Knitting on a rock

Oj

2006-09-12T22:20:00.000-02:30

So I got my second order from Simply sock yarn co. today (yay!). Pretty pretty dusty rose yarn and 2 sets of bamboo circular needles. Now... is it just me or is it a little tricky to knit socks with circs?! The cable between the needles are longer than the circumference of the sock... Right now I have cable sticking out on two sides of the sock, and there's a constant reorganizing of stitches. Is there a trick to this, or will I just get the hang of it in a while?

Someone stop me!

2006-09-07T22:21:00.000-02:30

I have been reading Sweet Georgia's blog for a long time, and when she started dying her own yarn I literally started drooling. Such prettiness! Now there is an online store here in Canada that carries a lot of Sweet Georgia's pretty pretty stuff! I have been eyeing the shop a while now, and tonight I found a free sock pattern using one of her yarns: Speed demon. The pattern is made by Heather at Latico.ca, and it's free! It's a plain sock that shows off the beauty of the yarn, and it's very well written. And, it's free! Yay!

So therefore I had to order some of the speed demon wool, didn't I?! Of course I did! So I got this colour way this time: Afterglow. And a milli-second after I ordered I got an email from Connie at Pick up sticks, that the order will ship out tomorrow morning (and I ordered at 10 PM!). I can't wait!

It's a mystery

2006-08-27T21:09:00.000-02:30

A couple of days ago I *finally* got the yarn I ordered from simply socks yarn company. It was held up in customs for a while, but now the wooly little wonders are home where they belong. I was very pleased with my order, and may have...ehem...placed another small tiny wee little order. I needed needles you see! I went to Michael's first, to see if they had circular sock needles. They didn't even come close to something I could use. Everything was plastic and colourfull and HUGE. How about a pair of needles in size US 50?! I mean... c'mon! That's just silly! So, instead I placed an order with simply socks yarn company again, for circular bamboo needles in size 0, 1 and 2. I may also have placed an order for this amazingly gorgeous yarn: Lorna's Laces Sheperd Sock in Nearly Solids: Old Rose.

The socks I choose for my Mystery Socks KAL are called Aran Braid, and I started knitting right away of course (and completely forgot the other WIPs). I used Lorna's Laces Sheperd Sock in Sorbet, and while I had a little pooling problem in the beginning, I really like this yarn (but the pooling is the reason I picked a Nearly Solid in my second order). The pattern I love. It's not too easy, and not too hard. Easy enough to memorize the pattern, but hard enough to keep it interesting. I just hope I can keep being interested, so I can actually knit a pair of socks this time (I have two single socks waiting for their partners.... )

And now to something completely different! I have to tell you about the book I am reading now, because this is one of those that you feel will change you. You know, some books just make such an impression that you realize that you as a person will be a little different when the book is finished. It will leave a permanent mark on your soul if you will. And since the book is Swedish, I will switch to Swedish now. =) Jag köpte boken när jag var hemma i Sverige i somras för att ha något att läsa, och naturligtvis ville jag ha något svenskt! Det är "Den amerikanska flickan" av Monika Fagerholm, och först tyckte jag den var lite svårläst för den är skriven i talspråk och den hoppar vilt fram och tillbaka i tid. Men himmel! Den är fantastisk! Språket, historien och känslan i boken är makalösa och jag önskar att den inte skulle ta slut! Samtidigt kan jag inte sluta läsa. Den rekommenderas varmt! Och om ni har några tips på andra bra svenska böcker tas de tacksamt emot! Det är lätt att missa stora kulturella händelser när man befinner sig på "fel sida" av Atlanten!

Once in a blue moon

2006-08-17T00:02:00.000-02:30

(Not so) patiently waiting for my sock yarn to arrive, so I can start with my mystery socks. So in the mean while... look for more yarn to crave and patterns to dream about! My most recent crush is Blue Moon Fiber Art's book "Fair Isling on Blue Moon". The pictures are small-ish and kind of leave you wanting more. I almost bought the book so I could take a closer look! But just look at this sample here. Pretty, yes?

Noro + Debbie Bliss = True

2006-08-10T22:46:00.000-02:30

I fell in love with a cardigan from Debbie Bliss' first Noro Book (or was it Noro's first Debbie Bliss book?!) earlier this year, and it took me a long time to track down the book since it is out of print. But, I got the book and the yarn (the same as the one used for the picture) and have been working on this cardigan since March or so. It is a fast knit, and I only had half of both sleeves left when I kind of fell out of the knitting loop for a little while during early summer. I think I will pick up this project again, while I wait for the yarn for my Mystery Socks.

Ooops I did it again

2006-08-08T22:35:00.000-02:30

Since I joined the Mystery sock KAL I thought that I better pick up some sock yarn. I ignored the fact that if I looked into my stash, I would probably find some. So off to search for new treasures! I have been looking at Simply Sock's website for a long time, and I've been meaning to place an order for the longest time. So this was the perfect time to do it! Since I couldn't choose just one kind, I picked up a little more. It's so hard to choose! And really, it is more economical to get more at once! Right?! =)

Anyways... here's what I got:
They are: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Sherbet; Cascade Fixation Effects 9349; Cascade Fixation Spraydyed 9939 and Fleece Artist Merino in Cornflower. Yummy!

