles (I actually thought I was doing them on 2.25mm needles until the first two snapped :).

What to do next? I still have 4 pairs of socks on the needles, a pair of fingerless gloves and two sweaters. Hmm. Maybe cast-on a new pair of socks?

Indulge, a little

Knitting as fast as I can, but really, making no progress at all, it seems.

Trekking XXL Ombre, 2mm, size EU43

Second sock is 35% done. Love knitting with this yarn and this colorway (discontinued, unfortunately) is just perfect for men.

I'm also working on another pair of men socks EU46. Huge, but on big needles. Allmost done. In the end things do get done:)



Some of the seeming non-progress has something to do with me going to Amsterdam to visit The Afstap for the new book of Kim Hardgreaves. I saw it visiting a friend and just had to get it. Breeze Or check out ravelry.

I also went to Eggmercantile, the cutest little store in Amsterdam. They have all kinds of really nice, funny and beautifull stuff and... Manos del Uruguay.

I got the silk blend (left) in Winterberry. Really expensive, but mine. All mine!


And I got a skein of regular Manos in a beautifull dark brown and black blend. One skein is enough for a hat. This skein will make a really nice gift one day.

I've had some busy days, eventhough I had a week off from work. I finished the applegreen stairs (though I still need to do the white sideboards. Ugh. Not yet. Please) Then I packed my bags and went off for a lovely week in Enschede, the city where my brother lives. I had a great time, knit a little, fell from a bycicle, hurt my wrist, but I'm okay now.

I knit some, frog some and cast some on. Clearly I had a case of startitis again - or I could just be not-finishing things. Last week I casted on two pairs of socks (both gifts form men), but finished nothing. So I have six pairs of socks on the needles, two sweaters (or UFO's) for me and one pair of fingerless gloves.

I really should finish like 3 pairs of socks and a sweater before I should even begin to dream my next project. But alas, too late, I've allready started thinking about..... (Ravelry links) Autumn rose pullover and Inishmore.

sigh

Stairway to...

Quick update from painting central




I finished the bed.



First coat of paint is on the stairs. After I'm finished with this cup of coffee I'll get my but off the chair and go back to my applegreen hell. I'll be so proud when I'm finished.

And I do knit. In my sleep, that is.

Warning! Picture may blind you!

On the first nice day of the year I rarely take pictures of myself. I regularly have friends asking me to 'turn of the light'. My skin is really white and delicate, so I keep out of the sun a lot and use sunblock. I do get a sunny glow eventually, but it takes a whole summer to grow. Living in Holland doesn't really help either.



But, anyway, I finished Odessa and I've given it to the recipient. She's very happy with it and it fits her really well. Gives me a little comfort in times I don't think I can make anyone happy. I feel miserable and a failure, at times. Not allways, though. I'm working in my home a lot, lately. Trying to make it my place. I painted two closets (nightstands that don't fit in my bedroom) for the bathroom and I'm really happy with the result. Now, I'm painting my bed in a raspberry colorway.Contemplating on striking words to put on it. Maybe 'WTF?!

I have a camera!

And... it works!

I'm so happy. So so happy. I have an internet connection and it appears to be good. Squee! I've been downloading podcasts, cd's, been going through ravelry....

So satisfying.

Just miss the camera right now, but there's one on it's way to me. It should arrive tomorrow, but I won't be home. So either I can pick it up monday or get it from the neighbours and have it tomorrow...

No Internet..

Arg. Bareuh.

Since dear ex-hubby has left the building saturday a week ago I've been cut off from internet at home. A month ago I contacted Ziggo to get a new account on my name. They told me that I was going to get a thingie in two weeks and all would be great.

Not.

The next best estimation is that Ziggo will have the thingies again in two weeks. So I'm cut off from civilisation for another two weeks. Argh. In the mean time I'm painting two little closets for the bathroom (GREEN) and my new old bed (raspberry), I'm planning to start working on the stairs (apple green) and the livingroom. Not much on the knitting front, but a lot gets done around the house :)\

Ex-hubby also took the camera (but I got the WII)...

Nothing much new to show you on the knitting front but the progress I made. I finished another Spring forward sock, this time in a yarn by Phildar called Hobby. Can't really say that knitting with this yarn is a hobby of mine. It's thin, splitty and a bit fuzzy. The result is okay, I guess. Will have to see how long the socks will last, but the colors are nice and cheerfull and the yarn is really quite soft.



