Ribbed basque, new stitch

My new crochet stitch I learnt from Loop-D- Loop. I had mastered the wrong stitch, surprise surprise, I always seem to see it (The Stitch that is!) back to front.
So thanks to Karin who showed me how to work it the right way.
Now I need to repeat it, but this time go into the stitch from the back and not the front.
This was the reason for the double sided affect and of course not looking any thing like it should have in the book.
Even though we all quite liked the rib effect at the knit cafe on Sunday.

Funky hat

It's old charity shop yarn mix with a cotton baby blue odd ball and plastic beads. I got the beads at Panduro 49:- that's about £3:50 so a bargain. I crocheted this in an afternoon whilst Monet read to me, the book title was Goodnight Mister Tom her school reading book. Two hours past before we knew it;-)

Knitted Art sample.

I use up all my yarn ends by making a knit sample for my art work. This I knitted on 20 mm needles and then because the skinny orange yarn pulled the sample in, I used my 20mm crochet hook to extend the side of the sample. This will be an interesting effect once I spray onto Canvas.

I Knit Sweden

Here is my knitted flag,so far it has turned into a top. The crochet front is in one piece and then I attached the knitted stripes on as the back. I have made a band at the top, so I can tread a ribbon through
(Swedish official ribbon that's used for the school graduation party's)
This is to give the boob tube part extra staying power;-)

Lady Bird

The lady bird book on crochet from 1975
1st step of course, to wash your hands!
Then follow the diagrams, my E-bay purchase is in mint condition seeing it was printed in 1975.

Double checking your size!

I had to un-stitch as my sizing guide (my eye) failed me. Once I put it on the mannequin's, I realised that it was to big the bust department.
I am happy in a way, that the time wasn't waisted as the seam didn't sit right. Pleased that I hadn't gone on and started the skirt part.
I thought about how I could do the seam differently. I made it two sizes smaller and re- seemed the back.
All in an afternoon;-)

This Week I have mostley!

Cool Stitch, mixed spare ends and two or three yarns at a time! Strong sturdy fabric.

This week I have been mostly practising my new crochet stitch. As usual its taking a dress form. It's heavy ribbed and has a fantastic colour palette and here it is so far.

I'm feeling like I need colour and brightness as this week I went to the cinema to see PS I LOVE YOU!. Be warned, take lots of tissues and then after knit in bright colours as you'll need cheering up!.

Also on Tuesday, I managed to get to the new knit cafe that was Gino's but now held at the top of Drottning-gatan in a coffee shop called Hurtigs! (I think)

Johanna (I think was her name, my memory!) And her mittens!, I must say I was totally amazed. Her current knitted mitten collection, the stitches so tiny and neat that they looked like a machine knit. All with such tiny detail I was amazed.

Knit lab is 1!

Knit Lab my favourite Yarn shop and knit Cafe had a birthday, it's 1st year of opening. Two design students that are helping out in the shop at the moment, designed and made the fabulous cake.

The complete book of Crochet 1973

Here's the latest book to my collection it cost £2:95 from E-bay and 1973 was the year that I was born and lets just say that doily's where very in!
Originally 95p and even in colour, it's good to get the older book as I cant follow patterns and the picture and diagrams of the older books I find easier to copy. (work them out)
A knitted Jelly fish! well that's what it would be titled in a modern day knit book of today.
But in 1973 this lamp shade was all the rage.

Snood!

It's a Snood (I think that's the term, it's very 1980's) it a kind of scarf that's big enough to pull up as a hat. Excellent for walking across Stockholm's vast bridges that join islands together thus to prevent the face and ears from freezing off!;-)

New technique

This is a new crochet stitch I have learnt this weekend. The front and the back of the stitch look exactly the same. It makes a really thick fabric, that has ridges for each row.

Knitted display

Here I am in the mirror, I like it when you see something extra in a photo and not just what you meant to take a memory of!. Lenah currently has me in the shop on display and she put the black dress under the paper dress that really set's it off and with the plastic wrap, very funky.
Knit lab, has a birthday and is one! this week coming. Tuesday the 19th of Feb so drop in a check it out.
(If your living in Stockholm that is!)

Chatting a thing that I do so well, but standing up in front of an audience and chatting!!!!
not so good......
But
I helped out at a knit seminar (type thing) Wednesday at Knit Lab this week with Lenah and a whole bunch of teenagers (M,e,e,t) A networking club.
(Two very pretty and amazingly confident girls in charge)
It's for chatting,experience of sorts ,they have a mixer and refreshments and go to different business and learn different things/ways.
(This was all in Swedish, so that the best I could work out and with lenah's help)
I froze to start, frog in my throat we say in England. I probably spoke to fast! but once I got going I think I did OK.
Once my nerves where under control it was easy to talk about something that I love.