What have I been up to?

2006-08-07T19:29:00.000-02:30

Thank you so much for the warm welcome backs Catrin and Cina! And I thought I was all forgotten... =)

Cina wanted an update on what I've been up to since I last wrote. So let's start at the beginning! It's mostly work related, but since my job grew from my hobby it's all good! We were contacted by an internet company in Sweden, Eleven.se, who sells all kinds of cool beauty products, and they wanted to carry our stuff! This was last summer, but they have grown tremendously during this last year and their orders just get bigger and bigger. They really have a good insight into what sells, and we have developed several products together. They work a lot with media in Sweden, and some of our products have been featured in magazines and newspapers. Something we would never have been able to do alone. We love them!

Something I spent a lot of time on during the spring was to put the finishing touches on our new line of mineral makeup, called "Smink" (tihi). This took a lot of time, but we are so pleased with the results and it is going over very well with our customers.

Tomorrow I'll continue the amazing story of my life! ;-)

I'm back baby!

2006-08-06T23:04:00.000-02:30

Wowsers.... I was about to delete this blog (I kept it this long because it was so handy to have all the links to blogs I like in one place), and then I got this laptop where I could actually curl up in the couch and do some interneting. It is so much work with our shop (and the manufacturing of soap/skincare products) so when I'm finally off work, sitting down in front of the computer was far down on my list. But with my darling little Acer Aspire 5102MLMi I can combine slouching on the couch with this! And reading blogs, and watching Swedish television. Oh joy!

So now I thought I'd try again, and keep with it this time because I miss my blogging friends! =)

And to start off my return to blog land I joined the "Mystery sock KAL". I find mysteries irresistable, so of course I had to join. What you do is to pick a sock pattern (one of the many that exsist) that comes without a picture. That you usually skip. But now you just pick one and knit away. Isn't that exciting!? It could turn into anything (but hopefully a sock).

Deliciousness

2006-02-11T11:56:00.000-03:30

I just had to share two wonderful blogs I found. They're not knitting blogs, but I know that us kind of people enjoy all kinds crafting! The first one is an amazing source of crafty inspirations: Whip up, handcraft in a hectic world. The second one is the most beautiful cooking blog I've ever seen: Brownie Points. I'm trying the pomegranate chocolate truffles today!

In the nick of time

2006-01-31T08:35:00.000-03:30

My mittens are done, and we are expecting a snow storm tomorrow so I'm sure they will come to good use! Thank you Nona for hosting yet another great knit-along!

Details: The pattern is from Kate Gilbert and the yarn is Moda Dea Caché in the color "Siren".
I have almost two full balls left, so that will be a scarf!

Because you always need more things to do!

2006-01-26T09:42:00.000-03:30

Our phone line in the shop has been weird for the last week, and today the phone company (Aliant) will come to take a look at it. As always, the time frame they may come in is out of this world "We'll have someone over on Thursday between 8 and 7". How can they not plan their day better?! That's 11 hours! So I had to drag my grumpy little butt down to the shop at 8 this morning (not a morning person!), and I have spent the last hour and a half reading blogs and drinking coffee. I followed one of my own links that I haven't been to for a while: Crafting Japanese. It's an awesome place for different ideas and alternative crafting. I love the Japanese style in anything crafty, and I have two Japanese beading books that I adore. This morning I found this book: Handmade Felt Book. Isn't it gorgeous?! And in the comments someone mentioned a website I didn't know about: YesAsia.com. They have the book! And it's not expensive ($16), and if I just get another book I'm qualified for free shipping! Oh my! So, now I'm going through all books on Crafting Japanese to find more. I'm just wondering.... can I knit in Japanese?!

Mitt

2006-01-24T22:04:00.000-03:30

One mitten done! Are they fast to knit, or what!? I just realized that when I started knitting again after many years of non-knitting, I started with a t-shirt. And then it was a sweater, a cardigan and cable socks. I didn't do any fast instant gratification projects, like scarves and mittens. Time to change that. This is fun!!

I got this in the mail a couple of days ago. It was an ebay purchase, that took more than four weeks to get here. I like them, but I'm not crazy about them. The colours are very different to what I saw on ebay, and I kind of thought the strands would be spun together (and they're not, they are just wound together). I'm sure I can do something with them though...maybe a scarf!?

