the smallest sculpture in Stockholm

this little guy, so well equipped for winter, is considered the tiniest sculpture/monument in Stockholm.


i realized i have many pictures of Stockholm, some of them good or interesting. i genuinely like this city, it's very picturesque and photogenic (if light allows...). i think there are many ways one can see Stockholm, depending on what you're looking for: architecture, water, nightlife, people. i'll be irregularily sharing some glimpses of how i see it in the next couple of months.

knitting in the winter

the motivational purchase of recent weeks:

yummy alpaca, destined for a beret of yet-undecided pattern, in colours mimicking dark swedish sky that we see so often at this time of year;


the laceweight wool in poppy red to spicy up the greyness a bit - for a Shetland Triangle shawl (no, i do not think i'll wear that shawl togehter with the hummingbird beret).

i need the motivation, that's for sure. 2009 is not the most productive knitwise (so far), yet there are some stitches knitted here and there:

a sock in Fog colorway of Kaffe Fassett line of Regia sockyarn.


a sleeve of Green Cable hoodie aka Cable Hoodie from VK autumn 2008, just it's not green, it's rusty.

Just a scarf...

it'a a simple k1p1 rib, and it's the yarn that makes it so beautiful. All credits go to:
Visjö Karamell from Östergötlands Ullspineri 100% wool 300m/100g
(needles were 3.5mm, for the record)

Morocco

my first trip to Africa. and not the last.

Polish Secret Pal :-)

So, finally i decided to take part in the yarn exchange! And the package I got is huuuge! Two kinds of yarn, 2 skeins each, two kinds of tea, chocolate, three knitting magazines...

...and these beauties:

An Angel and a Star!
Thank you, Secret Pal!

The only thing that is spoiling my joy is the fact that...my package hasn't reached its destination! It's very sad and frustrating and... heck, unfair.

Merry Christmas!

Playing For Change: Song Around the World | Stand By Me from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

one more scarf, not yet ready

simple scarf, knitted 1k, 1p, and so much fun with the colour! same yarn as for this hat. i hoped to finish it before Christmas, but it seems it'll be my first 2009 finished object.

laminaria

i knitted my first lace, people!




pattern: laminaria from knitty
yarn: Mulibärs Silk 100% silk 600m/100g; Marias Garn
needles: 3.5mm

pretty, pretty! it already found its way to a friend it was destined for from the starters.

i got some 28g of leftover yarn, so i could have knitted one more repetition of the blossom pattern, for a larger shawl. if i knew... anyway, i discovered one thing while knitting laminaria: i like lace! ok, it requires a lot of attention, but in the end it's soooo rewarding to see the pattern uncovered while the shawl is blocked.

lace story in pictures

It started as a hank of a really beautiful shiny luscious silk yarn.600m of it, wow, all packed into 100g. Not my usual piece of cake. Sometime in September I decided it's finally time to pick a pattern for this yarn.Otherwise I might not be done with knitting LACE (something I've never done before) by Christmas.

I meant to take a picture after every step of the lace pattern is completed, to document my progress, as I believed this is the first and the last adventure with lace knitting. Just a diversion from my usual scarves and socks.



As time passed, days got shorter and I was not able to take pictures after work anymore. Then, I knitted other stuff, more wooly, more of an immediate use. The sudden burst of productivity is mainly due to me staying at home with flu. So, there it is, in all its beauty:


Laminaria. Details will follow.

wintery glimpse

opportunities for pictures such as this one do not happen everyday. a view from the window of the living room. and a huge zoom of my camera.

today was one of the very rare days with sunshine. so, we had some dayLIGHT in Sweden, finally. the last of such days was the day when i shot this photo. 22 of November. the fact that the daylight is so scarce here these last weeks of year kind of justifies lack of blogging. no photos = no blog posts. this, and the fact that i'm sick, and thus home during daylight time, allowed me to take some pictures! :-) so, stay tuned for the side product of the flu and a nasty throat infection with severe cough. here a little preview: