I wish you all have very merry, peaceful and yarnful Christmas!
I wish for all readers, knitters and crocheters, lace-makers and crafters a busy, happy and FO-rich year 2007!

Lõpp on uue asja algus

Häid jõule ja teguderohket uut aastat. Kohtume 2007. Ja siis eputame kõigi nende salajaste töödega.

SKS viimane vihje

Järele jäi selline kena kuhi.
Pakk läks reedel Eesti poole teele, jälgede segamiseks kuulub ta seal ümberpostitamisele :)

Tegevusetus on OUT

Kuigi siia blogisse pole tükk aega ilmunud kantavateks esemeteks materialiseerunud lõngakerasid, ei tähenda see sugugi seda, et ma mitte midagi ei tee. Vastupidi. Aga ma ei saa (kingitused, saladuslikud pakid) või ei taha (sokid, kindad, mütsid - mis neist ikka vaadata, labased teised; ning poolikud komplektid) siia midagi reeta, sest piilujate hulgas on saajaid.
Täna paistab aga kolmandat päeva päike ja ma tegin pilti, kahest asjast, mis varrastel/nõeltel. Pärast jõule läheb suiis suuremaks inventuuriks-väljanäituseks. Muuseas järgmine nädal tulen Eestisse, mind ootavad juba kaks pakki Harrietist loodan, üks uhke Epsteini raamat ja Tallinna lõngapoed. Kas tallinlased kogunevad jaanuari esimesil päevil?

Men who knit

Mehed koovad

Salajased kingitused minu blogis

Kirjutasin just väikese nupukese SKS blogisse teemal, kui kaugel keegi on. Me ju peame kontrollima, et kõigil ikka meeles seisaks ja keegi teatamata alt ei hüppaks. Huvitav on ka teada saada, et ma polegi õnneks viimane hapupiimane ja ainuke, kes kahtleb ja kõhkleb oma kätetöö ilus ja originaalsuses.
Mulle kohutavalt meeldib see kingitus ja ma peaaegu, et ei raatsigi seda ära saata! Muidugi ma saadan. Ma olen kingitusse nii palju tunde investeerinud, et enam see mulle ei passigi, nii suure hoolega tehtud asja kõlbabki ainult kinkida, ma arvan.
Ja siis ma pelgan veel seda, et post mu kingi ära kaotab! Kas ma palun, palun, palun tohin selle isiklikult üle anda?!? Eksole.... vähem loba, rohkem tööd ja panen selle kingi posti küll. Aga kui ära kaotavad, võtan nii ülemise muna kui alumised pallid maha kellelgi. /sajatab postimaja poole/
:)

P.S Ma pakun, et kui kooks veel 4-5 müsti, siis saaks vast kevadeni hakkama. Muuseas esimesel päeval jõudis uusvanamüts koolist koju küll. Pöidlad pihku, kool ega talv pole veel lõppenud :P

New old hat

Anke Leen has been going to school for nearly 3 months, and I made her a new set for the winter - neckpiece and a hat (no pictures :( ). On the second day at school with them she lost the set. Next day I sent her to school with last year's hat and collar. She came back hoem without them and we haven't been able to locate them at school. So I sent her to school with her father's hat (for I didn't have any other option) and she misplaced it by the end of the day, luckily we found it. Yesterday I sent her to school with the same hat telling her to put in her bag every time she wants to take it away. When I picked her up she had lost the hat somewhere and didn't remember where. We searched the school premises and finally found it at the playground. On the way home we got an idea to keep it as Anke Leen's hat for it really suits and fits her. But to make it more appealling to keep it safe and sound I took out some fancy yarn, crocheted the earflaps and edges, and made a pompom. I sent her to school woth the new hat she instantly was fond of. And now I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I knit the hat in Febryary this year in London from Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% merino wool, 33% microfibre, 12% cashmere), yesterday's addition is Mondial Folk (100% acrylic). Cute!

Leenu uus vana müts

Leenu on meil koolilaps ja koolilapsed käivad emmede silma alt väljas pool päevast vähemalt. Kuna on päris külm, siis käib koolilapse peas müts. Kui algasid mütsiilmad, kudus virk emme Leenule uue mütsi ja krae, kindaid polnud veel tarvis. Need kooti Novita 7veljestä triibulõngast, tutidki said külge. Esimene päev käisid müts ja krae koolis, teine päev läksid müts ja krae klassiga mänguasjade muuseumi, aga koju enam ei tulnud. Leenu arvas selle peale, et nad vist jäid bussis magama, kui klass kooli jõudis, siis müts ja krae ei ärganud, ning nüüd on bussijuhi laste kaela ja kõrvu soojendamas.
Emme tänas arukat mõistust, et polnud keerulist mütsi kudunud ja kraegi sai labane.
Leenule otsiti aga kapist eelmise talve komplekt, alguses arvas Leen, et müts on liiga titekas, aga muud ei jäänud üle. Leenu vana müts ja krae läksid Leenuga kooli.... õhtul aga neid enam kotis polnud. Leenu arvas, et ehk leiab kuskilt koolist ikka kunagi üles. Õnneks oli sel päeval kapuutsiga joppki seljas. Vahemärkusena, veel ei ole leidnud.
Järgmisel päeval läks Leenu kooli issi mütsiga, sest rohkem mütse kodus polnud (tegelikult üks on, emme enda vana müts, mille naabrinaine kudus emmele ja sarnase veel emme õele. Aga see on liiga ilus (põhjapõtradega ja puha), seda emme ei raatsi lapsele kooli panna). Emme läks õhtul kooli järgi, müts oli jälle rändamas, õnneks leidsime mütsi kohe klassist üles. Neljandal päeval saatis emme jälle lapse issi mütsiga kooli ja luges sõnad peale, et seda mütsi ei tohi kaotada (ma ei taha mõelda, mis hinda ma selle lõnga eest kevadel Londonis maksin). Õhtul läks emme koos sõbrannaga kooli lapsele järele ja müts oli JÄLLE kaotsis!
Emme ja sõbranna jooksid läbi kolm kooli korrust ja küsisid igalt poolt, lõpuks üks tüdruk arvas, et ta nägi üht musta mütsi mänguväljakul maas - pime oli juba, aga õnneks müts on mustem kui öö ja me leidsime ta õnnetult maas vedelemast.
Koju minnes tuli mõte, et kuna issile sai niigi müts tsipa väike, aga Leenule jälle täpselt mõnusalt paras, siis peaks selle mütsi Leenule pärandama, aga et müts oleks nii armas ja hakkaks hinge külge, et teda enam kuhugi vedelema ei jäetaks, võttis emme õhtul hilja välja oma sel päeval ostetud fantaasialõnga ning heegeldas kõrvad-servad üle ja tegi tuti pealaele. Ehk enam ei unune.
Mütsi "toorik" kootud Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino (55% merino villa, 33% mikrofiiber, 12% kashmiir), kulu ei mäleta, aga ostetud neljast tokist said sõrmikud ja müts ja üle jäi veel ühe mütsi jagu. Uhked kõrvad ja tutt sai tehtud Mondial Folk'ist (100% polüester)

SKS vihje

Väike vihje. Rahu ainult rahu, ütles Karlsson ja kukkus katuselt alla.

Talv tuleb

Talv hakkab varsti varsti ka meile jõudma... ärge pange tähele, et praegu on 20 kraadi väljas sooja eks. Ma olen aga ettenägelik inimene ja tegin endale esimese sooja komplekti valmis. Eestisse sellega küll ei kõlba patseerima tulla, aga siinseks olemiseks kõlbab küll. Heegeldasin kahe lõngaga, et oleks pehmem ja soojem - vill ja mohäär. Nupud näevad armetud välja küll ja tõmbavad rohkem sisse poole, kuigi peaks hoopis välja piiluma.




Info:
Krae
Lõng: Novita Isoveli (75% villa, 30% polüamiid) ja BBB Kid Mohair (30% polüamiid, 70% kid mohair)
Heegelnõel: 5,5 mm
Muster: harriet.ee NB! Link viib .pdf failini

Barett
Lõng: Novita Isoveli (75% villa, 30% polüamiid) ja BBB Kid Mohair (30% polüamiid, 70% kid mohair) Heegelnõel: 5,5 mm
Muster: Bobble Beauty väikeste muudatustega

Kokku kulus 20 grammi mohääri ja 125 grammi villa, ning peale said tikitud väikesed pärlid ja vanaema nööbikogust panin pihta armsa nööbi.

Tegelikult on mul palju asju lõpetamisjärgus, aga isu teha pole üldse. Kas keegi lükkaks natsa takka?!?
I have so many unfinished projects! Could someone give me push to hide the ends, finish last lines or embroider applications?!?

Approaching winter

As the winter is slowly drawing near (don't mind the near + 20 degrees outside today, okay?) I have been making small preparations for it.
I crocheted myself a beret and a neckpiece - they are crocheted with two different yarns - wool, which was too hard on my neck, and mohair to make it more soft and airy. The collar also has some added on beads and a beautiful button from my grandmother's collection.




Information:
Neckpiece
Yarn: Novita Isoveli (75 % wool, 30 % polyamid) and BBB Kid Mohair (30% polyamid, 70% kid mohair)
Crochet hook: 5,5 mm
Pattern: harriet.ee (Only in Estonian) NB! Link leads to .pdf file

Beret
Yarn: Novita Isoveli (75 % wool, 30 % polyamid) and BBB Kid Mohair (30% polyamid, 70% kid mohair)
Crochet hook: 5,5 mm
Pattern: Bobble Beauty (with minor modifications)

I used approximately 20 grams of Kid Mohair and 125 grams of wool.

I have so many unfinished projects! Could someone give me push to hide the ends, finish last lines or embroider applications?!?

Yarn shops in Milano Vol 2

UPDATED 11th NOV 2006!

A lot of this post is copied from an earlier post, but I have additions to my information and will be changing this post probably several times more. It is difficult to find yarn shops in Milano - most of them are not listed. They are not listed, for they are small and very often very old shops (like a yarn shop lady today told me - "this shop was already here when I was a little girl"). When I tried to find out where are Adriafil yarns sold, I wrote a letter to the company (for it was indicated that if I'd like to know their sellers I could ask from them by e-mail), I got an answer from the company that I should call their wholesale guy who will tell me the locations, no thanks, I thought, if you do not have the information why should I spend my money to find out? That doesn't mean that I lost my appetite for some Adriafil yarns, not at all... I have been asking locals, have been keeping my eyes open and taking unusual routes just to run into a yarn shop (or even a merceria - sells all sorts of fabrics' stuff). And I have been a little lucky. So... here they are.

Centro della Lana (the Yarn Center) - it really deserves its name, for it is the biggest yarn shop I've seen around in Italy! It has everything you need - fancy yarns, sport weight, DK, lace weight, bulky and amazing color range. I think they take in all from their producers which are Grinasco, Ornaghi, Regia, Laines du Nord, Lana Gatto, Mondial, and many other smaller producers.
It is located in Via Montevideo 25 (closest tube stop either Porta Genova or S. Agostino on Green line). The price range is normal from €2 to €5 per 50 gr ball.

One day on my way back from the school of my daugher I decided to take yet another bus to rach metropolitana and I accidentally found ANOTHER shop! (Of course due to my bad luck it was closed for lunch). It is located at Piazza Ernesto de Angeli in the beginning of Via Pietro Rubens. Its name is Foderami Castelli. And on the windows I saw that they have Sesia, Mondial and some other types but I really must go back to check their full line. (Closest tube stop De Angeli on Red line (Bisceglie branch)).

Canetta (Shops of the magazine Mani di Fata) - You can find amazing quality yarn there, but no fun-fancy-special yarns. But the quality is exceptional, especially the softness of most yarns; and they have wide selection of colors in back-room, so don't hesitate to ask. The only shop where I know the sales lady DOES speak English is conveniently in the very historic center on via Dante (The street that leads from Duomo to the Castle Sforza) - Via Dante 4. (They changed their location - they have much bigger and lighter and nicer rooms now). On the window they have baby clothes and embroidered stuff, laces... so check in, they don't keep yarn on the window usually. And they have good choice of magazines and design sheets. Shops of Canetta are located:

1. 2 Via Solferino angolo Via Pontaccio (in Brera)
2. 7 Via Vettabbia (near San Lorezo church and Roman pillars)
3. 22 Via Mazzini (between Duomo and Missouri tube stop)
4. 4 Via Dante
   

The magazine of Mani di Fata is my favourite from the local market. Though the designs are modern, feminine and sexy - they don't experiment much and I have started to look for more interesting magazines.

