Wall of yarn!

Dette plejer at pryde min væg og jeg elsker det. Men det indebærer også, at jeg må på posthuset hver dag med pakker og jeg er afhængig af at kunne levere. Det var dejligt, men nu er det tid til at holde fri fra det, så jeg kan gøre lige hvad jeg vil, når jeg vil. Jeg traf derfor den beslutning, at nu skulle garnet sælges og tænk - en dejlig yngre dame her på Falster: Rikke Bentzen ville købe det.

Sådan så garnet ud pakket og klar til at blive kørt til Rikke.

Rikke har bestilt mere garn i USA og er i fuld gang med at atablere sin hjemmeside, så lige pludselig kan mine kits og garnet fås hos hende i uldbutikken.dk.

Alle mine dejlige håndarbejds- og designbøger nu er i en god nå-højde, så jeg hele tiden kan gribe en bog og kigge i den. Men garnet, ja, det savner jeg!

Men heldigvis kan jeg jo bare købe hos Rikke.



Japan in Stubbekøbing

Every once in a while I receive interesting stuff from Japan - I am very grateful!

The above photo shows from the left the Vogue Magazine: Keito Dama - a magazine I read in details.
I dont understand Japanese though - but I read all the photos closely and love it.
See: http://book.nihonvogue.co.jp

2 books are both written by Akiyo Murono. The center book is: Knitting Lace. I helped her finding old patterns from old Danish books and some of them needed translation as the patterns were not charted.

The other book is full of nice small things such as mittens, scarves, a tie, a skirt etc.  

 

A few days ago I got a parcel from Clover. I were excited. It is always interesting to see what they have figured out. I love the crochet hooks. I immidiately casted my old crochet hooks aside. My new hooks are so colorful and good appealing, so that I felt like crocheting right away.
To the left are 2 circular stitch holders. I am not sure I will ever use them. Tell me if you know how to use them? In the center is elastic thread for ribbing.

My absolute favorite tool are the 2 needles. They look like knitting machine needles. You can easily slide the yarn in the opening and there you are - the needle is ready to use. I am absolute crazy about these needles and they immidiately found their way to my tool box.

 

The green (and purple) sheep are meant to sekure the double pointed needles when you are knitting socks. They are cute, so they were placed in my sock-knitting right away.

 

I have noticed that all these tools are available in the US, but if you want to buy them in Denmark - please ask you shop to order them from Villy Jensen, who can get them from Clover in Japan.

Stitch-stopper

Sorry my blog is such a mess. I need to figure out what I am going to do with this blog. So far I am just trying. I am writing what is in my mind.

To day I will pass a tip on to you!
Some times when I am knitting flat - with a lot of stitches on a circular needle (see below) - i feel that the work is dragging down and making the work harder and heavier than neccasary. I constantly have to pull it up closer to the working end of the needle tip. But then one day I figured that I could use the cord stopper I always have in my tool-box.

And do you know why I have it in my tool box (I actually have 2)? I got it from an American knitter who use them as the bump at one end of double pointed needles so that they become domino-needles. Smart isn't it?

MORE ENTRELAC

I was am quite caught entrelac - but I did it my way - the domino-way so to speak!

I loved it so much that I have already started a new greyish tunic (below). I also love to wear it and the climate here right now is exactly for knitted garments.
My son gave me this mannequin - I call her my new assistent - and she is easy to photograph as she looks good - she does not move and she does not complain. But in December it is really dark even though it is almost 10 o'clock in the morning you cannot see much.

I succeeded in this photo of my coming tunic in greyish colors with Goldenrod. Here you can actually see the stars from the old nightshirts. I have lots of ideas for the Vivian type of entrelac. It is fun and - as you may know - I love squares. 

 

 

 

Entrelac

As I am working on a book for a Japanese publisher, I experiment and here is a story of my last knitting-game.

Ever since 1993 I have worked with domino-knitting. I love it and I will always enjoy working with domino - it has become a way of thinking knitting for me. Knitting is simply not just casting on so and so many stitches on a circular needle. No, it is working my way in any direction creating all sorts of shapes. I have never tried entrelac as I have always been shown that it goes horizontally and you have to knit all the squares in a row. I find that boring. But since I figured that I could knit entrelac in a domino-way - it opened up for me and I am now having fun with entrelac.



 

My friend Susanna Hansson (http://www.oneofsusannas.com/)

told me about this book: Entrelac by Rosemary Drysdale. I do have several books telling about entrelac, but this book really made a difference for me. I was mainly attracted to it because the front cover was so nice and colourful, but also because it had this step by step instruction that I could follow. She work her way from the right to the left - one row of squares and then the opposite. But since I now know how it is done - I can make it my way. I can simply knit almost from where I want to where I want - one square at the time, not a row of squares.
The book cover tells the story of why it is smart to work in rows - as you do not need to cut yarn between squares. But since I weave in my tails as I go it does not matter - and my squares are bigger.   

So here to the right is a garter square, then a square with a star on top and the third square (with a star) to the left etc.

I use the Clover Point Protectors (left) so that I can insert my double pointed needle into stitches from a square from whatever direction and then place the Point Protector. Easy!!!
On the picture to the right I just used straight needles, but using double pointed needles and Point Protectors are smarter.

I don't know what I will use this technique for - I just played with it and we will see what will happen in the future.

Knitting is about having fun - isn't it?

 

A Beautiful Model

I am so proud that I have gotten a Dutch dealer: Janeth Boers. Janeth knitted my design:
WING SHAWL and she used her daughter as a model and here is her picture - isn't it beautiful. I just love this picture.
Thank you so much Janeth and your sweet daughter.

A firm and nice cast on

As I am working my way through old ways of casting on - I made up this cast-an. I am sure taht American knitters know it already as you know so many cast-ons.
I will never forget the fist time I taught a class in the US and I said: "Cast on 29 stitches" and they asked me: What cast on do you want us to use?
In Denmark we have all learned the same cast on - "the two strand cast on" or whatever you call it. But you know so many cast on's.
I must say - the Danish knitters are getting there.

OK - lets get started - make an e-loop around your left hand index finger. 

Now turn it around counterclockwise and place it on the right hand needle.

Continue adding stitches to the right hand needle this way and you will get a real firm and nice start of your work.

Let me know if you know a name of this cast on - please?