Sunday, October 9, 2011

Getting ready for winter.

It is starting to get colder and colder here and I realized that I don't have many "winter accessories" in my closet.

I have only one short scarf with buttons that I made a long time ago... it was a real odyssey. I made it using brioche stitch and I think I started it abut five times! I found that brioche stitch was not so difficult to make but as soon as I made a mistake it was a huge disaster! I got completely lost and took me a long time to fix it! Now, all the effort was totally worthwhile.

Brioche stitch is really nice, it makes a reversible fabric that is squishy and warm.

Neck warmer
I made this one with Bulky lopi on 9mm needles. 

Hats, holy hats! I have made quite a few of them but I am NEVER satisfied with them! I am just not a hat person. It has to be really, really cold so I get to wear one.

There are two of them that I have used the most:

Cabled hat

Hat/húfa/gorro
Made with Eskimo by drops.

And Haka:

Ný húfa
Also made with bulky lopi. 


So, now it was time to make a new scarf and hat.

Two years ago I made a cabled neck warmer using some Noro kureyon that I had after having frogged a shawl I made with it.

Kragi

I never wore it...  I guess I didn't really like the colors (and to be honest, I really don't like Noro at all. I don't understand why it is so expensive!). The good thing is that when my sister came to visit me liked it a lot! So she went back home with a new cowl :)

Since I liked the pattern so much I decided to make another one. This time with a yarn and colors that I really liked. I began to knit it about a year ago and then the project fell asleep in the stash basket (along with a couple of other things!) until a few weeks ago when I decided to finish it once and for all!

Cowl
The pattern looks MUCH better in one color.

Details: 

* Pattern: Cabled cowl by Lion Brand

* Yarn: Cascade 220.

* Needles: 5.0mm

Cowl



Notes:

* I made a much shorter version. The pattern called to make it 50cm long and then lightly felt it. I made it just 30cm long and no felting.

* I like cables a lot. They make the fabric look look warm and cozy. And well, they don't only have the looks... they are REALLY fun to knit!

I also decided to look for a hat. Searching here and there I found this wonderful fair isle hat:


New hat!
I like the simplicity of the pattern.


Details:

* Pattern: Peacock by Karen Borrel.

* Yarn: Cascade 220. Less than one skein of the main color.

* Needles: 4.5mm

New hat!


Notes:

* I didn't make any changes to the pattern. I followed it just as it is.

* When I saw this hat the first thing that cought my attention were these two bicolor bands at the beginning and at the end of the fair isle section. I had absolutely no clue about how to make them but it was really easy! And they look very nice! Knitting always surprises me. It is so nice to discover new things that are made with the same simple elements of basic knitting. In this case purling. Yes, the bands are made just using purl stitch and some twisting!

* I decided to use cascade 220 to match it with the cowl. Besides this yarn is simply amazing. It is so soft and nice to work with! And it is incredibly warm! I totally recommend it.

* I love pompons, so even though if the pattern wouldn't have called for one I would have made one anyways :)

New hat!


Now, to finish with accessories, I am knitting a pair of mittens. I think I have said before that I am not a big fan of knitting anything that comes in pairs... but I really need a new pair of mittens. It is really silly that i have only ONE pair that I made almost three years ago! This far, I am done with the first mitten... one more to go!

And to finish, a few pics. These one were taken in a place called Arnastapi in Snæfellsnes. It is a little village next to sea. The most amazing thing about this place are the cliffs and lava formations.

Arnastapi
Cliffs and Eva.


Arnastapi
When walking close to the cliffs it is possible to find a couple of holes. It is not possible to see it in this picture but the sea is on the bottom of this hole.


Arnastapi
There are also a couple of lava bridges... they are pretty cool. 

20 comments:

  1. Thank you for interspersing your knitting posts with pictures or information of Iceland. I very much enjoy your blog.

    PS...and the hat looks great.

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  2. Hola Rodrigo!!!!!
    IMPRESIONANTE!!!!Muy buenas las fotos.
    Y que decir el tejido.Impresionante tambien
    Un abrazo Susana

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  3. good morning Rod from a bit further south where it is cool too.
    I couldn't agree more with you regarding the Noro yarn. I never understood the hype about this yarn after using it twice. Your new hat and cowl look great, timeless and still very stylish.
    Have a great Sunday and all the best to you from Switzerland, Christa

