Nordic arrows

The was the knit festival. And all I had on my needles required way too much thinking. So I was forced to cast on something new, you know.

What: Nordic arrows / Susanne Sommer

How: Circular needle 4.0 mm

From: Frida Fuchs SCHNIEKE Single + Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles + Kässäkerho Pom Pom Donegal Tweed, 86 + 100 + 72 g

I've been meaning to cast on this lovely shawl from the first issue of Laine Magazine for quite some time already. Now was the perfect time since garter stitch and brioche should make for a good social knitting project. Right? What do you mean, no?

Oh... Well, that escalated quite quickly. I realized pretty soon that even garter stitch can be too much thinking when knitting it in brioche style with both colors on each row. And oh my, once the brioche started. There was garter stitch, brioche, several increases, moving stitch markers and all the works. All at the same time and at different paces.

On thursday, I sat at the info booth of the festival and got to show my project to the designer herself. She bursted in laughter and said I shoulden't try to continue the shawl at the festival. Atleast not after row five. Yep. She was right.

But after the festival we went off on our summer holiday trip. There was plenty of sitting on the train, in an aeroplain, for a week in the car, back in the plane and the train. I took three projects with me but couldn't set this one aside. Once I finally got the jist, this shawl was super entertaining knit.

All I had to do after the trip, was to finish the contrast colored edge. And it took me a whole day from morning to night. But all in all, I rushed through the shawl in no time because it was such a fun project.

This triangular shawl starts at the sharpest point. First, there's some garter which is later joined by brioche triangles that get bigger and bigger until there's six of them. I like traditional striped garter stitch more but brioche requires this style, so it's not up to me.

Finally, you pick up stitches for the contrast colored border which is shaped with short rows. The border also has these cute little brioche bits in the corners. So pretty and so beautifully graphic.

For some reason, I was craving for colors for this shawl. I'm a bit annoyed how the light green Shamrock by Hedgehog Fibres totally ate up the lovely navy blue Frida Fuchs but I'm in love with this warm yellow tweed yarn by a Finnish dyer, Kässäkerho Pom Pom. Lovely colors. Though, I'm not sure if the suite me. Therefore I asked a friend to model this one.

And oh, what a friend she is for letting me use this one. Luv you!

Retro stripes

Sometimes a girl has got knit just basic striped socks. Or atleast, that was the plan but the end result is something a bit different.

What: Stripy socks / Own pattern

How: Circular needle 2.25 mm

From: Cowgirlblues Sock weight, 60 g

In the spring I took my sister to a yarn shop with the intent that my sister would shop yarn, I wouldn't. Well, that didn't exactly turn out the way I planned. No surprises there.

But I was helpless. There I was standing in front of shelf filled with super cute little yarn cakes in glorious colors and in the most perfectly sproingy yarn base. The tiny yarn cakes felt like little stress toys. I had no choice. Except on which colors to choose.

The yarn is sport weight which gave me a good excuse to buy three skeins. Just to be on the safe side. I ended up choosing quite a retro color combo. It remainds my of the Weasley family in Harry Potter.

An the simple stripy socks? Well, I started out that way but soon came up with the idea of a different kind of heel to make the stripes go all the way to the sole.

And after the heels, when the knitting started to feel a bit too relaxed, I came up with the idea of anatomical toes. Meaning, I made the decreases only on the other side at first. And ofcourse, I didn't write it all down because of course you can just count it from the finished sock when you need to and life would be way too easy any other way.

Cute but not too relaxing. But when has it ever been with me?