Christmas Loot!

Thanks Lena, Sophie, Kath and of course my Rich ;-)

Loop-d-loop Crochet by Teva Durham

Seen this at Knit lab(huge table with all types of knit books to read on the Sunday knit cafe) and I just loved the pictures and I though maybe could use some of her idea's.

The Encyclopedia of CROCHET techniques by Jan Eaton

Broom handle technique, it's the only time I have seen this, is in this book so that's my new years resolution learn that stitch!, team work with the kind help of Karin ;-)

A variety of wool from my in laws and from my kids Glass needle's! not quite sure how practical they will be to use but seeing most of my stash of needles are from charity shops I thought why not? the trouble is they will need there own display stand they are so lovely.

But my number one gift is a rose wood crochet hook with a REAL pearl! wow how cool. Can't wait to try it out.

My knitted Vivianne Westwood tribute dress.

Up close and personal!

WOW! I'm very impressed, I think it's really fun and yes very suitable for Naomi Campbell with the huge heels on a Vivianne Westwood cat walk show.

Vivianne's skirt!

Front back which ever!

It's an elasticated waist so size isn't an issue and I haven't quiet yet decided which way round the skirt will go. The dress has large gaps so the skirt is an important part as it can be seen from all angle's. And just like the dress its a mass amount of UN matching yarns, so lots of textures! and a mixture of stitches.

Vivianne so far! (Cat walk knock out! or disaster?)

The Westwood dress, I have been going round in circle literally and not just round and round, but up and down and backwoods I wanted texture but all in one piece.

And I got lost so I'm taking a break (Catching up with the Xmas, consumerism!) so I have popped in on the mannequin, so I Can sit back and take a look at where I go next.

My plan an elaborate under skirt, possibly in yellow, knitted on the round needles.

I need Niomi and some huge heels!(Anyone help with that! just let me know....)

My knit bag just gets bigger!

Yes it's that time again, I have stocked up again.....I still don't seem to get it right and I quickly run out of yarns! That is either because, I don't buy enough! or I knit just too much? mmm I wonder!

This weeks project is the Vivianne Westwood inspired dress, not sure where I'm going but big and elaborate it will be! My new bag, is waterproof as my knitting keep getting wet and twice the size as the projects just keep getting bigger.

And maybe it's also because I need to carry "Knitted by me" the book I'm in every where I go, as well as my knitting. So I can show off of course!;-)(Still so proud)

Book launch party photos...

Me sitting looking like I know what I'm doing! (When I was really very nervous)
My rail set up, my clothes and accessories where displayed on a rail at the launch party in PUB.
People loved it! they looked and touched and asked questions and seemed really impressed with my technique style and design. It was great just sitting knitting and watching all of it go on around me.

This is the you tube from the Tv appearnce with Lena (knit lab) From channel 4 Swedish Tv. Sorry its taken me so long to put the link on my blog.
View it here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUS4Foqr0gU

Here are some reviews about the book they are obviously in Swedish but you can read my name. Translated it reads something like, Alison's Fridays fantasy knits all made by hand. (Thank's Emma:-)

My husband sent me these links, hence the you are mentioned!

you are mentioned here:
http://www.newsdesk.se/view/pressrelease/pub-lanserar-nytt-stickkoncept-som-tar-ut-svaengarna-183794
&
http://www.bolagsfakta.se/pressreleaser____114848.aspx
&
http://www.avanza.se/aza/press/news.jsp?n=756667&source=

the book is mentioned here:
http://www.cosmopolitan.se/blogg/default.asp?idet=1395

This week I have been mostly crochet-ing

Well it's been a busy week, and as every week I'm on something new with the knitting. This week I made the skirt part to the launch party out fit.

Basque top(made previously)

I made the mistake of not actually trying the basque top on before hand and it looked good but was extremely tricky to get done up!

(thank heaven for little girls!) I don't say that much but Monet proved priceless in my outfit organising. Need to rethink the ribbon and lace up the other way make help the issue.

Back to the skirt

The skirt was a real success, I cut the legs of old jeans and then hemmed with the sowing machine to turn into a skirt and with the left over rainbow top yarn I made a hippy/pride and prejudice look of an out fit, just by knitting random squares and then knitting them together as if a scarf then I attached it to the denim. Together it was a bit much, but I wanted people to know who I was!

But as separates the skirt is a great idea for teenagers to make with old charity shop jeans and an every day wearable knit.