And last, a picture of what most of our time is spent on. Renovating. Now it's time for the living room. Jason put up a new frame for the windows, we wanted something more appropriate for this old house. We will paint the frame the same colour as the other trims, a green/brown/beige-y type of colour. The walls are a sort of off white or so (the colours are called "oyster mushroom" and "dried mushrooms", we're sticking with a mushroom theme!). Anyway, I think it will turn out alright. I'll show you when it's done! =)

Tagged

2006-01-19T10:24:00.000-03:30

I peek out into blog land after a long absence, and gets (I was going to correct the "s", but decided to leave it...I AM in Newfoundland after all, and this is how I talks now, b'y!) janked out head first by Mia! I was tagged (and since my favorite subject is me, I don't mind too much! =)

Four Jobs You Have Had In Your Life:
Flower delivery (blomsterbud)
Kitchen staff at a rehab center, Mälargården
PhD student (and part time teacher) at Stockhom University
Running my own little soap and natural skin care company here in St. John's

Four Movies You Could Watch Over and Over:
Hannah and her sisters
The English patient
Shawshank Redemption (Nyckeln till frihet)
Manhattan Murder Mystery

Four Places You Have Lived:
Husby (but I can't quite remember it....we moved when I was 2)
Märsta (outside Stockholm)
Umeå (for about 5 months a year, for a couple of years during my PhD studies)
St. John's, Newfoundland

Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:
CSI
Hatching, Matching and Dispatching
Dead like me
Criminal Minds

Four Places You Have Been On Vacation:
Prague
Venice
Interlaaken (in Switzerland)
St. Pierre (a piece of France, 30 minutes from the southern coast of Newfoundland!)

Four Websites You Visit Daily:
Google
Tvål
Neopets
DN (I need a dose of real news, and not the North American narrow this-is-the-only-part-of-the-world-that-matters-and-we-think-a-report-about-Pitt&Jolie-is-more-important-than-the-600-people-who-died-in-an-earth-quake-in-Afghanistan! Phew! Sorry about that! Had to get it out of my system =)

Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
Spaghetti and tomato sauce
Sushi
Thai-anything
Indian-(almost)-anything

Four Places You Would Rather Be Right Now:
I kind of like it where I am! That's a philosophy of mine... to like now and not wish to be somewhere else.

Four Bloggers You Are Tagging:
Cina
Elizabeth
Vicki
Amelia

Back from the dead!

2006-01-16T22:02:00.000-03:30

Wowsers... The last couple of months feel a bit dazy now. For a quick recap, it was very very busy in the shop, we had wholesale orders we had to get out and to top it off we moved our shop and production to a new space! We found a really neat little shop, with much better location than the one we were in so we had to jump at the chance!

This is my new partner, and brother-in-law, Bobby stocking the shelves after the move.

I have so many things to show you! I am half way (more actually) throgh my Dolman. I have one Amble sock finished, and one cascading leaves sock (and apparently a serious case of one-sock syndrome). I am also half way through the Scoop neck cardigan that Debbie Bliss designed for Noro (it's on the cover of her first Noro book). And tonight, at Michael's, I picked up the happiest ball of fun I've ever seen. And it's going to be a pair of mittens, for my very late start in Nona's peaceful palms knit-along!

All work and no knitting...

2005-11-08T14:49:00.000-03:30

...makes Anna a dull girl. Yes, indeed. Christmas season is coming up (or actually already here!), and running a soap business and retail shop at this time of the year is pretty hectic. To say the least. So that's the reason why there has been no updates and no fun knitting for me. I did receive the gorgeous Koigu, and have started a pair of socks with it. So soft. SO pretty!

We have ordered Internet at home, so hopefully I will have time to update more frequently then!

Koigu cravings

2005-09-23T11:04:00.000-02:30

Have you seen Koigu? I'm sure you have! The hand painted merino yarn that is so gorgeous, you get weak at the knees when you look at it. Weak I tell you! It would be interesting to borrow Jason's heart rate monitor (that he uses when he runs), to see what my heart rate does when I look at this. 188 (!!) colours of koigu! I want to try them all, so yesterday I decided that that's what I'll do. That will be my mission in life. To knit 188 pairs of socks, all in a different shade of koigu. So there!

I started out with this:
I haven't decided what pattern to choose, but I think I will know when I have the yarn in my hands.

I ordered this yarn from Foxyknits yesterday. I was working late, to fill an order, and to reward myself I decided that I got to choose one colour. But now I'm thinking, that for scientific reasons only, maybe I should order from this Canadian company as well. With today's exchange rate, I thought that Foxyknits could cost me less (and quite frankly, I was seduced by all that koigu at one place!). But maybe I should order two skeins from Four seasons as well? Just to compare. You know...price, and time for arrival. What I wouldn't do for science!

Broken Cable Rib

2005-09-16T15:45:00.000-02:30

They are done! My broken cable rib socks. My first pair of socks! And I love them! Actually I hardly take them off...
Jason thinks I'm a little wierd, but that's ok.
Details: Knitted with Confetti sock yarn in the colour 02.005 (how poetic!). The pattern was a free pattern from IK.

Have I mentioned that I love them?!

Sea and socks

2005-09-06T15:27:00.000-02:30

I hope you all had a great labour day weekend (or just weekend if there was no labour day where you live =) Jason and I went "out around the bay", to visit his parents. They live in a house *just* by the sea. Between the house and the sea is just a barren with rocks and more partridgeberries (a.k.a. lingonberries) than you can shake a stick at! I took my broken cable rib socks with me, and sat down with my back against a rock and the sea in front of me. Sun, breeze, sea, socks....Heaven! Jason's mother came out to me after an hour or so, with a coke and peanut butter & chocolate squares. I love my mother-in-law!

