Secret Pal

I´ve received no less than 3 secret pal packages these last few days!!

First up, my Nordic Secret Pal 5 Monamor, who sent me a nice easter package. It contained some fragrant candles, napkins and a napkin holder, a few things for the house for easter and coffee - already brewed and tasted! There are also some seeds which to me looks like an Allium of some sort - we will see. Thank you very much Monamor :)


Then my Hobbyboden pal, who I don´t know yet who is, sent me a crochet pattern for slippers from Drops Design with some nice thick Eskimo yarn to go with it and a thick crochet needle. Good thing too, as I now own 3 thicknesses all together.My crochet "stash" is not too large.


There were actually 3 balls of yarn, I already started on a slipper, an I actually had to look up the very first and simple stitch to remember if it was just a pull-the-thread-through kind of stitch or a put-the-needle-in-and-out-a-couple-of-times kind of stitch.

But I´ll get there! I´m intent on learning more of this crocheting stuff! (especially after I was able to pulloff the cutest flowers earlier). I really like the color too.


Finally, my Secret Pal 10 - the mysterious Uncia Uncia (snow leopard) sent me a pattern for socks from See Eunny Knit which I´m so happy to be getting! Another sock pattern from this website is already my must-do list and these are just as beautiful! So I now have these to very nice socks waiting to become early summer projects :) Thank you very much!

Chevron Socks

I struggled with the Jaywalker socks from Grumperina! I frogged the socks for my sister twice because I couldn´t get the gauge right and the way-too-teeny Jaywalkers for my son are still in the basket. So I gave up, even though the Jaywalkers are very cute and not very hard to knit.

I ended up making these socks for my sister instead!
They are chevron socks from the book Sensational Socks. It´s a wonderful pattern and wonderful yarn made this a very positive experience! It was my first time with a socalled forethought heel, probably an experience I don´t want to repeat as I found it fiddly - I´ll do an afterthought heel the next time.

The sock are knitted in Regia Silk, color Marocco. A lovely, light and silky yarn that I will definitely want to try again.

Email from my secret pal!

I´ve signed up to Secret Pal 10, an international swap-ring with around 500 participants!
I just received my first email from the mysterious "Uncia Uncia" (snowleopard), with drawings of sheep in it.
Hm.. at first I thought this might be someone german now I´m not so sure...

Oh well, I´m curiously looking forward to what´s next!

Some more finished projects

The yarn for these felted socks is Norwegian PT2, that was gifted me by a Secret Pal along with a pattern for slippers. I´ve never tried felting before, so this was fun, and the result good enough that I can say I´m happy with it. The only thing I´m not happy with is my sewing skills, the yellow line around the edge is supposed to be "pretty" and "decorative". Which it is not. Well well..., my son likes them!

Another Flora scarf and matching Mrs. Beeton wristwarmers, both from knitty.com.

The wristwarmers are gorgeus! A bit fiddly, but the result makes me completely forget that.

Secret Pal gift

I´m sooo slow this month at getting pictures taken!
My secret pal in february at the Hobbyboden forum was Mokina, who sent me a lovely home made make-up pouch, some soft-soft alpacca wool, and bamboo sticks. The pouch is perfect for all the little stuff in my knitting basket, and is already put to good use. It´s beautifully crafted, and even the little seams are obviously well thought through - they´re made in variegated sewingthread completely matching the pattern on the material (!). What attention to detail!

The yarn goes into my alpacca-stash, I now have several gorgeous colors of alpacca, and just need to figure out the perfect project for it.

Flora scarf finished

Well a while ago actually...
Bit I´ve been too busy to document the result. It´s gorgeous! I´ve already used it lots. The pattern is from knitty.com
I´ve also made a second black and blue one but need to weave in the threads before I show it off. And a pair of felted socks for my son that turned out so so.
On the needles now: socks for my sister from socks socks socks, still the Ludo-jacket fighting me and... Nothing!

