Knitting Adventuress

... and visit my new blog, where I'll continue my knitting story:

 

http://hyldemorknits.wordpress.com/

 

Thanks for all your visits and comments here - it has been a pleasure :)

'Knitting Around' by Elizabeth Zimmermann - that book stole most of my beauty sleep last night, and now I'm half the way. It is really a good read.

 

It is half story of her life and half knitting instructions.

 

Her lifestory, and all the fine photos in the book made me wonder when and how I started to knit. I've digged in my memory and I've looked in old photo albums, but I can't find the answer. All the women in my family were knitters, but I can't remember any 'lessons'. They are all gone now - no one can tell me when and how I started my knitting carrier.

 

I scanned some of the old photos:

 

My little sister and me - handknitted sweaters - mother's design

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 years old on my way to carneval - the Minnie Mouse dress was mother's design too

 

 

 

 

 

... and one of my uncles was always good for a little danger

 

 

 

 

Ahhh - how can my old photos interest anyone out there? I better stop now and go back to my book :)

I've been waiting for almost 100 years for this book - okay, for 1 month to be precise. Yesterday was my lucky day. 

 

Looks like a good read and a lot of inspiration at the same time. Just what I expected, and just what I need right now. I think it was worth waiting for.

 

 

Hillswick - I'm not as fast a FI-knitter as I want to be, but here I am right now - first sleeve almost half  done. I'm looking forward to my next FI-project finish and wear it.

 

 

Maby I'm touchy, but I don't like to use that blue yarn I got from the 'plant-dyeing-yarn-spinning' woman. It makes me feel blue in more than one way.

 

My hands and my needles turns blue, and everything I touch turns blue. 

 

All my dyeing books tells me, to rinse the yarn in several changes of water until the rinsing water is clear. It takes a lot of time, but "things worth doing is worth doing well"!

I'll try to make it a long story short :)

 

First I got sick. Was laying in bed with an unfriendly virus for almost a week. Fortunately I was able to get up a day before we left for a little holiday on a small danish island - Samsø.

 

I love these islands. Boarding a small ferry makes my shoulders relax. No worry - no hurry - just enjoy life.

 

 

 

 

Our car broke down, when we arrived, but that couldn't take my smile away. Nice people helped us to fix it, and we were on the road again.

 

 

 

This was our home for a week, just a few steps from the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had an unexpected guest, and when he started to eat the house, we killed him.

 

 

 

 

A short walk around a charming village pond ...

 

 

 

 

 

... and a long walk in the hills up north.

 

 

 

 

 

I made progress on the Hillswick Lumber ...

 

 

 

 

 

... read a couple of good books, and worked on my color wheel.

 

 

 

 

Okay, I finished it - pretty hot I think :)

 

 

 

 

 

I bought some nice, handmade buttons - but I didn't buy the yarn. It was an exchange (don't know if it's the right word) for the design of the color wheel.

 

 

 

We visited a 'plant-dyeing-yarn-spinning' woman, and she couldn't live without a color wheel in her collection - so we made a deal. 

 

Here is some of the yarn she has made - very special I think.

 

End of a short story - have a nice week-end :)

FI-projects are not very handy, and I always need a project or two, that I can bring along everywhere. 

 

A lot of you knit socks maby because you need handy projects too- very nice socks, but I don't know if you've noticed: you never find socks on my needles. I have this little eccentricity: I hate to knit the same thing more than once - well - and socks are best in pairs :)

 

I've dyed a lot of yarn using plants lately, but in my stash you can also find yarn, that I dyed with acid colors. When I play with acid colors I use a color wheel for inspiration and help.

 

The other evening - when I was looking for some yarn and inspiration for a small, handy project - I found some of the multicolored Kauni yarn, that I used for the Rainbow Shawl. I never thought of it before, but WOW - the yarn is colored just like a color wheel, and I got an idea: I'll knit a Color Wheel - a nice, little, handy project.

 

And you know me - I started immediately. I think it'll be nice :)

A freind asked me, if I've ever read any of Elizabeth Zimmermann's books. 'No' was the answer.

 

Alice Starmore is also on my 'to read list'.  

 

For all the money I'm saving now, that I'm not buying any yarn, I've ordered some nice books.

 

I recieved one of them today - so good to come home from work and find this in the mailbox.

 

WOW - so much inspiration, so many beautiful models.

I've been busy. Not much time for knitting. Hillswick status - here I am right now:

I enjoy knitting it, and I look forward to wear it one day.

 

My dyeing project is stalled. I'll try walnuts for brown one day - thanks for the comments Vanessa and Lorraine. In future I'll take notes and be more accurate - until now I've just been playing (love playing with colors and wool)

 

Don't know if anyone has noticed, that my blog has been invated by spam. I can't se the fun or the purpose of it - don't think I'm bothering anyone. Maby I'll have to moderate all comments - or stop blogging - or find another host with a better spamfilter (have no idea what that is, but it sounds clever). I'll do something, if it continues.

 

No more small talk - I'll go knitting. Take care :)

 I think it was a success to dye with elderberry and sulphur tufts.

The photo doesn't show the colors quit right, but pretty close. It's the three left hanks I'm talking about.

 

My book says, that pine cones makes brown - just what I wanted next.

 

Took a walk, filled my basket, and I almost destroyed my kitchen, when I broke the cones to pieces (I used knifes, a hammer, different pairs of scissors, a saw and said lots of angry words).

 

Then I cooked a pine cone soup, and my 14-year old told me, that he wouldn't eat home, if it was the dinner, that smelled so mysterious.

 

I dyed the yarn and what a disappointment. The right hank isn't brown in my opinion. Maby I did something wrong, but I'll never give it another try with pine cones - it's to much trouble.