summer-winter-blues

the idea is:
2 knits in the same color family.
1 yarn from stash, 1 yarn bought.
1 for warm weather, 1 for cold weather






the top is designed by heidi kirrmaier. the pattern is buttercup and available for free download on ravelry. it is knit in the round from the top down. if you are on ravelry, go and check out heidi's designs. they are all fantastic. i have 3 more in my queue.





the yarn: elsebeth lavold: hempathy - a new fav. of mine
us needles: 4
pattern: buttercup by heidi kirrmaier




my winter sweater is designed by suvi s. the pattern is: baby cables and big ones too. this pattern is also available on ravelry. and as my summer top, it is knit in the round from the top down. i left out the cables on the arm to keep it simple. i like the sweater, the only change i would make is to knit it in a different yarn, maybe a merino alpaca mix to get a more heathery garment.



pattern: baby cables and big ones too by suvi s.
us needles: 5
yarn: pure merino dk by berroco

1 + 1 part two

1 for miss ivy, miya's beloved teacher, knit with cashmere yarn from the plucky knitter
on ravelry




1 for me, knit with merino silk yarn from pigeonroof studios.
on ravelry

clapotis, so simple, yet so rewarding

hats

my life is going lately a bit topsy turfy. so what to do on the knitting front? the answer was knitting hats. small enough and easy enough to knit whenever i had a moment.
the pattern is felicity by wanett clyde.
the yarn #1 is from plumknit, #2 and 4 are from hedgehog fibres and #3 from the plucky knitter.

wrist

protection for my hands, i rarely need it. but there will be a chance to wear these next week.
i'll be working outside, in the desert. i know, californian desert does not get that cold. but enough to wear my lovely new wrist warmers. right?



pattern : fishtail wristwarmers by alexandra brinck
more on ravelry

blanket cardigan

it is finally done. i had it knit up over a year ago. and then i made the big mistake of not sewing it up immediately. bad idea. it sat in a basket, calling to me, making me feel guilty, and as a result even more reluctant to get it done.
but than a couple of days ago i had the afternoon off. no work, no child, no husband. i started listening to brenda dane's podcast: cast on. and before you know it, i was on the floor, all pieces laid out around me and going for it.
and i could not be happier with it. the fit is great and the cashmere makes it so soft and light. a perfect snuggle-up cardigan.

1+1

first of all my 'planet earth' project is finished. i am quite happy with the subtle color changes and the drape of my towel. i used it already for the teapot to keep warm, the bread basket and on the table under the candles.
the pattern is basket weave with a garter stitch border and it measures 16 by 17 inches






a simple lemon cake made out of my meyer lemons from the garden. the recipe is from
the pioneer woman. i read about the cake first on a blog, but i just can't remember where.
since i never can just follow a recipe as is, i had to change a few things: instead of the vanilla extract i used lemon juice, instead of the marmalade glaze i made a simple lemon sugar glaze. all together a fast and easy cake which was eaten up in no time.

cute

i found this cute little sock / moccasin pattern on purl bee. . you need so little yarn that they are perfect for using up some leftovers. i made mine with some cashmere scraps from plum knit i had in my stash. the pattern is super easy to follow - there are step by step photos, and it took me maybe one evening to knit.
i would say this is a perfect pattern if you are looking for a baby present.
thank you purl bee!

here is the link to the pattern

the plucky knitter

if you are into indy yarn dyers like i am , then you have to check out the plucky knitter. the woman behind it is the very talented miss sarah. not only is she a wizard with colors, her base yarn is a dream. so soft.
when i got my first shipment i could not resist to immediately knit some up.
the result: one pair of socks and a baby beanie. (and there is still some yarn left!)



yarn: handpainted merino wool in sarah lee from the plucky knitter
pattern: duckies by samantha hayes (free ravelry download)
needles: us 3






yarn: handpainted merino wool in sarah lee from the plucky knitter
pattern: my baby beanie
needles: us 3


this is a single thread yarn like malabrigo yarn. but softer! and with this lovely smell to it.
the yarn is sold as a fingerling weight, i would say it is on the thicker side of fingerling.
the soft touch of this sock is a treat, but this is not a sturdy yarn. i'll use them as house and bed socks.

the baby beanie is for my little nephew. he will be born soon! so exciting!

happy feet

miya likes to tell me what i should knit for her. a couple days ago was a first: she wanted SOCKS!
well, you can imagine how gladly i accepted. we had some fun rummaging through my yarn and her final pick was this happy yarn from knitterly things.



yarn: vesper socks in muddy waters from knitterly things
pattern: my own design
needles: us 1





these are pretty simple toe up socks. i had fun trying out a few new things, like turkish cast on & knitting on 2 circular needles instead my trusted double points.
i would have loved making knee socks, but missy wanted them short, her words...... " like baby socks ".
oh well, maybe next time

hand spun

dear krista,

i can not thank you enough for this gorgeous yarn! my first knit with hand spun yarn and i am loving it.