Another shop, though very small is near Corso Buenos Aires (anyways a must when visiting Milano, for it is a big shopping street, huge I'd say) - It is called La Bottega della Lana (The Wool Shop) - address Via Pergolesi 1 (from Monday to Sturday 9:30-12:30 and 15:30 til 19:30, closed Sunday and Monday morning), near Red Line tube stop Loreto. When walking on Corso Buenos Aires, coming from the tube stop, walk on right side of the street and it is on your right. It is really tiny, but ther is a nice choice of Orrnaghi yarns. Just a few steps after the shop you can find a great icecream shop. So if it is hot outside and you are hot-headed about yarn - icecream will cool you down.

Another yarn-store is in the area of the Central Railstation (Stazione Centrale), I managed to visit it, and it is excellent. Nera Toffoli Idee & Filati. You can find them from Piazza San Materno 16, corner of Via Accademia. Pay attention! On via Pergolesi is the entrance to the underwear shop, right around the corner on via Accademia is the yarn shop entrance. They have a very good choice of Ornaghi yarns, Regia sock yarns, even Laines du Nord. They also have all sorts of stuff for embroidery. Closest tube stop on Red Line (Linea Rossa or Line nr 1) is Pasteur, just one stop after Loreto. Again remember, they close for lunch - from around 12 to 15. Apparently they have started to sell their merchandice online. It is great place to visit if you love to be creative with fabrics.

I received a copy of InZona just a week ago, and from there I found a great place again: Non solo maglia. It is near the Grande Naviglio and quite difficult to reach - for many streets there are just one way. But instead of taking your car and risking not finding a place to park, take public transport: take the green line metro to Porta Genova, exit the tube and find the bus stop of nr. 74 (Going towards Famagosta). Exit in the 6th stop - Tosi-Pestalozzi; walk down the via Pestalozzi, and find number 10 (it is straight after a small garden) - there is a small gate, go in to the yard, until you reach a house at the end of the lane, turn left and walk a little, then turn right again and walk a straight until the last block of houses, where you can see Non Solo Maglia on the house at right of you. The address is via Pestalozzi 10 (int. 16) - last number showing the "box" of the shop.

There is a small merceria in via Capecelastro 22, it has some fabrics, some buttons, some embroidery materials, some yarns - mainly, they have Lana L'irlandese! You can reach it easily by taking red metro line towards Rho - exit in Lotto Fiera Milano... when going through the gates of metropolitana, take the first exit on your left and from there goes bus nr 49, the shop is called Foderami Calze, and you have to step down the bus at the fifth stop - Capecelastro-Morgantini. I bought tunisian crochet hook from there today.

I found a small but an excellent place today, I took a different route back from my daughters school, saw a glimpse of yarn balls on a window and stepped down the bus a soon as possible. At Piazzale Siena there is a shop called Tricots. Here is a picture to make it easier for you to find it, the lady there is very helpful and we had a nice chat. They have Adriafil, Regia, Ornaghi yarns, some pearls, DMC etc. Keep in mind, small shops in Milano are closed for lunch hours and monday mornings!

Typesetter, a blogger and knitter from Milano wrote me this: "Another place I usually shop is Lanar, in via Nino Bixio (right off the circonvallazione). Thye have a limited range of yarns they produce tehmselves, but some of those yarns are excellent (wool and silk blends in nice solid colors), and their sport yarn at 1.16 euro per 50 grams ball (or 16.50 euro the 500 grams skein) is unbeatable!"

I really should visit all of them again, take some helping pictures (for they are often difficult to find) and write down the yarn companies they sell. I also have another 2 shops to check and I will do it as soon as I get the chance.

Hope all this helps someone. I think I'll translate this post into Italian, but not now... way too much writing for the past hour.

Ingliskeelsed tingmärgid emakeelseks

Ma mõtlesin, et tõlgiks ära inglisekeelsed kudumise tingmärgid, alusnimekirja sain knitty'st.

alt alternate vaheldus- (võib tähendada rida, värvi jms)
approx approximately umbes
beg begin[ning] algus, alustamine
blocking vormi tõmbama
BO bind off [cast off] maha kuduma
cab cable palmik
CC contrasting color kontrast-, vastandvärv
cn cable needle palmikuvarras
CO cast on silmuste loomine
cont continue[ing] jätk(amine)
dec decrease[ing] kahandus, kahandamine
dpn double pointed needles[s] sukavardad
foll follow[s][ing] järgnema, järgneb
g grams grammid
i-cord kaaruspael (loo sukavardale väike arv silmuseid, nt 4, koo need parempidiselt, ära keera tööd ringi, vaid nihuta silmused varda teise otsa, võta vaba varras jälle vasakusse kätte, too lõng töö tagant esimese silmuse juurde ja koo rida parempidiselt läbi. Pärast esimest kaht silmus, pinguta lõnga kõvasti ja koo edasi. Paari rea pärast keerab töö end toruks)
inc increase[ing] kasvatus, kasvatamine
incl including kaasaarvatud
inst instructions juhend(id)
k knit parempidine silmus, kududa parempidiselt
k tbl knit through back of loop parempidine keerdsilmus
k2tog knit two together kaks silmust parempidi kokku
kfb knit into front and back of stitch koo parempidiselt läbi silmuse mõlemad aasad (töö paremal poolel olev aas enne)
m meter[s] meeter(id)
MB make bobble koo nupp
MC main color põhivärv
m1 Make 1 stitch: Insert left needle, from front to back, under strand of yarn which runs between last stitch on left needle and first stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through back loop. 1 stitch increased. Kasvatus kahe silmuse vahelise õhksilmusena - vasaku varda viimase silmuse ja parema varda esimese silmuse vahel on lõngajooks, pista vasak varras suunaga tahapoole selle alt läbi ja koo tekkinud silmus läbi (et auguke ei tekist, tuleb see läbi kududa keerdsilmusena). 1-silmuseline kasvatus.
mm millimeters millimeetrid
mult multiple mitu
opp opposite vastas-
oz ounces untsid
p purl pahempidine silmus, kududa pahempidiselt
p2tog purl two together kaks silmus pahempidi kokku
patt[s] pattern[s] muster, mustrid
pfb purl into front and back of stitch koo pahempidiselt läbi silmuse mõlemad aasad (eesmine enne)
pm place marker paiguta tähis, märgis
psso pass slipped stitch[es] over tõsta kudumata silmus(ed) üle [kootud silmus(t)e]
rem remaining järgijäänud, allesolevad
rep repeat korda!
rev St st reverse stockinette stitch pahempidine kude/pind
RS right side[s] esikülg, parempool
rnd[s] round[s] ring(id)
SSK slip 2 stitches as if to knit, then knit those 2 stitches together tõsta kaks silmust eraldi parempidise võttega paremale vardale, libista need tagasi vasakule ja koo parempidise võttega läbi (sama, mis tõsta (parempidisevõttega)kudumata silmus üle kootud silmuse)
SSP slip 2 stitches as if to purl, then purl those 2 stitches together sama, mis eelmine, aga pahempidi
sl slip tõsta
slp slip one as if to purl tõsta pahempidisevõttega silmus vasakult vardalt paremale
sl st slip stitch tõsta (kudumata) silmus teisele vardale
st[s] stitch[es] silmus(ed)
St st stockinette stitch parempidine kude/pind
tbl through back of loop[s] läbi tagumis(t)e aasa(de)
tog together koos, kokku
WS wrong side[s] tagakülg, pahem pool
w&t Wrap and turn. Bring yarn to front of work between needles, slip next st to right-hand needle, bring yarn around this st to back of work, slip st back to left-hand needle, turn work to begin working back in the other direction. Mähi ja keera. Too lõng kahe varda vahelt töö esiküljele, tõsta järgmine silmus paremale vardale, vii lõng uuesti tahaküljele, libista kudumata silmus uuesti vasakule vardale, keera töö teine külg ja koo tagasi.

