Needles in a frame and trying to make a pattern.

Remember all the things that Judi sent to me?

Among all the things there was a pair of needles that belonged to her grandmother. A pair of double pointed needles size 3 (3.25mm) and 11" (27cm) in lenght.

Well, I think it is such a nice piece (almost like a museum piece) that I was thinking that it would be nice to have them framed. To do so I needed to find a nice frame that would honour the beauty of this needles.

Last weekend we went to a farmer's market very close to Reykjavík (in Mosfellsbær) to buy some fresh and locally produced vegetables.

Tiny market in Mosfellsdalur

When we were coming to the market and just before entering into the farm I saw a couple of women that were taking things out of their car and putting them on a table. They were probably getting rid of some old things by selling them outside of the market. One of them was very familiar... I actually recognized her almost immediately: it was Hafdís Huld, an icelandic singer (know fro having been part of a band called Gusgus and now for her solo career).

After having bought some vegetables I stopped by to take a look at what they were selling. And yes! They had a perfect frame for my needles! So, I bought an old frame for only 250 ISK (about 2USD)!!

This is how it looks :)

For those who don't know her, this is one my favourite songs and video of her:



A little bit about knitting.

On Ravelry, in the Spanish swap group, a few weeks ago was proposed to make a new KAL and this time it would be to knit a lopapeysa. The KAL was suposed to begin in September but there is a little bit of delay because some of the people who is taking part of it are waiting for the wool (lopi) to arrive (since they made the order on the internet).

In the mean time I have been thinking about what pattern to use for the yoke, sleeves and waist. I really didn't feel like using any from the magazines. I think I have alreadt knitted all myt favourite ones so that meant only one thing: It was time to try to make my own pattern.

With the help of the book Íslensk sjónabók I have been trying to make the charts using paper and color.

Messy charts!

It is not as simple as I thought. It is kind of complicated to find the right spots to put the decreases but with some patience I guess I will work this out. I still haven't finished the yoke pattern... I guess i will decide how to finish on the go. I don't know. I will see.

I already chose the colors and decided to begin just to see how the waist pattern would look like. I think it doesn't look so bad at all!

What do you think?  :)

Besides this I am knitting a shawl based on an Estonian pattern and recently me, Gummi and Kristín have started a new KAL. We are now knitting a Hyrna Herborgar (which will my my 3rd!). Which reminds me that I still have to post the pictures of our first KAL (the Aeolian!).

Next time I will be talking abut the new shawl, the new KAL and the old KAL pictures!

Now, I want to hand a few pictures from the southeast... pictures of Vatnajökull, the largest glaciar in Iceland as seen from the road : )

This is in Skaftafell, a national park. 

Thank you Judi!!

On monday I was at home having tea with my dear friend Svanhvít (who, by the way, today moved to Sweden for two years. I will really, really miss her a lot!) when the bell rang: It was from the post office! 

Judi, dear Judi, sent me a message on Ravelry on day telling me that something had come to her possession that she thought I might enjoy so she wanted to send it to me along with other small things. No more information was given to me... besides a teaser while the mysterious things were flying to Iceland: "Lizbeth"that comes in very nice colors including variegated. Humm. 

Well, as I said before monday was the BIG DAY! I received a box at the door of my place. My first impression was: Wow! This box is huge! Judi kept on asking me not to have too high expectations about what she was sending me... how could have I possibly done that! Impossible! I was sure that what ever was inside the box I was going to love it!

So, I don't let you wait more... These are the treasures I found inside this lovely box:

When I was opening the box Gummi and Svanhvít were there. It must have been so funny to take a picture of us then as the three of us were open-mouthed (¿boquiabiertos?) while I was taking all things out of the box. So many things!

 Now, the details:

A wonderful book about lace. I didn't know this one. It is really cool because it gives an overview of different lace traditions around the world with examples. It also contains a lot of technical points. Love it!

This little box just killed me! It is so cute!! And the contents... Uuh La la!

Cotton threads! Different kinds, different colors, things that I would have never found here! Come on! Egyptian Cotton?! Highlighter take... brilliant! To follow the lace charts... simply wonderful!

Stitch markers. These are the cutest stitch markers I have ever had! Love the colors and the fact that they are monkey knots! And please notice the case to keep them!

The monkey knot stitch markers neatly kept in its beautiful case : )

Some more cotton and a beautiful ball of baby alpaca in different tones of green.

This is one of the things that make me (us really) drool. This is a pair circular needles with a 11" (28cm) cable (something I had NEVER seen) that belonged to Judi's grandmother! I love the package and the fact that it still even has the price on it: 23 cents!! This is a JEWEL. I think that I will most probably frame it and hand it in a nice corner of my place. This is very, very, very special.

A film camera! Yes! From the beginning of the 90s. It looks brand new and it even comes with the manual and warranty and the remote control! I have been using it this week... soon we will see how it works when I finish the roll! :)

Pecans! Amazing nuts! (They will probably not last too long, hehe)

A n article about bobbin lace and sweet winter card.

What can I say? I think that the images tell it all. 

I think I just can say THANK YOU SO MUCH Judi for this beautiful surprise that you have given me! Thank you for being such a KIND and GENEROUS person! And thank you somuch for your wonderful comments on my posts here... I always enjoy them a lot and it is always a pleasure to reply them to you!

Oh, oh, oh! And All my best wishes for you in this very special day...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

For now, I can to share these pictures of a very special little corner of Iceland (one of my favourite spots for sure!) with you to celebrate your birthday.:

Jökulsárlón. A glacier lagoon that is next to the biggest glacier in Iceland (Vatnajökull) from where all the icebergs come from.  

Breiðamerkursandur. The lagoon runs to the sea and big pieces of ice end up stranded in a black sand beach. 

It is amazing to see the waves break on these ice pieces. 

Millenary ice.