Tuesday 21 November 2017

I Am Marked

Should it be greatness? Or maybe to shine? Whatever - the only thing marked here are stitch markers.

I have made some of them lately - to do something while knitting is not an option.

I am greateful that I can do something creative and find these little markers so much fun to make.

Finding all the findings can be quite a job - so happy we have internet.

Have a look and see how some of them came out :-) Enjoy :-)

Owls and purple blessing

Buttons in lovely colors

From the beach with real seashells from Denmark


Words of encouragement

Monday 16 October 2017

Sweet Sixteen


It happen to be a long time ago that I was 16. Where did all those years go? Ok, this should not be about those days but about knitting. LOL!

There is one shawl I have knitted now 16 times. And I have in fact started on the 17th...

I love these shawls. And I am always amazed by how the stitches comes out.

I knit this with a cable where I use a needle in 3.5mm and a needle on 9mm. And simply knit in rib stitch.

How did anyone ever come up with such a clever idea?

Turquoise is my favorite color. So in order to go for another one of these shawls I had to convince myself that I needed one.

And strangely, it really just took some seconds.

Of to the yarn store for more yarn - and here it is with the usual swarovski beads and tassels. I just love it.

The fabric is so light and nice to wear. And the color - just magic.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. 
Don´t save it for a special occasion. Today is special
Regina Brett

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: Cable with 3.5mm and 9mm
Assessories: Swarovski beads and tassels
My Ravelry Page: Number Sixteen
Pattern: Geshickt Gestrickt

Sunday 17 September 2017

A Tree Frog And A Bracelet

Green and orange? Really? Yes, it is possible to combine those two colors. And why would it not - a tree frog is created in green and orange colors.

I have knitted one of these scarves for a friend earlier. And then found out I simply needed one too.

I believe that we must be amongst those people wearing color combinations rarely seen.

The scarf is knitted in Kauni and Rauma Finull. This tree frog is numer eight from the same pattern.

I so love knitting these - and they are so comfortable and warm to wear.

And in some great colors they lighten up those grey winter days.

I created a polymer clay bracelet to go with the scarf. These disk beads are fairly easy to make and is done in a minimum amount of time.

I like them and the fact that I can make something that match without using a lot of money. I found some old beads to go with it.

So, what colors have you combined that would normally not fit if you ask others?

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull and Kauni
Needles: 2.5mm
Pattern: Red Katana
My Ravelry Page: Another Tree Frog

Don´t fit in. Don´t sit still. Don´t ever try to do less than you are.
Angelina Jolie


Tuesday 29 August 2017

Best Color Combo Ever

If I should choose two colors, and only two, to knit from the rest of my life it would be these two. Bright red and bright turquoise.

It may be because they fit me so well or simply the fact that they are a perfect match.

I can see from my projects that I tend to use these two together a lot.

A fun little detail on my scarves.
And what puzzles me sometimes is that people are always trying to renew everything.

That feeling when something is new is so nice. But everything gets old and the feeling disappear.

If you are wearing the same colors again and again you get a lot of comments like: Do you not have anything new to show for? Why do you always use the same colors?

We must always thrive after the new whatever that is.

We must always be on top regarding design and color.

And to be honest - what are we really trying to achieve?

Why is it always "wrong" to knit the same all over again? And even in the same colors?

Not always easy to arrange a photo.. LOL!
I have simply logged off all those thoughts about always being better, knit new things and keep up with everyone else.

And I must say - that makes me happy.

To just create as I like it. To use colors I like and wear them with a smile.

That endless competition on being best, being seen and post huge amounts of photos in social media has left me thinking: Is it worth it? Do I feel better of it? The answers are no.

So, I have taken time off from a lot of it. And must say that blogging always has been fun.

And visiting others blogs are so lovely. Like knitting the same scarf all over again in my favorite colors :-)

Are you just creating what you like no matter what others may think or say?
Or do you feel that you should renew all the time and post photos every day?

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: 2.5mm
Pattern: Lifelines
My Ravelry Page: A Matter Of Stripes 

Never chase love, affection or attention. If it isnt´t given freely by 
another person, it isn´t worth having
Unknown

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Two Of A Kind


When I saw the pattern for the scarf Mondsee I did some stash diving. The best thing about that kind of diving is that I do not need a snorkel.

Although, there should be a kind of snorkel for stash diving - after all there are a very long way down to the bottom of it... LOL!!