This week I have been mostley!

Swedish stripes ,It just knitted row's and around 50 stitches (I know I really should count)
But I love one row plain one row pearl, such neat and tidy stitches. A work in progress.
Practising with my 15 needles (two needles and a wire) that's knitting on a round! For the 1st I got it right this time it actually worked, It didn't twist. I am now casting off and then i'll pick up with a 15 mm crochet hook to make the top part(bust) I have knitted with three yarns so it a think and comfy fabric to touch. Just right for the cold weather at the moment so I think a jumper or dress that's for comfy cuddling up in, at night:-)

A knitted crane

Large knitting needles (An open mind is needed)
Their are so many in and around Stockholm at the moment and I seemed hooked on their structure.
If money was not an option then I would knit a super sized crane! They amaze me their size and the shear impact. I'm amazed how they work and how they get put together the magnificent structure. And what a Job!, do you just wake up and think, I love heights! danger and not to mention you must sit alone, it's not like you can pop for a pee or a coffee.
So I think, I would dedicate a huge knitted structure to them!, that's all the crane operators.

I knit (flags!)

I knit England, my mock one has an issue, I got it wrong! Their should actually be a white gap in-between the red cross over:-(
I knit Sweden is coming on fabulously!.

Union Jack

I'm currently working on a "Mock Union Jack". Slightly tricky and not as straight forward as the Swedish flag, as that was in rectangles so much easier to work in crochet.
It's going OK so far but we will see
(Also you will notice its not so traditional in colour, using darker shades).
The Swedish flag part is finished now I just need to work on turning it into a dress.

Tot's dress!

Vintage button's my Canadian friend Kim kindly leant me her inherited collection of vintage Nana's button's. To use some in my Art and knit projects and these worked well on my dungaree dress.

Where the project started from........

Crochet experimenting, I was kind of a free-form project which turned into a little girls dress, I was going round in circles crocheting all the stitches that I know/ and making up new ones. I was using three yarns at once and also separately or though It looks like I used a multi yarn.

I'm going to add a thick burgundy red ribbon to the waist band that bows at the back and the buttons needed to be stitched on as they are currently pinned on.

Walking in Stockholm

I just love to walk it makes me smile! no snow (lovely) and the weathers getting better .
(A little rainy but spring is on it's way!).
Stockholm is such a pretty city, always something different to see and the walking riding paths are amazing.
So no excuse's for me to take the train!
And as I walked home on Tuesday, I passed some knitted Graffiti! which made my smile even bigger!
Such an excellent idea.....

Knit lab window display

Mine again!
I’m loving all this press coverage
(Big thanks Lenah! Tack sa meyka)
Let’s just hope that the same happens again. And I get even more interest in my work.
What with the luck of me getting to the Swedish knit book titled “knitted by me”.
As you just never know!, who will walk past the shop window.
H&M, Odd Molly, designer Sandra Buckland, la la la…..;-)

Cardi

My knit Lab Cardi
Modeled by Monet and below kate! It didn’t quite turn out as planned. I made part one and my tension was a little out on the ending sleeve part. So anyway I joined the sleeves where I thought was necessary stitching up the seam and let’s just say I must think my top half is smaller than it actually is! because I would need to dislocate my shoulder to get into this shrug.

So I put it on Kate and it looks good, my camera lies and you can’t see the tension issue.
I was yet to start part two(2nd scarf that you join on)
When my daughter tried it on! She decided it was better suited to her, so it’s back to the drawing board for the “knit lab two scarf cardi”.

This weekend, I have mostley been....

Unpick's and new knits, I have been unpicking the old to make way for the new. Thanks Leana (Knit lab) an old scarf that was in a donation of wool. I like to think of the story of why and where the knit was from (knit history)
And then to re-use it, in something modern......
An unfinished knit, deserves to get finished!.(Vintage, very cool!)

Using knits and Crochets, I want to make a new sofa blanket as we have one big crocheted one. But two children so course they fight!(Any excuse). Using up some odds and ends but all a simalar thickness.
I have made alot of 20 stitches by 20 rows square samples.
(All have of cousre have come out in different size's, depending on knit, stitch and tool!)
Not sure yet how I am going to put it together, will work on that this week coming. Once they are attached I will then edge it, with crochet to get the size of blanket required.