FantasyKnits

Another hiatus

2008-01-30T14:38:00.000+01:00

I just don't feel like blogging any more. My job and life altogether take up a lot of time. Maybe it's just a phase, but I don't see the end of it. I will update my projects on Ravelry and Flickr.

Thanks for reading!!!

=)

Eva

Some more Pipkin

2008-01-22T23:03:00.001+01:00

I want to finish something, so I try to stick to Pipkin before I start something else.

Here is the progress so far:

The body is done and the sleeves are in progress. I'll do longer sleeves than suggested in the pattern because a) I'll get more wear out of it and more important b) I already have more yarn than is needed.

Having said that, I got some really nice yarn (hey! it's a belated Christmas present ... at least most of it) and will start this project as soon as Pipkin is done:

I won't do red, but a mix of lighter and darker browns. Yummy yarn, Lana Grossa Cashtweed with 7% Cashmere.

Prison Break

2008-01-15T22:20:00.000+01:00

I am so much into this series right now!! Love it! Wentworth Miller is adorable =).

What I have been doing ...

2008-01-10T06:49:00.000+01:00

In a nutshell, I got a new job and am studying at a different university. Woooho. This change was related to a lot of organization and stuff that had to be done, but I was kind of nervous about it, too. There is not everything totally clear yet - I am still working at the old job and have to pass on my projects.

I have been knitting, but there are no FOs to show. I started a bunch of new things (more like serious startitis I think) and ordered more yarn (as if I would need any hehe).

This sweater is on hold - I just don't feel like knitting it right now:

I have started this cardigan from an older Verena magazine, I think it's from 2006. The yarn I am using is from China and totally smells like plastic. It is pure wool though and felts like a dream when I am doing split and splice. The garter stitch sleeves are finished and I am not into complicated cables for the body right now, so it's kind of on hold, too.

And if this would not be enough, I have cast on for Pipkin from Naturally Noro, using the suggested Noro Blossom in a different color:

It's color No. 15. One front and most of the back is done. I got the latest Rebecca magazine, too =).

I love the yarn, it's the nicest Noro I have used so far, great colors and very warm. It won't be my first choice for work, though ... but keeping wearability at the job in mind is kind of boring sometimes.

The most exciting project is a jacket I am sewing.

I am doing long sleeves and the fabric I am using is very different.

It will be an outdoor jacket more for the colder months - so I better get going before spring is here!

Hiatus

2007-12-30T19:55:00.000+01:00

There is just too much going on in my life right now. I'll be coming back to the blog in a couple of days.

Happy new year!

Uncharted

2007-12-19T10:50:00.000+01:00

Last week we bought a PS3! We have already started playing this game:

It's fun!!

There is not much knitting being done around here, I have started a coat from an older issue of Verena. The gloves for my brother are not finished yet, I am not sure if I will make it - I have bought another Christmas present for him, just in case =)!

Still some Christmas knitting to do

2007-12-10T21:43:00.000+01:00

The last days and weeks have been crazy. I am happy to say that I have passed the insurance knowledge and practice exam at my company - and just got the best marks in all fields. Yay! I am so much looking forward to the Christmas holidays. Free time - and therefore knitting time - is very valuable to me right now.

I have already finished those Christmas presents:

The two hats are, well, hats, obviously, but the black things are leg warmers which arised out of a really screwed Mariah - sweater. I liked the cables on the sleeves so much that I turned them into leg warmers - and pretty ones, I think!

And, may I present you "the first sweater" - it actually is not the first sweater I ever knit, but one of them. At this point, it is about 10 years old and I knit it without a pattern (!!) and without knowing anything about designing, gauge or stuff like that. I made it up as I went, and although the colors are bright and cheerful, I did not know that I hate scratchy mohair back then. The armholes don't fit well, the neck is big, but nevertheless I like the whole thing.

This is the progress of the Verena sweater. I redesigned the pattern to be knit in the round - this knit is not as fast as I would have expected. I want to cast on sooo many other things, but I am trying to be strong and ... ooops, there are still some gloves missing as a Christmas present for my brother.

Warhammer

2007-12-04T20:21:00.000+01:00

I got one of those tabletop starter sets for Saint Nicholas day! I never thought about buying one myself, although the miniatures are really cute. Now my bf got me one, and I am looking forward to painting them - and playing, of course!

Most of my knitting is either Christmas knitting (yawn!) or UFOs I just should finish. One of them is the Icelandic horse Lopi sweater - I am actually doing fair isle and it does not look too bad!

Pictures as soon as my bf is back from Germany with the camera =).

