Huivihirviö - Monster shawl

This year I've been taking part in a challenge on Ravelry to knit 10 shawls during the year. Some participants have knitted dozens of beautiful shawls, but I'm only halfway through my first 10. One of the first shawls I started in January was Ysolda Teague's Ishbel. However, I was sidetracked by other projects, so it took me much longer than I expected to finish.

However, this beast of a shawl (so called because of the size of it) is done, finally :)

soputeltta

Sain vihdoin valmiiksi jo tammikuussa aloitetun Ysolda Teaguen Ishbelin. Olen vasta puolessa välissä tämän vuoden kymmenen huivin tavoitteesta, mutta Ishbel on kuitenkin ensimmäinen valmistuineista yli 500 metrin huiveista. Huivi sai alkunsa jo vuoden ensimmäisenä päivänä, mutta muut proggikset menivät sen edelle, ja sain sen vasta syyskuussa valmiiksi.

Huivi on kooltaan mallia soputeltta (josta nimikin on tullut), mutta muuten mielestäni onnistunut :)

Victims of the heat

I tend to suffer when the weather gets really hot. I suffer even more if the weather turns hot and muggy, and the weather was both hot and muggy for most of July (and a few days in August as well). My knitting mojo has been MIA for a while, as is usually the case when the heat starts to get to the upper limit of what I can comfortably handle. Luckily my Citron was finished during a cooler spell in June, but I still haven't used it, and the poor shawl has been left unworn. It's a lovely bright little thing, and I hope it'll be the perfect thing to wear once the weather cools down a little more, as the green is an almost perfect shade.


I also received two amazing swap parcels in July, and now have even more lovely yarn for making shawls :D My Ravelry-queue is almost overwhelmed with shawls I'd like to do, as is my list of favourites.

Here's to hoping that my knitting mojo returns in full force once the weather cools, and the idea of handling non-superwash wool is no longer sufficient to make me break into a sweat. I wore a cardigan to work today, which I take as a promising sign ;)

Tour de Fleece 2010

This year's Tour de France started this past weekend. I've decided to join in the fun for the first time, even though time for knitting and spinning has been rather limited these last weeks. Note to self: agreeing to a deadline the day after a friend's wedding isn't the best idea, in general...

Anyway... For the past few days, what little time I've had has been spent on an old spinning project, using a spindle from Rina and a Shetland-silk blend top dyed by the lovely Lilith, which I'd bought last summer.

While I missed out on joining last months Knit in Public day, I hope I made up for it a little, by causing more than a few people to look at me like they'd never seen a young woman sit outdoors in the rain and spin...



More knitting next time. If I'm not mistaken, more shawls are on the menu, as I've got several on the go, including a very exciting test knit.

ETA: pictures courtesy of Kirsi, who was a star and braved the ever-changing weather with me :)

Juhannustaikoja - Midsummer night's magic

Vietin suurimman osan kuluneesta juhannuksesta tekemällä morsiustaikoja ystävän polttareissa. Toinen päivä huipentui lasinpuhallukseen Iittalassa!


I spent most of this Midsummer weekend helping prepare a friend for marriage by performing a host of traditional bridal rituals. The second day of the hen do included blowing glass in Iittala, which was fabulous!

Iittala

Lisää huiveja - More shawls

pitsiympyrä


Taisin oppia eilen illalla, että ympyrähuivin aloitus ei ole se kaikista helpoin nakki. Sukkapuikot yrittivät karata silmukoista, ja käytettävissä ei juuri nyt ole riittävän pitkää ja joustavalla kaapelilla varustettua pyöröä, että magic loop toimisi kunnolla.

Ärsyttävää.

I learned last night that circular shawls are a pain to start. DPNs ended up falling out, and none of the circulars that are free have cables long and supple enough to make magic looping really feasible.

I am annoyed.

Topaz

Topaz:ini on valmis, langan kanssa otetuista matseista huolimatta :D



My Topaz is finally finished, after a few matches with the yarn :D

Sea silkin kosto/ Revenge of the Sea Silk

Murphyn laki päätti kostaa pari päivää sitten. Juuri kun olin hehkuttanut, että pääsin taas Sea silk-huivini makuun, lanka päätti mennä jumalattomaan takkuun. Lopulta kärsimättömyyteni voitti, ja päädyin poikkaisemaan langan n. kolmesta kohtaa ennen kuin takku selvisi. Voin sanoa, että silkkilangan jatkaminen on sieltä ja syvältä! Pääsin kuitenkin vihdoin jatkamaan tämänkin vastoinkäymisen jälkeen.


Murphy's Law bit me in the arse the other day. I guess I shouldn't have gloated about my Sea Silk-shawl, as the yarn exacted revenge by tangling in the most viscious way. While at first I promised I wasn't going to cut the yarn, my impatience won over, and I ended up cutting it at least 3 times. I can now say that Russian joining a silk blend truly and totally sucks! Oh well, work on the shawl continues.