Finshed!

May I present a 2.5 year project FINALLY finished! Tadaaaaa…

Oh well, it didn’t actually take me that long. It just lay untouched for about 2 years. You should just know how good it feels to have finally finished this cardigan. I’m wondering whether I should cast on for mathcing mittens, or socks, or even the trousers? Maybe it can wait, I think this one won’t fit until about four-six months age.

Yesterday evening I wathched a great film, Memoirs of a Geisha. I really recommend that one. And while whatching, I finished the plain-rib-part of the tiny alpaca west. So, now it gives me a little more pleasure knitting this garment. I might even finish it in time:-o

I have followed the progress of tiny for each week on an Icelandic web-site maintained by midwifes.  This week I read somewhere that now it is about time to get ready and pack the bag. Ohhhmygod, it came as a  kind of shock. I’m not ready. But then same evening I went and picked the tiniest clothes I have in stock at home: some old ones since I was a newborn, and something homemade. I have a set of this lovely lilac cardigan made of Icelandic Kambgarn, hat and socks I knitted more than seven years ago. It’s maybe more girllike, but it’s warm and I could well use it for tiny for the short ride home. And since I just got my new camera yesterday, I’ll post a photo next time.

Hippy pappy newyear – blanket knitting

Dearest readers, happy new year!

I spent the Christmas this year up north in Sauðárkrókur, with my brother’s family. And, apart from the stressful day at the airport, me and mother spent three great days there before driving back home the 26th.

I brought a few knitting projects with me. Unfortunately, it was already dark when we started driving north, so I could not knit in the car during those roughly four hours which the travel lasted. I think I will leave all the details concerning the flight company and how they let us wait, and wait, and delayed the flight, which was originally scheduled at 09:30 am. To cut a long story short, it was already to windy to fly when we were finally called to the gate just before five pm. I knew about the storm in the afternoon and when it was due. So did the flight company (at least they should have), but still decided to use the plane scheduled for Sauðárkrókur to fly east first. Anyway, doesn’t matter now, back to the knitting.

I managed to get some things done during the holidays. Firstly, I finished sewing the buttons on the green/cream baby jacket. Secondly, I finished the rib for the matching hat, and started the pattern. The hat was then finished on new years eve, except for the pompom, and know lies stretched and wet and soon ready to wear and to be photographed.

Thirdly, I managed to knit a few rounds of the alpaca west (last post), but knitting plain rib isn’t much fun. So I laid it aside and started the baby blanket.

 You probably can’t see it very clearly there, but I ended up using five colours: two shades of green, two of blue and then pink. And it’s colourful indeed!!! Not like any other baby blanket I’ve seen.

I’m starting to get more and more tired and exhausted these days, and was quite busy just before I left north. So I needed my rest during Christmas. But that doesn’t necessarily mean one has to stop knitting…

I haven’t finished the blanket yet, and anyway, I have still seven weeks to go. I asked my brother to take the official 7-months photo on Christmas eve. It’s quite awful, I know, but still…

I just look kind of chubby. Hmmm. And I’m growing quite fast these days. The days at work are getting more and more difficult, I really need a nap halfway through the day;-) This pregnancy is not quite how I imagined it would be! I really thought I would be running up and down mountains, swimming, finishing my thesis and so forth during those last weeks. Huhhh…

I finally met Sigga Sif last Thursday. We drove together to the Álafoss factory store, as Sigga needed some létt-lopi for a new sweater. I didn’t need anything and just wanted to go there and enjoy watching all the colours and stuff.  But of course I ended up buying two skeins of sockyarn. Haha, I’m hopeless at restraining myself!

The next evening Sigga Sif came for a cup of coffee and the rest of the Christmas cookies. She had started the new sweater and I cast on for the back piece of the cabled sweater. The sleeves are know finished, and I might just finish this one before Böðvar’s birthday, February 8th.

I asked my maybe-future-brother in law do buy a knew digital camera for me in the duty free store last weekend. He’ll be back tomorrow. I really hope he remembered. And if he did, the first thing I’ll do is to photograph the finished objects. Until then.

A wrapped up washcloth

Yesterday evening, I finally made the washcloth ready for departure. I rolled it up with a white soap bar, wrote a care label (and a few words to the receiver on the back side) and then tied it all together:

I hope she’ll like the colour I selected, and the simple pattern (Nina’s seed stich surprise). The thing with the black is -I have absolutely no idea which colour my secret pal’s bathroom is; white would have been quite safe but… I just hate it when I wash in the evening and my mascara stains a newly washed facecloth, no matter how thoroughly I’ve tried to wash it off using only water and my hands first (or some fancy make-up-remover-stuff). Aren’t you familiar with this problem?  Hence, I’ve often thought it would be a brilliant idea to use dark facecloths. And I’m also just quite fond of plain black and white. There you have it.
And here I present a blurred and foggy photo of the wristwarmers Sæunn got on her graduation day

This is a Rowan pattern from Magazine nr. 38 (2005). I used double Rowan Kid Classic and 7mm needles. And I’m actually very pleased with the result:-) At the moment, I’m working on the second sleeve of the cream and green baby jacket (see two posts down). Moving slowly…

I made a little trip to the Álafoss factory last Friday to buy some wool (Kambgarn) for a striped blanket. I stood a while wondering which colours to chose, but ended up with these

I wanted several colours, and a colour scale or a gradient of similar colours. I haven’t quite made up my mind wether I’ll use all the colours. Better make some samples before I start. Whenever that will be:-o Actually, I should finish some of the other things I’ve already started first. First things first.