YO yarn over õhksilmus
* * repeat directions between ** as many times as indicated korda juhendit ** vahel nii mitu korda, kui märgitud

Soe Kingitus, mis tulevikus tuleb mulle postiga

Paljud on oma blogis või foorumis endast pisut rohkem rääkinud, täpsustanud SKS ankeedi vastuseid või tutvustanud oma sügis-talvist garderoobi. Põhimõtteliselt peaks minagi seda tegema, aga kahtlustan, et niikuinii on juba hilja - minu salasõbral tõenäoliselt on selge sott, mida teeb ja võibolla isegi materjal varutud...
Ah, keel sügeleb, no ma räägin Sulle... et mul on kolm "talve"mantlit (selle pärast jutumärkides, et siin ju päris talve pole" - üks on kreemikas valge, traditsioonilise lõikega, poolpikk, villane - pidulikum, sõnaga. Teine on ka villane, Zara eelmise aasta kollektsioonist, selline tütarlapselikum, kannan ülestõstetud kraega toda. Ja kolmas on niiöelda Eesti mõõtu mantel - bordoopunane, ilmastikukindel, kapuutsiga, kannatab käia sellega siinsetes mägedes ja Eestis -20'ga. Viimast kasutan siin väga harva.
Lugesin just praegu oma ankeeti, järgmine kord mõtlen enne rohkem, kui kirjutan. Vaatan, et olen märkinud maha oma suvised lemmikvärvid nagu türkiissinine ja oranz - ausalt pole ma neid värve kunagi talvel kandnud. Järsku ongi viimane aeg proovida ka talvel värvikirevust. Liialt subvi oli siin veel, kui ma küsimustikku kirjutasin.
Tegelt mütsi kohta küll üks täpsustus - ma ei kanna absoluutselt murumütsi suguseid liibuvaid munakatteid. Peamunakatteid. Aga vaevalt Sa sellise mulle kood.
Parem on, kui ma rohkem ei kirjuta, eks, muidu ma ajan oma kingitegija masendusse :P
Ja et kiunu veel rohkem saaks, siis siitpoolt üks sajatus postiasutustele, kes ei suuda mulle ikka veel kätte toimetada Vogue Knitting'ut ja Interweave Knits'i - viimasest öeldi küll, et ärgu ma enne otsigu kui oktoobri lõpus.
Aga eile proovisin Manni blogis olnud vihjeid ja heelgeldasin ühe sellise asja - mis sest saab, ei tea, aga küll mõlguvad meeles kõrvarõngad.

Fashion and yarn

I usually do not buy local newspapers, but today was different for between the biggest Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera was published fashionextra - Mode& Modi. It's not like I'm really interested in fashion, not at all, but I got hooked, for the front page had a huge picture like this:
,
and first 6 pages are full of yarn articles, or rather "knits in fashion" and how they are making a "comeback". The first page is not worth reading, it's just the editor's 'sad' story how machine knits remind her of crocheted bedcover at her parent's home and dad's sweater her mother knit. (I do not consider most local articles real news articles, the journalistic culture in Italy is literally non-existent, but this is not a place to analyse it). Enough of bad things, so what did I find out?
What is IN?:

1. All knitted items are IN, but should have some embroidered colorful flowers on them (advisable also on other clothes).
2. The pullovers-cardigans-sweaters should be more or less sexy-slick, with a necessary accessory - huge collar or extralarge baret/hat. Or, since no fashion designer ever agrees on what is IN, some designers prefer to dress their models in at least 2-3 sizes bigger sweaters and tie abelt around the waist.
3. Colors in knitty world - pink, but also white, pastels, gray and lilac. D&G has a very nice winter collection.
4. The beginning of the fashion empire of Benetton. Giuliana Benetton is the lady behind the empire, who at the age of 8 found her life's passion in knitting. First she knitted socks for her younger brother, from old sweaters she ripped, followed by sweaters for the family. She and her brother Luciano were forced to quit school and start working when she was only 10 years old, for the father had died and the mother was sickly. She managed to get a job at a local knitworkshop and made a deal with the owner, whose name was also Benetton, but wasn't their relative, to use the knitting machine from 6-8 pm everyday for her own use. She used that time to try new techniques and work out her own designs. Few years later her mom made her work at the tailor's but she hated it and after the mother realized she was unhappy Giuliana was allowed to go back to knit"factory". At the age of 14 she was the headknitter and had 12 girls working under her. One evening when Luciano had come to pick her up and had seen what his sister was upto, he said: "What if you make the sweaters and I sell them?" It was a golden idea, Luciano sold his harmonica and bought one knitting machine. The empire's seed was planted, in 1966 they inaugurated the company.
5. Fourth page tells us the story of local knitting workshop which cooperates with high-fashion designers. On the same page we can read about the handknitting mania in US. Including a list of stars who knit (from young Ingrid Bergman to Sarah Jessica Parker), Stitch'n'Bitch club and www.menwhoknit.com and about Russel Crowe as the most famous male knitter.
6. Last article talks about warm headcovers, and how once upon a time big baret or fancy pompom could send you to the teasing list or make you the hottest girl of school. This year you'd better go out wearing this style:
   

