Enjoy! (lost in translation)

I've failed to come up with a translation for this Norwegian phrase. Enjoy... Life? Living? Being? It is a way of saying enjoy your life, who you are and what you do and just... everything really. The card is for a colleague who is retiring, and "congratulations" just didn't seem right. Thanks to Krissie for the suggestion!
Mental note: When you know about a card three months in advance, try not to start making it at midnight the night before deadline... again.

Reuse, reduce, recycle

Recycling a familiar layout, this time with a considerably better picture... Nothing new to say about it!

In the WIP basket

It took three weeks of internal debate before I had the nerve to open my wallet for this skein… So expensive. But sooo beautiful! First attempt at knitting 100% pure silk. The pattern is an easy going one, I can actually knit this lace while talking to people. Track progress and view details on Ravelry.

Now this one, though... It has tought me the difference between lace knitting and knitted lace. I'm telling you, this one's tricky. This is definitely not a bring-along project, it's a sit-at-home-in-deep-concentration project... But just look at the delicate result! Track the (most likely slow) progress and view details on Ravelry.

Too late to take a new picture now!

Yikes. I had a photo day when I shot this, apparently. I really should have spotted this before I delivered the card. Well, the card isn't too bad though, despite what you might think when looking at this. You can just about make out the embossed white paper there - it says "love" and "forever" in various scripts. The seemingly grey paper is actually a shiny silver, and I've spritzed the card with Glimmermist so the whole thing shines. I put the name of the bride and groom on the inside on this one, but didn't get a picture of it...

Sugary sweet

This is probably the only time I can get away with such a sugary sweet pastel card! But hey, she's only one year old, so there's no problem this time. :) Simple stuff really, I've let the pattern paper do most of the talking. Some flowers, baker's twine, washi tape and flat-backed pearls create the pastel details.

Maile baby jacket

This one was for a friend's baby girl. It didn't take long - baby clothes are usually nice that way. :) Nice easy lace pattern to keep my interest going.

The assemby method is tricky due to no bound off stitches under the arms - but I decided to use two circular needles (the same technique I use for small circumference projects, like sleeves or socks) and that made it all quite easy after all. Each needle went from the middle of one sleeve, across the front or back, to the middle of the other sleeve.

Yarn held double except all garter stitch borders (to make sure I didn’t run out of this particular painted pink-brown-white colourway, which is no longer made). The painted yarn looks kind of dirty when knitted on its own, but when mixed with the white yarn the balance was perfect.

I soon realised that this yarn combo would make the jacket larger than 3 months, which is just fine, babies grow so fast anyway. I just added a few cm of length to the body and sleeves before starting the raglan to keep the proportions right.

Details on my Ravelry page.

Smart phone cozy

Just a tiny little project to warm up, since it's been sooo long since my last post. I've got a few unpublished cards that will make their way in here eventually, and another (big) knitting project that's in its finishing stage as I write.

I specifically chose a yarn that doesn't shed much - Ella Rae Lace Merino. Too pretty a yarn to spend on such an ordinary project perhaps? Oh well. I splurged on the phone, it deserves a luxurious home. :P
The label says 3,5mm needles are recommended. I cast on 2x22st on 2,5mm needles using Judy’s magic cast on, keeping the gauge fairly tight. Decreased 4+4sts in second half of ribbing. The phone doesn’t slip out by accident now, but it wouldn’t have hurt to have decreased another 2-4sts in case the ribbing in the turtleneck gets a bit looser with use. Good excuse to make another one? I want to make a TARDIS cozy next. :) Ravelry link.

Not-so-frozen leaves beaded shawl

The thing about lace knitting... There are only a few items that allow you to immerse yourself in that kind of knitting, and those are shawls, scarves and table cloths. And since lace knitted table cloths really aren't anything I'd ever use, shawls it is. This pattern is called Frozen Leaves, but I've done mine in a lush, vibrant green and beaded it for added shine.