Where as

The basque, very in at the moment and teamed with skinny jeans and a vintage blouse under neath,would be a good Christmas party out fit.

Book Launch 6th December

Book launch
Venue, PUB Stockholm
Book title, KNITTED BY ME
Authors Catalina Dehlin, Jenny Brodin and Cecilie Eslander

I felt like a celebrity of the knit world. It was a fantastic night my 1st book launch... I was very nervous, but it was just how I imagined it would be. Smart and well dressed the champagne flowed and the feeling of the party was Fantastic. You could have pinched me everyone commented on my rail; I got to speak to designers, the knit graffiti artists of Stockholm and of course the book authors. But words cannot describe how it felt, to see my work in a book. It’s what dreams are made off!

Thank you everyone.
PS I still can’t believe I’m in a knit book with the DAGMAR knitters.

Comments from the night!

“We would like to try and sell your dresses in our store?”

“Would you like to look around the rest of the store “(private showing)

“I saw you on TV”

“Do you know who she is?” (I like it a lot!)

“Are they for sale?”

“Unique designs”

“It’s just a hobby!” shock factor! You really should think about starting a business”

“Double page and various little pictures’ you have done fantastically, well done”

Oh yes it's official

I’m a double page spread in hard copy knit book!

Knitted by me

Not for sale yet I await the launch party with bated breathe!

So exciting, but the facts are true and yes it is official. Yesterday train trip to school to take my daughter, a lady approached and asked if I was Alison Friday!
(I said yes, Sweden is such a friendly place I didn’t even think that it was a strange event!)
Too many train trips!!!!.
She introduced her self and asked if I’d like to see the book as she was one of the other two writers.
I flicked through trying to control my excitement as I was unsure weather it was just a small picture of my work! Or the interview as Id had been late to reply?
(Never checking my G mail often enough, I have learnt)

So I’m flicking through the book looks fantastic and she says I’m near the back and wham! There I am and my dresses I love it…. Not the picture of me, as you know
(Those who do know me well!)
I hate my photo being taken but I am smiling so that’s cool. The top I’m wearing, I made it! and the dresses are on the rail I made them.

All my very own work.

I have achieved so much I still can’t believe it! This has been a fantastically lucky year for me.
It was defiantly a Moet moment, and when we left the train for my exit we walked the wrong way that’s how excited I was!....... watch this space for more news.

Quick knits (This took an hour!) honesty

Bottom of the round bag.

I made this last night and it really did only take an hour, its all the left over yarn from Brittany. I had no idea what I was going to make and it started out as a quick knit 25mm needle shawl that then turned to a bag. I made the square folded it creating a bag lining and out side, then crochet up inside out. Then changed to a 10 crochet hook, joined the other edge's and did the regular fill in stitch for the bottom, skipping every other hole thus the round shape pulls together.

The cord I had already crocheted, as Id used it as for another project. So I threaded that though and then the strap was just a chain stitch and three repeat rows.

It just needs to be set in resin and it would be fit for Luella (whatever! designer bag shop)

Recycle Knits

This week I noticed my yarn stash is vastly deteriorating so I have been ruthless and scarfs (beginner projects) Id made that where not happy with and the wool samples I had made for my Art and not sprayed yet, I unraveled them.

This is drastic but I'm usually a good judge of whats good and whats not. I really do love it or hate it! I'm rarely an in between.

This move has upped my knitted hat stash (need plenty of hats at this time, replaceing lost one's! kids)

As they where all little projects that I un-picked, one two balls each colour! enough for a beany.

Also that a hat being a small project, they are easily portable for the trains as the dresses are getting just a little too big.

And at this time of year the tram, trains are packed as everyone stops riding to work and we all pack on them like sardines thus making the big knits a tad difficult, especially with the knitting needle.(An accident waiting to happen on a packed train;-)

Britany Finished

The buttons and the straps seem to have come together nicely. I was’t sure on the scarf part (the skirt) to begin with, as it still wouldn't sit right when I first displayed it.

(But with a little tweaking)

Seeing on my mannequin this week, it looks good and I’m happy with my finish. There are quite a few ends of wool left, so I may make a shawl or better still a bag the hand bag puppy type! to match.

Watch this space!

Britany straps

Straps after! with added buttons, they are detachable so can be removed for washing.

