The past few weeks have been very busy both at home and at work, so I just haven't had the time to update the blog! For four of the past six weeks I've had two biomedical scientist students that I've supervised at the lab, and even though they've both been exceptional, It's a little bit exhausting to always be on full alert as you are when you're keeping an eye on them. This weekend, however, Thomas has taken Ella to his mother in Borås, which means I have the house all to myself!
On the 28th of April, me and Thomas and his brother Adam went to Stockholm to see Ghost, which was absolutely amazing. We left early on Friday morning and spent a good bit of the day shopping in Stockholm. We went to the Sci-fi bookstore and I got to visit Litet Nystan, which is an amazing yarn shop. They carry both Malabrigo, Madelinetosh and Cascade, plus the have also started selling Wollmeise! I bought some Cascade 220 that I think will become a cardigan for Ella, a skein of hand dyed sock yarn, and a skein of Malabrigo sock yarn.
Then in the evening we went to dinner with some friends, and then on to the concert at Hovet. Ghost delivered a fabulous show as always, and now we're planning on seeing them again when they come to Gothenburg in September.
I've also had a birthday since last I wrote, and Thomas had actually gotten me yarn! He was on a work trip at an old textile mill/museum, and picked up a skein of hand dyes mystery wool yarn. It is a single ply and a little bit thick and thin, and gorgeous! I've actually already started a new project with it, which I'll tell you more about later.
I've actually acomplished a fair bit of knitting the past couple of weeks! Two weeks ago I also had the house to myself, and as the weather finally got warm, I spent a lot of Saturday outside on the deck, knitting and listening to podcasts. I started by finishing a pair of striped socks that my mother-in-law will get when next I see her.
They are just plain vanilla socks, and the Yarn is Friday Studios Monday yarn in the colourway Capitol Couture, that I got in a club shipment a couple of years ago. I'm not sure that I think the colours work together, but my mother-in-law has already seen them and likes them, so I'm pleased with them.
I also FINALLY finished the Fiore di Sole shawl a while ago! I actually ran out of beads, and it took me a while to find more in the same colour, but now it's finally done and I love it!
It's made with Malabrigo lace yarn in the Emerald colourway, and fully beaded. The size is perfect and I completely adore it.
I have also finished two more pairs of socks, one pair for me in OnLine supersocke Carnival yarn that I improvised a cable pattern on, and the other pair is the Tiberius socks that I've made for Thomas.
I am very pleased with oth these pairs, and even though Thomas probably won't use his until this coming winter, he really likes them. His are made with Marks & Kattens Fame yarn, in a jeans blue colourway. Now that Thomas' socks are done, I'm trying to focus my attention on my Tiber cardigan. It's going slowly, but I hope to make a dent in it today, and possibly tomorrow before Thomas and Ella get back. I haven't gotten any new photos of that one yet, but it still looks almost the same as it did last time.
I've started four new projects since last too! I'm designing a pair of toe-up, spiralling socks that I'm making with Mad Color Fiber Arts Shiny yarn in the colourway Medusa Cascade. I've had to rip them back once all the way to the toe, and I reknit the first heel two times as it didn't fit my foot properly, but now the first sock is finished and I'm just about to start the gusset increases on the second sock. I really, really like them, and they are currently my break knitting at work.
Next up I cast on with the wool birthday yarn that I got from Thomas. As I have only a very wide estimate of the meterage of the skein, I decided to stripe it with black, so I bought a skein of two-ply wool from Ullcentrum in black. I cast on for the Crossfire shawl, and it's going great! I only needed the pattern for the firstfew rows, so I think this might become my break knitting once the socks are done.
After that I started another sweater for myself, the Enchanted Mesa sweater by Stephen West. I'm using Sandnes Garn Mini Alpakka, in six different colours, and I'm going to make it more fitted. I've only just started making the cowl neck, so the photo isn't much to look at, but I'm enjoying it so far. This one doesn't get much attention, but I wanted to have it started!
Finally, I started another shawl, because two on the needles didn't seem like enough. I started the Pincha shawl, with at least one skein of Lana Grossa Mielenweit sock yarn, and this is the project that I most want to work on! It is so much fun and so pretty, but I'm trying to get the cardigan finished first.
Other than that I think I've knit maybe two rows on the Evenstar shawl, and I haven't even looked at the Winchester Plaid mittens. But once I finish the cardigan I'll try to finish those two too, to get the oldest projects done! Also, Stash Dash has started, and I want to try for 5K this year. I don't really think I can finish that much before the end of August, but I'll try to get as much done as possible.
The other day I also got the second shipment from the Wollmeise yarn club, which contained two whole skeins of lace yarn! The colours are absolutely gorgeous, the dark green is Rosalie (which is also my mother's name), and the deep red is Margarete. I'm not over the moon for the pattern, but I think I'll try to hold them double and make a Downton Pullover out of it instead. I just need to finish off some of the older stuff first...
Okay, I think that's it for this time. I'll probably be back sooner next time, hopefully with more finished stuff!
/ Jenny