My sewing progress

2007-11-23T14:55:00.001+01:00

Do you remember the checked dress I started a couple of months ago? I did the collar, which was quite messy, then I realized the size was way too big (my body does not quite fit into size standards). I decided to cut all the back, sew it tighter and redo the collar ... I guess it was such a pain that I got distracted and did not work on it any more.

Anyway, here it is in its current state:

The skirt is missing, as well as the cuffs and the buttons.

The dress has to wait - after all, this is spring wear and will be of no use in winter (come to think of it, being such a lazy sewer, I should better start earlier hehe). Yesterday I picked up a pre-blog sewing UFO that is about one year old at this point.

This jacket is from Easy Fashion autumn/ winter 05/06. The funny thing hanging down the left arm is a sleeve not yet sewn on.
As I am not too happy with some of the details, I will turn it into an outdoor jacket and already bought some teddy plush for the lining (uh oh, is that the correct English expression? the furry stuff teddy bears are made of?).

In knitting, I don't have so much fun at this point. I got some new yarn today, which is gorgeous, and I have a stash of some great stuff just waiting for me - and I can't decide what to start. Nothing is too appealing right now. So I decided to go with something that will be quick.

I love the color!

The pattern is from Verena autumn 2004:

You can't see much of the sweater in this pic, right? Well, I don't know what the front looks like, I thought I'd try it anyway =).

Have a nice weekend!

Yes, I know ...

2007-11-18T14:45:00.000+01:00

... it has been quite a while since my last update. I have been busy studying and working and I got some kind of flu - so I am staying at home and in bed right now.

But look what I got!

A Jordana Paige purse! Yay!

I had birthday on November 10th, but since I don't like birthdays - only my birthdays, I like spoiling other people on their birthdays! - I did not tell anybody. Hehe. I got the purse from my bf, he knew, of course. I will also get some Elizabeth Zimmermann and Barbara Walker books from my mum. I also indulged myself and got some Noro Blossom, Rowan Felted tweed in a dark green color - really expensive, that stuff! But it feels like luxury. I will start the Cambridge Woman vest from Rowan, but only after I finish some of my Christmas knitting.

What's more, I ordered a lot of fabric because I feel like the sewing bug has bitten me. I'll show you what I am planning and my progress as soon as I am well again.

I finished this baby a couple of days ago:

Naturally, I can't wear it like this to work, I might get a tight fitting turtleneck shirt to wear beneath it (pretty much like the model wearing the original does).

The pattern is taken from this magazine (third picture from the left):

Project specs:

Pattern: Pullover 2 from Rebecca Update #1
Size: S
Yarn: GGH Savanna (43% alpaca, 23% linen, 19% new wool, 15% nylon)
Color: 016 blue
Washing instructions: hand wash cold
Needle Size: 4.5 and 5.5 mm addi circs
Amount of yarn: 10 balls
Yarn called for: yes!
Mods: None. No, really!
What I like about it: Cool sweater.
What I don't like: The yarn sheds fibres ... not too bad, but we all know that I can't stand that. It is not really scratchy, though. You have to be really careful which kind of pants and shirt to wear with it, because the bulky yarn and length are not exactly flattering.

The Tree Jacket

2007-11-03T20:36:00.000+01:00

I finished my Tree Jacket a couple of days ago. It turned out great, but a little frogging was required, because the sleeves came out waaaay to big the first time. I did not like that look and aside from that I did not have enough yarn for baggy sleeves.

Project specs:

Pattern: The Tree Jacket from zephyrstyle.com
Size: S
Yarn: Merino Classic from Junghans
Color: 216713 gray
Washing instructions: machine wash cold (30°C)

Needle Size: 5 mm addi circs
Amount of yarn: 600g (just a little strand left)
Yarn called for: no
Mods: More decreases for the sleeves (decreased 10 extra stitches at the underarm - one stitch at each side every other row), collar in garter stitch instead of lace pattern. Made the collar shorter (about 5"), too. Oh, and I changed the lace pattern as well - my lace panels are done using YO, ssk, k2tog, YO.
What I like about it: Feels very soft, good fit.
What I don't like: If I knew that I would end up with too many sleeve stitches in the first place, I would have skipped those increases at the yoke. Other knitters seem to have similar problems with the sleeves.

Right now I am working on my Rebecca Sweater from Rebecca Update #1 using Savanna. I did a little bit of Christmas knitting - hats for my grandparents. Gloves (yawn!) for my brother are still to come.