Quite enough I think for now. :)

Mood ja lõng

Tavaliselt ma lehte ei osta, aga täna on erandlik päev, sest kohaliku suurlehe Corriere della Sera vahel ilmus Mode&Modi moelisa, milles lausa kuue lehekülje jagu lõngajutte. Täpsemalt siis kudumitest ja selle suurest comebackist. Esiküljel on see pilt,
,
ja kõrval toimetaja "hala" (siinsest ajakirjanduskultuuritusest peaksin oma tavaelu bloogis kord romaani kirjutama), sellest kuidas talle need masinkootud esemed toovad meelde heegeldatud päevateki vanematekodus ja isa beezi kampsiku, mille ema kudus. Nii palju siis kriitikat.
Mis moes sel sügistalvel: kudumid, aga mitte lihstalt - neile ja teistelegi riietele võiks peale tikkida lilli - suuri ja kirjusid. Mis veel moes: muidu peaks kudum olema seksikas-liibuv-kehasse, aga kindlaks lisandiks enamike moeloojate pilgu läbi peaks olema kas a) lopsakas krae/sall või b) hüpersuur barett-müts c) ning ekstraks veel näiteks säärikud. Aga kuna moes ei astu kunagi kõik moeloojad ühte jalga, siis teine äärmus ütleb, et selga tuleb panna vähemalt kaks-kolm numbrit suurem kamps ja see siis vööga keseklt parajaks tõmmata.
Rääkides toonidest ja värvidest - roosa rokib täiega, aga sobivaks on kuulutatud ka valge, pastellid, hall ja lilla. Ilus on D&G talvine kollektsioon.
Kolmas lehekülg räägib kudumivõtmes ka Benettoni impeeriumist. Täpsemalt räägitakse Giuliana (loe: dzjuliaana) Benettonist, kes 8-aastaselt leidis oma elukire kudumise näol, impeeriumile aga pandi alus sellega, kui tüdrukuke kudus väikevennale ülesharutatud kampsidest sokid, sokidele järgnesid kampsid, siis aga pidid kaks vanemat last tööle hakkama, sest isa oli surnud ning ema haiglane. Giuliana ja Luciano, tollal 10 ja 12, jätsid kooli pooleli. Veidi aega töötas Giuliana kudumismasinaga ühes töökojas, sealselt perenaiselt kauples loa kella 6st 8ni töötada masinaga oma tarbeks, ning kasutas aega uute töövõtete ja disainide leiutamiseks. 12aastaselt pidi ta aga minema pereema soovil tööle rätsepa juurde, see töö ei istunud Giulianale ja kui ema nägi tüdrukut päevast-päeva õnnetuna, lubas ta tütre tagasi kudumitöökotta. Kui tütarlapsel täitus aastaid 14, töötas tema alluvuses juba tosina jagu kuduõpilasi, ühel õhtul tuli vennale Lucianole idee: "Mis oleks, kui sina teed kampsuneid ja mina müün need maha?" Mõeldud-tehtud, oma kudumismasina ostmiseks müüdi maha pere akordion. Ja impeeriumile saigi algus pandud, kompanii sissepühitsemiseni jõuti mõned aastad hiljem: 1966.
Neljas lehekülg räägib ühest kohalikust kudumistöökojast, mis teeb koostööd kõrgmoeloojatega.
Ja samal leheküljel veel pisike artikkel käsikudumise populaarsustest, artiklis kirjutatakse nii kuulsustest, kes on pildile püütud vardad käes (alates noorest Ingrid Bergmanist, lõpetades Sarah Jessica Parkeriga) aga ka Stitch'nBitch klubist ning www.menwhoknit.com (kuulsaim meeskuduja: Russel Crowe).
Viies lugu pajatab soojadest peakatetest ja sellest, kuidas need suured kohevad tutid-baretid võisid viia su kas põlualuseks või popimaks plikaks koolis. Hästi IN on sel talvel liikuda nii:

Aitab kah.

Creative crisis

Crisis:
1. My Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits have still not arrived!
2. The felted bag... well let's put it nicely... got thrown away. Lesson learnt: diagonal-horisontal-vertical knitting doesn't felt well, means: knit in one direction! Then: cables and your nice ribbing won't show, so why bother. And last but not least: no more machine felting - it just doesn't work. Or maybe it does, but not with me.
3. Mistery knit - advancing, though I went through with some crisis with it.
4. The whole family is ill - not much time to sit down and relax with needles while everyone needs attention.

But, due to pretty bad cold my daughter has, I had to crochet something where she can keep her hankies. According to her wish: "like sun"
Yarn: leftovers from various projects before: Cotone Cablè 5, crochet hook 2,5 mm, pattern: my own. And a cute yellow button.


On my small break last week I got to but a new magazine Maglia, which has some sweet designes. And I brought some supersoft Ornaghi wool for future sock - if that Vogue Knititng ever arrives!!!!!

News

Okay, I've been very busy this week.
The biggest news is that my daughter went to school without prior planning. According to Italian law she should start school at the age of 6 - that is in a year. But during the summer she found a good friend and her parents put an idea to our heads - to apply her to international school of Milan. Of course it was too late already in August, but when I finally called them last Friday morning they asked me to pass by the school on Monday morning to have a chat with the principal so that we could decide for the following year. So Monday morning early we went to school and brought our daughter along, after a long chat with the principal, who wanted to know her background and our preferences, we met teachers, looked the school and finally the principal said: "Okay, that should be covered now, all you have to do now is to go downstairs to the office and speak to Mrs. A about buses and then settle the bill with Mrs. G." We really must have had very confused and stupid faces, for she realized that there was a gap in our information and asked: "So you weren't notified on Friday afternoon that one place in first grade freed up and that this was a admission interview?"
Our little princess has done first 3 days at school and she was very disappointed that she cannt go during the weekend. :D
That was so unknitty again.