The detail was to add Covered button's

The idea of knitting covers for buttons a good one!
Just how to get the perfect colour match, as I wanted detail as the original straps the stitch I used to attach them to the dress didn’t look so neat. So I wanted to ad some thing to take that away.
This was my first try and it worked. Cheap buttons 5kr each, or though I did accidentally by expensive as I got my crowns confused and they where 40each and I thought 4!? So for two plastic purple buttons it was over £6
(And we are talking plan plastic not rolled in gold)
So I promptly got a refund and the cheap worked fabulously

Straps before!

For Britany straps I used the cord stitch but wasn’t happy with my join so next I added detail.

A knitted Christmas

Hat(Groovy design), scarf and leg warmers.

Nk (En core) is Stockholm’s Harrods and the window displays are fantastic and this year is such a good one for knitting!.
It really is a knitted Christmas the cow sat in the 1st window is knitting she is surrounded by yarn and crocheted goodies, even the teddy rats have knitted scarf’s.
With such excellent detail and all good fun get along for a good look I personally think better than Harrods any day!.

Britany....

This is an up date on Britany! (this is whom the dress I making/designing is inspired by! I know what your thinking why? and the answer JUST BECAUSE)
So she has issues but coming together, I'm not sure where I am going next with the dress but I have now stitched in all the ends that as the insides where a complete mess.
That's a good start!

This week I've mostly been finishing!

Spinning my yarn, this rainbow colour I purchased from the knit fair. It was 98kr so around £7:50. At last weeks knit cafe I was kindly shown how to take it from the twist to a ball. And it made the one you see and also enough to make one more, so I will spin the other this weekend. So a bargain as I took a risk buying it this way as I was unsure how much of a ball it would make up too. But It was more than I expected and a fun thing to do!

Knitted sculpture, I made this as a random knit sample, meaning I used many yarns on large needles.

I then made a huge tray with plastic and set the knit in pva(glue). I was hoping as it was a thin layer that it would just firm the knit but the glue did not spread evenly so I had to add more making the glue set clear in places and then in others white.

I made a metal frame from garden wire a basque shape but the knit fabric ended up so heavy that it looks more like a large vase!

Here is my paper and pearls sample, tricky on a 15 hook. Fixed beads are too difficult to knit I need to buy some cheap charity beads and re tread so that their is more space in between each stitch.

To get around this I alternated with the green paper string, So I did a crochet square with beads then picked up the paper and did a crochet square in between.

Knit lab TV dress up-date

At this part I am going to knit a mini (Tom baker!) scarf and fill the gap is the plan, joining the knit with crochet.

I crochet the top of the dress and then the plan was to add a scarf of knits and pearls, as if patch work. My dresses I usually design(well knit and go!) with a celebrity in mind and funnily enough this was for Brittany and Just like her it's got issues.

I'm not so keen on the joins and how it sits together. And I have tried to make it as neat as possible but I'm just not sure, think this will be on the learning curve pile! We will see.

This week in need to work on the mass of threads that are inside from all the colour joins as i can knit no longer is such a spaghetti mess.

Monet's frog (biggest yet)

Top view!

This is her best work yet, she will be ahead of me by the time she's a teen her skill just keeps getting better and her crochet faster.

Cord Stitch (Cafe 60)

This stitch is when you use
4 stitches( you could use more I guess, new to me) and the needles without ends
(my new sparkly size 7)
That way you just continually knit so once you have knitted the four you then push the stitches to the end and then knit agian.

You end up with a really strong cord that could be used as straps for a dress for example, a handy new stitch.

Dress convertion

Here is a dress that I had made in the summer and at that point it was a top and I taken it as far as I could( and not happy with out come) And when this happens I just hang it on my (I made it, knit rail) and after looking at it a while i'll be inspired again, just like a canvas you can just keep adding but not all at once, step away and look at what you have created. Before you over do something!

And in true my style. The original top, I turned it upside down! and went from their adding the frill edge and combining three random balls of wool to make that funky blue mixed colour and the back of this top/dress is where all the work is and I had kind of "knitted frames"(like a mountin a frame) To show off parts of the top. These I added more colour and shape too.

Now I'm working on the straps, so we will see whats happens.

This week I have been mostley making!

Knitted tinsel, its a yarn that I picked up cheaply at the knit fair and it looks just like the tinsel, Brits put on there Xmas trees.

knitted sparkly Mohair, these are large knit samples that I have been making for my art they knit up quick as i used a 20 and 15mm needle with the fast scarf stitch.