Have a nice weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-10-31T21:57:00.000+01:00

Silky Slouch

2007-10-22T20:10:00.000+01:00

I had a really relaxing weekend. The weather turned freezing cold in Austria, and what do you need in winter? Yes, cake. And, even better, a mighty cake! =)

I won't tell you how many calories this one has got, but it sure is delicious.

A couple of days ago, I finished Le Slouch from knitandtonic.

Project specs:

Pattern: Le Slouch from knitandtonic
Size: one size
Yarn: Rowan Summer tweed
Color: SH521, lot 2616
Washing instructions: hand wash cold

Needle Size: 5 mm dpns and addi circs
Amount of yarn: 2 balls (1.5 to be more accurate)
Yarn called for: no
Mods: I didn't use a smaller needle size for casting on.
What I like about it: Nice yarn and great pattern. The finished beret looks good, too.
What I don't like: It is not really suitable for colder weather, the wind is blowing right through it - I could have expected that with this yarn choice, though.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-10-17T18:50:00.001+01:00

Some random links

2007-10-17T18:50:00.000+01:00

Patterns to buy:
chicknits.com

How to make knitting graph paper:
Format rows in an excel sheet to have a height of 0.067" and a width of 0.1".

Knitting content, finally!

2007-10-09T20:54:00.000+01:00

To start with, a cute bunny picture - how to take in comfortable positions while sleeping.

I have bought some yarn and pattern books at Laughing Hens. The first time I am using Rowan yarn (Summer Tweed)! It's for Le Slouch from knitandtonic. I am thrilled to see if it lives up to my expectations.

I am trying to show also my pre-blog finished objects on my blog, so here is one.
Meet "the-Verena-sweater-with-the-ever-boring-name":

It's from Verena Spring/Frühjahr 2004, pattern No. 34. Don't remember much of the specs, I finished it in 2006 using Schoeller + Stahl Scooter in the suggested color. I knit the sleeves and the body in the round instead of a flat construction and inserted some short rows for the chest.

In China, I had two projects with me. One of them was Wicked, which got finished (but just barely), using pretty small needles:

Project specs:

Pattern: Wicked by zephyrstyle (laceweight version)
Size: between 2nd and 3rd because my gauge was off (22 sts instead of 24)
Yarn: mysterious pirate yarn containing some wool and unknown fibres
Color: pink
Washing instructions: I tried 30°C wool wash program - seems to be okay!

Needle Size: 3.5 mm
Amount of yarn: 450 grams
Yarn called for: no
Mods: Short row dart for the bust area, edging in seed stitch and parts of the pocket.
What I like about it: Cool sweater.
What I don't like: The pocket is not really perfect.

China - Guangzhou

2007-10-05T11:06:00.001+01:00

From Shanghai we took a plane to Guangzhou. We had a little bit too much luggage, which was not a problem for the airport staff (a lot of things are done not too accurately in China).

We had an internet cafe right next to our hotel. It was full of Chinese kids who played all day.

Guangzhou is not too small (about 3.2 million people), but a lot less touristy than the other towns we have been to. Everybody was looking at us when we were walking around on the street.

The Chinese kitchen gets stranger in the South, we visited a market with weird ingredients, herbs and dried animals ... probably for Chinese traditional medicine. I felt sorry for the dried sea horses (yuk!).

We had a stroll around the city and the island next to it.

This guy was selling tiger paws and other things I did not want to know about.

Frogs ...

... and more markets.

So enough with the disgusting things, this guy had a HUGE amount of boxes on his bike.

And totally unexpected - Octoberfest in China!

We did not stay in Guangzhou for too long (and I was VERY afraid of eating I have to admit), so after two days we moved on to Hong Kong! No more gruesomeness, I promise!

China - Shanghai

2007-09-25T13:35:00.000+01:00

From Beijing, we took a train to Shanghai. It took us about 12 hours to get there by night train. No problems there, we slept well (just as good as you can sleep with snoring people in your cabin) and everything was clean.

We went to the Bund. The TV tower is 467,9 metres high.

Shanghai is a beautiful city with a lot of extremes - modern buildings and simple houses.

There is this prejudice about Chinese eating all strange kinds of food - snakes, monkeys, even dogs. This proofed to be true, we tried only to eat dishes where we knew the ingredients. Naturally, this was not so easy, for example this we-don't-wanna-know-beef-soup.

I came across a yarn shop (yay!) and the friendly ladies there sold me some yarn though we did not understand a word of each other. Knitters don't need a common language to get along.

Close-up of the TV tower.

Inside the TV tower in the evening, picture taken from the middle bubble.

