the horse scarf that was a zebra scarf

looking at the scarf now it seems ridiculous that i thought it was a beige scarf with black dalecarlian horses print. but when i spotted it in the window display that was exactly what it looked like. 

not really my colours (duh) but it was such a nice print and something that would go well with brighter colours. when the staff took it down and it turned out to be not horses but black/green striped zebras i knew i had to have it. 

i'm not an impulse buyer, but i do believe that is just what i did. or why no call it an earth day celebratory purchase? yes, that sounds better, with animals and in earth tones.

it's supersized and a blend of cotton/viscose. i've worn it already and it's really lovely, stylish even. an extra wee plus for the little bag it came in. a nice touch for a wonderful wearable piece. 

the horse scarf that turned out to be a zebra scarf.

scarf from WOS.

look, a parrot scarf!

I may be a knitter, crocheter, yarn addict myself but I don't shy away from beautiful things created by others. So as soon as I saw Nina Führer's shop on Etsy with gorgeous animal scarves I knew I had to have one. And I was lucky enough to be able to get it with some Christmas money, hooray!



Of all the different animals on scarf to choose from the cockatoo was the most adorable and realistic to have wrapped and on your shoulder imho so the choice was obvious. Even if every piece is cute - although admittedly as it is with foxes, even wool ones signals a real dead fur fox around your neck, I can never really look past that - this was THE one for me.



It arrived the other week and it's absolutely gorgeous. Possibly not appreciated by the feline inspectors because "sigh, another furry one who will no doubt demand time, attention and cuddles", but the more appreciated by me. The design is seemingly simple and understated and at the same time very impressive. Over all a fabulous piece. I haven't had the opportunity to wear it just yet, but the wool (not merino wool of course) is soft and warm. The parrot is adorable and its beak is a clip that serves as a clasp.



I'm so happy about this wonderful parrot scarf but I really need to practise how to wear it in a way that makes the piece justice AND keep me warm in the harsh winter we're having in Sweden. Easier said than done. This is so much more than just wrapping a wool scarf around your neck to keep warm, this is a piece of art that needs proper flaunting.

green alpaca lace shawl

Behold the finished result of the eternity shawl! Or scarf. The thing that annoys me - no matter how pleased I am about the end result - is that it was supposed to be a triangular shawl, a supersized one. In order to get that I measured and counted, measured and counted and then some, I thought it would take 9 hanks to get there.



After 3-4 hanks I realised something was wrong and yes I had completely miscalculated both the size and amount of yarn to get there... And as it was getting heavier and heavier by each row crocheted I also realised it would be impossible to get it finished as a triangular shawl if I ever wanted to be able to actually wear it.



Conclusion; it is a lovely piece, which took quite a lot of time to finish. It's not exactly what I aimed at, but good in its own way. I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a forever project but finished in a reasonable amount of time. You can follow its progress in these posts - January 12, January 17 and March 23.

16 hanks in three different pastel green hues to get there (not the calculated 9...) and I decided it was a finished shawl/scarf. To be inaugurated next winter. But before it was sent to summer hibernation it got its few minutes of fame udner the magic pink light of the cherry blossom trees 2014. They went really well together, wouldn't you agree?

the weekend that was

sunshine, blue skies, cold winds
easterish nails
good food, tea, coffee,
pastry and a divine smoothie
not enough sleep
kitty cuddles
yellow tulips, more ranunculas

and a complete easter surprise;
the peace scarf. heart.
(i'm still making my own summer version)

peace scarf

Quite quite smitten by this peace scarf I saw in a shop recently. With a price not for my wallet right now. But inspirational and easy to recreate something similiar yourself. I think I'll go looking for some organic muslin cotton - and I would so prefer it in some pastel colour than white anyway -, sew a scarf and stamp some potato print peace signs on it. Sounds like a fun project to me!

two green scarves

Well technically one of the scarves are blue and green - made to order for someone who enjoys blue and green I was very happy to find the perfect blend in lovely, thick wool for a chunky, warming scarf - and the other one is sort of green, brown, yellow. But green is the common denominator, so green they are. For now, in this post.



