Trying to stay awake...

...Long enough to post! I've been working all day, and I'm just exhausted, bu since I didn't get around to posting this weekend I'll try to get it done today instead.

Last week was spent mostly at work, but I got a lot of knitting done on my Coraline cardigan. However, when I tried it on for size, I realized that it was WAY too big. Apparently I can't swatch correctly if my life depended on it. Or, rather, I can't measure correctly. I decided to frog the whole thing and start over, so I'm using smaller needles and making a smaller size too. It's going to look great, and the yarn seems to work really well with the pattern. I haven't got any new photos to show you though, since I've only knitted about 5 cm or so yet, in plain stockinette.

I also knitted almost half a pair of socks at work on Friday (two of the resident doctors were away at a conference, which ment lots of less patients for us at the lab, which ment long periods of nothing to do but knit). This is the almost completed first sock of the Mirabelles socks!

I'm using my wool/bamboo yarn from Marias garn in Stockholm (the store has switched owners and is now called Litet Nystan), and I LOVE this yarn! It's so shiny and easy to work with, and the socks are going to look great. However, the yarn is a little bit stiff (probably due to the bamboo), and the second skein that I have of this yarn I had actually planned on using for a shawl. I think that the yarn might be a bit uncomfortable to wear next to the skin on my neck though, so I'm thinking I should probably make another pair of socks from it instead. 

I also had a moment of clarity this weekend. Do you remember this cardigan that I made a year ago?

It's made using a generic top-down pattern where you calculate number of stitches based on your gauge. It turned out a bit too small, but now that I've lost all my extra weight I decided to try it on again (as I still haven't worn it once). Turns out, it still doesn't fit me, so I actually decided to frog it to salvage the yarn (Lövegarn Symfoni, 100 % merino, chunky yarn that has been discontinued). And yesterday I cast on for another cardigan in this yarn, the Asteria Cardigan.

I haven't gotten very far yet, and since it isn't blocked you can't really see the lace border very well, but I think this might work. I really like working on it, since it is in chunky yarn that seems to fly off the needle, but boy do my hand hurt after knitting on it! I'm just not used to knitting with such big needles (6 mm)!

The Evenstar Shawl and the Devon Socks are resting a bit for now. I just haven't had time to work on any more projects, and since these are a bit too complicated to work on at work, they have just been put aside for a little while. I'll get to them though, eventually.

Oh, and last weekend I finished my Paper Dolls sweater! Yay! I was so happy to get to try it on finished, and it fits me this time! Well, actually it would probably have fitted me better if I hadn't just lost all those kilos, since it was measured to fit my somewhat larger body, but it's still good enough to wear. I haven't gotten around to blocking it yet though, so I have no photos to show you. I promise I'll get them for you next time!

And do you know what I did today? I bought myself some yarn! A couple of months ago I gave away my Candle Flame shawl to my grandmother, because she loved it so much. 

It was knitted in Garnpalettens one-ply lace wool yarn, and it was really beautiful. However, my grandmother (who takes care of my uncle with Down's syndrome, and is a bit stressed out about this) accidentally put the shawl in the washer, and it felted. So I've promised to make her another one, and this time I thought I'd make life simpler for her and just knit it in 100 % acrylic. So I bought four skeins of Piggelen yarn from Marks & Kattens (100 % acrylic, 120 m/25 g). Did I mention that my grandmother likes pink? I haven't decided on a pattern yet.

And did you know that Drops has a new line of yarn out? It's called BabyAlpaca Silk, and it's 70 % baby Alpaca/30 % Mulberry silk, 167 m/50 g. This is probably the softest yarn Drops makes, and I just couldn't resist. Especially since it was on introduction sale! Four black skeins got to follow me home!

I don't really know what I'll make from them, but I' hoping I can find a shawl pattern that will suit me, since it's so soft that I really want to wear it araound my neck :)

Oh, and I did one more thing when I was in town today: I finally got a haricut! I can't even remember the last time I cut my hair, it was definitely more than a year ago, and the tips were so brittle it looked like a broomstick! So I took off about 15 cm, and it looks pretty good, if I say so myself.

The hair person put a flat-iron to the hair, and she's also styled it a bit, so I probably won't look this fancy when I fix it in the mornings. But I'm just happy it looks healthy again! I'll never go that long between haircuts again!

Ok, now I should really go to bed, so I can get to work in the morning!

/ Jenny