Well, I started the first scarf with a thin yarn in red. I finished the scarf but the colors were not that bright to my taste.

And I wanted a brighter one with a bit thicker yarn. The first one is knitted in Holst supersoft and the orange one is knitted from yarn I bought in Riga and Finull for the colors.

And I really love that orange one. Often I knit in small needles for this kind of yarn, and for this one I would prefer 2mm needles.

But I tried 2.75mm and the drape is so fantastic. More smooth and soft and the yarn feels so nice. It is not that even knitted but washing do tricks with wool. Always makes the colors shine more and make it more even.

I added a little more length to the orange one with extra color sections. My scarves have to be wrappable. I loved knitting these scarves. The short rows are just enough to keep me from sleeping and the stokinette is always a satisfying way to knit.

If you want to knit your own you can find the pattern on Ravelry here. You can also see all the other different takes on colors for it - how much color do to a garment. Here is my red one - you can surely see the difference from the two.

Strength lies in differences - not in similarities
Stephen Covey





Sunday 11 June 2017

Salt Shaker In A Necklace


An old salt shaker made into a necklace? Yes, it is possible. And I did just that. I made a salt shaker necklace some years ago. The shakers were found on Etsy then. I made only one but recently I came over this wonderful inspiration on Pinterest. Betsy from the blog My Salvaged Treasures told how she made her salt shaker necklaces.

One of my favorite verses is put inside the salt shaker.
I had all I needed. A salt shaker in sterling silver, silver wire and beads.

The shaker is actually marked with VL. It is made by Vincent Lollo in Brooklyn New York, probably in the 1950s.

I love this salt shaker. It is rare and the shape is made for a necklace.

I made a hole in the top and in the bottom so I could get the wire in for making loops.

I used a swarovski crystal, a glass bead and fresh water pearl along with some beads in sterling silver.

Inside the shaker I put one of my favorite verses. I really love this necklace. It is kind of personal and it also holds a secret story about the maker and those who have used it for salt. I wish I knew all those stories.

There must be something strangely sacred about salt 
It is in our tears and in the sea
Khalil Gibran
The shaker before working on it. A good polish made it shine.

Sunday 4 June 2017

Seemed Like A Good Idea

Purple and orange are a pair of winners. And even green with the two makes a nice scarf. I actually like this - but I have never used it. The explanation could be that I have knitted something like 60 scarves in the last years. Oh dear, some numbers makes me chocked... LOL!

Anyway, I wanted to knit a scarf with secondary colors from the color wheel.

They are often forgotten and not much used together. The harmony is there.

And it is really fun to work in colors that are normally not used in the same fabric.

The colors are great together apart from the altering stripes at the end where all three try to dance together.

Not really ending well. Still, it does not have an impact on the whole scarf so I let it pass.

I think I will try and find someone who will look good in this. It should be an interesting task. This is the last from my design Colorized.

Putting colors that normally do not live side by side - that must be the thing. Right now I knit in orange and green. Need I say more? What two colors have you knitted in - that others normally do not see together?

When you reduce life to black and white, you never see rainbows
Rachel Houston

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull, Kauni
Needles: 2.5mm
My Ravelry Page: Secondary Colorize
Pattern: Colorize



Thursday 4 May 2017

I Really Love It

Sometimes there are color combinations that simply is better than best. These three darlings are that kind. One of them, if you see it in a yarn store, does not look good at all. I have never liked it actually.

But put together with a green and a magenta - it simply shines.

I have no idea what that color is called - it may be green. But it also looks a little green with turqouise.

Just like in life - you may feel like an outsider. But together with the right people you shine.

Never go for second best - always go for the colors you like in both knitting and life.

Enough of that. The scarf is knitted from my latest design Colorize.

It is of course my favorite yarn, Rauma finull again.

As long as there are over 100 colors to choose from I simply have enough to feed my inspiration.

Well, I have knitted four scarves from my pattern. I have knitted myself out of color combinations I would like to try out. At least for the time being. How can I go wrong with stripes, colors and rings?

It is better to walk alone than with a crowd going in the wrong direction
Diane Grant


Tuesday 18 April 2017

Ring A Sheep


Well, not phone a sheep. Although it could be an interesting conversation about wool. Sheep are after all the biggest provider of a knitters joy.

Enough of that. I have knitted another scarf from my design Colorize.

I simply had to pair these colors. I may have done that before and forgotten all about it. LOL!!!

