Double Fun Heel, Oh Yeah! = Triple Fun

Doubleknitting a two-color intarsia in the round is faster than knitting the usual way once you get used to it. Intarsia in the round is boring if you have to turn the knitting every second row and knit from the wrong side . But I can't read books and doubleknit at the same time, so I have to listen to audio books. That's nice if you like the way and voice of the reader. If not, it's a pest.

I have reached and conquered the critical point: the heel. I have knitted a couple of different short row heels earlier, especially on my knitting machine, so I thought I'd manage this one too. I'm not particularly good at maths, so I used eyesight when deciding how many stitches I needed for the heel vs the instep. I like a deep heel, so I took a few more stitches for the heel. On Ravelry I write down what I'm doing, because I want another sock in the same size :)

Leena would have helped me if I'd got lost. She's a teacher, she knows how to lead lost knitters back on the trail. "Remember to tighten the stitches" she advised me on Ravelry, so I tightened, and tightened, and this fantastic yarn didn't break. Cascade Heather. And look, it's a heel!

Double Fun Sox

Leena Siikaniemi is fond of double knitting, and now I understand why. Her pattern Doublefun in the book Think Outside the Sox is really fun to knit. I can see lots and lots of potential in this pattern. Leena has used 3-4 colors in her socks, I have only two. On her Ravelry pages you can see more of her beautiful graphic patterns. Search in Patterns for Doublefun and you'll find her.

Leena has used one of my favorite yarns in her long socks, but that yarn is nowadays very difficult to buy. It's a designer yarn from Maisa Tikkanen, a Finnish felter, spun at Pirtin Kehräämö. I don't have enough of it in my stash for a pair of socks anymore. I like thin socks I can wear in my trainers, so I chose Cascade Heather for my first pair of Doublefun Ankle Socks.

The finer yarn forces me to change the amount of stitches and rows in the patterns. The heel will be really interesting to figure out. I'll tell you more when I get that far. Remember, I knit and spin many garments and yarns all the time, so finishing one particular project isn't a hasty business. Have patience!

Intarsia with two colors "in the round" is easy in doubleknitting. You knit in the round in flat knitting technique, if that makes any sense. As I use a circular needle, I have only one needle to struggle with. Neat!

Tack! Thank you!

                                                          Present from DH :)

                                                        Present from my dear son :)

                                               Another present from my dear son :)

                                                         Present from Malin :)

                                                           Present from Sarah :)

                                                             Another present from Sarah :)

                                                             A third present from Sarah :)

                                 Present from Secret Santa in Ravelry group UK Spinners :)


I'm so pleased! I must have been a kind lady this year to have so many wonderful presents! If I have mixed Malin's and Sarah's presents please mail me so I can give my thanks to the right person.

En jul med fina presenter och god mat! En särskild tribut till svensk enrisrökt renkorv, Kvibille cheddar, söt kålrotslåda från Saarioinen och min egen potatislåda enligt recept av Gunnel! Därtill skinka, leverkorv, gravad lax, sill, sött bröd från Malax, Kejsarost från Juustoportti. och till sist kaffe från Kenya. Den traditionella salta och söta julmaten alltså. Lutfisken tar vi på nyårsafton på det norska viset med bacon.

A Christmas with wonderful presents and tasty food! A special tribute to the Swedish juniper smoked reindeer sausage, cheddar from Kvibille, sweet turnip pudding from Saarioinen, and my own potato pudding made from Gunnel's recipe! And ham, liversausage, salt marinated salmon, salted Atlantic herring, sweet bread from Malax, strong cheese from Juustoportti, and good coffee from Kenya for desert. The traditional food in Scandinavia is salt and sweet. In our family we eat the "lutfisk" (stockfish) served in the Norwegian way with bacon on New Year's Eve.

God Jul! Merry Christmas! Hyvää Joulua!

Utsikt från fönstret i mitt arbetsrum - View from my studio window - Näkymä työhuoneeni ikkunasta

-26C, my son has taken a winding walk over the field, and yes, I want someone to come and do something about the cables...

Sländspunna garner - Spindled yarn

Första härvan Shetland sjalgarn är klar. 25 gram tvåtrådigt garn, 366 meter. Det här spann jag på en av Michael Williams lätta sländor och tvinnade på en minibossie. - The first skein of Shetland lace yarn is spun. It's 25 grams 2-ply yarn, 366 meters. I spun it on one of Michael Williams' light spindles and plied on a minibossie.

Jag har också spunnit klart kashmir-silkeblandningen jag fick som varuprov från Ullaffären. Det är bara några gram supermjukt garn, som kanske ska användas i muddar tillsammans med något annat. - I have also spun the cashmere-silk I got as a sample from The Wool Business. It's only a few grams of super soft yarn, that I probably will use in wristwarmers together with some other yarn.

Jag spann på min härliga ryska slända från IST Crafts. Den här sländan är mycket snabb och rolig att spinna på. Fibrerna var kammade, så ett klassiskt långdrag fungerade inte. I stället spann jag med något som kanske kan kallas "drafting against twist": jag snurrade igång sländan samtidigt som jag drog ut fibrerna vartefter snodden nådde triangeln. - I spun on my awsome Russian spindle from IST Crafts. This spindle is very fast and fun to spin on. The fibers where combed, so a classic long draw didn't work. I spun with something that might be called "drafting against twist": I twirled the spindle and drafted as the twist entered the triangle.

På en midibossie slända hittade jag ett garn jag glömt bort: 158 meter North Ronaldsay, 38 gram, tvåtrådigt. Det här garnet ska användas i mössan jag funderar på ibland, en varm vintermössa med garn från sällsynta fårraser och mitt varggarn. Det är årets mörkaste dag, inte det optimala ljuset för fotografering. Men här är i alla fall det mörkbruna garnet från det här roliga fåret som en stor del av året lever av sjögräs. - On a midibossie spindle I found a yarn I had forgot about: 158 meters of North Ronaldsay, 38 grams, 2-ply. This yarn I will use in a warm winter hat I'm trying to figure out once in a while, with yarn from rare sheep breeds and my wolf yarn. It's the darkest day of the year and not the optimal light for photos, but here is the dark brown yarn anyway. This fun sheepbreed lives on seaweed for several months a year.