Number one

Finally started knitting that advents calendar started. Funny note: I'm starting knitting in the same place where I first started designing it in january 2014, at our favorite chalet in the Vogezen, France.

Amalie's mini-me

made this crochet copy of Amalie on her big day of communion. This gift item is turning out to be one of the favorites for young girls in my family.

Getting the dress and shoes right was a real challenge

To the left, Amalie on the day, to the right the amigurumi mini-me. By the Knitbitch

In the making

hedwig the snowowl

i made this snowowl for a girl who's doing communion. On FB she calls herself professor at Hoogwarts, so I thought this would be suiting. Took some trying and testing to arrive at this. Dropped my usual Kawaai head (slightly squeshed) for a round one, and embroidered on all the stitches to give the black rim to the feathers. The wings was a challenge in itself, but really happy with how they turned out. And the feet, my favorite part, a project on its own, including the embroidery. But really happy with how they turned out. Real cute.

Hedwig the Snow owl. by the Knitbitch

This is the sketch that I made for the gift-card for the actual day

softies for electronics

Out of all my flax stash I decided to knit some accessories for the ipad, iphone, laptop etc. also a lovely way to try out some new and somewhat complicated stitches.

iphone softie in herringbone stitch, needle size 3,5mm using flax thread, with a little bit of Reblend upcycled yarn at the bottom

iphone case in the making, it wasn't easy on such thin needles

ipad softie, basket weave stitch

Wrap-around blanket cardigan, the original

The first pilot knit of the wrap-around cardigan was knitted out of my old stash of off-white wools, a bit a mix of everything, no labels, carried it around for years not being able to decide or figure out what to do with it. Later on I died it green, and the different kinds of wool are enhanced by the fact that they absorbed the die differently.

Totebags from my flax stash

I recently discovered this box of flax stash that I have probably been carrying around for at least 20 years. Time to use it!! for tunesian knit tote bags, as I'm so sick (not life threatening) that I the only thing that keeps me sane is to knit really simple projects. and this beautiful tote bag by Purl Soho. so I made some different versions which I gave away to different people.
as I just work with the material I have I ended up with a design with a contrast stripe, as I needed something to seperate the 2 different flax yarns that I was using.

this bag was for Ellen, who has been so kind to me in this difficult time.

It could be a man-bag

selection of somewhat similar flax, I still have some of it left

my long forgotten flax stash in a cardboard box

wrap-around blanket vest - the first

This is a fantastic knitted jacket or cardigan or something in-between, some people call it a flap jacket. It's one big rectangle in seed stitch with two sleeves inserted. so it's really simple. The trick or sophistication lies in how the shoulders are slightly raglan shaped which hangs the cardigan nicely on the shoulders, and then the sleeves are of the lovely top-down knitted style, credit to ByGumByGolly. so in the end there are also hardly any seams that need to be sewn together. great for a lazy knitter like myself, always nice to find out new tricks to save yourself time and effort.

This pattern is a better version of a cardigan that I knitted earlier for my sister, that one was really square, missing the raglan shoulders and top-down knitted sleeves.

I came up with this design as I was very, very sick in second half of 2014. I basically was lying down for 6 months (gastro-intestinal problems, not life threatening) when I was able to sit-up, reclined against a big cushion, the only thing I was able to do was listen to pod-casts and knit. so knitting big surfaces of just simple back and forwards was great. Being able to knit saved my sanity, I think.
(this is an ante-dated post, as obviously I was not able to write blog-posts at that time)

well, here are some pictures.