Anyway I really enjoy these two particular turqouise colors.

I can be quite picky about what color I use. If it is not excactly what I want I find other combinations.

The darkest turquoise is pt2 and Rauma.

I cannot find that one anywhere else. Totally love it. The other two colors are Finull, also from Rauma.

Well, it did not take long to knit. But it took some time to get those photos taken. Not my favorite thing.

I am very happy about how this came out. I am wearing my first Colorize a lot.

If you would like to knit your own - check out my free pattern here.

Behind every great knitter there is a huge pile of yarn
Unknown





Monday 20 March 2017

Button Mad

A combination of wood, plastic, glass and a tiny bell.
Never stop doing anything that makes you happy - even if it is eating chocolate... LOL! 

I would have a lot of closet space and empty room if I was not creative. But then again, the creative source is a blessing in my life. It is in fact, life. I am so blessed to have my creativity. I just hope it also gives something to people around me.

Buttons, pearls and a button stack. Live - and stay creative.
Anyway - nothing much to say about this. I love picking out the buttons from their piles and find accessories that match. There are so many buttons out there and so little time... These markers are light and great if you need to add a lot of them to your knitting. 

I will make a lot of the button markers - just because I can and because I get that happy feeling deep inside.

Have a creative day - and I hope you find your joy in what you do.

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul
Elder Uchtdorf


Monday 13 March 2017

On The Button

Buttons from assorted color lots I bought long ago.
I have never had a thing for buttons. I suddenly realized that I should. Then I would have loads of buttons to spread all over the floor to find pairs for stitch markers.

Stacked buttons with letter beads.
It seems I have been foreseen in some way. Years ago I bought some boxes of buttons in bright colors.

I thought they might come in handy some day. Well, they did not. Until now.

I found the colors I wanted and the sizes to go with them. And what fun this has been.

I had all the other accessories in my studio. This is a great way to use all those lonely buttons lying around not getting anywhere.

Can you say that about buttons? Getting nowhere? Really, am I getting a little overexcited about this new inspiration?

I used the idiom button up on the marker for the beginning of a row.

It shold be a reminder to not be one of those who go online and spread bad wipes about other people or whatever - there is simply too much of that.

Anyway, I will make more of these. Too much fun to not doing just that :-)

A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes
Mark Twain
This is so much fun - and I had everything I needed in my studio.

Friday 3 March 2017

Yummy Yarn


Finally. A sweater is done. I had the yarn lying in the back of the closet. It was supposed to be a jacket which I started on years ago.

I had to unravel as it got way too big. And the yarn was stashed.

Until I saw this sweater. Totally lovely pattern for that yarn.

After I had washed it I could hardly believe it.

The yarn is extremely soft, light and yet so warm and nice to wear. I am in love.

Simply have to knit something else in it. And the yarn? It is the icelandic Lettlopi. If you love wool yarn you will love this yarn.

The sweater has a shaped hem originally. I dropped that as I think it will "stick out" in the front and will not keep me that warm.

So I simply knitted and knitted until I got the length I wanted adding stitches on the side.

The sweater has a perfect fit with the raglan shaping. A great pattern. I like the collar too - as I need to stay warm. This way it is scarf and sweater in one.

I normally knit with round needles. The sweater is knitted in cubics from KnitPro. I loved knitting with them. For thicker yarn and needles they were much better than the round needles. At least for my knitting.

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Istex Lettlopi
Needles: 4mm, 4.5mm
My Ravelry Page: Blue Cloud
Pattern: Happy Cloud

Hope can see the heaven trough the thickest clouds
Thomas Brooks

Wednesday 22 February 2017

The Quiet Fish

Silence is about to become a luxury. There are all kinds of noise around us: Noise itself, sosial media, media in general and you can probably come up with a long list.

Our minds do not rest, our bodies become stressed and to be still is so uncommon that something must be wrong with us if we are not checking something on our phones if we are on a train, waiting for the dentist or whatever.

Is it time to give our minds and bodies a litte freetime from all that demanding noise that do not get us anywhere?

Well, I made this polymer clay pendant to remind me just that. My claying have become a little rusty. That is what happens if you do not clay and stop developing.

But that is life. In addition I had a hard time with the clay getting too soft. Clay brands are not amongst the things one can get easily here. So I am stucked with Fimo soft - and it is too soft for the most of what I would like to make.

That being said, I love claying when I can manage. I have always loved creating in polymer clay. No matter the outcome.