Have you noticed that the new issue of Mag Knits is out? And, it will be monthly from now on! Yay! And speaking of patterns, Interweave have some freebies on their IK Crochet website. I like the granddaughter socks (suprise suprise!)

Muggy

2005-09-01T16:55:00.000-02:30

Oh how I love the AC in my shop on days like this! I feel as fresh as a daisy, when I see hot and bothered people walk by (and occasionally come in to) the shop.

My shop is located downtown, but not in the busy part. Next to me there's only lawyers and...well, lawyers. And while I have nothing against lawyers, they don't exactly attract large groups of people looking to shop-til-they-drop. So I have to do that all by myself, which is not always easy. Sooo....I just got a call from another shop owner, on another street which is more busy than mine. They are relocating, and wanted to let me know first. So, if I really wanted, I could probably get that spot. It's a good spot, but not great. Better than I have now, but not perfect. Oooo...woe me. If I only knew what to do. It's a pain in the *beep* to relocate a shop, sign a new lease, have new business cards printed, and what have you. So it really has to be worth it. So is it? Hmmm...well, I certainly have something to think about during the weekend, that's for sure.

In the knitting department: I have one quarter of the Dolman done. It's so fast to knit, in the beginning. The sweater is made up of 4 quarters; right front + half arm, right back + half arm, etc. So the the first 25 cm is just 41 stitches wide stockinette, but then you cast on a million (or so) more stitches for the arm and suddenly it takes forever to knit a row. But that's ok. I love the yarn. And it's still fairly quick to knit, compared to the Garnstudio cardigan. I have also just finished the heel of the broken cable socks, that I LOVE to knit. It's such fun to knit socks!! Try it!

I ♥ Point

2005-08-23T15:49:00.000-02:30

Guess what greeted me when I got home yesterday?!
<--- This! I got my Adrafil "point" yarn from Knitwerx already! That was super duper fast! I ordered it Wednesday afternoon, and got it on Monday! It was beautifully wrapped in green tissue paper, and tucked in there was a card with a handwritten note from Sylvia. Such a nice touch! (I think I'll start with that for the orders I ship out!) I love the yarn. It's so soft and pretty. It looks like a Häägendas Strawberry ice cream! Yum! I'm already eyeing the other colours of this yarn....Maybe I need the Blue Sky as well?!

And here's something for my fellow Swedes.... You know how you sometimes wish that you'd find a forrest (or at least a patch) with chantarelles that nobody knows about? Well, I've found a whole island! No one in Newfoundland picks mushrooms, and they look at you funny if you say that you do (they think we're picking "magic mushrooms" I'm sure...). We were out last Sunday, and just went to one spot where we picked them last year. They grow everywhere! Even out on the trail, and people have *stepped* on them! What sacrilege! At one time Jason said "Det är för många, jag orkar inte plocka mera", and that's not something you hear to often when it comes to chantarelles. So tonight we're having Chantarelle Risotto!

How many WIPs are too many?

2005-08-22T11:59:00.000-02:30

I ordered the yarn I drooled over in the last post, and this is what I want to make with it
--->

I remember *almost* getting this issue of Interweave Knits back then, and I didn't even knit at the time! I just love the simplicity of it. Clean lines. No fuss. And now I just can't wait to get my yarn!

The Garnstudio cardigan is coming along, although slowly. The alpaca yarn is lovely, but oh so thin, so it will take me a loooong time to finish. So in the mean time....more projects! I frogged the Amble sock, since the pattern didn't show up with the self-striping yarn I used. I need to find another solid colour for that. I'm also knitting Broken Cable Rib Socks (IK pattern), with the Confetti Sock Yarn in 02-005 I got from Knit n Tyme (see lat post). I love that pattern! So...hmmm...one cardigan, one sweater and two socks. That's not too much on the go at the same time, is it!?

Gorgeous, gorgeous!

2005-08-17T12:51:00.000-02:30

On my daily stalking of knitwerx.com, I found this yarn in their bargain bin. Oooooooooh!
Isn't it absolutely fabulous! 70% merino, 10% angora and 20% nylon. I need it! I have just started with the green Garnstudio cardigan, so I have something to keep me busy for the rest of the year I'm sure, but...but... This yarn will be long gone before I have finished that cardigan anyway, so I need to get it now, right? Am I right? (I'm asking the right kind of people here, I'm sure I'd get a different answer if I asked Jason)

Now...what should I knit with this? Any ideas?

Darling socks!

2005-08-16T12:51:00.000-02:30

Have you, dear reader, discovered how much fun it is to knit socks?! I started knitting socks just a little while ago (that was when I was looking for yarn that was not mint, baby pink or yellow), and oh my! It's the exact opposite to a big sweater in stockinette! There's always something happening! Especially if you knit them with cables, lace or intarsia. There are a million different sock patterns out there, and I want to knit them all! So I joined Six Sox knit along, a year long knit along where we knit a new pair of socks every two months. Fun!!