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  4. Buenos dias don Rodri :)
    bueno mira te lei antes de leerme el lun como lo hago cada dia , jajaja,
    oiga los gorros tan lindos hee, yo soy mas de slouch , me encantan,
    el gorro que tejiste esta lindo , se ve muy mono
    y el snood tambien, antes tejia caleta de esos snoods, y son bien utiles, y ando como tu tejiendo guantes, pero con lo desordenada que soy, vi unos , y no se donde deje el patron , jajaj, enfin ayer le envie mail/ regalo
    bueno pasa un feliz domingo , yo aqui terminando cosas , besitos a los dos

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  5. winter ♥♥♥♥♥

    the hat is wonderful, one of the nicest i think i have ever seen - it has such a nice simplicity as well as being so pretty. and the pompom is just perfect! :)

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  6. Como siempre las fotos preciosas y el gorro blanco con dibujo es impresionante, y los relieves tejidos del cabled cowl me encantan, el color natural es muy bonito. la lopi bulky tiene pinta de ser contra viento y marea¡ desde luego frío no vas a pasar¡

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  7. Ég er sammála þér með Noro - mér finnst það ekkert sérstakt og litirnir í þessu marglita ekki sérlega skemmtilegir. En nýi hvíti kraginn þinn er algjört æði og húfan er ótrúlega flott og fer þér svo vel! Það er svo gaman að læra ný prjónatrikk :-)

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  8. Hola Rodrigo, bueno que más queda decirte de que todo lo que haces es una maravilla. La ceniza del Puyehue sigue molestando, es más ahora que llegó la primavera se puede ver la fumarola y todo! Así es la naturaleza, veo que te estás preparando para el invierno. A mi me encanta tejer gorros y guantes, porque son elegantes y rápidos de hacer. Un beso.

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  9. Me encanta el gorro del pompon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  10. Róbert: Thank you for reading and commenting :) I am glad you enjoy my blog :þ

    Susi: Muchas gracias! :Þ

    Christa: And the worst of all is how expensive Noro is! I remember that I even found lots of knots while using it. I wouldn't expect knots in such an expensive yarn, right? Anyways... never again :) Thank you for reading me! Btw, are you also getting ready for winter?! :)

    Genevieve: Yes! Winter is finally coming! Isn't that wonderful! Today there was frost everywhere... the grass covered with this beautiful white layer of ice!

    Juntitos: jeje, bulky lopi es TODO TERRENO! Y lo mejor de todo es que se teje RAPIDÍSIMO!! Gracias por pasar! :)

    Kristín: Ég veit ekki hvað ég var að hugsa þegar ég keypti þetta garn! RÍSAstórt mistök! Og verðið! úf! Ég vil ekki einu sinni hugsa um það! Hlakka til að sjá þig á morgun!!

    Mariana: Ay ay, paciencia con el volcán... cosas de la naturaleza, no? Tejer guantes o mitones... no están dentro de mis favoritos. Me da siempre una pereza horrible empezar el segundo! :/

    Asun: A mí también me encanta! jeje :)

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  11. Rodrigo acabo de descubrir tu blog y me encanta, estoy enganxada! voy a leerlo de cabo a rabo!

    besos

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  12. Greetings from the beach. I couldn't resist peaking to see what you posted. Unfortunately, last night I wrote a nice long comment, pushed the button to post it, and it all went away!:-( Hopefully that won't happen this time.

    I must say I am glad I no longer live where I need "winter accessories." I do not tolerate tight things around my neck so seeing the cowl buttoned tightly around your neck almost made me cringe. It did pique my interest in the Brioche stitch though. Will have to look it up.

    Hats: Rarely to almost never has a hat been put on my head. If my ears got cold, I wore white, fluffy earmuffs. I like the colors in that first hat. The second hat, well...hmm...probably not the most flattering, but does look like it would keep your head warm.

    Like you, I'm not a fan of Noro yarn, but I do like the colors in the cowl you gave to your sister. Lucky girl! I really like the one you just completed, but it "fell asleep in the stash basket"?!!:-) You make me laugh - you are one creative fellow! I do like the pattern and the shorter length.

    I really, really like your new hat! Love the pattern and the two colors really make it stand out. Those bands just "make" the whole thing, and doubt they are that easy (for you, maybe!) You're right about the pom-pom. Perfect finishing touch and you made such a great, full one. :-) I really like Cascade 220 yarn. I was going through my stash recently and came across 4 skeins of it. They were unusual colors for me, so wondered what I originally bought them for. I had recently purchased 4 skeins (and when I got home realized I bought the wrong yarn for the item) so will have to find something I can make to combine them all. I also like the Cascade 220 Superwash and the Handpainted yarns.

    As usual you treat us with some really neat photos. Fascinating place you live in. Eva looks cold, even though she is all bundled up!!

