-inbetween christmas and new year - filled with good food, wine, candles and - of course - a little knitting. Here is a riddle: "Splendid thread moving again but not towards it's assumed destined form. Fall provided pattern with a slight (obvious!) greek touch." 100 points to those who guess what I frogged and what is now on my needles... There will of course be pictures in a couple of days or so...

Eloise's back grew a little:

The knitting with this blossom yarn is a bit strenous because I really must pay attention and tighten each stitch well in order to keep the right tension. The yarn is very "bumpy" and if a bump blocks the tightening, the tension gets way too lose. But when I only pay attention it turns out great, I love the fabric it makes!

A week or so before christmas I got a mail  from our local library saying that I could come and pick up a book I put in a request for two or three months ago! I had almost forgotten about the whole thing - so I was surprised and happy finally being able to hold and open this knitting treasure:

I have to return it in a couple of weeks but now I know for sure that this book is on top of my knit-book-wish-list! So many great patterns - and more than that - explanations and beautiful photos showing different techniques that could be used making own designs. I think what I love the most about MI's designs is the way she combines different stitches to create uniqe textures. Like this:

 this and this and...

It's so quiet now. The children are sleeping and extremely ready for tomorrow - 24th - christmas eve, which is the celebration day in Norway. Clapotis was sent off yesterday . and believe it or not my mom received it today! I knit until 1.30 am the other night and thought I wouldn't get it on it's way in time.... I have some really bad midnight flash photos to show. Later. Now it is quiet, it's christmas and time to say:

GOD JUL - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's hard to be a nissemann. (Nissemann= the norwegian santa. "It's hard to be a nissemann" was also the title of a very funny song in a christmas-calendar- comic- show on norwegian TV some years ago. Listen to it!). Yes, it is indeed hard to be a nissemann- especially when it comes to knitting presents. I sort of lost courage and time being sick, so I decided after all to only make this one - the green clapotis for my mom:

The name of this scarf/shawl is indeed very describing, clapotis = french for "little waves":

 It's slowly growing and with a little luck and extra effort I might even get it done in time to send it off before christmas!

All christmas-preparations have been on hold for the last week or so, we've all been sick! Finally it starts looking and smelling a little like christmas around this house. A round. House.

Ms. Fiberspace in the prosess of making gingerbread. House, a round one that is, on demand. You get what you ask for.

Yes, it's not perfect and we love it!

 And Serinakaker. I love these simple but gooood butter-vanilla-almond- christmas cookies:

 I guess it's not so hard to be a nissemann after all...yumyumyum and then let's do the "stoveldance"....

It's winter. It's cold, it's dark. Sick child, for the time being only one, fingers crossed. Sick me too. I need some knitting to warm, soften and color my day. A dive into my stash. What could be better than this:



It's soft, it's warm, it's fluffy and it's colorful. It's delicious. It's Noro Blossom. Almost one year ago I decided I wanted to knit this. I ordered the yarn from here, they seemed to have a very good deal. It turned out that they had problems getting the yarn in from their supplier. So I waited. For 9 months to be exact. I've waited 9 months for great things before - (yes - even greater than yarn!) - so no problem - there was even no sickness nor extreme tiredness!  - Anyway - the long awaited fiber arrived this fall and it has been looking at me ever since - begging me to wind it and cast on. I think I have resisted long enough now, so here we are:



I love the little contrasting bumps:



Aren't we glad there are colors in this world?!

I finally got the last fringes on. It's not easy to get good photos these days with little daylight. The bulky-alpaca green is really more intense, but this is the best I got:



details:
yarn: 1 strand of fingering weight garnstudio's alpaca, dark olive, approx. 3 1/2 skeins, 50 g each, including the fringes, and 1 strand of 1-ply bulky alpaca (discontinued) from Du store alpakka, approx. 3 skeins, 50 g each. (60 m pr. skein)
needles: 10 mm circular
pattern source: Du store alpakka

Lots of things I like in the new issue. I want these! Right away! Just need to finish 20 other projects first. As if.

