The knitting portion of the program

My trip to Sweden last week was amazing…in so many ways.  There are so many things to show you that I thought I should divide it into knitting and non-knitting posts.  You’ll see why when you see all the knitting related photos I have!

So I didn’t really go to Stockholm having much planned to do EXCEPT to meet up with my friend, S, for a knitting tour of Stockholm!  Priorities, people, PRIORITIES!!!

Our first stop is Nysta. 

 

Great selection of beautiful yarns.  I am totally overcome from yarn fumes and somehow only walk out with Kalinka linen yarn. 

Never fear!  I clear my head by the time we pull up in front of Wincent.  There I find Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn in a color that S recommends and a Swedish bamboo sock yarn.  On the way out I see the prettiest little buttons…mother of pearl with this scroll-y pattern on them.  I wish I could show you an up close picture but I don’t have that feature on my camera.

Then just around the corner is Ljungqvists Garn.  I am just going to get the book of Norwegian patterns (hats, mittens and socks) but decide to buy some souvenir yarn, too, to make some mittens.  Now I just have to learn Norwegian…or bug S to death to help with the translation.

After lunch, we go to Garnverket.  There I pick up 2 skeins of Visjo ombre from the Ostgoterlands Ullspinneriet (course this doesn’t have all the accents over the letters so that is why I put the links).

In one of the oldest parts of the city, Gamla Stan, behind the Royal Palace, is a beautiful part of the city made all that much more interesting by the TWO yarn shops located there!!!

Anntorps Vav is our first stop.  This lady does a beautiful job dying her yarn!

I fall in love with a little sweater in the window and buy the yarn to make it.  Again, must learn Swedish but it will be so worth it!!!  (HELP S!!!)

Yarn shop #6!  WHEW!  Tired yet?!?

By this time I am starting to worry about what the credit card bill will look like when I get home, not to mention will I be able to get all this into my suitcase?  Sticka has gorgeous yarn so make sure you put them on your list of places to visit but I decide to start thinking small.  I saw these clasps (?) and think they would finish off a vest I started FOREVER AGO perfectly.   

And S tells me that she is saving the best for last (not to mention that it is on the way to her house)…Maria’s Garn.  As you can see, I can NOT resist the handdyed (by Maria) 75% wool, 25% bamboo sock yarn.  Could you?

S ends her tour of Stockholm’s finest yarn shops with a private tour of her yarn room!    I didn’t take pictures but I wish I had!  Amazing!  And what a house, too.  Sure, she was in the middle of remodeling but who isn’t!!  When I visit next time is will all be done, right?

A couple of days later I am shopping around Stockholm and we go into a mall.  As we are taking the escalator down, imagine my surprise to see this… 

I swear my heart skips a beat!  Well, once I regain my composer I realize that it is a restaurant!!!  Can you believe it?!?  That is just so cruel!

And this was what I worked on while in Sweden.  I started them the day we left which was the first day of the Summer of Socks 08 KAL.

Pattern: Bellatrix by Monkeytoes (free download on Ravelry)

yarn: Lang Jawoll Cotton 

I’m on the heel flap now.

So that is it!  My knitting adventure in Stockholm.  I’ll get around to the non-knitting post ASAP.  Thanks!

Ravelry killing my knitting blog?

ETA: I changed the title of this post because I thought that it might seem a bit too accusatory. And you can see that it really is my fault and in no way Rav’s fault. I really love that site and don’t want it to seem I’m saying anything bad about it.

Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I feel that is happening to mine, anyway.  Once I get around to getting the info updated on Ravelry I am too lazy to then put it on here.  Ah!  There is the real problem, right?  I’m too lazy!  Must me just me cause I’m amazed at how many others are so good at keeping the knitting content of their knitting blogs up to date.  Oh, well.

With all that said, here are some other things I’ve been working on:

Baby Surprise Jacket using Knit Picks Shine Worsted STASH!! (gasp!)

My “Sensible Socks.” The yarn was given to me by my friend, Nicky, in order for me to make something other than crazy socks. Well…… This is the Ziggy pattern from the latest Knitty. I’m really liking them a lot.

This is the tote basket I made for my mother as a replacement for the sweater I have been meaning to finish for the last 3 years. Hopefully this will serve as a good substitute!

Another pair of finished socks.
Pattern: Show-off Stranded Socks (a free Rav download)
yarn: Salvia Sock Yarn
needles: 2.5mm

FINALLY pulled this off the rigid heddle loom!

And started this the same evening!!

I also started a pair of socks for the Summer of Socks 08 but I will put that in the next post…which promises to be another long one. Better start on it soon!