Summer cardigan...

So you get up early in the morning... it's a little chilly outside, but the weather forecast tels you it is gonna be a fairly hot day. What to wear ? For me this is one of the solutions: Jeans, sandals, a top in a light color and the ( for me... ) essential cream colored cotton knit cardigan... Which I, of course had to knit myself...




The cardigan is knitted in Isager cotton, which is a very good and strong cotton. Lately I have been very interested in the quality of cotton. I know way to little about it, so if someone can tell me or guide me to some reading on the subject I would be happy... I tried to design the pattern so it would be logical in its shaping of the armhole and the shaping of the sleeve cap. I spend some time studying how different cardigans were shaped. I wanted to make it in a way that sewing the sleeve to the body, could be done using mostly weaving techniques.




I have just made 3 basic slips for my white cotton tops, Which was just in time for the hot weather. The jeans and cardigan can easily go more than one day before washing, but the white tops needs a washing after one day with me wearing it... This way I just get my jeans, my cardi, take a new pair of tops, and of I go... I don't really need to wear something different every day. I love the feeling of not having to worry about my clothes and I would probably feel at home wearing some sort of uniform every day. Don't get me wrong here... off course I would have to design it myself and always have the opportunity to change it whenever I wanted to... oh boy it ain't easy...




I am very happy with the design and I know it will be worn a lot. I like the look of the mother of pearl buttons with the cream color. But It's gonna be a while before I will knit in cotton again. I find it to be very hard for my fingers, since it is so slippery and with absolutely no stretch.

Princess Lea hat for Dea

When my grandmother died, I inherited all of her sewing and knitting magazines. In one of them I saw this design. The design was described this way: It can be very difficult to find stylish and modern knit patterns for warm hats for girls in the age 10 to fourteen. Here is one that is both practical and warm and at the same time will make these girls feel fashionable... hmmmm... I doubt any 12 year old girls will have the same feeling now a days. Somehow today's 12 year old girls want to be sexy and cool. Once in a while I see these young girls with a lot of style, not afraid of showing that they are still somewhere between a child and a grownup... that is true beauty. But somehow I also know that these girls will become women with such a strong self confidence that they will never have to show way too much skin to be sexy...
There is still a lot of time before I will have to take this discussion with our little girl. For the record I will have to say that I too think that any 12 year old girl today, would look absolutely ridiculous wearing this hat...And by the way... Anyone wondering about the title of this post ? Princess Lea has the most wonderful hairdo, and when this hat was done we both agreed that the resemblance was quite remarkable





I adapted the pattern to fit a little girl and made the ear parts bigger than they where in the original pattern. The red part is shaped by making short rows (Such a great way of shaping... ) In the back it has a couple of cm. of ribbing to make it fit nicely to the neck. The front part is also shaped with short row knitting, and I finished it up with binding of with two threads for a strong and flexible edge. This hat really keeps the back of the neck, forehead and ears warm. I might have her wear it with a thin cotton hat under.




Once again the yarn is Knoll Super soft from Holst garn

Why I make my own basics...

Some people might think it is quite absurd to make you own basics like T shirts and slips. There has even been moments where even I have been wondering... why is it that I just cant settle with the same as other people? Is my body shaped that different?... No not really. But you see I know all the answers... So here we go...




1: I have a very good pattern that has been tested over many years and has never let me down.

2: I make all my tops with the straps meeting in the middle of the back to avoid the feeling of it slipping over my shoulders.

3: I make basics individually to match a certain dress or top. If the dress is slim the slip will be slim and so on. I mark my slips in the back with a little coloured embroidery, to make it easy after washing to put together with the right outfit.

4: It takes me much less time to make these basics, than to go shopping for them.

5 I have the full control of the fabrics quality, colour and since I prewash my fabrics I have no surprises with shrinkage and therefor it relieves me from the eventual disappointments so many purchases often has given me with size and some of them even get out of shape.

6: All my white cotton tops and slips are sewn with cotton thread, so if later i need to die it in another colour the thread will also be coloured.

7: I sew little buttons on the shoulder straps, and it is then easy to attach a little loop to whatever dress or top I wear with it. This can be done with a store bought top so maybe it doesn't really count... But I just had to tell you the whole story...




Does this seem like a lot of trouble... Or do you think I am just another control freak... I just love these tops and I like the feeling, that the layer closest to me skin fits me perfect. It somehow sets of the whole outfit from inside... And also you might know that I hate shopping....






I just made three more of these to fit with three cotton tops in batiste, wich where just too thin in the fabric, so it really needed a top to be worn under it. Hurray I didn't have to go shopping for these... lucky me...

A gift for John...

It appeared to be one of those knitting projects that could be knitted while watching a movie or having the constant interruption of little ones. But it wasn't. The pattern ripple rib was one of those mathematical logical ones, and even all knit and purl. Well how difficult can it be, but I am telling you, the combination of the dark yarn and the fact that the pattern was actually quite a few stitches and rows made this piece of knitting something that should be knitted in bright sunlight and with no interruptions. But here it is... and he seems pleased with it, so I am a happy girl.




The yarn is knoll super soft from Holst in the colour clover leaf. I used 200 gram and it was knitted on needle size 2½ mm.




Today I burned my left hand on hot water and later in the afternoon Some kind of irritating bug took a bite of my right hand ( well not really it just feels that way...)...so i guess no knitting tonight...