 A knitter's twist to advent:

Two candles will be lit later today. I might remove the yarn first. If I can bring myself to stop looking at it.
I was very lucky to be able to go to a beautiful city this last week. Among many other events I was able to visit this shop. Two rather small but tall rooms packed with Rowan yarns from floor to ceiling!  I was in yarn heaven! And a very nice lady selling them. I should have had an extra suitcase. I restrained myself to only buy yarn for this, which I have been wanting to knit for a long time. For those not familiar with the scandinavian yarn-market I must explain that just walking into a store full of Rowan goodies is only possible a very few places in this part of the world...

And then there was this:



This was from a different shop where they had this incredibly soft wool - Visjö - yarn. The colors are so vibrant and the yarn is as soft and non-scratchy as cotton! Unbelievable! I only got me one skein so I was happy to learn from their web-site that they sell yarn on-line... I'm thinking hats, gloves or maybe cla....

I just can't take my eyes off of you......

swedish, british treasures...sigh....

I have "some" alpaca yarn in my stash... And one girl who needed a new hat. She even wanted me to knit one! Give me a knitting mom who could resist that! I have knitting needles and I have one Sarah Dallas knitting book. So here we have one alpaca beret - finished the other day:

details:
yarn: 50 g of red thin alpaca from du store alpakka and a little bit of bright green
needles: 2,5 mm circ. for ribbing, 3 mm circ. for the rest
pattern source: sarah dallas; "knitting"
She is actually wearing it every day now!:

And there is more. New knitting.
I knew last winter when I knit two clapotis-es that these were not my last ones... I didn't realize how empty my knittinglife was without a clapotis on my needles before I split some yarn (garnstudio's cotton viscose, yes I split it lengthwise to get one thin strand to knit together with - well - yes of course - yet again the alpaca..) - and was ready to start Clapotis III:

Shhh - don't tell her, this is going to be a christmas present for my mom:...



No, she doesn't read my blog!

Once i took a personality test that showed that I was great on multi-tasking. Well. I don't know. I guess I am really great on getting all excited and starting new projects. Especially knitting projects. And some of the time I am somewhat great on finishing them. Or almost finishing them. Like the intended green alpaca-shawl I mentioned a couple of posts ago. It's almost done, meaning half-fringed. But has now been hanging for a week by the entrance door just to remind me of the little something I need to do in order to file it as a FO - or better - start using it! That was sort of the reason for knitting it! Here it's hanging in it's half-fringed glory, on the balcony to get some day-light. For the photographing:

I also finished this little wrist-warmer, alpaca, 2,5 mm needles, took me forever...:



My older daughter picked the yarn, the beads and the pattern. They are for her. She really wanted a pair of wrist warmers. But trying this one on she proclaims: TOO SCRATCHY!! I should have known. She is a true princess on the pea. But she loves it and says she wants to use it as a bag for her mobile phone! Yess! That means I don't have to make another one and I guess it therefore also qualifies as one more FO! If I get around to seam one of the ends...

And on we go; The somewhat sad status of the frog-exposed Splendour:



Good news is that I feel the motivation for picking this one up again is slowly growing!

Just a little here and a little there, knitting and finishing... Christmas is 4 weeks and 2 days away. There are a few gifts I have started....To be continued.

One big brown bulky knit is done! A fun, quick and very rewarding knit - such a great and shapey design:

(It IS really sunny today -after days with extreme rainstorm!)
I am indeed very pleased with how it turned out - and I love the details - the buttons - the little KH-tag - the edgings..and the extremely soft wool!

details:
yarn: Rowan's Big Wool, shade 023 "Camouflage"
needles: 10 mm (for the sleeve-ribbing and the waist) and 12 mm, circular
pattern source: This kit!
and the designer: Thank you,

- for making such great designs!

I'm ready to go!:

Woohoo - into the sun! - for as long as it lasts...