Knitty news:
1. Me and three other activists started a project in Estonia of changing self-made gifts for Christmas - it is more or less like Secret Pal, just very local (I can participate for I will be going home for Christmas and therefore can receive and send my package from there).
2. I am currently working on three things one of them my first felting project and I hope to show the results in a few days.
3. I am pissed of with Italian Post, it seems they have been able to loose my 2 subscription magazines: Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits. I am going to go and bark at them on Monday. Cross your fingers!
4. I will have to withdraw myself from Secret Pal nr 9 - for the school fee is pretty overwhelming and I cannot take myself any financial obligations at this moment. I do hope to join the 10th one, for we will be better of next year.

Ving ja viu

Noh, ma ütlen küll seda Itaalia p*saposti. Jälle ei ole kaks ajakirja tellimust kohale jõudnud! (Sünnipäeva pakk vähemalt jõudis) tellisin juulis endale Vogue Knitting ja Interweave Knits aastaks koju ja mida pole, seda pole, ometi olid need mujal maailmas (ei siin neid ei müüda, muidu ei telliks) juba augustis saadaval. Ja Vogue Knitting on kuulduste kohaselt ammu juba Eestisse jõudnud. Peaks pröökama postkontorisse minema! )

Soe Kingitus Salasõbrale

Mul on siin vahepeal palju palju tegemist olnud, nii et kudunud päris valmis ma midagi pole. Esiteks sai lõpuks ometi käima lükatud kingivahetusprojekt kõigile käsitööhuvilistele. Sellega oli päris palju sebimist ja arutamist, aga teisipäeval sai ta siis valmis: Soe Kingitus Salasõbrale

Aga kuna maailm on väike, siis tulevad vahel inimstele samad ideed. IT rahvas vahetab ka kingitusi... omavahel - et osaleda peab end registreeruma foorumisse.
Jõuluüllatusi saabub see aasta Eestimaa kodudesse küllaga :D

Ja teiseks saatsime täiesti etteplaneerimatult kooli ka lapse - st, siis et kohaliku seaduse järgi peaks ta minema kooli alles järgmisel aastal, ehk siis 6-aastaaseks saamisel, meie aga valisime viimasel minutil rahvusvahelise kooli (õigemini, jäi üks koht just sel päeval vabaks, kui mina kooli helistasin), kus õppetöö käib Inglise süsteemi kohaselt. Esimesed kaks päeva on selja taga ja tundub, et laps ise on väga rahul! Hoolimata, et ta inglise keelt veel ei räägi - küll varsti hakkab - kool on ses suhtes väga toetav.

Teaser!

What will it be? ;)

My not so knitty-vacation

Remember that in my last post I promised to do a lot of knitting on my vacation.... well... I didn't... even though I brought yarn for 3 major projects I only finished 2 hats!!! For my daughter and her new found friend.
But the break was well needed, for I am full of new ideas and started a new knitting project already day before yesterday. The vacation was full of swimming and snorkeling in the Adriatic sea, I overcame my fright of medusas and diving after taking an apnea diving course (it's amazing, if you ever get a chance to do it - DO IT!). It basically means diving until the depth of 30 meters without breathing or using any oxygen and staying down fine 4-5 minutes! And it is possible, of course first you start with 1-2 minutes and 5-10 meters, but it is very doable after 2 day course even for non-divers like me. It gave me such a high that I kept doing it every day after the course - that's where all my free time went :P. This is completely off-topic of course.
But the hats are like this, cute aren't they?
Info:
Yarn: Ornaghi Alicante, 100% cotton, self-striping, used app 30 gr. Cotone Cablé nr. 5 (double strand), 100% cotton, white, apple green, pink, used app. 40 gr.
Needles: 3,25 mm circular, 2,75 mm dpn
Pattern: Ulla, summer 2006


I also joined up secret pal nr 9 today. I have been looking at it with envious eyes for the last two times already, but never had the chance to join up - for we moved around a lot, but now I think it will work, for I have no plan of major vacations for the year end.

Värske ja puhanud

Kahjuks tagasi linnas. Puhkusele sõites võtsin kaasa hunniku lõnga ja mitmed vardad, peas keerlesid 4 suuremat projekti ja mõned väiksed ka.
Aga asja ei saanud neist midagi, tulin sama targalt tagasi, ainult kaks mütsikest said valmis, tütrele ja tema uuele südamesõbrannale.







Müts ülemisel pildil on kootud kahekordest Cotone Cablé nr 5 puuvillalõngast, alumine Ornaghi Filati Alicante täispuuvillasest lõngast - mõlemad varrastega 3,25 mm. Muster ühest Ullast. Enam ei mäleta millisest.

Silence before the storm

I am sorry for not writing here lately, the reason is quite simple: I am on vacation and don't have much access to the internet. I will not be writing for another month for it will cost way too much to try to upload pictures and texts through mobile connection. On the other hand being without internet leaves me much more time to do my knitting, which means that upon my return I will swarm the blog with FO's.
Have a nice August and see You in September.

P.S I hope I don't get removed from blogrings I belong to :D

Puhkus

Ei kirjuta siia, sest puhkan ilma netita. Kohtume septembris! :D

My First Dyed Yarns

They really managed to surprise me. See what I mean.

Vaat sellised lõngad said

Endalegi üllatuseks muutusid ka alguses igavamad vihid lahedateks, sest kui vihi diameetrit muuta, muutuvad ka värvikorrad ja saab aimu lõnga tõelisest ilust. Nii nunnud tulid, et pidin kohe nimed andma. Sedakorda siis info inglisekeelne.

Kiri shawl

It is finally done. I do not suggest knitting KIRI in such fine yarn (it is 2-ply almost or maybe entirely cobweb weight lambswool) with 2,75 mm needels. It is a suicide. It took me near 1,5 months to complete it, of course I didn't knit it with one breath... I took a lot of breaths between, a lot without needles in my hands. But I am very satisfied. You can find the pattern here.
But oh it's so pretty and it goes for my awesome mother-in-law. I will do lace more.