Being still and doing nothing is two completely different things
Jackie Chan



Sunday 5 February 2017

Keen On Green

When you try to find the right green color for a project you can search for days. For some reason green is not only green.

The variations between yarn companies and their take on green is quite varied.

In fact there are some green colors missing totally.

For example I really do miss a hue yellow green that is a complementary color to magenta.

No where to be found in wool - I do not use merino in my garments.

Anyway - this is a Red Katana scarf with two green colors that really match. Of couse, I used Rauma Finull again.

After all they have 102 colors to choose from.

Well, the scarf have been finished for a while but it sure took time to get the photos taken.

I do love this scarf design. Great fun to knit, it has a kind off graphic look and so nice to wear.

And I have to admit, this is my seventh... One of them were a gift though.

Our attitude is the crayon that colors our world
Allen Klein

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: 2.5mm
My Ravelry Page: Sea Green
Pattern: Red Katana

Sunday 29 January 2017

Pink Sunday With Dots

Pink has finally found its place among the accepted colors. Due to protests all over the world and the fact that protesters was wearing pink hats - pink has become a legal color for those of us who have passed the age of five... LOL!

Pink looks good on so many people. Unfortunately it is often talked about as girly and in other negative terms. 

Well, I will take back pink no matter who says what. 

I have newly found that pink is lovely paired with red and green. 

The pattern is from my design Dot The I and it really needed to be colored up, if you ask me. 

I cast on 100 stitches which was enough to join the round on a 40cm circular needle.

It is of course knitted in finull. 

I made the pom pom with a pom pom maker - I could not have lived without it. 

The days with cardboard templates are gone. I used a little green on both sides and half is pink and the other half is red. I really like how the whole scarf came out. 

I love those colors and the total freshnes of them. What a joy to find new ways to combine colors. And what a freedom to wear them. 

Sometimes it is hard being a woman. Then I remember I can 
wear pink as much as I want, and I feel awesome again
Unknown

The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: 3mm for stranded pattern, 2.5mm for stripes
My Ravelry Page: Color Me Happy
Pattern: Dot The I

Tuesday 24 January 2017

Always Secondary

They are always in the shadow of the primaries. No matter what they do, they will never be standing next to the ones on the top. The primaries are simply more unique, and they are necessary for the secondaries to have life.

Yes, we are talking about the color wheel. The primaries (red, yellow and blue) are the root to every other color. They are the purest of colors. They rule the kingdom.

So, I thought I would give a little attention to those hidden secondaries. The forgotten, and still so important, bright and lovely colors.

Green and orange together.
When you use a triangle in the color wheel you will get three colors. You can read more about that here.

In this case I have picked out orange, purple and green for my project.

I have knitted with orange and green with great success before as you can see on the photo.

Two colors that not normally would have joined and created harmony.

And color harmony is the thing here. If you use secondary colors for a project you will get harmony in your color use. The color wheel is in fact the best tool ever for color inspiration and harmonisation of colors.

I cannot wait until my striping in purple and orange is done. I think my green yarn will make a lot of difference when it is added. I am knitting a new scarf from my recently published design, Colorize.

So, how to you use colors? Do you choose for comfort or do you try out different ones? Or is color just too complicated?

Turn your face to the sun and the shadow will fall behind you
Unknown
First i stripe knit in orange and purple. Then I add the green.

Sunday 15 January 2017

Check Out My New Design

I am really excited to finally have published a new design. I have had so much fun knitting in these colors and finding a way to get the scarf excactly as I wanted to.

Colorize is an asymmetric scarf in bright colors.

Half the scarf is knitted in two colors not far from each other in the color wheel. The other half in a complementary color to them.

In this scarf I used pink and red together and added green as the contrast.

I have knitted this in Rauma Finull, my favorite yarn. I love norwegian wool yarn. It is durable, and often has bright colors.

The garments keeps me warm, colorful and holds its shape. So no wonder I have designed another scarf in this yarn.

Now, if you would like the free pattern you head over to Ravelry and download it. There are more photos to see as well.

If you are not a member you can download the pattern here.

It is written in english and norwegian. I always write my patterns in english first.

Much easier as it is more exact and have alle these abbreviations one can dream of in norwegian.

Anyway, hope you like it. And I hope this inpires you to let all those gray and black colors rest for a while. You will look wonderful in color - trust me.

As we let our own light shine, we unconciously give 
other people permission to do the same
Nelson Mandela