thanks again,
ulli


miya is loving her new vest




yarn: hand spun merino in mushroom caps by pigeonroof studio
pattern: anthropology inspired capelet by julia allen [changed pattern quite a bit]
needles: us 10

linen

pattern: my own design
yarn: louet euroflax in bristol fog
needles: us 6




i am very happy how this sweater turned out. it is a basic "knit from the top" pattern. i made the sleeves fitted and 3/4 long to set off the long Aline shaped body. the linen was a bit tough to knit, but i am at peace with it since :
a) i already threw it in the washer and dryer and it came out looking great
b) i love the feel of it on my skin, its almost cooling. big plus when you live in los angeles

monterey

pattern: own design
yarn:trekking xxl
needles: us 0

last week i went to monterey for work. hearing what a beautiful place it is, i took my family along and extended the stay for a couple days. we took the car ,which meant a 5 1/2 hour drive. plenty of time for knitting. i decided on making a simple toe up sock, with a small braid on the sides, so i would not get bored. the yarn came from my stash.





monterey aquarium, california. what a amazing place. jellyfish! i was completely taken by these graceful creatures. just breathtaking.
sadly i had not enough time to see everything i wanted to, but i will for sure go back.

cabbage

pattern: spiral eyelet socks by sandi rosner
yarn: sea merino by mama blue knitting goods in cabbage
needles: us1

these socks are knit out of ONE skein! i wanted to see how far i could get and changed the pattern to toe up knitted socks. i also cast on 56sts. instead of 64sts. and knit a short row heel. basically changed everything besides the stitch pattern.
it was pure happiness when i found out i had enough yarn for knee socks.





this is #4 in my mama blue sock project and i am officially done with it.(it was fun!) i can not say enough good things about this beautiful yarn. the colors are just gorgeous. perfect for stitch pattern.

orchid

pattern: "twisted tulip socks" by chrissy gardiner
yarn: "sea merino" by mama blue knitting goods in orchid
needles: us 1




sock # 3! only one more pair to go and my mama blue sock project is done! i had quite some difficulty finding the right pattern for this color. i think i started about five different patterns before i settled on this one. but it was worth it.

linen

so far i was a pure wool knitter. i tried my hands before on some cotton but did not like working with it. it was the lack of elasticity which drove me off.
that has all changed now. i discovered a new love for linen, silks and so on, with nora's cami, knit in flaxen, a linen silk yarn by handmaiden. i found myself enjoying working with it. how come? i think mostly it is because we have this super hot summer. the yarn felt wonderfully cool in my hands.
and that brings me to my new project: linen. the yarn is euroflax fom louet. it feels stiffer than flaxen, but there is a freshness in its crispiness. kind of like fresh air dried and ironed bedsheets.
i decided on a boat neck sweater with 3/4 arms, inspired by "knitting from the top" by barbara g. walker. so far i am loving it......

nora's cami finished

pattern: "beaded cami" by black dog designs
yarn: "flaxen" from handmaiden, 2 skeins
needles: us 4




wooo! that was a close one! i have around 4" of yarn left. that's all! i will not bore you with my anxiety attacks. lets just say there wasn't a dull moment knitting this lovely top.
having absolutely no yarn left for the straps, i used some twill band instead. the white flacks in the yarn correspond nicely with it. (the colors are much richer - can't get the photo right, darn it)





i took nora's suggestion and knitted it in the round. since my gauge was a bit off i had to add a few more decreases. to compensate for the lost stitches at the top lace, i knitted only 4 pattern repeats and a rib with knit2, purl 1 the rest of the stitches.





i am in complete love with this top. the pattern is fun to knit and the yarn is wonderful on the skin. perfect for our never ending summer.
thank you nora for this great pattern!

prozac

pattern: universal toe-up sock formula by amy swenson
yarn: noro kureyon sock
needles: us1



my first toe-up knitted socks. fast and easy. and the color? well, the title rounds it up quite well. all i can say is: i was in dire need of it ( knitting happy socks)

surprise

may i introduce: "mr. big". miya graciously gave permission to use her favorite teddy as a model. mr. big was very flattered by my request. so nothing stood in our way for a little photo session.
elizabeth zimmermann's "surprise jacket" was by no surprise a fun knit. i just love this woman. her patterns are never boring and always practical. which i can not really say about my choice of yarn. cashmere is not the most practical yarn. but what the heck, there is a great spoil factor to it. and that was exactly my intention for my soon to be born nephew.




patten: surprise jacket by elizabeth zimmermann
yarn: colourmart cashmere
needle: us 5

saw this jacket at wildfiber. used the same yarn but different buttons and crochet the sleeves together.

nora's cami

"flaxen" by hand maiden. this is one of the yarns i got from knit/purl on my last trip to portland. i fell in love with the color (impossible for me to capture) and content. it is 65% silk, 35% linen. sounds perfect for our hot weather. the pattern of choice is a cami from black dog knits. i had my eye on this pattern for a while. i am happy i found this yarn for it.
now lets cast on...

baja

pattern: nutkin by beth lapensee
yarn: "baja" from mama blue knitting goods
needles: us 1


number 2 in my mama blue sock project. i like how the color and pattern is coming together. it reminds my of my vacations in greece when i was a teenager. the water there had this beautiful deep blue and the waves were on the gentler side. not like here on the westcoast, where the ocean can get quite rough and big and is mostly a silvery grey blue.
i just realised that the first sock in the series "kale" reminded me of austria, now this one of greece. hmm, i wonder what the other two socks will bring up - if anything.
thank you beth for this lovely pattern