The knitted scarf made to order was speedily made during a week in October. Buyer/wearer seems very pleased with her purchase I'm happy to report.



The one I crocheted for myself - with yarn bought in 2011 - I began making in September and finished sometime in November. I used up all the yarn for it, crocheted it in a similar style to the heather hued shawl the other year, but made it into a cowl of sorts instead. It's about 460 centimeters long. Oh dear. It was a very good, "endless" kind of project to have in front of the TV, while travelling or riding the car.



So, this bird in her new scarf would love to now,
how are your yarn projects this season coming along?

a cowl and a scarf

This is winter, this most pink woolly woolliest of cowls - in the same yarn as the beanie that has kept me warm a lot of wintry days these past few months - which finally has buttons attached to it, will now go into summer hibernation (yes there is such a thing) and wait its inauguration until next winter. It'll be a warm and perky addition to the winter wardrobe.

But now it's spring and as silly as it may seem, this green scarf was made in 2009 already, but despite the lovely yarn itself I always felt it missed something something. Thus it has been biding its proper time in a box alongside other half-finished yarny projects.

Now it has buttons and a fringe. Not to mention colour matching bobbaloos. Which is quite essential of course.

And since you asked, no the bobbaloos aren't of my own making (alas, I'm only a crazy addict admirer of them) but of amazing felt artist Kit Lane.

the reversed carrot and other beanies

I'm thinking that the knitting of caps might be the new scarf or the new socks for me. Plus they're quicker to make, with rather little effort and hey presto, you've got a new hat!

I've got me some fabulously perky and lovely wool yarn - I've been ogling it for ages - before Christmas, I then returned for another skein in a sweet skyblue hue. Granted compared to the bright pink (with small orange patches) and the green green grass one with an orange tuft on top - I think of it as a reversed carrot, befitting someone having the carrot defect - it does make a pale impact. But nonetheless cute.

Although granted, if you want to spot one easily in a crowd I'd go for the bright pink - I'm making a super lovely cowl for self in the same yarn, knitting done, putting some finishing touches to it now, below +-0C weather is welcome to stay a  wee while longer - or the green/carroty one.

Which one would you enjoy wearing the most?
And do you have any favourite winter headgear?

scarves ~ one finished, one in progress

Sock knitting season hasn't quite begun yet and I'm trying to take it easy with the crocheting - to not work that apparently now sensitive thumb grip too much... - but I finally put the last details to one scarf (which still needs to be stretched properly) I begun knitting last summer. Tie-dyed cotton yarn in fab subdued apricot-beige hues.

And for some reason the Scandinavian bobbaloo settlement always have some eager colour matching beings up for photo posing, no matter colour of yarn. Not quite decided if that's a good or bad thing. Or simply a natural side-effect of yarn and bobbaloo addiction fondness.

The work in progress is my first attempt at the ripple pattern. I don't know what took me so long, it's so easy and make for such a lovely result in any project, big or small. This is of course also a scarf - yes, I am guilty to an addiction fondness for scarves too. Apart from shoes and handbags, the perfect scarf will lift any outfit, possibly even any day - nearly done, some essential details and finishing touches, then it's ready for spring wearing 2012. Pretty in pink, mint-green and violet cotton.

Now what yarn project to begin next...

How's your yarn projects for autumn coming along? Anything finished yet? For yourself or others?

perky pot holders

My little tentative step back into the soothing, wonderful world of yarn began with one pot holder. That one pot holder soon became three. Granny squareish, very perky and easy to make, satisfaction guaranteed.

I still feel a slight soreness in, especially, the right hand, but if I keep the crocheting and knitting in small portions - easier said than done once you get into it and watching TV without having your hands occupied with yarny business... it just seems such a waste of time somehow - I think it'll be alright.