A nice market, seemed to be from locals for locals.

Another dangerous working place.

We finally found what we were looking for: the clothes market. I got two Chinese costumes tailored, this is my tailor. Hats off! This guy knows what he his doing.

I loved these signs.

The view from our hotel, 19th floor.

Maybe I was so interested in other people working because I was on holiday - here is another pic, showing some men performing a serious cleaning job, I suppose.

China - Beijing

2007-09-23T09:15:00.000+01:00

We started our trip in Beijing. It was not too hot, about 26°C. This is the view from our first hotel.

In the first days, everything was stunning: unreadable traffic signs, loads of people and a language that could not be more different from ours.

Most of the Chinese - even in the big cities - don't speak much English. It turned out to be very difficult to organize things that were more complicated than eating or sleeping. Staying in a proper hotel is a very good idea, mainly because the chief manager and the higher educated staff speak better English. We got around by going to the reception, telling them the place we wanted to go, they wrote the name of the place in Chinese on a piece of paper - then we showed this expression to the taxi driver.

This drink is "Green Tea Latte" from Starbucks, tasted really great, though my boyfriend thought of it as disgusting.

A Chinese working site. They are building a lot right now, mostly trying to prepare for the Olympics in 2008. This guy is welding without wearing glasses.

The traffic was not too bad concerning the number of the cars, but the driving manners are the worst. Very aggressive, they have a lot of accidents and drive without regard to pedestrians or cyclists.

We visited the Gate of Heavenly Peace (天安门广场/天安門廣場, Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng). It is the biggest square in the world with a brutal past.

Naturally, we also walked on the Great Wall, a truly terrific experience.

I would have enjoyed it even more without all the tourists. After a while in China , I got used to being among people and noise all the time.

Close-up of the Great Wall:

I have no idea what this sign on the garbage bin on the Great Wall means - probably just a bad translation to English (they have a lot of those, sometimes the meaning is not understandable any more), but I thought that it is still very funny.

I'll post about the other destinations day by day - and there won't be any German report about the holiday!

In dem Fall bitte ich mit dem englischen Bericht Vorlieb zu nehmen, einen deutschen wird es nicht geben. :)

Back from Holiday

2007-09-20T10:29:00.000+01:00

In case you were wondering why it was so quiet on my blog the last three weeks - I have been to China! I thought about announcing the reason for the hiatus here, but it does not seem smart to me to post on a public site that my apartment will be vacant for such a long time.

It was exciting to be there, I did a lot of sightseeing and a LOT of shopping. I even managed to find some yarn. Everything is painfully cheap - I would have liked to bring home the whole shop!
Of course, I also bought some silk and got some tailored garments ...

So, without further ado, here is what I bought on my trip:

The bag of wooden needles was 2 Euros (I could not believe it) ...

... this yarn is 100% wool, no idea about yardage (it is all in Chinese) and smells like chemicals.

Beautiful silk:

I'll post a summary of the trip itself and knitting I got done in the meantime on the weekend! I am just too tired and jet-lagged now.

Auf meinem Blog hat sich jetzt ein paar Wochen nichts getan, weil ich in China war! Ja stimmt, ich hab das verschwiegen, aber ich wollte ja nicht jedem sagen dass meine Wohnung drei Wochen lang leer steht :).

Der Urlaub war super, spannend, ich hab mir viele Sehenswürdigkeiten angesehen und VIEL eingekauft. Ich hab sogar Wolle gefunden, das hätte ich ja gar nicht gehofft. Alles mögliche ist dort so billig, da habe ich mir sehr schwer getan zu entscheiden, was ich wohl mitnehmen soll ... am liebsten hätte ich den ganzen Shop eingepackt! Natürlich habe ich auch chinesische Seide gekauft. Und weils so preiswert war, hab ich mir auch zwei chinesische Kleidungsstücke schneidern lassen!

Sobald ich am Wochenende den Jetlag überwunden habe, gibts eine Zusammenfassung der Reise und ein Update meiner Strickwerke.

Two new works in progress ...

2007-08-30T15:28:00.000+01:00

.. that I have not shown you yet.

This sweater is one of those Icelandic horse sweaters, knit in Alafoss Lopi. Now that is some scratchy yarn, but it still has a lot of charm. I am not going to wear it directly on my skin anyway. It also sheds fibers, so I don't think this would be suitable for everyday wear, although I am sure that it will keep me warm when horse riding!

It should look somewhat like this when it's finished:

I have another kit for a Lopi - sweater in my stash:

Aftur in Lett Lopi, bought at www.islandwolle.de. I have not started this one yet, it will be interesting to see how this yarn knits up.

