Back from Mallorca

Surely, Mallorca is quite unknown to most of you who read my blog?

It is a spanish isle, in the mediterradian sea, one out of 5 islands in the Balears. It is not big, maybe 60*90 km.

It was so nice! Even though there are turists everywhere (And we even were there outside the season).





My mother and I took pictures of each other :-) Just to prove that we were indeed there ... No need, I photographed my mother a lot: See next picture *grins*



My mothers butt. Yep! She did not even find out that I took the picture. There you are mom... Your butt and part of a castle the romans built almost 2000 years ago, now a church and a santuary.



We ate food. Good food! This was in Sineau, a place famed for its wednesdays market. We were there thursdag and were totally charmed by the athmosfere, the friendly people, the fresh olives (Oh, they were good! First time ever I willingly have eaten olives). With tip and all, 1½l. water and two servings of a delicious bread with local produce, we paid 7€. Yep. It was so good.



I have a thing with monuments and all things ancient. This is a little old road, not even paved, that led to the norternmost point of Mallorca. We drove 12 km round and round, up and down to get there - on a road built in 1996. Who built this road? Romans? (There has been a lighthouse at the tip since the romans, so why not?). Had my mother not been disabled, we would have walked the entire distance of it to "See what there was to see". As it was, I only spent 15 minutes because I did not want to keep my mother waiting too long. But oh, how I would have loved to see what there was to see.... It was long long, and my legs ichted and aced after walking there. At least I have photographs of it.



There were sheep - quite hard to get by because they were scared of humans. Hm :-/ I managed to photograph these by sneaking into a fruit yard and photograph through a fence :-) So cute. They are more long-legged than any sheep I know, and quite slender. It also seems as though they shed their wool, like faroese sheep, instead of being sheared.

Fernweh

Languages? They just cannot be compared. That is why five different persons can translate the same text in 5 different ways. It is also why there is no word like the above in English.

Fernweh is german and means "Longing/hurting for the far(away)". Sometimes, I must confess of suffering from Fernweh - it has brought me to Taiwan recently, and to some 15 other countries. Very early wednesday I will fly to Mallorca - the German's biggest holiday area, an island in Spain. My parents booked this some time ago for themselves - something for them, a week alone, something they VERY rarely do. My grandfather came down very very sick Friday a week ago, and is still on intensive care, so my father decided he would not go. Originally, my mother agreed, but yesterday evening a change ocurred and she asked me if I would go with her if they could make a namechange. They could. While I am VERY sad that my father cannot go and enjoy this week with my mother, I am also completely enthralled and very enthusiastic about going. I even bought my first ever pair of capri shorts - they cover my knees, and, in my opinion, look... good! So all is well, and if you need me in the next week... Look at the pool B-) <-- smiley with sunglasses


Have a really nice week

Lene

Leftover-sweater.

Ever seen a Lopi? I have knitted two of these - one fairly traditional in cream, moss green and rust (My own colour scheme - rather pretty), and a blue one with pink norwegian stars across the chest, as well as bands of green leaves on a light green background around neck, chest, wrists and belly.

Then I had lots and lots left over! There have been felted bags, warm hats, doll sweaters etc.

But now most of the leftovers have been incorporated into this fabulous raglan - from - the - top - down. With short rows in the neck, ribbed sides, and always striped in 3 rows and 5 rows, striped randomly. As I ran out of some colours, they were doubled with others (This yarn is Plötulopi, thin strands of unspun wool that needs to be doubled for durabillity).

I like this sweater, it is just the right size, flatters, fits, is warm and very cheery :-)

So, if you have lofts of leftovers - striped sweaters are usually the way to go, even if you only have little left, because babies also like striped sweaters - or scarves, dolls etc.



Have a really nice day

Lene

Curious

Ok, how come I have 16,44% visits from Edmonton? It shows up as a really big, fat dot on my Google Analytics page, and since I have a love affair with Canada I would really like to find out who sits in Edmonton and watches my Blog.

Also a Hi! to the reader in Santiago, Chile - I am considering going there next spring and visit my travelling friend, whom I visited in Taiwan last spring.

Not to forget the reader in Cranberra (I think), Australia. AND, all the others in US, Denmark, and northern Germany - and a single reader in Airlie, Scotland(?).

Google analytics is really a fun tool, and I love to see all the places my readers come from - It is "The World Come Home".


Have a really nice day

Lene

New Knitty is live.

Oh, I became all excited when the new Knitty was live!
I have known Knitty almost since I started knitting, and I think the first issue I saw was Summer 2003, when I was asked to translate the "Broadripple" pattern for a danish knit bud.

Knitty has changed since then, and I cannot say that I think it has become better.

BMP : Stranded socks with an irregular pattern - Geeky, Nerdy, sure, but they will stretch weirdly and fit weirdly, too. Ok, honestly? It might be too "hip" for me ;-)

Carolyn: We've seen it before: Striped Cardigan. Ok... Good for a beginner, boring for everyone else.

Tahoe: Cardigan. Ok, there is not a pattern just like it on Knitty yet, but there is one in S n' B, for example.

Ribena: Super cute tank top! I love the ribbing detail, but the removable armies? Eh, not so.