Minu esimene pitssall

Haa!
Kiri

Salli lõpetamise eufoorias ei suutnud rohkem sõnu kirjutada. Lisaks siis veel, et vardad olid 2,75 mm.

Kuidas ma värvisin lõnga

Vabandan pildi kvaliteedi pärast!
Värvid on siin pildil tõesti ülevõimendatud - liiga ergud, aga umbes sellistes vahekordades ma need sain. Täitsa lõpp, aga punased toonid minu kaameraga täiega panevad mööda ja pärast on palju jupsimist töötlusprogrammis, et midagistki aru saaks, näiteks siin pildil ei andnud midagi kruttida eriti, helesinine on OK; kirsipruun on kriips liiga lilla (seda näeb vasakult teisel ja neljandal vihul esiplaanil); oranž on liiga ere ning tagumise vihu punased on sügavad; viimase vihu lilla on ka OK, aga kes loeb välja, et siin on kaks oranžitooni mängus olnud?
Igatahes, kogemus on käes - esimene ja viimane kord, kui ma nende eesti värvidega triibutada püüan. Ilgem jupsimine käis. Näpud siiani lillad, sest violett värv (mis on täiega elektrililla tegelikult) võttis mingi kuldse kihi peale ja lõng annab peale tunni ajast pesu ikka veel värvi - kuivana! Sama juhtus bordoopunasega - vähemal määral.
Rõõmsamad toonid on esimese päeva katstused (koos kerimise, lõngapesemise, värvisegamise ja keetmise-loputamisega võttis 200 gr mökerdamine aega 5 tundi - isegi mõned toonid said vähem keetmist, kui pakil nõutud ning jahutama ma neid ka ei viitsinud hakata), tumedamad teisel päeval tehtud.
Nii palju veel, et roostevabad potid said pärast kõik puhtaks, kranaikausile jäi pärast küürimist lillavirve veel mõneks ajaks ning asi ei ole seda väärt, et natukene mingit lõnga värvida. Või üritada triibutamist, terve vihu ühesuguseks võõpamiseks sobib küll.
Samas olen ma oma esimese päeva lõngadega väga rahul ja ka teise päeva lõngad mingi teise värvikombinatsioonis saavad kasutusele võetud, aga järgmiseks korraks tahaks endale sebida välismaa peeneid värve, millega lihtsa vaevaga saab lõngale värvi külge.)
Vohh.

Info ka:
Fie Vello Laumetsa villavärvid, Tallinnas saab osta: Vana-Kalamaja 1, kodutarvete poest; 9 EEKu pakike, 400gr värvimiseks.

I dyed some yarn

I dyed some yarn with local colors that I managed to find from the city (that was an adventure).

Conclusions:

This was the first and last time... with these colors.

Nothing has changed in 20 years.

The colors are cool, but to get them it takes too much mess and scrubbing and boiling and mixing.

I will buy next colors from abroad and try again.

Estonian wool is really great! It gets softer as you boil it. Good pre-washing is essential - it not only gets softer and cleaner but it also goes nicely white.

The colors in this picture are too bright and strong, but I couldn't help it, my camera didn't take the red-orange tones well. Who notices that there are 2 oranges used? Exactly my point, even though I can't show them to you well, I am still very satisfied of the colors and will use these yarns in the near-future projects. BTW Violet really sucked, my sink still has lilac tonality to it.

Aasta sumedamad ööd

Jaanipäev möödus vihmasajus. Jah... ja Tallinnas paistis juba poolest hommikust päike ning ka jaanijärgneval päeval tuli meile päike... ent saunas sai käidud, tuli tehtud, vorstid söödud ja õlled pruugitud - vihmakeepide all -, aga ikkagi oli nii mõnus, et ma kauemaks otsustasin jääda. Tegelikult on see jaanisõit hea võimalus rääkida käsitööst. Sest minu vanavanaema oli kõva tikkija-heegeldaja. Ma ei kahtlegi enam, et kust minul see käsitöövaimustus on tekkinud, vaarema pool on suguvõsas mitmeid käsitööga tegelejaid.

Siin on väike väljanäitus minu vanavanaema tehtud töödest, pikkadel talveõhtutel pusis ta tikkida kuni kõrge vanuseni - kuigi 80date eluaastate alguses ei tahtnud näpud enam hästi kuulda võtta ja silm jäi töntsiks. Mul on ääretult kahju, et ma tol ajal ei vaimustunud näputööst, vaid alles nüüd aastaid pärast memmekese surma tunnen puudust õpetajatest. Eks nii ole vist paljudes peredes.






Aga vanatädi käest sain ilusat veneaegset villast lõnga, pildil küll ei erista eriti tumepunast ja oranži ning ka lilla ja türkiissinise värvid on balansist väljas, aga mul ei õnnestunud ka paremaks näppida pilti. Ja näe, kuna aega oli küllaga kohapeal ja 4 tundi rongis on piisavalt pikk aeg, siis eile valmis mul Kiri sall. Praegu on blokeeringus, varsti varsti saab ilmaimet näha.

Shortest nights of the year

It is the time of the shortest nights of the year, the sun sets close to 11 PM and rises around 4 AM, and it never gets entirely dark.
On the shortest night the sun sets at 22:34 and raises at 4:05 and then we celebrate it with building big fires all around the country, it keeps away bad spirits and jumping over it brings luck. It is our Midsummer's Eve.

This year I went to visit my great-aunt in Southern Estonia and this gives me a chance to introduce some of my greatgrandmothers needlework. She was a very talented embroiderer, coming up with her own ideas and doing needlework until she was in her eighties and couldn't continue for her eyes and hands were poor. Here is a selection of her stitched work, she also did a lot crocheting, all the soviet time dull towels have very elaborate crocheted laces attached. I don't remember her knitting, but I think she did it as well - just to dress the family. I think my handicraft interest comes from that line of family, I am just slightly sad that when she was still with us I was young and hot headed and wasn't interested much. I could use her advice now every so often.