    Hope you got the pictures I sent because there won't be any new ones this trip. I forgot the camera! I can't believe it!! Beautiful full moon reflected on the water last night and this morning the water is so calm, with definite "lapping" on the sand. Oh well, will just have to store the images in my mind.

    Am looking forward to seeing your finished mittens and whatever other projects you have sleeping in your stash basket! :-)

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  13. Primero que nada, tiemblo al pensar lo que quiere decir "really cold" en Islandia!! También intenté tejer un cuello similar en brioche y no pude, acabé haciéndolo en algo así como punto Inglés, que da la misma textura.¡El cuello de cables y el gorro están sensacionales!
    Y tengo la misma resistencia con los mitones, pero Ale del blog "Chácharas y tejidos" recomienda tejerlos los dos a la vez, sobre las mismas agujas y usando dos bolas separadas de estambre. Ya quiero intentarlo así, en su blog tiene el tutorial. ¡Muchos saludos!

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  14. Me voy enamorada del cable cowl, quien fuera tu hermana para quedarse con el de colorcitos, pero tienes razón luce mucho más en liso, y el crudo que elegiste queda sensacional.
    De los gorros me encantó el de fair isle, espero algún día animarme con la técnica...
    Suerte con el mitt!
    Saludos

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  15. Hey these are wonderful!! I love especially the cable cowl. I knitted a cowl in the beginning of summer, just a very basic square one and then buttons on the edge. I used really sweet brown and white alpaca and made small stripes and it was sooo pretty, I used my loveliest buttons but then of course I made it waaay too wide and it doesn't "sit" at all on my neck :( I think I need to open it and make something else...

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  16. You look SO cute in the orange-striped hat! :)

    The Peacock hat is really cool. Before I read the text the first thing on my mind was "how the heck did he do the stripey bands"? It is great to know that it is not difficult. The cowls are also great. I don´t wear cowls (I need something really huge around my neck when I´m cold) but I like how they look. Especially when they´re cabled.

    And yes, I totally agree that Noro is overhyped and overpriced. But I like it when used for knitting small objects like hats or mittens.

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  17. Nuevamente por aquí y me encanto tooodo, el gorro. el cuello, las fotos...miro y miró, porque la traducción es algo extraña y a veces no entiendo todo :) pero basta con mirar y entender que tejes maravillosamente...eso no tiene idioma no?Donde puedo aprender a hacer ese hermoso gorro..me conformaría con aprender a hacer el borde jajaja.
    Saludos
    Claudia

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  18. Anna Silfa: Takk fyrir :þ

    Judi: Thank you for taking the time to read this and even write a nice comment from the beach :) What is it that you lose your comments so often? Is it blogspot or your computer?
    I really like cowls, they are much more handy than scarves... when I wear a scarf I usually don't know where to put the ends and I end up wearing it as a cowl, wrapped many times around the neck. A cowl is a much more simple solution :)
    Hats are my problem... I wear them only when I strictly need them. I wish that was different. I really like hats but I don't like the way I look with a hat on... I don't know. I find that my face is too rounded and with a hat it looks even more rounded! :p

    Brioche stitch is VERY nice (especially once you understand it). It is possible to make wonderful things using two colors.

    I hope you're having fun!!

    Özer: El punto brioche es bien mañoso... pero el resultado es tan bonito que vale la pena el esfuerzo :) Al fin terminé los benditos mitones! Nunca he probado eso de tejer dos cosas a la vez... se me have que es un poco complicado...

    Ale lu: Gracias por pasar :) Mi hermana se fue feliz con el cuello multicolor... No has probado hacer fair isle? No es nada difícil :) Anímese y pruebe! :)

    Mira: mhmm, alpaca. That is so nice! Do you have any pictures? I think it is a good idea to open it. Maybe you can cut it so it fits and then make bands for the buttons. Just an idea :)

    Ada: *blush* The bands were ridiculously easy to make... the yarns tangle when you're making the first half of it (it is made in two rows) bur then you go in the opposite direction and then the yarns untangle.

    I really like cowls... I find it is a bit complicated to wear scarves... or I am just too silly :p

    I agree with you... Noro might be ok for little things or just for details.

    Claudia: Puchas, sé que la traducción es un poco rara. Estoy de hecho pensando en empezar a escribir en inglés y castellano. Me va a tomar un poco más de tiempo pero creo que será mejor. El traductor de google no hace milagros :/
    El borde es muy simple... voy a intentar postear un mini tutorial o al menos tratar de explicar cómo hacerlo :)

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