During August-September we knit "Amble" (you can see it here above, both sock and pattern made by Alison Clayton ). It's a gorgeous sock, but I think I chose the wrong yarn for it. I bought the yarn before I took a look at the pattern, not very smart. It looks ok, but the stripes in the yarn plays down the pattern in the sock. So right now I'm debating whether I should frog it, and get a new solid colour, or if I should just keep knitting. It's a fun sock to knit anyway, and I heartily recommend it!

This is the yarn that I'm using for the socks: "Confetti Sock Yarn" in 03-001. I got it at a LYS that I haven't had the chance to visit before (since this shop and my shop have the same store hours), but now I have help in the shop on weekends, so I got to go last Saturday. Yay! What a shop! A whole house full of yarn! Tons and tons of it! Even Jason had fun there, since he loves everything Scandinavian (they had a lot of Icelandic and Norwegian yarns there). When I got this yarn, I felt rather stupid. Because....I had just ordered two skeins of Confetti Sock Yarn in 02-005 (before I knew that my LYS had it), so I paid an unnessicary $6 in shipping for them.... .

Oh well..You live and learn (in this case a lesson I will soon forget: Don't be impatient and order something on impulse). Besides, you can never have to many skeins of sock yarn, me thinks! And now I have to search for a solid colour yarn, in case I decide to frog the above mentioned Amble....

Well, if it isn't...?! Why yes...it's a

2005-08-15T10:50:00.000-02:30

t-shirt! Yay! Jason was going to take my picture this morning, and when I went to get the t-shirt, this is what I found:

Rasmus have to sleep on anything that's new in the house. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it!

And this is what it looked like when I managed to get my t-shirt back:

So, a quick description of the t-shirt. The pattern is from Mag Knits, it is called "Nothin’ but a T shirt" and it was made by Alison Hanseland. Nona started this KAL (thank you Nona! I had a blast!!). I knitted the t-shirt with a Paton yarn (Canadiana) in the colour "Lilac" and the trims are knitted in another Paton yarn (Brilliant) in "Marvelous Mocha". I don't really like the yarn, but it was good for a beginner like me (to practice on a yarn that doesn't cost a fortune).

Done!

2005-08-12T17:08:00.000-02:30

It's finished! My KAL nothing but a t-shirt is done! And it fits! The thing I don't like about it, is that the yarn was a bit too bulky. It has nothing to do with the pattern, that was all my fault. But you live and learn. I super busy in the shop right now, and we're having friends over for a BBQ tonight, so I can't write more right now. I'll be back on Monday, with more details on the t-shirt.
Have a nice weekend!

Back to normal (almost)

2005-08-11T10:24:00.000-02:30

I beat my old record of being absent by miles....but now everything is back to normal, more or less. To recap what's been going on since way back, here's a little summary: June 1st we moved in to our new house. It's an old house (90 years old) in downtown St. John's. We love it, but it needs some work. The previous owner liked carpets, wall mirrors and other horrid 80's style things, and now we want to bring it back to the way it once looked. The way it's supposed to look. But that's expensive, so we're talking baby steps. We finished the bath room, and then it was off to Sweden for 3 weeks. My bestest and oldest friend got married. It was beautiful and it was very nice to be home.

Two days after I got back to Newfoundland, my aunt and cousin came to visit us for a week. And two days after they left, my dad and step mom came for two weeks. Ever since I moved here, I couldn't wait for someone in my family to come visit so I could show them around. This is truly a marvellous place, and pictures can't capture the magic of standing on a cliff, 200 meters high above the sea, with the North Atlantic stretched out as far as you can see.... . We took them on a walk from our house down to the lake Quidi Vidi, from there up along Cuckold Cove trail, walked along the cliffs to Signal Hill and Cabbot Tower, followed the trail down Signal Hill, walked around the cliff and through the Battery, and then finally back home through town. We also went to Cape Spear, where we saw minkie and humpback whales. We went to Jason's mom and dad in Hants Harbour, took the boat out on the bay and saw Atlantic white-sided dolphins! I've seen whales before, but not dolphins (out in real life that is). It was amazing! It was three of them, and they circled around our boat. As curious about us, as we were about them.

And know onto knitting news. I've almost finished the KAL t-shirt! I'm working on the neckband, and it should be finished today! Wohoo! Don't know if I ever will wear it, but at least I finished something! My first finished knitted something, and I'm very proud. Tomorrow (hopefully), it will be an update with pictures!

T-shirt KAL

2005-05-20T12:35:00.000-02:30

You'd think I forgot about the knit along t-shirt, but forgot it I have not! I'm working on the text on the front, which is our logo . I thought I'd go with that, since the colours of the t-shirt are the same as our colour scheme for the shop and website. I realized that I'm not very good at changing colours when knitting. The letters are so stretched out, so there are long periods with the blue yarn before it's time for the brown again. I hope it will be wearable when I'm done....I'm not quite sure yet! It looks a little bit tight sometimes.... :-/

Have a nice Victoria Day Holiday!

Yuck!

2005-05-11T14:23:00.000-02:30

I wanted to knit those cute Broken Cable Rib Socks from Interweave. So I went to Lewis Craft at the mall, the only yarn shop open when I have closed the shop for the day (and I simply *refuse* to go to Walmart).