The pot holders obviously have a very large bobbaloo stamp of approval - since they're just supersized magical sleeping pouches really - and their colour awesomeness makes me smile.

I have quite a lot of yarn left for more pot holders and I'm thinking I should get a few more hanks in other colours to spice things up - I mean a variety of ten colours or so can accomplish so much more delight for the eyes than six, right? Right.

I'm also thinking that perhaps I should get some use out of that Big Cartel shop I registered a while back - Etsy really isn't my cup of craft tea when it comes to selling this kind of stuff, perhaps BC is more my venue... - and list a few of these. (Note, no bobbaloos included in possible purchase.)

Apart from yarn I had left from last season I wasn't able to resist a few more hanks recently, so a few more perky pot holders aside, I'm planning to turn this yarn into

a green-blue-brown-yellow wool scarf - same yarn as in the heather hues shawl, but I will knit instead of crochet, to save the amount of yarn needed for a fairly large scarf. Since crocheting has a tendency to gobble down a lot of yarn. -

I will try and make something small and simple with three cottons hanks in that pretty ripple pattern - which I've admired for so long but still haven't tried myself. I have no idea what kept me, the comfort zone of granny squares perhaps? Or newfound (before sore hand struck) love of amigurumi?

Last but certainly not least, this pretty handdyed blue-green wool yarn I got on Åland. Yes it will be a scarf too - since you can't have too many of those... - I'm thinking something simple and possibly in a lace pattern, maybe similar to the autumn rainbow scarf I made for my mum a couple of years ago.

See, not only working with yarn, but thinking about, looking at and writing about it does give some moments of hope, peace and calm from the misery and blah. Ah, the magic of yarn.

Do you have any special yarn projects in mind for this autumn/winter?

for the love of colours

I'm a person that never (well at least 99% of the times, there are exceptions known) wear black.

It started out as simply being a terribly impractical colour when a cat owner, but really, I personally find black incredibly boring, unimaginative and uninspirational in general.

I have a friend who mused over the fact that she always wore black when she was in her twenties, with age she began being more adventurous with colours and she also (in hindsight) realised that with the wearing of colour came an open mind. She had been more of a judgmental character when she was younger, when she loved wearing black clothes.

Myself I cherish a statement from Matthew Broderick's character in the 2004 version of "The Stepford Wives" when he says that black is only worn by neurotic career hags. Ah, that's incredibly hilarious, in my book of colours. (Not that I prefer the Stepford-wife-personality, oh no, those are about as attractive as neurotic career hags. In any colour.)

Be as that may (and I'm sure the wearer-of-black would protest), in my world one should always wear colour, it doesn't have to be bright and cheerful and in your eyes colours always, but the amount of moodlifting and inspiring good colours can do should never ever be underestimated!

Whenever I see a window display with exquisitely combined colours I do get all giddy with happiness. Whenever I step into a shop with gorgeous colours on the rails I immediately am in lust for more colours in my life. Yes, my love for colours is endless and passionate. They inspire me in ways words can't completely describe.

The downside with colours, if one should call it that, is that with wearing colours like I do, one might look overall perkier and happier than one is. It's interesting how easily one can deceive people with a perky, colourful outside, when the inside may be another sadder story.

Some days I dress perky, because I feel perky, others I dress perky because I need to cheer myself up and some days I really can't cheer myself up like that (and let people think I'm much chirpier than I really am). It just a day of gloom, inside out. But, as a general rule, life does feel much, much better in colours.

As is obvious when I look at my little, happy pile of clothes I've been most fortunate to get for spring/summer, applegreen and pink (which is the most lovely of colour combos there is, no protest!), red, raspberry red, green, turquoise, a dash of vanilla (and only because there were cats printed on that scarf, I mean, who can resist that?) and dots, lotsa dots. Ah, what's not to love in this pile? Springish, summery, happy pile.