Torque: Good idea, but it does not mix with my ideas of functionality. Unshaped sleeves and an unshaped body, no I dont think so. Worth a modification, though - I still have a bunch of fat blue yarn :-)

Isabella: Cute. Bad pictures, though. Looks like it bunches up underneath the models breasts.

Ester: Unflattering, and, for me, totally unusable shape. Nice yarn, though ;-)

Morestripes: Ew. Ew. Ugh. Ewewewew. MUCH too big on the model, terribly unflattering, and you can just see how she struggles to keep it on her body.

Monica: Me Likey! Very pretty, and so cute on a little girl.

Briar Rose: This sweater has potential, but the original sweater is really nothing I would knit for any little girl in my life. Badly executed, boxy top and much too short! But, it IS in danger of being re-designed to fit ME. I love the picot hems and the cute ribbing in the bottom.

Hey Mickey!: Skirts? Why skirts? They droop, catch on things and generally look, uh, homemade in the bad way.

Vestee: I like this pattern for having so many options, and for being so well thought-through. It is really a cute pattern - a bit unfinished for my taste, but I could add hems, ribbing, substitute stitch patterns etc. if I were so inclined, right? One of the good patterns in this issue. A real workhorse.

Palette: A solid (hehe) pattern, good for bringing awareness to this topic for new spinners. A plus for this issue, but nothing I'd ever use - I have my own favourites.

Dashing: Not all that bad. I made a pair of ribbed handwarmers suitable for organ playing last christmas for my teacher, but had I seen this pattern, I might have considered using it. That's a big big praise for a, ehm, HANDWARMERS pattern.

Paper Bag: Nice idea! Looks very stylish. (But the model looks like she dressed up in her mothers clothes)

Bauble: Surely some people would want to make it - I am not one of those. Boring.

Queen of Cups: Socks, socks, socks. I am bored to tears by all those sock patterns - because, really, when I need handknitted socks I'll do a long ribbed leg, stockinette foot... And that's it. Tried the other thing, and it never fits. Done with it. How many sock patterns does Mankind need? Same goes for Quill Lace Socks and Clessidra.

Have a really nice day


Lene

Rosy Fingered Dawn

There was a knitalong for Rosy Fingered Dawn back in 2005 - inspired by the original Secret Stole - along (Which I was first to finish, weee). I got my kit from Blackberry Ridge (Dangerous website!), and promptly started to knit. And knit. Soon, it became Very Boring, somewhere in the middle of the second colour (!). Nonetheless, I have plugged on in spurts and starts - a little here, a little there, a lot last christmas, and nothing at all in 2006.

Now, however, it has been pulled back out (For who knows how long?) and I have spent yesterday and today knitting three spacer rounds between the 4th and 5th colour - it was a nightmare. I had heard that some have run out of that colour, but also some that have haft leftovers enough for the others. I knit tightly, and did not think I would have a problem. There was 1", or 2,5 cm left over! I could barely make the last stitches, and had to resort to knotting the new yarn on. Now, the body of the shawl is finished - the 5th colour is only a narrow band of 13 rows. That seemed like very very much to me when I abandoned it, but meanwhile i have finished shawls with rounds so long, that they took one hour apiece to complete. Nothing can scare me now ;-)


It IS a beautifull shawl, and as with many other projects, it has taken some time to realise that, even though I have made it, it is not crappy by default :-)
A little "fun" fact: The kit is not even mine. Not from what I know, at least! I ordered it together with a woman from Luxembourg, who then sent it to me.... And never responded to my queries of what I should transfer, and how. Never. It is not the priciest kit ever, at 46$, but somehow, I would really have liked to pay it. I dont think the lady desperately needs my money (Because then she would have taken care of getting it, right?), but it would feel better to have a clean conscience.


The handspun shawl has also grown immensely - I am at 63 (?) rows now, but have concentrated on organ playing, and knitting the Rosy Fingered Dawn. That makes 3 shawls in Progress - Christening Shawl, by Gladys Amedro, Rosy Fingered Dawn, and the Triangular Shawl. Certainly keeps me busy!

Have a really nice day
Lene

Better, but not good.

A few weeks ago, I knit a "Cameron" cap - a warm, wooly hat with shortrowed earflaps. Supposedly for me...

The first had twice as many rows in the earflaps than the pattern said, and was so large that it enveloped my head totally, plus my neck and only let my nose peek out. So, I tried again. This time around, it was so small that it would barely fit over my head, and makes me look like a pinhead.

Well, not to be defeated, I took out the bottom part of the hat - by inserting a circular into the row after the short-row earflaps, snipped a stitch and unravelled the rown, ending up with the drown of the hat on my circular. I knitted down a bit, knitted the short-rows earflaps top-down in my own fashion, and knitted a hem.

And now? Still too big. Plus the fact that this style makes me look like a pin-head, no matter how big the hat! Omph, That Does Not Make Me Happy.

Plus side? I can give these away as christmas gifts, I hope! The little blue one might be good for my nephew :-)

I still love this pattern for being easy, fun, adaptible etc., but it is just not suited for my head. I will not rule out that I could knit more hats like these, though, if the right recipients surface, because they can be knit in one evening.

But, now I am off with my chock-packed backpack, as there is LøveBrøl tomorrow, where a friend of mine and I will participate. A scout event for the not-faint-of-heart, and oh how I look forward to it :-)