In which I never learn

This yarn was specifically bought to make the Easy as Pie shawl.  

In anticipation of knitting the shawl, I went to the place which was my LYS in the pre-London days, to buy a pair of 4.5mm needles and a pair of 3mm needles.  Somehow I managed to leave both behind on the counter, and the shop had to send them on (after some conflab about whether I’d paid for them, and how they were sending it on as a goodwill gesture).  When the package arrived, both pairs of needles were 4.5mm.  I should have known then that things weren’t going to go to plan.

I found that the easy as pi shawl, well, wasn’t.  I don’t know what it was that I just didn’t get; according to the comments on Ravelry, it’s a really easy knit.  It just wasn’t really doing it for me.  Apparently the rows were supposed to have an odd number of stitches, but row 4 appeared to increase by an odd number, meaning the following row would have an even number.  Then there was some note I made myself about not being able to do a YO K2tog and still end up with only one stitch in the centre of the shawl.  Maybe I'll try it again in the future with a clearer mind. 

So I decided to the panorama stole (Ravelry link) instead.  The pattern is written for double knit yarn, but I thought I’d mix it up.  Since the stole isn’t dependent on a particular gauge or size, there was no reason why it couldn’t be knit in a different yarn, especially if the sequins gave a bit of sparkle to the stole.  Who says that knitting can’t be a bit glam?

The sequins, although lovely and sparkly were a pain in the proverbial when trying to tink back; just imagine a button getting caught on a button hole as a coat is ripped open.  There were also more knots than I would have liked; three, all in a fairly short space of yarn.  Somehow, during Kate Atherley's opening talk at Joeli's Kitchen Retreat, I totally missed a knot and had to undo a couple of hundred stitches to make it right, and then had to make the unpicked stitches right as I hadn't re-knit them properly. 

The pattern is a fairly simple repeat of garter and stocking stitch - with an eyelet row for interest.  Knitting it on the train got me attention from a couple of people.  There was an older lady who did a comic triple take when she saw I was knitting.  Then there was a young girl who listened as I explained in simple terms what I was doing.  It must have been the sparkles that caught their eyes. 

And then, 109 stitches into a 337 stitch cast off, I ran out of yarn.  Or at least, worked out that I wasn't going to have enough yarn to last the distance.  We've been here before.  I still haven't learned to leave enough yarn for the cast-off.  So, that was nearly 400 stitches I had to undo, ready to cast off again.

The problem with blocking it, was how long it ended up.  From tip to tip, it was about six foot - one whole foot longer than I am tall.  (My husband did try to take a photo; it was better in my head than it was in reality).  It made photographing the stole somewhat difficult. 

I like the yarn, and would knit with it again.  The wool content isn’t as high as I originally thought, but that didn't matter in the end.  The sequins were threaded on to a separate thread, which was then twisted round the yarn.  So, if there were sequins in the way, it was easier to chop the sequins off, rather than cut the thread.  The yarn also differed slightly in thickness throughout, which made me worry that I'd snap the yarn unintentionally. But overall, liked the yarn and liked the pattern and would use both again. 

So what have you been knitting recently?  

Swedish Stash

Please reassure me that I'm not the only knitter who's planned to get a couple of balls of souvenir yarn, and then come back with slightly more than planned?  Yeah, that.

The first place we visited was Litet Nystan, Sankt Paulsgatan 20  (No photo as it was behind scaffolding).  Of course, I forgot to write down which number of the road the shop was located at, so we did a bit of going up and down.  Once I saw a yarn bombed tree, I knew I was going in the right direction.

Loved this shop.  Quite a lot of cotton, some Italian made sock yarn and lots of stuff with no labels - which I found quite exciting.  I got this:

I did think about getting a second ball, but I couldn't assume that they were both of the same dye lots.  I could have bought more, but the husband was with me, and was already questioning what I was going to use the one skein for. 

The next shop we looked for was Sticka & Virka which has now closed (although the website has only just updated to confirm that). We spent some time going up and down the street to make sure. 

The next lot of yarn was the linen yarn I bought at the Nordic Museum (Yes, they sell knitting yarn in the museum shop). One hundred percent linen yarn,which I've never knitted with before.

Then, on the last day, I went yarn shopping on my own.  Again, I couldn't find Anntorps Vav - I suspect that it's shut down and is internet only.  Gamla Stan (Old Town), the part of Stockholm where it is/was located is beautiful and I wish I had time to look round more.
And you know what, I was!


The thing I love about Stockholm is the way the signs show you which block you're on. So, if you're looking for Ljungqvist Garn, Odenplan on Karlbergsvägen 10, then you know you're getting close:

And do you know what ?  I was. 

And in the absence of my husband, I may have lost a little control - to the point that the lady behind the counter asked if I needed a basket, as I was dropping stuff all over the floor.  (I only went in for enough for one project). 

First, I wanted something for the Easy as Pie shawl from Ravelry.  (There were others,but they needed longer lengths of yarn).  So I got this one from Marks and Kattens:

Marks and Kattens Fame

It was available in purple, but as I'm trying to expand the colours in my stash, I went for the grey and black.

Then was the sock yarn I saw, and bought for my husband. I keep telling him I'm going to knit him something.  He wants a dark red jumper, which I've promised him at some point.  I thought the dark red and black sock yarn would be a good start for a pair of socks for him.


Finally (and trust me, I could have bought the same again), was this, which I loved because of the colour.  There is a cuff-down sock pattern on the inside of the yarn band, which I may not use for knitting - but may use to help with learning Swedish.

The final yarn I bought, I bought because I loved, loved, loved the colours.  No idea what I want to knit with it, possibly another shawl/wrap or socks.  (There are apparently 12 projects on Ravelry, so not a lot of inspiration there, at the moment)

The colours in the yarn bring to mind the yellow and blue in the Swedish flag, which feels kind of appropriate for souvenir yarn. 

What's your favourite souvenir yarn, and what did you knit it into ?