And when autumn comes (long long time away) I have already some wonderful woolly project plans, like fabulastic Lovikka mittens in red and pink and tutti-frutti coloured socks. Oh for the love of colours. Extra prima ~

On the subject of colours,
don't forget the perky mushroom giveaway,
last day of entry Sunday 17 midnight CET ~

the heather hues shawl

Finally, the wool project I began crocheting about two months ago is finally finished. It hasn't been a complicated thing, but reasonably much work for little growth and no it hasn't been a priority project at all. Just a convenient something I've returned to when I've felt like nothing else was on the yarny agenda.

Plus, it was said the shawl called for 3 fairly large skeins, but in the end, to make it a reasonable size for a grown-up human I had to use 7, it felt like one constantly had to pop by yarn-shop for a refill (and once there of course one couldn't buy just that skein...).

But now finished, gift receiver is very pleased with result. I am too, especially with the cute rim and most of all, of which I obviously can't take any credit whatsoever, how fantastic the heather colours of the yarn looks when coming to life in a bigger piece like this. Wouldn't you agree?

~

~

crochet project details

Ever so slowly one of the woolly projects I begun making in September 2009 is heading towards the finish line. These happy looking mini-circles will adorn the soon-to-be-finished projects. Not quite as the pattern said, but of course in a much much prettier way.

Oh this has been such a time-consuming finical work, though I'm certain I will be quite proud and happy with achievement when I secure that very last yarn end... And guaranteed to be the only living scarf (well of course, what else could it be, scarfoholic me...) like this in Stockholm, Sweden, yup, dare I say the world. Just the way I like it.

what will become of the granny squares

Hopefully these granny squares - which needless to say is a very very addictive way to practise yarn and hook skills - will not fall into category of (half) forgotten half finished projects of mine. Because as a season draws to an end, my drive to finish any seasonal projects tends to evaporate. Thus I may not finish this project - which most probably spells s-c-a-r-f. Yup another addiction of mine which must be very obvious too by know - until spring comes.

The yarn was bought over a year ago - the same small Swedish company that created the purple - green yarn of recent purchase, which is my current in-front-of-telly-yarn-project alongside another nearly finished one. And if you've guessed the outcome of them both to be scarves too, well then you've guessed right... - with the then intention of taking up the art of macrame again.

Which obviously didn't happen. I took the hanks with me on summer holiday and began making the ol' faithful (surprise) granny square. I have an idea on how the scarf will look, but as the summer season alas is no more here, wearing of these kind of scarves will be a non-issue in the months to come, merging of these pink, blue, white squares will probably wait until next year. Perhaps.

Besides now is soon the time of magic socks again (and ahem, half finished woolly scarf and shawl projects...). And as if last season's sock posts weren't enough, oh do I have some delightful new ones to blog-show, tell and put the last finishing touches to...

In the track of summer yarns come the winter ones and all the possibilities that hold, for that I am grateful. Both from a creative, therapeutically and relaxation point of view, since a ball of yarn nearby is a must in my life.

As is a kitty inspector extraordinaire.

If you missed the blogoversary give away of yesterday, feel free to hope over there and enter ~

the granny square scarf

A year or so ago I revisited the making of granny squares.

As I said back then I really loath the tying of all the seemingly endless loose ends on said squares - technically not a Sisyphean task, but it sure do feels like an endless, mindnumbing one nevertheless - so when finished enough squares the various projects often are put on hold until I can muster enough energy to do the boring bits to complete the work.

A year later the squares have been put together and shaped into a very long scarf (because that's probably my very favourite accessory, a long scarf. One really can't have too many of those. Period.)

I enjoy the way the squares came together, the colours, the rustic yet delicate look. I'm sure we'll be quite happy together for a long time to come.

With this post I will round off the month of May - isn't it astonishing how quickly it swished by? - and I know hope the month of June and all summer will hold many golden moments of happiness and perfectness ~