My great-aunt gave me some really brightly colored 100% wool from old times and since I had a lot of time on my hands I nearly finished the Kiri shawl. Yeay!

"Princess's Pink Dream"

Princess's Pink Dream
Yarn: Steinbach Wolle Capri Ombrè, 100% cotton
Needles: 2,25 mm
Amount: ~280 gr
Pattern: My Own
Some white silk ribbon.

Knitted top-down.

Leenu uus kleit

"Printsessi roosa unistus"
Lõng: Steinbach Wolle Capri Ombrè, 100% puuvill
Vardad: 3,25 mm
Kulus: ~280 gr
Muster: oma peast

Mõnedele küsimsutele vastused siia posti:
Elsale: Jah, täitsa Capri Ombrè on ;)
Kajakas: kulub umbes 4 usinat päeva, et valmis teha ja mida väiksem laps, seda kiiremini valmis saab.
Ematehnik: ääres kasutasin Tiina Meeri raamatust võetud tähekirja (sama motiiv kordub ka enne seelikuosa (seal kaks korda tähekirja, vahel 3 rida parempidist kudet; ning esikülje krae ääres ja varrukaservades) - kolmest silmusest kududa välja 1 PP, 1 õhksilmus, 1 PP. Nipp veel hästi lõdvas mahakudumises)

Kui Ingrid käib linnas...

Mis juhtub siis, kui Ingrid linna lastakse?
HAA! Ostab lõnga muidugi!
Baltijaama juursest poekesest maavillast värvimise tarbeks.
Müürivahe kauplusest sokkides triibulõnga ja mohääri pitssalli jaoks.
Kena kopikas kukkus rahakotist.
Ühest käsitööpoest tahaks Itaaliasse tellida veel arhailise tikandiga istumispadjad. Kena laks.

I went to the city....

Guess what happens when Ingrid goes to town?

HA! Of course she buys yarn!!!

So today I bought:

BBB Kid Mohair (mohair-polyammide) for lacy scarf

Match Strumpf und Sportwolle (superwash-polyamid) - the stripy one for socks

and some Estonian natural colour wool. I will try to find some dyes tomorrow and dye something before weekend. If I am successful, knitting will be a B-priority for my vacation time. By the way how much wool can one dye during 3 weeks (hopefully we will have warm and sunny weather)?

Never come home empty-handed

From WWKIP gathering in Tallinnn, I had to leave rather early to go to a small Southern Estonian town called Viljandi. The town was having a Hanseatic Days festival so I wanted to check out the handicraft fair. I met an old aquiantance, who surprise-surprise had taken on handicrafts for a living. It seems just a few years ago, when she was a graduate from law staying home with children and saying that she got a job in designing furniture. Life is weird, isn't it?
Of course I couldn't leave without buying some yarn. The nice merry girls at the yarn booth.. and... and.. and... oh I don't know what made me buy it, I've made tons of promises not to, but I bought SteinbachWolle Capri Ombrè and some extra Katia Jamaica for a project in mind, which hopefully will turn out to be my first pattern... or a messy pile in the corner of the closet.
Anyways, I got the yarn straight away on needles, and the Pink Dream was this far in the early hours of the morning.

Since in one Estonian handicraft forum people are thinking about organizing a little Christmas-gift exchange action, I think I did a good thing purchasing following books:

These are Estonian mittens' patternbook, upper ones are also in English, with written instructions and schematics, bottom one is a black-and-white thin booklet of patterns. The cutouts are from the books on top.

Tühjade kätega koju ei tulda.

Otse WWKIP kogunemiselt põrutasin ma Viljandi, kus toimus sel päeval Hansalaat, et mul enne kontserti aega üle oli, tegin seal aega parajaks. Kohtusin vana tuttavaga, kes üllatus-üllatus oli oma palgatöölt ära tulnud ja otsustanud tekstiilialal kätt proovida. Suure kaarega juura juurest tänaseks käsitööliseks. Ja otse loomulikult ostsin ma ka lõnga, kuigi olen korduvalt vannutanud, et enam ei osta. Harriet.ee rõõmsameelne noor seltskond lihtsalt ... no ma jälle ei tea, mis juhtus, igatahes ära marssisin sealt Capri Ombrè lõngaga ja pisut Katia Jamaica't ostsin ka juurde, plaanis üks asi valmis kudida, päris oma mõtete järele... tea, mis sest välja kukub.
Lossimägede nõlval sai tehtud esimene kuduproov ja täna hommikul rippus saladuslik ese nööril juba sellises konditsioonis.

Ja kuna Kullaketrajates ripub üleval selline aktuaalne teema, siis on ju päris hästi väljakukkunud, et ma just nüüd endale sellised raamatud soetasin:
Ahjaa, et kui kellelgi on üle sellised raamatud nagu Tiina Meeri "Kudumisõpetus" nr 2, 3 ja 5; siis ma hea meelega ostaks. Mulle võib kirjutada siia.

WWKIP day in Tallinn

10th of June in Tammsaare park in Estonia. I have to admit we attracted quite a few japanese to taking photos while we enjoyed eachothers company peacefully knitting the time away on the WorldWide Knitting in Public day. There were 16 of us at the hottest moment which is more than I expected at first, since pictures tell more than words, there are some photo memories in flickr.

WWKIP

10. juuni Tammsaare pargis. Tehtud seekordne avalik kudumine. Järgmine aasta jälle. Väga lahe oli, kahju, et ei saanud kauemaks jääda. Rohkem pilte on mul flickris.

Üritusest on natukene kõnenud juba Kajakas, Elsa, ematehnik ja Vardamoor. Mul polnudki suurt midagi lisada.

Ready!

Finally! Here it is, nicely shaped. And in my garndmother's garden some tulips are the same colour.

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cathay (50% cotton, 35% viscose-microfiber, 15% silk), colour: 10
Needles: 4 mm
Amount: ca 200 gr
Pattern: Leaf t-shirt

Valma!

Lõpuks ometi, kenasti kehasse töödeldud - minu suvetop on valmis. Ja vanaema aias õitsevad üks-ühele värvi tulbid :D

Lõng: Debbie Bliss Cathay (50% puuvill, 35% viskoos-mikrofiiber, 15% siid), värv: 10
Vardad: 4 mm
Kulu: ca 200 gr
Muster: Leaf t-shirt