5.13.2011

One more scarf and some lace


This scarf is a true traveller's scarf. It's travelled from Finland to Spain and back, then to Estonia and Latvia. I run out of yarn, but luckily found one more skein at home.. but it wasn't enough. There were just a few rows left and I had to use two short bits that had been cut off earlier. Even that wasn't enough. I didn't want to unravel half of the scarf just to make it a tiny bit shorter, so I sent an e-mail to the yarn shop Lumoava lanka. I was a bit worried, because I had found the yarn in a sale basket some months back in winter. They replied with good news: they had 18 grams left! So today I went to pick the yarn up and was finally able to finish my project. 
Thanks, Lumoava Lanka for your excellent service!!

 
Very basic triangle scarf
Yarn: SWTC - Karaoke (50% soysilk®, 50% wool)



New project: Lace shawl/scarf. First time knitting lace and the start was a pain. I had to unravel an redo the first rows (with 363 stiches) 4 times until I got the hang of it. Now struggling with nupps... But I won't give up.

5.09.2011

Scarf




A scarf for my sister
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden Sock Yarn, 
which I bought in London earlier this year at I Knit.

5.08.2011

Refilling the stock: Latvia


In Riga I continued my yarn shopping at Hobbywool.


I also bought a pair of fingerless gloves made using a traditional technique of needle-binding, and decided that I want to learn the technique myself. I bought the needle with instructions, but unfortunately they only had them in Latvian. I couldn't quite figure it out from the pictures, but I'm sure to find help in the web, even in Finnish as the technique is also used here.



Riga seems to be a crafty city. I spotted a couple of knit graffitis in the streets of the old town, and sat by a sewing table at a café. All the tables were old sewing machine tables converted to normal tables. I'm not sure if I was happy about it or not. There were also a number of old Finnish Tikkakoski machines. I just wish they were broken down and for that reason repurposed, because these old sewing machines are becoming really rare.

5.07.2011

Refilling the stock: Estonia

I've been away for work for a couple of days in Estonia and Latvia. It was also a good chance to refill the yarn and fabric stock.


Suur Munamägi is the highest peak in the Baltic states. You get a good view over the Haanja upland from the observation tower and after the climb you can treat yourself with a skein of 100% Estonian wool.


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Võru is a small city in Southern Estonia. I found some really nice and soft, dyed linen for a good price.


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Our final stop in Estonia was the university city of Tartu. My colleagues told me they'd walked past a large fabric shop which had a 50%-off sale. I couldn't miss that, could I? In fact, I went there twice. 


I bought some basic stuff: interfacings, pins, chalk, blind zippers...

... and brown linen.


On the second time at the counter I asked if they knew if there was a yarn shop in Tartu. "Upstairs" was the answer. Oh, boy. 


From Tartu we drove to Riga, Latvia. Good time to do some knitting while mobilizing my colleagues.


4.30.2011