I can not believe the colors they choose to have there! I can not believe it!! From fingering weight to chunky, the colors I could choose from was:

mint!

baby pink!

baby yellow!

And of course, they are all 100% pure Acrylic. Lovely....

When was mint in?! In the eighties? Ok...it's time to take it off the shelves now, I think! I don't care that it's meant for babies. Mint does not look good on anyone, and it should be a crime to dress a defenseless baby in mint. Period.

I think I need to close my soap shop and open up a new shop, with nice yarn in nice colors! So there! (yes, I feel grumpy today)

I am alive!

2005-05-10T16:34:00.000-02:30

Did I win a prize for "the most absent blogger"?!

We had a wonderful week that included the break-in, almost losing a job and cracking a tooth (length wise! ouch!). Isn't strange, that everything is fine and dandy and then everything happens at once?! I can't really complain though, because worse things can happen.

I'm almost done with my t-shirt! I'm working on the words now, and since the colors are almost identical to the color theme of our shop, I decided to knit our logo there. We'll see how that turns out...

I've also ordered yarn for this cardigan.

The same yarn and color as the model. But they wouldn't get it in for another three weeks, so I guess I just have to wait (not very good at that!)

What a weekend

2005-04-19T18:40:00.000-02:30

Ugh. What a weekend! Jason left for Boston on Saturday afternoon, for the marathon. I thought I'd get tons of knitting done, and relax. Saturday evening I went to see St. John's maple leafs play their last game here (in regular season). That was fun, they won 4-1 ! I walked home, made a cup of tea and sat down in the sofa. The phone rang. Figured it was Jason calling from Boston. It was the police! He was down in our shop, there had been a break-in, could I please come down to see what was missing? =( Sucks! So I walked down to the shop (it's 11 PM), and praying that they hadn't trashed the place.

When I got down, I was relieved to see that they had "only" taken the money. Nothing else was touched, apart from the door that needed to be replaced of course... So, I had to stay here until a contractor came, to put a new lock on the door. I walked home again at 1 AM.

The next morning I was woken by a phone call from the police again, asking when they could come to dust for fingerprints. So I walked down to the shop again, to let him in. He didn't find anything though, the thief(s) wore gloves.

So that was my weekend! Not much knitting there! But I'll go home now, and knit a few rows.

Update and plans

2005-04-14T12:04:00.000-02:30

First things first; the t-shirt knit along. I remembered my camera! So here are pictures of the finished back and sleeves. I'm working on the front now, and I think I've figured out what text to put on it. We'll see...

This is me in action

Now...here comes my dilemma. And I think I need help. Yesterday I had decided that the next project was going to be this cardigan from Garnstudio

But now I have two other projects that I just *have* to make! I tried knitting a swatch for the tennis sweater from the VK spring issue. It was the first time ever, that I tried knitting cables. I thought that it would be complicated, but it was so much fun! I really *do* need a dark brown V-neck sweater, it was part of my wardrobe planning for months! (Brown is my black you see) Anyway, I loved the rich chocolate brown and the copper glitter thread in it, that I have been using as the contrast color for my t-shirt. I have to make this sweater in that yarn (Paton's brilliance). But is it number one?

In my first post on this blog, I mentioned the simple chunky cardigan I saw in the winter issue of VK. The yarn was Tahki Ghost Print, and since it was priced at $18 per ball I put that dream aside for now (until I'm a millionaire). Then yesterday, I was reading "En röd tråd" blog, and she mentioned a company called "Handpainted yarns", and there I found it! IT! The most gorgeous color of a super bulky yarn: Apple Cinnamon. And priced at $5.40 per ball... I just have to make it! It will be perfect to wear in May-June here in Newfoundland, when the icebergs drift by and chill the air. So, is this the one I'm making next?

I wish I had six arms, and three brains....

Lucky lucky me!

2005-04-13T11:35:00.000-02:30

The whole time I'm knitting, I'm thinking of what I want to do next. I've been drooling (literally!) over Garnstudio's designs for weeks now, but the stuff I want to make have instructions in Norwegian. Swedish and Norwegian are very similar, and we can easily talk to each other. But the technical terms, and the abbreviations, made me more than confused. Now I found that they have updated their new designs with Swedish instructions! Oh joy! So this is the one I'm making next! Now it's official! =)

But for all you non-Scandinavians, I found this site where a very generous American woman, who now lives in Norway, have translated "knitting Norwegian" to English. Her name is Theresa, and it's the same Theresa that teaches us all those useful techniques in Knitty!

I was supposed to post pictures today, but (surprise surprise)...I forgot the camera again!

Sleeves done

2005-04-12T14:30:00.000-02:30

Just finished the sleeves. They were fun! I like to decrease. I did knit them both at the same time, and I liked it! It was probably not faster than knitting them separately, but I like not having to do the same thing twice. If you try it, make sure you take time to untangle the yarn, because they will twist. I think I figured out what to have on the front of my t-shirt as well.... Will update with pictures tomorrow, since I forgot the camera at home!

What's next?

2005-04-09T14:59:00.000-02:30

I'm almost done with the back of my t-shirt knit along. I hope I can finish it tonight, so I can start with the sleeves. I want to knit something with the accent color for a while. I saw on Sweet Georgia's blog that she knits both sleeves at the same time. That seemed like a mighty nifty idea, so that's what I'll try!

