Random things

1. Not the best week

2. Father went to have his heart operation on Monday, and during the actual operation they found two more holes in his heart (the count is now three). That put stop to that. So, instead of having a simple operation (endoscopy in english, i believe) his is set to have a traditional, big, open heart surgery, where they stop your heart, cut it and do their stuff, and wake it up again. The new date is not known as yet. It won't probably happen this year, but during this winter anyway.

3. Not the best week

4. Finished a new hat for me, meant for these warm-cold days, when one needs a light weight hat



5. The hat weights 40 grams and is made of grignasco flavia baby. CO 160 sts, knit 3-row stripes (jogless). it's been in use all week

6. I'm seriously behind with my Christmas knitting which means I have not started it as yet.

7. I have a huge list of things to do this weekend: insulate the windows, clear up the dead flowers and herbs away from the balcony, maybe string the fairy lighst in place, clean the appartment, go jogging twice, sew up bit more of the new grey winter coat and knit my friends vest ready for final fitting. I'm rather tired already.

8. Originally the list included buying new curtain fixtures, but I gave up on that upon waking this morning.

9. For once that fate is with me, we all get an extra hour to sleep/clean tomorrow morning.

10. The Cat wants to be let out to the balcony. Have to go.

EDITS

11 am. Balcony cleaned, fairylights in place. now a spot of lunch and tea.

1.25 pm bedroom window and ventilating window sealed. wish I had washed the frames the last time I washed the windows. I have 24 meters of seal altogether and kitchen plus two living room windows to seal yet. I suspect I'm gonna run out of seal.

2.45 pm. yep, did run out of the seal insulating the ventilation window of the livingroom. I still have some sealing tape to use. I'll tape the outermost windows. Still, have to get more seal next week. I do need a cup of tea.

5.05 pm Why is it that The Cat has to go pee immediately I have cleaned her litter box? I forgot planting from my list. Have planted one amaryllis bulb and three hyacinths. next up, hoovering.

6.00 pm off to sauna

6.55 pm blessed sauna. now i'm gonna knit the evening through - this is the first weekend home in the whole of October so I'm just going to be.

FO: thermis

Everybody seems to have made one of these;  I too. I used a lovely grey DK weight merino from colourmart (i've knit a cable cardi of the same yarn but have not photographed / blogged about it as yet). The Ravelry project link is here. The colour is closest to real in the three first photos.

The buttons are made of suede. Before this project I didn't know I would want to use anything made of grey suede. The cowl is lovely, soft, warm and practical and to my mind, stylish. An easy knit, too.

I've continued to knit a vest for a friend. According to ravelry, i begun it in January... No valid excuses there. Should finish rather soon, though.

Then I've started to knit a cashmere scarf/stole  (rav link) in a lovely truffle-coloured cashmere. How lovely is that! The pattern is by Anne Hanson of Knitspot, called Hypoteneuse. It's both interesting and simple. And knit from cashmere, should make a warm addition to my winter wardrobe.

A weekend in October

Looking for buttons

I've been looking for buttons for two knits, a cardigan and a cowl. Photographing them can be a hazardous business, though.

FO: Mrs Zimmermann

My first completely in-the-round, Elizabeth Zimmermann pullover! I'm so happy. Those who do not know it, Mrs Z unvented (her own term) a recipe to knit a pullover in the round and basically the only numbers you have to know are your gauge and the wanted circumference at bust. From those you calculate your K number which means the stitch count at bust. All the other figures are percentages of the K.

I fiddle a bit with the figures; like I had 2 sts less at sleaves compared to EZs recipe. I also followed the modification devised by Meg Swansen, EZ's daughter, for the yoke decreases. Anyway, if you want more info, visit my ravelry page for the project. But here is the pullover! I feel I'll get lots of wear from it (please, I want colder weather...)

I found the EZ method easy and the finished piece fits rather well. I aimed at having more ease, but my gauge changed along the way while knitting and I ignored it... I knit the sleaves with DPNs and you can still depict the "seams"between needles. I expect they disappeat in wear & wash. The only thing i'm not sure about is the necline; it's not the best possible for me. Obviously I need to knit another pullover with EZ, this time with set-in-sleaves and V-neck. I feel I'm up to the challange after this piece.

The yarn I used is heavenly soft, fingering weight geelong merino I bought from ColourMart. The yarn has one strand of white, black and grey each twisted together. I used about 1100 metres of it and used 3mm needles.



It's that time

of the year again: evenings darken and lighting candles is most suitable. especially when you have a friend visiting.