I´m just waiting to get these projects finished because I have some big plans! And some smaller ones.
I want to knit two cotton dresses for my nieces abroad, luckily they´re not very big so it won´t be too big a project. And I want to knit a NORO butterfly-jacket for myself. And then I have big plans for christmaspresents for next year also in Noro. I still need to decide whether I´ll choose NORO Kureyon, Silk Garden or Blossom. Lovely yarns, all three of them.

Here´s another picture of the flower on the Flora scarf.

Secret Pal 10 questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like natural fibers, especially wool and alpacca. I´m absolutely in love with all NORO yarns! I don´t like synthetic yarns...

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Nothing! I need a knitting-needle storage-thingie, as a matter of fact

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I´ve knitted since I was 3 years old - 33 year in total. My grandmother taught me. I´m at an advanced level, or at least I like to think so myself.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No

5. What's your favorite scent?
-

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Not particularly partial to chocolate and candy

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Nothing much, really. I like gardening!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
-

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like all beautiful colors :) I could easily stay away from oranges and browns (although tend to end up with orange somehow anyhow)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a son who´s 4 (but he uses size 7)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes! (I´m a rather big girl, btw)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
ANything really, as long as it turns out as something pretty to look at.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Ohhh, Hanne Falkenberg Ludo children´s jacket (that´s fighting me all the way), jaywalker socks, scarfs and wrist warmers

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
circulars. Non plastic!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
nope

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
I hate UFOs and finish everything I start. My oldest unfinished project right now is a jacket (the LUDO) started in january.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I´m torn between summer and xmas

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Nope :)

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have no knitting magazine subscriptions. I´d be happy to get good ideas, really :) Again I love the NORO-yarns, planning to make scarf in a pink variation yarn. And I´d love to try the Noro Blossom, although I have no good ideas what I´d use it for.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Nah, I think I´ve been through most?

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I have a grandmother who knits us enough socks to last a lifetime :) And I knit socks for everyone myself as well. My size is a european 40.

23. When is your birthday?
just passed :)

A lovely, flowerly scarf

I love knitty.com!
I was making the Mrs Beeton wristwarmers with some leftover yarn (in progress) when I came across the Flora Scarf. I love it!
I even had some soft and cuddly Kitten Mohair lying around which was perfect for it. I bought some Idena Mohair Lux to vary the colour a bit, and knitted the whole thing in 1 thread Kitten Mohair and 2 threads Idena Mohair Lux, one of each was enought for the whole thing. Hopefully by tomorrow I´ll have finished the flower too, but I just love it so much I wanted to document the progress.

Noro Kureyon sweater

I´m in love!
Absolutely, totally in love with this wonderful yarn, pretty beyond any descirption. I´m going to knit NOro Kureyon sweaters for xmas presents next year for my nieces, knit myself a jacket, my husband a sweater, and very possibly a beautiful scarf from knitty.com

The picture shows my son´s sweater, in Noro Kureyon #163 and alpacca double-yarn turtleneck.
The arms are folded up a bit, and quite possibly I´ll splice the little bit of yarn I have left on the bottom of the sweater, so it will last well through next winter.

Next time I buy this yarn, I think I´ll try eBay, as there seems to be money to save.
Or just chose the simplicity of my "local" yarnpusher, pinnsvindesign.no :D

Secret Pal!

It took me some time, but I wanted to show off the gifts I got from the two secret pal exchanges I´m signed up for!

The first one is from my Nordic Secret Pal (Nordisk Hemmelig Venn) pal Fjellrosa, I got two green and one pink balls of Fritidsgarn, bamboo circulars and some very tasty and already gone packages of coffee. I have a nifty little handbag-plan for this yarn, it will be perfect for a February something-different project!

The second one is from my hobbyboden secret friend hannech, who sent me a pattern and yarn for slippers which will be perfect for my son, and some cute buttons. My son needs some new slippers, so this was perfec for the green and orange woolen yarn.The other yarn is really silky and should look good as edging on something, this something still needs to be figured out by me!