I fear that the yarn I choose for my t-shirt was a little too thick. I got the gauge right, but the fabric is a little denser than I want it to be. Oh, well. We'll see! These are the yarns I'm knitting with, both from Patons.

"Canadiana" "Brilliant"
Lilac Marvelous Mocha

And these are the patterns I'm dreaming about while knitting my t-shirt. They are all from Garnstudio, and they've got fabulous patterns there! I just don't know which one to start with... and I don't know if I can get Garnstudio yarn in Canada. Does any Canadian know?

Spring sprang sprung

2005-04-07T10:51:00.000-02:30

I sit inside the shop looking out... it's warm and sunny and gorgeous outside! I want out! Finally spring has come to Newfoundland, for real. But I should know better than to write that...we'll probably have a snow storm tomorrow just because I had the nerve to assume that spring is here. The weather gods on Newfoundland can be finicky. But that makes it very interesting to live here, because you never know! When I first came here, I was told "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes", and "We can have 4 seasons in one day", and I thought "Yeah, yeah...whatever". Well, now I know what those phrases mean. And, I've learned new meteorological terms as well. How about: Ice fog and ice pellets. Ugh! That's when you stay indoors.

I should really go for a run after work. I want to enjoy the sun while I can, and I need to at least try make it a habit. I won't be a marathon runner like Jason, but maybe I should aim for the Tely 10 this year? They say it's good to have a goal.

Oh my! The new Knitty was just published! Woohoo! Ok, got to go now. Got some reading to do!

Interview on the rock

2005-04-06T12:58:00.000-02:30

I got these questions from Lonely Wombat today. Fun!

1. Why did you move to St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada from Sweden and what do you miss most about Sweden?
The answer to that question is probably the most common one...love. I met Jason at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, Sweden. He was doing his PhD there (in aquaculture), and I went there for a project in my PhD studies (I was with Stockholm University). I stayed there to work for a couple of months, and the rest (as they say) is history. Funny thing, life is...you never know what will happen! This certainly wasn't part of my plan, but I'm very very happy here!

2. You became a soap maker almost 10 years ago and then started a company. What gave you the courage to go through with that? What are your favorite products and scents? Some of them look good enough to eat!
Thank you! For many years, operating a soap shop was a dream of mine. And when I moved here, to follow through with that dream wasn't that hard. I mean, un-rooting yourself and move to a new continent is a pretty big change. So, to change my career, and try this, wasn't that much harder. You know, it's like when you first get your hair cut short. Going shorter after that isn't nearly as hard as the first cut. =) And, I would also have to say that it wouldn't be possible without the support of Jason, and our families. My favorite product is always my newest creation, so at the moment I'd have to say "Tub o'licious" in Banana Rice Flower.

3. What is a summer in Newfoundland like?
Summer in Newfoundland is late, a bit short, but nice! It can be very hot (to me anyway), and almost always sunny (at least that's how I choose to remember it). Before we moved here, Jason and I went here every summer, in July/August. Having lived here for a year and half now, I know why he took me here at that time. It can be pretty miserable in winter and spring. But the falls are usually nice too.

4. Your portrait shows you swimming. Are you an avid swimmer? Is that water cold?
I wish I could say "yes", but I'm not really. That was more me trying out Jason's swim cap. He swims. His a triathlete, and all his training makes me weak. He gets up at 7.30 on Sunday mornings, to do his "long run". That's 33 km of running. He's crazy. I sleep late, have coffee and bagels and wait for him to come home.

5. Do you read a lot of books by Swedish authors? Which ones would you recommend?
I read some books by Swedish authors, but not exclusively. My favorite is Sture Dahlström. His books have this amazing language, I can just re-read sentences because I love how the words are put together. His stories are completely bizarre and absolutely wonderful! Another author I really enjoy reading is Kerstin Ekman. Her book "Händelser vid vatten" (Events by water) is really, really good. I also have to mention our national heroine: Astrid Lindgren. I'm sure many of you know "Pippi Longstocking" and other of her stories.

6. This is a bonus question in case you don't like one of the others. What do you most enjoy knitting? Do you knit for yourself or others most?
I loved the other questions, but a bonus question is great because I get to talk about my favorite subject (me!) for a little longer! What I enjoy knitting...hmm...well, anything at the moment since I just picked this up again. It's all new to me. I have a long, very long, list of tops/tanks/sweaters/cardigans I want to knit. And they are mostly for me. It takes me eons to knit, so I want to be damn sure it's going to be appreciated! =)

Thank you Elizabeth! This was fun!

Now, if you want me to interview you. Just write "Interview me" in a comment

My poor little fingers

2005-04-04T11:17:00.000-02:30

They feel like my legs do after a doing a hill run with Jason. They have not worked out like this in a loooong time. But it's so much fun! I'm halfway through the back now (I told you, I'm not fast), and all the time I'm knitting I can only think about what I want to do next. Is this normal, or is it just the impatient me? I wonder if I have ADD....