To preven SSS I've casted on the second one right after kitcheneering the toe. Not that I've been hit by SSS a lot, but just to be on the safe side. I need to get them done by the end of this month so I need to knit on though I'd really like to be knitting on this other project I have laying around...



And I just ripped back to the ribbing. Too small on 3.25mm needles so I switched to 3.5mm hoping it will be just a tad more spacy. Love love love the yarn.

Oh, talking about yarn, I indulged. Malabrigo sock, Malabrigo Lace and Allhemp6...

Odessy

A friend of mine asked me to knit her a hat to go with a handwoven scarf for her birthday. Well, her birthday came and went and I finally got a peek at the scarf. I took it with me to match with either yarn I had in my stash or to get matching yarn.

I dove in the stash and dug out three beautifull color options. All three pretty, all three with particular qualities, all three matching with the scarf and with eatchother as you can see in the picture below.

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On the left there's a skein of Socks that rock heavyweight colorway ms larock. A very pretty muted colorway. The people at Bluemoonfiberarts really know how to make a girl happy. Both popping colorways as more subtle ones like this.I could go over to their site and order 10 colorways if I had the money :). Maybe just one or two.

The next skein is one of Colinette Jitterbug colorway Ischia. I am so in love with this skein. Vibrant, flashing colors. Impossible to resist... and I know Marion will love it. However, this skein is so pretty and vibrant, it will take away the attention from the scarf.

The third option is a combination of two skeins of alpaca/merino from the Natural Dye Studio. Ssssssoft. Buttah. But not quite bright enough for a blue-eyed blond.

I showed my friend the color options and she was heavily divided between the colinette and the Socks that rock. She also liked the color of the Jitterbug more than the STR, but agreed that the Jitterbug is just too loud for the scarf.

And so Ms Larock will turn into Odessa..

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Spring spring spring

Now that spring is in the air, Spring Forward is done! Absolutely love this pattern and the fit is great. A bit snug, 2.25 mm needles would have been good too, but my feet aren't very big. In the end I really like the result. The yarn is nice to work with and feels very nice on my feet. Now I'm off cast on another pair of Spring Forward socks for a friend who also really liked the pattern. I'm going to use the Phildar Hobby I have in my stash basket.

And the rollercoaster goes....

Himmelhoch jauchzend,
Zum Tode betrübt –
Glücklich allein
Ist die Seele, die liebt.

(Goethe)

Don't know what or how to feel, nowadays. I know I will be fine one day, I know I will be happy again in a nice not-so-up-and-down reliable way. It's so scary to be on my own.



'Don't even think that you'll win this staring contest.'

Dude, I'm screwed

Some songs just 'get the gist'. Like this one. The Connels, '74-'75

Got no reason for coming to me and the rain running down.
There's no reason.
And the same voice coming to me like it's all slowin down.
And believe me -

I was the one who let you know
I was just sorry-ever-after. '74-'75.

It's not easy, nothing to say 'cause it's already said.
It's never easy.
When I look on in your eyes then I find that I'll do fine.
When I look on in your eyes then I'll do better.

I was the one who let you know
I was just sorry-ever-after. '74-'75.
Giving me more and I'll defy
'Cause you're really only after '74-'75.

Got no reason for coming to me and the rain running down.
There's no reason.
When I look on in your eyes then I find that I'll do fine.
When I look on in your eyes then I'll do better

I know I'll do fine, I'll do better. I'm not sorry-ever-after 2008-2009. I did the right thing. The rain is running down and there's no reason.

A spring fling?

Still flinging, though the sock doesn't really look like spring. It's more like a fall forest with specks of light coming through the leaves... I'm affraid these socks are no longer a fling for me. Love love love the pattern and the yarn is really nice to work with. Sock one is allmost done.

The other sock project I'm working on - when I'm not working on my spring fling - has one finished sock, but I might frogg the toe and rework it because it looks funny.

Spring Fling

I'm having a spring fling.

I wasn't sure I liked it at first. The colors and the pattern, well, I'm not sure if I really liked it. Especially in the beginning, it really looked like barf in a forest. The pictures I had seen of this colorway on ravelry and blogs had more yellow in it. This one is just dark green and brown with a couple of yellow blobs.

