Still busy

Only 2 days left until the 24th. I am still busy finishing up the knitted gifts. I hadn't planned on knitting most of these, they were somewhat last-minute ideas. When I bought fiberfill 2 weeks ago for the Hedwig owl that I had started in August for Thomas I thought I could also knit a doll for Ellen for Christmas, especially since she will be getting a dollbed that my husband and the boys built for her. And so I quickly finished this little boy

It was a fast knit, only the finishing took some time. And I already changed the pattern to knitting in the round for the 4 limbs and the pants to avoid too much seaming. It was a fun way to use up a lot of the cotton yarns that have accumulated from kids' sweaters over the last few years. And since the doll will need a blanket in her new bed I started this:

It is going to be a log cabin doll blanket, based on the pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting. And it is using up some of my wool leftovers from various projects. I am almost done with it now, just have to add a border.

After finishing this I hope I will be able to work on the Hedwig owl. And maybe even a hat for my husband.

Back to knitting.

Es weihnachtet sehr ....

When I was a child we didn't get to see our decorated Christmas tree until Christmas Eve - all lit up with real candles! But now that I live in the US we set up and decorate the Christmas tree in the beginning of December but still leave it up until January 6th.

Of course I couldn't resist buying this little ornament when I saw it at One Thousand Villages last week:


I was also busy with the advent calendar for the kids. Since they still had Halloween candy left over they are getting puzzle pieces every day until they each have a full puzzle on the 24th.

There is still some time for knitting though. I finished another hat for Ellen. I love the colors and the feel of the Lorna's Laces yarn. I especially like how the top of the hat turned out. It is just ribs alternated with twisted ribs.

I bought the yarn for this hat without much thinking and decided that the colors didn't look good on me. But I think I know who will like them and so I now have a Christmas gift for her. It is the yarnharlot's Unoriginal Hat knitted in Malabrigo Worsted (double stranded).

And I started another gift - the boy doll from Zoe Mellor's Knitted Toys. I only bought the beige yarn for the face and body, all the rest is various leftover yarn. I couldn't decide if I should do the fairy doll or the boy for her. If I get it done fast and it turns out, I might just make the fairy doll also.

Mitten Brothers

I finished the Komi mittens for Thomas.

When Niklas saw me knitting them he wanted "the same mittens" but with green as the main color. In the end I was worried I would run out of dark blue and green yarn. I had knitted all four mittens and then still had to do all four thumbs. But luckily I had enough yarn.
The pattern is the Mitten #6 from Mostly Mittens by Charlene Schurch. I used Cascade 220 yarn, the dark blue and green was leftover yarn, I just had to buy the blue yarn. I knitted with 3 mm needles and they are a bit dense, but I think it makes them warmer. I had not knitted two-color mittens before, but the Komi mitten patterns are very nice and I am considering knitting a pair for myself.

After the mittens I cast on for one of my Christmas gifts. They are socks in the Embossed Leaves sock pattern from Interweave (also in the Favorite Socks book). I had knitted socks in that pattern before for myself, but the yarn was variegated and the pattern didn't show very well. This time I chose almost solid-colored Colinette Jitterbug in dark green. The pattern shows much better. I enjoy knitting this pattern and also the yarn which I purchased immediately after I finished Colinette socks for me. So with yarn I love and a pattern that is easily memorized I hope to have these finished soon and then mail them off to Germany.

Hats and Mittens

It has been colder last week and just in time I finished two Lusekofte Hats from the Hats On Book by Charlene Schurch. I only meant to knit one for my older son Thomas but it turned out too small, so Ellen lucked out and got it and she quite likes it, too!

This was leftover yarn from a Debbie Bliss Cardigan for the boys. I had bought it in Germany several years ago.

I like the pattern very much and so I immediately cast on for a second hat (this time in the right size for Thomas). I don't like the four-point decrease on top too much, though, and so I changed it to a 6 point-decrease which I like much better. On his hat I did'nt add a tassel. We are still biking and it fits better under the bicycle helmet without it.
For this hat I used Cascade 220 Wool yarn and the hat seems very warm.


I quite liked the two-color knitting and since the boys needed new mittens I am knitting mittens from another Charlene Schurch book, this time the Komi mitten book. It is the mitten no. 6. Again, I am using Cascade yarn. It is rather tight with the 3 mm needles, but I hope this way they are warmer. I still need to knit the thumbs on Thomas' mitten, but I wanted to do all the thumbs at one time and so I already knitted one mitten for Niklas with green as the main color and just started on the second one. I hope to have them finished by tomorrow.

Here is a picture of Niklas in his Halloween costume - it is the knight outfit from New Knits on the Block. He had requested it in spring to go with his play sword and luckily he chose it for Halloween. (I am the witch in the background).

Finished Cardigan!

I already finished the Tangled Yoke cardigan about 2 weeks ago. The picture is not very good, I will try to get some better ones. I enjoyed knitting it, but would not recommend knitting it in a dark color, since the yoke is not very visible, just in certain light. But it was stash yarn that had been lying around for 2 years not knowing that it would end up as something so beautiful.