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in St. John's. Sunny and actually warm. And by warm I mean 5 degrees (Celsius). Funny thing is, as soon as the temperature just goes a couple of degrees above zero, people here just throw off their clothes. Literally. I saw people in shorts and t-shirts, walking around in the snow banks (that are still here, and will probably be here for weeks to come). I don't think they would dress (or undress) like that if it was 5 degrees in July. That, my friends, is how much we long for summer here! I will probably be the same, if you just give me a little time. Maybe next spring you'll see me skip in the snow wearing nothing but a knitted bikini!

Knitting along, knitting along...

2005-04-01T15:24:00.000-03:30

We have a sunny day here in St. John's! It's beautiful! From inside my shop it looks like spring, but the people coming in say "Brrrrrrr. It's freezing out there". Oh well...at least I can pretend it's spring, until I go home tonight!

I've been knitting! I'm not knitting wonder woman, so it takes a little while. But I'll get there (I hope). This is the color I'm working in, for my knit-along t-shirt. The trims around the neck and arms will be in a chocolate brown (that has a copper colored thread in it). Both yarns are Paton.

The hem was sort of knitted together with a row further up, cool but tricky. I don't know if it was harder for me because I knit continental style or if it's because I'm a newbie. Anyway, it worked out and it was a really neat way to do it!

I'm knitting!

2005-03-31T15:42:00.000-03:30

So last night it was pouring down, a good addition to all the snow we got earlier in the day. It was ugly outdoors. Really bad. No sane person wanted to go outside. The sane one was Jason, and the other one was me. I wanted yarn! I had joined a knit along! I was a girl on a mission, and I was pouting all night until Jason said "Do you want to go and buy some yarn and needles?". That's why I love him! So we went to Lewiscraft at the Village mall. I had called my LYS earlier in the evening, but since they have the same store hours as my own shop, it made it a little tricky to go there. So Lewiscraft it was. There I had to choose between acrylic, acrylic and acrylic. Some plain, some fancy. Acrylic is not really my favorite fiber...a little too squeaky. But, since I could not wait a second longer to start on my project, I picked a Paton yarn (Canadiana) in the prettiest color I could find. I started knitting a swatch to test my gauge in the car, and almost poked my eye out! I hope this enthusiasm will last through the back, front and sleeves.

I found more patterns than you can shake a stick at, at Garnstudio's website. First I browsed the catalogues with the summer collection, and was drooling. I had to get them! Just had to! I could not order them here to Canada, but maybe to my mother in Sweden? Hmmm...what to do!? And then I clicked on "Designs", and there they were! All patterns from the summer collection for free! This was the densest collection of must-haves for me so far. I want to try this one after my t-shirt!

Knit along

2005-03-30T14:19:00.000-03:30

I'm learning new words every day. UFO can apparently mean more than a flying saucer, and as it turns out, I've experienced a lot more UFOs than I ever though, albeit non of them being little green men. And then another word (two actually) that seems to pack a lot of fun into those short words: knit along. Knit....along! What a wonderful idea! And I think I found one that I, inexperienced as I am, can join. I'm so excited! It is nona's "Nothing but a t-shirt" knit along. Yay! I hope I have time tonight to go and look for some suitable yarn. So exciting, this will be my first "big" project... This time I *will* finish or you all will have an official invitation to come to Newfoundland and smack me over the head!

Quasi-novice knitter

2005-03-29T18:48:00.000-03:30

My first ever blog post. Imagine that! My name is Anna Hellqvist, a Swede who ended up on a rock in the north Atlantic called Newfoundland. A wonderful place! I moved here in August 2003, with my better half (Jason) and my two cats: Hoppsan and Rasmus.

This is Hoppsan (only a cat can be comfortable on a cast iron radiator!)

This is Rasmus

I learnt knitting when I was twelve. My mother was expecting a baby, and she was knitting little baby sweaters, hats and socks. It looked like so much fun, so I asked her to teach me and I started knitting a little sweater for my little sister (to be). This was in 1986, so the colours where questionable....mint green, pink and grey if I recall correctly. I never finished that sweater.... Later I started knitting a sweater for myself, I think I was 14. Only made an arm, and that was it. Some years later my uncle announced that he was going to be a father. Great! Now I had a new small person to knit something too. I think I produced one mitt.

So, that's me in a nut shell. I love starting projects, but I'm not good at finishing them.

Now I'm 31, and after buying Vogue Knitting last fall I got all excited about knitting again. I mean REALLY excited! I bought the winter issue as well. And recently I found knitter's blogs that was more inspiring than anything else. In fact, I have trouble getting any work done. It's like a whole new world opened up (I'm sure you know what I mean). So I thought, what if I started a blog? Maybe that can be the thing that actually makes me finish what I start?

So, what I need to do now is figure out a good starting project. My first thought was a lovely cardigan in the winter issue of Vogue, the one knitted with Tahki "Ghost print" yarn. When I found out that it's almost $18 per ball I gave up that idea (at least until I can find a good substitute). So now I'm thinking this Phildar sweater. What do you think? What is a good beginners project? I do know how to knit, just not finish what I start....