But since this is not the first time I tried knitting a pair of socks with this skein of yarn, I refused to frog it again. If I don't like it, well, someone will.



Trying it on however, really made the colors live. The pattern I've chosen is just great to knit. Interesting, but not too interesting. Easy to remember but entertaining. I think I'm starting to like these socks... but there's a problem. They are a bit too big for my legs. Guess either the yarn is too heavy, my legs are too thin or the pattern was written for bigger legs. Oh well, I'm just going to knit them and see who it will fit.

Yarn: Socks that Rock lightweight in Rocktober
Needles: 2mm
Pattern: Knitty's Spring forward

Norsok

Yep, finished the Norsoks. Piece of cake. In less than 7 days of occasional knits I knit a pair of EU 45 socks. (man's US12?) and they fit like a glove. Just hope they won't shrink :). Next time I might use bigger needles or more stitches. The recepient is very happy.

Pattern: Thuja from knitty
Yarn: Norsok
needles: 3.25 mm

Now, on to the next gift pair:



I'm using simple black regia for heels and toes. Partly because I'm not sure I'll make it with the yarn (large men, big feet)and partly because I'm affraid the Kureyon won't last long...

Still knitting. Don't have loads of time, but every now and then I steel a couple of minutes to pick up my knitting. I've got the leg done of the sock I showed last time I blogged. I'm really not sure about the yarn, Noro Kureyon Sock. It doesn't have a lot of bounce and I think it isn't really though enoug for the wear socks get. Thus I picked some black Regia from my stash for the heels and toes. Doesn't even look that bad.

In the meantime, I just cast on for a pair of worsted weight socks. Just for the thrill of a fast finish and for the friend in need that desperately needs love, care and attention despite being a grown-up and father of three boys. Everybody needs love, needs to feel loved. Everyone needs warm socks.

In other things in life, my pretty little oldtimer had some problems lately... There was quite a bit of rust in the tank so my engine stopped was not really reliable lately so dad took the petrol tank off and cleaned it...

Maybe just not meant to be...

Looks nice, doesn't it? This sock has been testing my nerves last week. I made some poor choices and the pattern hasn't worked in my favour either. Let's see what's been going wrong...

I started out really good. This sock was not cast on lightly. I did quite some background research on the yarn on ravelry and on blogs. Some people say it's a little rough on the hands, but it will soften up after washing. The yarn is sticky and has little bounce. All not great qualities for a high priced sock yarn, but the colors... And I'm in love with the rural luke of the yarn. So, I bougth a couple of skeins and this one got into 'the basket of 2009'.

Bad choice one:
Casting on the wrong number of stitches - gauge, eh - and trying to frog when you've just knit 15 rounds using elastic thread.

Bad choice two:
Using elastic thread. Eventhough it's called 'mee-brei-elastiek' it is not made to knit with. It's a pain. It WILL make me cry.

Bad choice three:
Casting on too many stitches for the second time - dude, was I drinking? - and finding out after knitting for about an inch. I'm not going to frog.

Good choice one: to make up for the extra stitches add a cable between the two rings.

Bad choice four:
Loose the pattern

Good choice two:
Make up my own pattern based on the Spey Valley pattern I had in mind.

Let's knit.

The hands of...

Way back when I got a couple of skeins of Manos del Uruguay 100% wool. I made a hat for a good friend and a scarf for my brothers girlfriend, but forgot about the other three skeins in my stash.A blue/green, red and red/yellow/green skein marinated in my stash for a while untill last sunday when I got the idea of making my co-worker a hat. So I got knitting. Gauge? Dude, I don't do gauge... Needles to say that this hat is too small for a normal grown up - my head's pretty small and it's pretty tight on me.

So I'm making another one with more stitches (88 instead of 72) and in a different colorway. I just love working with this yarn so it doesn't feel like punishment at all. And this one? I might just keep it or give it to a child.

Note to self: don't buy any new manos till you've used it all up....

In other knitting news, I frogged one sock in progress because it was going to be too big even for a man with size 12 feet so I'll have to think about this yarn. I did cast-on another pair for another man with big feet. I grabbed the Noro Kureyon from the basket and got started. Not sure how I like it... but I'll get to that topic next time.