The pattern is Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits. I used Tivoli Luxury Tweed that my husband brought back from a layover in Dublin 2 years ago. Here is a - also not so great - closeup of the yoke:

Just before I finished the cardigan I started knitting these socks:

They are knitted in Colinette Jitterbug that I had purchased from the Maschenkunst Atelier in Cologne, Germany, in spring. I couldn't believe that I hadn't knitted with it earlier since the yarn is so soft and such a pleasure to knit with. I used the Weaving Lace Pattern by Evelyn Clark from the Favorite Socks book. I knitted the socks toe-up since I wasn't sure how far the yarn would go and also didn't want to waste any. I was more worried that it wouldn't be enough, though. But they turned out great and fit.

After the cardigan I had to work on "homework" for an Arnhild Hillesland workshop organized through the Windy City Knitting Guild. It is a Teddy-bear size Norwegian sweater. The class was about the finishing of such sweaters. I did not finish the sweater in class, but learned a lot (first time steeking) and hope to knit a kid or adult-size Norwegian sweater soon. I left the class very inspired.

After finishing this sweater I will have to knit some hats and mittens for the kids. The weather has turned cool now and I cannot find many of the knitted mittens from last year. I think I might just knit some Norwegian mittens. Off to work ...

Not much progress to report. I am still knitting on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan but it is taking time. I finished the main body part up to the armholes and started the first sleeve. Now I think that I will have enough yarn.

My older son Thomas and I went to the Renegade Craft Fair yesterday. We had planned to go on Saturday but it felt too chilly. The weather was beautiful yesterday and we had a great time looking at all the handmade offerings. We made a few purchases, too. I bought one skein of hand-dyed sock yarn by Aisha Celia and one skein of handpainted lace-weight yarn by travelingrhinos.com. I am very excited about both and cannot wait to get them on the needle. But first the cardigan ...
The icecream cone is for my daughter. It is made out of felt. One of her first words was 'Eis' (German for 'icecream'). It is still one of her favorite foods. And she sees icecream cones in a lot of things (a microphone, picture of an acorn).


Since I don't have anything newly finished to show - here is a picture of Ellen wearing the Polly Pocket Dress from the Miss Bea's Seaside book knitted in denim yarn. I knitted this a while ago and she wore it a lot last winter. It is getting a bit small now, and I am considering knitting her a bigger one, either the same or a similar one. She loves the pockets on this one so I know a new one would have to have pockets.

Back to school for the boys -

means back to knitting for me.

School started on Tuesday and we are getting settled in to our school routines. That also means that I can get a little bit more knitting done during the day if Ellen takes a midday nap. And it also means I can work on something bigger than a sock because I can knit for more than 5 minutes uninterrupted. To "celebrate" this I cast on for the Tangled Yoke Cardigan by Eunny Jang from the Fall 2007 Interweave Knits.


I am using yarn that my husband had bought in Ireland during a layover there last year. I had started knitting a sweater for Thomas but felt that the yarn was too nice for a boy sweater and so ripped it. The yarn is called Luxury Tweed and a blend of wool, alpaca, acrylic and viscose. It is not quite so dark as in the picture, more of a charcoal color with specks of colors throughout. Now I only hope I have enough yarn. I keep my fingers crossed.

I finished the scarf from Victorian Lace Today but didn't do a very good blocking job and so I am re-blocking it. When that is finished it will go to a friend who had given me a lot of hand-me downs for Ellen. I have another skein of this yarn and as I mentioned before didn't enjoy knitting with it. The scarf has a very nice drape and feel though and so I think I will hold onto the yarn and make another one (just not so soon).

In early summer some vines sprouted in the garden, and I let them grow wondering what I would get. I got a lot of these beauties

and now I am getting a lot of these

So far I have "harvested" at least 25 of these gourds and there are lots more. I had bought some last fall at the farmer's market and when they didn't look good anymore I tossed them into the compost.

I always try to have sunflowers in my garden. Last year I had some very tall ones. But this year I wasn't very lucky. The ones that are there are very beautiful though.

Some FOs

I had a relaxing week in the beautiful Wisconsin Northwoods area. Unlike Chicago we got hardly any rain. In fact it was so dry that the boys were not allowed in the sandbox anymore because of their "dust explosions". Of course they found ways to have those explosions elsewhere. It was so dry. I didn't get much knitting done though. I had expected to knit while my little girl was playing on the beach and the boys were out boating. Instead Ellen liked the canoe rides so much that we did a lot of family canoe outings. We explored Little St. Germain Lake and its northern shores and saw a lot of its wildlife, including several bald eagles and even a beaver. We had picknick lunches on island and felt like explorers. When it got cooler toward the end of the week we went on hikes at two of the other many lakes in the area and we had a great time on those, too.
So all I knitted were Zebra socks for Thomas in opal sock yarn, just plain stockinette stitch with short row heels.

And socks for Ellen. They are still a little bit too big but should fit at the end of winter/spring. I had bought this sock yarn in Germany 2 years ago and started some socks for her but didn't like them. And now I can't find the ballband anymore and don't know what sockyarn it is. It is something with cotton. I knitted them toe-up, with short row heels. The pattern is a lacy rib. I did a kitchener stich bind-off to make the top elastic.