The second wip is a simple garter stitch shawl, using pirate wool from Patons. I want to wear it on medieval markets.

Zwei angefangene Projekte, die ich noch nicht gezeigt habe, sind der Pferdepulli von www.islandwolle.de und ein einfacher Shawl kraus gestrickt. Die Alafoss Lopi ist ziemlich kratzig, hat aber ein schönes natürliches Farbspiel und ist mit Sicherheit ziemlich warm. Ich freu mich schon, den Pulli bei einem Ausritt anziehen zu können!

Long-sleeved ribbed cardigan from Vintage Knits

2007-08-24T13:45:00.000+01:00

I have accomplished to finish a very boring piece - the Long-Sleeved Ribbed Cardigan from Vintage Knits. Not fun, a looooooooot of ribbing and no end in sight. I did it for my grandmother, who was not too happy with the fit because the sleeves were way too long. So I had to cut them to make them shorter, which means that the cuff is now wider than it should be.

Project specs:

Pattern: Vintage Knits Long-Sleeved Ribbed Cardigan
Size: Medium
Yarn: Lana Grossa Dito (60% cotton, 40% microfibre)
Color: 03, lot 1943
Washing instructions: machine wash 30°C

Needle Size: 3.5 mm
Amount of yarn: 12 balls
Yarn called for: no
Mods: A nicer edging for the front pieces.
What I like about it: The yarn. It has a nice touch.
What I don't like: I think I won't knit anything from Vintage Knits any more. There are no schematics, not enough finished sizes for the garments, poor directions and a weird fit. I seriously consider knitting something else for my grandma to make up for this. The arms were too long, the shoulders too wide, the front pieces not wide enough. Oh well.

Here is the first pic of my Wicked.

Die Weste für meine Oma ist fertig. Leider passt sie ihr nicht besonders gut, die Ärmel waren viel zu lang, also hab ich sie vor Ort gekürzt. Durch die Zunahmen ist sie jetzt bei den Händen relativ weit. Ich bin gar nicht zufrieden damit, eigentlich möchte ich ihr noch etwas anderes stricken, um mich für diese Katastrophe zu entschuldigen. Die Schultern sind zu weit, die Vorderteile sind nicht breit genug.

Ich glaube nicht, dass ich noch etwas aus dem Buch Vintage Knits stricken werde. Es sind keine Schemata drin, keine Angaben über die Maße und miese, teilweise mehrdeutige Anleitungen.

Das rosa Ding ist mein begonnener "Wicked".

CPH FO

2007-08-16T09:02:00.001+01:00

My hoodie is finished!

Project specs:

Pattern: CPH (Central Park Hoodie) from Fall 2006 KnitScene magazine
Size: 40''
Yarn: ONline Cora Linie 20 (60% merino, 40% acrylics, 85m/ 50g)
Color: violet (54), lot 37002
Washing instructions: machine wash 40°C
Needle Size: 4 and 5 mm
Amount of yarn: 12 balls
Yarn called for: no
Mods: short row shoulder shaping with three-needle bind off, knitted the button band at once instead of in two pieces
What I like about it: Everything! Found the perfect butttons, too.
What I don't like: It's too hot right now to wear it ...

I have started Wicked from zephyrstyle using pirate yarn - pink wool.

Meine Central Park Hoodie ist fertig. Ich habe fast keine Änderungen an der Anleitung gemacht, die Weste ist einfach aber solide. Würde ich jederzeit wieder stricken!

Als nächstes Projekt habe ich Wicked von zephyrstyle angeschlagen, in pinker Schurwolle von meinem Piratenüberfall. Ich hoffe ganz einfach, dass der Winter bald kommt, auch wenn das Wetter grad gar nicht danach aussieht!

I'm in!!!

2007-08-09T10:46:00.001+01:00

I have received my invitation to Ravelry. My name there is FantasyKnits. It will take me a couple of days to update everything.

I am participating in a game at Wollke7 (German page with free knitting patterns). There is a drawing to win a book called "Inka" by Marianne Isager.

In the meantime, I have finished my CPH. Pictures soon!

Endlich wurde ich bei Ravelry eingeladen. Da werde ich in den nächsten Tagen möglichst viel updaten! Außerdem habe ich auch meine CPH fertiggestellt, inklusive Knöpfen.
Und mal reinschauen: Bei Wollke7 gibt es eine Verlosung für "Inka" von Marianne Isager.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-08T14:08:00.000+01:00

Got the idea from Robin! Thanks!