:: Herbarium ::

Back in November I had the pleasure to test knit a pattern for a talented knitwear designer, Nadia Crétin-Léchenne. I've done some test knitting for her in the past and it's always been a great knitting experience. Those of you who read my blog from time to time or follow my projects on Ravelry- you all know that I'm a big fan of Nadia's patterns. I find them very clear and easy to work on. And Herbarium is not an exception.

It was a very smooth and pleasurable knit. For this project I considered few different yarns but in the end I decided to use Holst Garn Noble. I had this yarn in my stash for a long time, saving it up for the right pattern. While I was knitting my Herbarium, I did not like this yarn at all. It splits a bit and feels like a thread. It doesn't have any springiness to it and it is not very soft. I had my doubts. But after blocking- it just won my heart. It blocks absolutely beautifully, it gains softness in the first wash and the lace pattern unfolds gorgeously. I rarely get the feeling of getting the pattern AND the yarn right but in this case I'm 100% satisfied. 

The pattern, as I said, is very straightforward; the instructions are clear and easy to follow. The lace pattern is easy to remember and there are lace charts there to help you keep track of your work. Herbarium is, of course, completely seamless.

Project notes:

Pattern: Herbarium by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne

Yarn: Holst Garn Noble, 95% wool, 5% cashmere, 2.7 skeins in blue stone

Needles: US2.5 / 3 mm and US3 / 3.25 mm

Modifications: none. I knit size XS while I'm size S: I wanted a more snuggly fit with little (or no) ease and I'm happy with the result I got.

More photos on my Ravelry project page, here.

FO: Goldilocks.

I finished this lovely tunic for G. few weeks ago and finally I found a bit of time to post about it. For the past few days we’ve been blessed with wonderful summer weather and most of the day we stay outside so I haven’t had enough time for blogging lately.

Pattern: Goldilocks by Justyna Lorkowska.

It is an amazing pattern, extremely well written and very thorough. It is also a pattern that taught me few new things. The sleeves are knit with contagious method- I must admit I was anxious about it since it was my first time using this method but thanks to very detailed explanations, it was an easy and smooth knit. The pattern is well presented and directions are easy to follow. Every step is explained very well. You can’t go wrong but if you stumble on a problem, the designer has her own group on Raverly where you can ask for help. The pattern gives a knitter three choices of length- Gaia’s choice was tunic length. She loves it the way it is and I’m so happy to see her wearing her tunic- that’s the best prize for me as a knitter. 

I loved the pattern and the result so much, that I decided to join the Goldilocks KAL that is going on at the moment over at Lete’s group on Raverly.

Yarn: Araucania Lace Merino

I do like Araucania yarns, I’ve used few of them and was satisfied. Lace Merino didn’t disappoint me either. I really liked working with this yarn, it felt nice and soft and it blocked beautifully. The fabric drapes nicely. I’m really glad that I chose this yarn for this pattern. I still have roughly 75g of yarn left and I think I will knit a small shawlette for G. with it.

More photos on my Rvaerly project page (here)

Have a great weekend Everyone!

Knitting update.

I've been trying to knit a lot recently, spending every spare moment with my needles. Not much time is left before our little boy's arrival and my Ravelry queue is not getting any shorter. I hope to finish few more garments for him before he's born and I really would love to knit at least one cardigan for G. before she starts her nursery in September.

Few things came off my needles recently. First is Livingston, a lovely pullover designed by  Nadia Crétin-Léchenne. I loved working on this one. The pattern is well written and easy to follow. For this project I chose new yarn from Rowan, Baby Merino Silk. Affordable luxury, I would say. This yarn is so soft and a dream to work with, simply perfect for any baby knits. It's machine washable too for an easy care but knowing me I will never put it into machine... I always hand wash my knits.

Project notes:

Pattern: Livingstone by Nadia Crétin-Léchenne

Needles: 4mm/ US6

Yarn: Rowan Baby Merino Silk, 3.25 skeins

Second garment that I finished few days ago is The Oslo Anorak. I modified the pattern a bit and turned it into simple hoodie (I omitted short rows shaping in the back as well as the body decreases). It was such a quick knit! I would have finished it in three days if it wasn't for the sleeves: I had to re-do them few times because the second one would never match the first one. I swear my brain is a mash these days.