When we got back to Chicago it was very rainy and grey. So on Sunday I cast on for a pair of socks for myself and almost had one sock done by Sunday evening. I got the yarn from my Sockapalooza sock pal Karen. It is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in colorway Argyle. I used the Whitby pattern from "Knitting on the Road" by Nancy Bush. The only changes I made was to cast on more stitches since my feet are fairly large( I just added an extra rib at the back and more purl stitches next to the cables) and I did a kitchener graft at the toe. The two socks don't match but I love them anyway. I think I will be wearing them a lot this winter. It was a pleasure to be knitting with this yarn. Thank you very much, Karen.

When I went to Loopy yarns yesterday I had all 3 kids with me. I like the store because of their friendliness and helpfulness, not to mention their selection of sock yarns. The boys like the store because sometimes they are allowed to operate the ball winder. So they always beg me to buy some yarn that they can then wind. I did indulge them and got some Claudia handpainted sock yarn. So they got to wind it. But what they found even better was a kit for making potholders. I just had to get it for them. So far they have finished 4 of them. This is one by Niklas: And this is one by Thomas.
Tomorrow we're off to Wisconsin again, for a camping weekend in Kettle Moraine state forest, with a group of German-American friends and their children. Let's hope it won't rain much more.

A scarf and future socks

I have been working on a scarf from Victorian Lace Today. Yesterday I started the second border, so I should finish it soon. And I have to say the sooner the better. The yarn is Pastimes 100% soysilk and I am not too fond of it, at least knitting with it. I'll see what it is like after blocking. The color is light yellowish green, the photo is not very accurate.



We will spend a week in northern Wisconsin and so I need to pack yarn. I plan to knit socks. I have yarn for socks for everyone in the family but I doubt I will get that much knitting done. But better be prepared.

Socks and Summer

Two more pairs of socks are finished.



The first are socks for my 6-year old. (I hope his feet won't grow a lot by winter that they won't fit anymore).
They are knitted in Opal sockyarn in the colorway 'Tiger'.

The second pair was meant for myself but even as I was knitting them I noticed that they were turning out too small, I should have cast on more stitches, especially since I have a lot of yarn left over. I didn't want to rip them, though, and so they might go to my mom. The yarn is probably Online. I had bought the yarn 2 years ago in Germany and the ballband was off and gone when I started knitting them a few weeks ago. My almost 2-year old likes to visit my "yarn store" and shop.

I like summer cooking with fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden. Last night it was pasta with fresh tomato and basil sauce and a green bean salad.

Thank you to my sockpal!

On Saturday I received the package from my Sockapalooooza sock pal. To my big surprise it was from a fellow Chicagoan - Karen. The socks are "Mona" socks by Cookie A. They are very beautiful and they fit well.



And look what else my sock pal included in the package:

On the left there are 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the colorway 'Argyle', on the right a kit to make little keychain sock blocker socks, and on top of the socks a pile of chocolates! I couldn't be any happier!

This is the first time someone knitted socks for me and I love them.

Thanks to Alison for organizing the Sockapalooooza!

Finished Mason-Dixon After-Dark Nightie

Last week I finished the Mason-Dixon after-dark nightie from the Mason-Dixon Knitting book. When I bought the book last year the nightie was one of the projects I really wanted to knit from this book. I put it off until this summer.
I knitted it with the Euroflax Linen in colorway French blue (3 skeins). It was a pretty fast knit although the stockinette parts seemed a bit boring at times and I wanted to finish them as fast as I could. I enjoyed the lace parts very much. They are very easy to knit. Here is a close-up of the lower lace panel.


I knitted the back first with the lenghts as given in the instructions and was very worried that I didn't have enough yarn. After I used up the complete first skein and got almost up to the upper lace panel, however, I knew I would have enough yarn to make the nightie a bit longer which I preferred. So I knitted the front 3'' inches longer. When that was finished I lenghtened the back by taking out a row of knitting about 1" up from the lace panel. I knitted another 3" up from the bottom and then grafted the upper and lower piece back together. After washing the nightie the grafting line is not visible at all.

I couldn't get bra straps at my local fabric store and I attached satin ribbons instead.

I am very happy with the way this nightie turned out.

Finished socks

Yesterday I finished the Sockapalooooza socks.

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Red Rover colorway.

Pattern: Fancy Silk Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush.

The real color is more like the one in the close-up picture.

As always I enjoyed knitting with the Lorna's Laces yarn. I also like the Red Rover colorway very much. It reminds me of ripe berries and summer. I might have to get more yarn in this colorway for socks for me.

I am completely new to blogging. Just started it for the Sockapalooooza. I am still trying to figure everything out.

Sockapalooooza Update

This is my first blog entry.

I started the Sockapalooooza socks last week and I am almost finished with the first sock.
I am using Lorna's Laces sock yarn in colorway Red Rover, the pattern is Fancy Silk Sock from Knitting Vintage socks.

I really enjoy knitting these socks, and hope to finish them this weekend.

I will try to add a photo later.