It’s about time…

Finally, the reading course is over. And the exam too. And what a relief! I just checked my grade and I did OK too. Or quite well in fact. And that’s a big boost for my poor, low ego;-)

I have to decide myself, when the next deadline is. I wan’t to finish as much writing as possible before February. So, I have to make a new writing-plan(easy), and stick to it (not as easy)! But somehow, I think it will be kind of difficult. Most of the time I find myself quite tired after a normal working day. And the writing has to be done after work- when I always find it much, much more tempting to go home, relax and knit. Ohh, poor, poor me…

And the progress of long term projects? I am already in my 23rd week, and more than half-way there! Only four months left. How time flies.  Little Spacey is expected the 23rd of February:

Seeing this little creature moving around on the screen during the ultrasound check two weeks ago was so strange; I almost shed a tear, but of course managed to stay cool;-)

And knitting? Well, I can tell you that I spent quite a productive day at the airport in the beginning of October. My group of friends had decided on taking a trip to Copenhagen to celebrate our 30th birthdays. This was decided last spring. I therefore woke up at four o’clock am the 5th of October. Took the first Flybus from Reykjavík at 04:45 and managed to work on a Mason-Dixon bib on the way to Keflavík-airport, despite the dark and lack of sleep. On our arrival, we had to wait a bit in the check in line. So I continued my knitting there.  And again I sat down while waiting for departure, which was sceduled at 07:15. When we got to the gate, in time, no one was there! To cut a long story short, we had all in all a 9 hour delay! What fun! Fortunately, I had planned more than one knitting project. First I finished, the bib. Then I knitted a washcloth, for one in my email-knitting group in Iceland (we’re exchanging washcloths). Then I started a second washcloth, using the rest yarn, just to try a knew pattern. There they are

In the trip, I also did some crochet- I made the pieces for the teddy bear-baby garland you see on the photo below

I still haven’t put the pieces together, but I intend to make another one for my little niece (or nephew), who is due in the beginning of December. On the plane, I also began working on a pair of wristwarmers, matching a black Odessa hat which I had finished the night befor the flight. The hat and the warmers were intended as a birthday gift to one of my (travelling) friends. I gave it to her yesterday and think she was very pleased. She hadn’t noticed though, that I was knitting her gift on the plane. And she sat beside me! I’ve asked her to send me a photo wearing the gift, and when I get it, I’ll post it here. But instead, I have a photo of my mother’s warmers (which I intended to give her at Christmas, but just couldn’t wait and gave her last Sunday)

But do you know what? I haven’t finished a single thing initially intended for my Little Spacey. And still I always find the time to make spontaneous gifts for someone. The last gift I finished was yet another pair of wristwarmers, knitted using a Rowan pattern and yarn (kid soft, double) and 7 mm pins. A very quick project and the receiver was very pleased too when I gave her the present on her graduation day, last Saturday. Since then, I’ve decided to dedicate my spare time making something for ME. And very wice it was, for yesterday I was asked to knit another pair for a colleague. I said no, but found it very, very hard to do so. I’ll post a photo of the pink warmers next time. But actually a very ”foggy” one, since my 3-year-old snapshot camera has been declared out of order and “nonrepairable”.

Odessa hat finished

I finished the Odessa hat one and a half week ago:

I’ve also been working on the yellow 1-year-old dress, and managed to finish the second sleeve last sunday. Sadly, I won’t be able to do as much knitting  the next few months, since I’ve now set a date in October for my oral exam, the first stage of finishing my MS-study. Bother…

I deserve to buy me a skein of new yarn, I really do!

Phewww. Then that’s done. Had a presentation at a very small seismological conference this morning. And feel quite relieved. It was only something I’ve talked about several times before. But you know, I still feel I deserve to buy a one tiny little skein of Rowan Cashsoft DK for the Odessa hat by Grumperina. Don’t I?

It’s not intended for me, though. No, I rather thought of it as a birthday or a christmas gift for someone special.

I’ve finished some other things recently than the two lopi-jackets. I knitted this baby jacket in Uppsala for a baby that was due in late May. I didn’t know whether it was a boy or a girl, but I really liked this greenish blue colour and had actually bought some  for myself before leaving Iceland. So, I thought my frient wouldn’t mind dressing her babygirl in this blue, wonderfully soft alpaca-wool jacket. I think she loves it.

I used this top-down Magnits pattern with a few changes. I really liked the selection of buttons at my favourite yarn shop in Uppsala. These really add the touch. I wish they had this fancy stuff here in Reykjavík.
I’m off, heading to the yarn shop…