Frogging mohair is a nightmare, so I wanted a simple, classic design. The large leaves of this pattern appealed to me, and I’ve done enough knitting now to be able to figure out the pattern and recipe despite its obvious shortcomings.
The yarn, however, is gorgeous! DROPS Kid-Silk is soft and thin, and still strong. The matte, dark green mohair has a light, glossy silk core that gives lots of shine and life to this shawl. It’s strangely warm despite its feathery light feel… :)

The last row in pattern, with beading, took me the better part of three whole evenings. Yes, you read that right. THREE evenings. For ONE row! But it was all worth it. :) Not enough beads for another row, so I ended it there.
There are twelve leaves along the center spine, and a few rows of filler pattern at the edge. So this is quite big. Finished measurements: 90cm from the neck down, 180 cm across. Big&beautiful. The beads really make a big difference, adding a lot of shine and brightness to an otherwise quite dark shawl. Love it. :) Details on my Ravelry page.

The wedding standard

Whenever I get a request for a wedding card, I immediately reach for the white and silver cardstock. It's the silver standard, so to say, for my wedding cards. This one came together quite quickly for that reason - no tricky colours to match or contrast, no long hunts for that perfectly coloured embellishment. Neutrals I've got. ;) The layout is also very familiar by now... Three cheers for effectivity!

Sunday mittens

After my Echo Flower shawl, I had enough yarn left for something small to match. These mittens caught my eye and was made with just over one skein DROPS Alpaca. I am so pleased with these! The lace pattern looks beautiful and they are a great fit on my hands.

I’ve knitted both mittens at once as usual, on two circular needles. As the pattern says, there is some guessing required, but most of it is very easy. The decreasing at the end had me scratching my head for a while though. Fortunately, someone else had guessed before me and charted a solution! Ravelry is a wonderful thing. :)

The mittens underwent the weirdest blocking process ever. I nibbled away at two corners on two large chocolate bars (making the ends slightly pointed), replaced them in their plastic wrappers, and stuffed them into the wet mittens! :P It worked great by the way - now they’re just a tiny bit looser around my finger tips. Perfect! Details on my Ravelry page as usual.

DIY distressed photo canvas

Aaaaaw... Now look at that cutie!! :) She's my niece, 7 months old in that picture. What a smile. :)
There's a ton of detailed tutorials out there on how to do this, check this one out for example. I'm not going to bore you by repeating it - but since there are so many variations, here's a super quick recap of the choices I made: After tweaking the picture to my liking (and mirroring it!) I printed it on a laser printer on ordinary printer paper. I used a thin layer of Golden Gel Medium (Soft Gel, semi-gloss finish) to attach the picture and three more coats after removal of the paper pulp, for a good seal. Then used the same medium to fasten the lace, which wraps over the canvas edge. The string was the final touch - it's something K's mom does when she makes her own art, so this canvas should fit in nicely in their home.

The transfer of the photo was nearly perfect! In fact, far too perfect for the look I was trying to achieve. So I scrubbed really hard along the edges of the photo, even scratching it with my nails, to give it a more distressed look. I also sanded down my signature (bottom left corner) a bit.



When I chose the lace it was late at night, and the sunlight the next morning sent me into a bit of a panick. The lace was crisp white and the canvas is off-white - a difference that was invisible in lamp light, but incredibly ugly in sunlight. What to do, what to do... DistressInk to the rescue! I carefully inked the lace and sides of the canvas and the problem was solved. In fact, I probably should have inked it even if the lace matched the canvas. The darkened edge (which is surprisingly difficult to see in these photos) created that depth and definition that pulled everything together, and it echoes the brown string. All in all, this was an easy project that looks awesome. :)

It's the little things that make life big

...like little cards for example. ;) This is the last one for now, but I'm sure there will be more some time soon. Next up is some canvas crafting, and then some knitting. And then more cards. A sudden rise in activity here, I like it! :)

A little hello

More tiny cards! More scraps! More baker's twine! Do you see how this works? You make one, the leftover materials are right there in front of you, and you slap them onto the next card base. Easy peasy. That leaves enough brain capacity to chat with all the other girls/women in the room while crafting. :)

Happy birthday

Oh I think this one is a favourite of the tiny cards... Simple, with just the right amount of detail. Baker's twine of course, and that gorgeous Stempelglede stamp is perfect.

Happy day

Another small card. It's so easy to use paper scraps with these, so the cards will often have similar colours... The washi tape is Tim Holtz. Love it!!