Monet' biggest knit project yet

Monet's frogs have meet new levels and are fast becoming giant sized, she has been making this all week crocheting to an from school on the trains she is very impressed with her big knit. And sitting at night for at least an hour, her concentration huge.

Watch this space for the final finish!

Knitting my way to fame!

15minutes of fame! (I quoted as an earlier blog entry)

Well it turned into a week. Starting!Where a lady, due to one of my dresses recently being in a shop (Knit Lab) window, contacted me about putting a picture of some of my knit stuff in a Swedish knitting book (unbelievable and I still wont believe it till it’s in print), and to put the icing on the cake, Knit Lab owner Lena went on to ask me to join her on a morning breakfast show on TV 4 Stockholm.

Then to the grand finally, a taxi on Sunday morning at 7am taking me to the TV studios. And then my make up done professionally, followed up by sitting on stage throughout channel 4 (National Swedish breakfast TV)!!!

The slot was based on the shop knit lab and Lena asked me if I like to go too. Flattered, I said yes of course and upon arrival to the studio, I was so nervous. The professional make over was a fantastic experience, and then it came to the briefing! Lena was to talk about the shop; yarn and travelling with your yarn and to knit a hat live on the show for the host. (Showing it is quick easy and that you don’t need lots of yarn and a huge project). Something I am indeed famous for that is amongst my friends!!! I’m always knitting on the trams and T-bana (train system) knitting to and from the daily school drop off.

Once I entered the set where the filming was commencing, there where two tables set up one with Knit lab’s yarns and creations the other all my mad creations and fabulous dresses. Lena was to do the talking; after all I don’t know much Swedish!

Then the host of the show, Ulreka asked me about my inspiration for my plastic bag made from recycled lids and children’s, Scooby-do’s. I did my best but speaking on camera is nerve racking to start and I sounded as if I had that terribly posh attempt at a phone voice your mother usually puts on!

My son managed to record it. To be fair I looked fabulous, a little uncomfortable to start. I had to watch my stitches but usually I can crochet blind folded, but that was the nerves, but by the end I was cool (ish!) The morning also included a great Jazz band with a famous Swedish Trumpeter (hope that’s the word)

Then off to knit lab for a coffee and lunch and home to my kids who where so proud! (Not often that happens). I called as many people as I could, because after all who would have believed it. I really am making a name for my self here with my knits.

That’s the news paper article (Gino knit café) the book possibility and of course my dress in the window of knit lab to the TV studio. Wow not a bad for one and an half year in a country I had never been before.

You tube or video to come.

Ps my son co-wrote this, so if it make sence thats because he helped.

New Yarn Stash!

Knitted graffit!

My stash!

Syfestival

Solluntuna Expo Centre

2-4 Nov 2007fullspackat och fargsprakandeInspiration, shopping och massor av kreativ skapargladje!http://www.syfestivalen.se/

Full of colour inspiration and a lot of value yarn, excellent for the experimental knitter.Really impressive knitted graffiti. And plenty of people on hand to help you with your technique.

Knit news

I have recently been contacted, they asked if there is a possibility that my dresses (That are currently in KNIT LAB) may appear (little pic) in a New knitting book that’s being launched in Stockholm Sweden.

A modern, funky, fun upbeat and up to date! Look at knitting. I met Catarina (one of the authors) she/they have lots of new and interesting ideas.

Flattered, I was almost lost for words!, but you know me, it didn’t take me long to chat about what I love the most. (my pic not so confident with!)

It seems I’m on a rollercoaster of luck just being in the right place at the right time.

Good karma breathes good Karma!
Watch this space…..

This week I have been mostley knitting.

Hats for my nephews!

I only have two, Jay and Alex but they have a little cousin Harry so with the left over yarn he got one too!

Winters on it way and the pattern is the "Debbie Strollers" (Stitch N Bitch) basic beany, with slight modification for the smaller. Two plain, two pearl! easy and an excellent project to get you started. If your ready to take the plunge into knit addiction.

Yes that is my dress in the shop window!

From the street, Rosenlundsgatan 38f (knit Lab) Stockholm

Knit lab asked if they could put my Lotrrh dress in their window for the breast cancer pink display for this week, I must have looked like the cat from "Alice in wonderland" Amazed and flattered of course I said yes!

Charlie and the chocolate factory

My latest bed time cuddly cardi just makes me feel a little "Willy Wonkerish". It's all the purple. My niece Sasha was very impressed as purple and orange are her favourite colour's.