What I really like about this project is the fact that I finally used the yarns that have been sitting in my stash for too long: Malabrigo Merino Worsted (blue) and Araucania Aysen (brown). I think they make a perfect color combination. Both yarns were really nice to work with but Araucania definitely won my heart.

Project notes:

Pattern: The Oslo-Anorak by Anna & Heidi Pickles

Needles: 4.5mm/ US7

Yarn: Malabrigo Merino Worsted Blue), 0.75 skein and Araucania Aysen (brown), 0.8 skein

And last but not least: a little beanie for my friend's baby girl. She's due in September, just few weeks before our little boy.

Project notes:
Baby beanie with crochet flower.
Needles: 4mm/ US6
Hook: 4mm (G)
Yarn: Patons Fairytale Dreamtime DK (0.5 skein of cream color, 0.2 skein of cream/pink/chocolate)

Happy Knitting!

FO: Caramel and honey.

I finished this little pullover some time ago and I must say that so far it's my favorite  project for our little boy who will be joining our family in November (well, I haven't knit that many garments for him yet). I was inspired by Fisherman's Pullover by talented Veera  Välimäki (I love the look of her pullover and I will definitely knit a proper version of it at some point).

I used sock yarn for this project, a whole 110g skein of Colinette Jitterbug that I bought impulsively last year while browsing in Loop, London. It knits up beautifully. The colourway is nice too, it reminds me of chocolate, caramel and honey. And I found some cute buttons again (though it took me few days of intensive search to find them).

Project notes:
Yarn: Colinetter Jitterbug, 1 skein
Needles: 3mm/ US 2½

Happy knitting!

FO: Shalom cardigan.

I finished it some time ago but had no chance to photograph it until last Tuesday. C. had a day off from work and we decided to go to Mussleburgh (although it's roughly 20 minutes by bus from us we had never been there before...). We didn't see much though, the weather wasn't very nice. We took a short walk on the promenade and decided to come back home. C. managed to snap few photos of me in my new cardigan.

I love it. I love the yarn I used (boy, do I love Rowan...) and its colour (aubergine like, my biggest craving these days...). I love the buttons too (gift from Lete). 

I wish I'd had more yarn to knit this cardi with long sleeves, I might do it one day, using different yarn. The pattern is easy to follow and quick to knit. The only thing I would change are the armholes: too big for my liking. But other than that, no complaints with the finished garment. It will be worn with pleasure.

Project notes:
Pattern: Shalom Cardigan by Meghan McFarlane
Yarn: Rowan Cocoon, 4 skeins
Needle: 6mm/ US 10

FO: Pebble

Another baby knit is done. I must confess, I haven't been knitting a lot for the baby... yet. We still don't know if we're expecting a girl or a boy, so it's kind of difficult for me to pick up the right projects now. I'm having my second (and the last) scan in the end of June and hopefully we will be able to find out the sex of the baby. Then I will probably speed up with my knitting.

This is Pebble, a simple but adorable vest. I guess it's more suitable for a boy but I can see a girl in it too. It was a very quick knit and I absolutely love the buttons.

Pattern: Pebble
Yarn: Araucania Pomaire Multy, 0.75 skein
Needle: 4mm/ 6US

Happy knitting!

Elfie.

I've been a busy bee recently, working on few project at the same time and taking any opportunity to knit one more row whenever possible (and believe me, it's hard to find a spare moment with a vary active almost two year old toddler around ;) ). Today when G. was having her afternoon nap I managed to finish this little green top. And I feel quite content with the way it turned out. It's yet another of my experimental knits: I had the idea in my head and I braught it out to real life. I enjoyed knitting this top: so very simple and quick. I aimed to make 6-9 months size but I think it actually is 12-18 months (I tried it on G. and it was a bit too short and a bit too tight but not very uncomfortable and she is 21 months now). After the top was done, I decided to call it "Elfie"- this forest green color and cable motif make me think of little elves.

I've got so many ideas for other knitting projects these days, I should start writting them down . If only I could strech days and nights a little bit... For a while now I've been thinking of opening my Etsy shop with little knits like this one. But I don't think I've got enough courage yet...