Oolong knits

In my humble opinion this pattern is begging for a better colour combination, although the original ain't that bad either. This is a free pattern with an unusual, but very simple, construction. There are no picked stitches at all, instead it uses multi-directional knitting to get the effect. It starts small, at the top "centre" and then spreads as you go along, which means you can stop at the desired size. The designer, Carissa Browning, named it, Shifting Stripes Shawl .

himmeli by eri, a Japanese designer, is a lovely, very feminine sweater. The secret of this design is that the lace detail and the double hem are knitted in mohair yarn of the exact same colour as the wool yarn used for the main part of the sweater (in addition, both yarns have a good portion of silk).

A recent pattern by Andrea Mowry, Nightshift . I love the colours! And the simple stitch patterns. She used the same (or is it similar?) stitch pattern in The Shift , compare to see how the colour choice makes a huge difference.

How did I ever managed to keep posting two posts every week and for so long? Now I cannot even imagine doing it! To be sincere I cannot find either the inspiration or the time to keep that rhythm. I wish I could because I would really love to keep this blog as active as it has always been. Completely changing the subject, my early blooming hyacinths are smelling so lovely right now. I am not sure why they decided to bloom in Autumn. It was not because I took good care of them for sure. I simply put the container outside so that the rain could water them during Summer and I would not need to. I did not even bother to feed them, which probably explains why the flowers are so unassuming. Still lovely, they look more natural this way and their scent is not so overbearing.

The Hexagon sweater by Andrey Zhilyaev is, unfortunately, only available in Russian, but can you believe how beautiful it is? So perfect in every detail. And the yarn is to die for! Filati da Collezione yarn is made in Italy, but apparently also only available in Russia. Bummer... If you would like more really sweet eye-candy look at this designer's Ravelry's projects' page . I have never seen hand knitting like that! At first sight, I thought it was machine knitting because it is so perfectly and professionally finished, but there is one photo with the work still on the needles. Unbelievable!

It has been a long time, but I am back with a tutorial on toe-up socks. I have written tones of posts on socks and even one tutorial on toe-up socks before. But that was one of my first posts and, with more experience, I really do not recommend that particular heel recipe and I think I have a few more things I can add. A note, before I begin: this post is a bit wordy with lots of details for the absolute beginner. If you only want to read the pattern, I have used coloured backgrounds to highlight the parts of the text that correspond to the pattern. Socks are knitted in the round. If you have no experience knitting in the round, maybe you should start with an easier project than socks, such as a hat. There are 2 ways to knit in the round: double pointed needles (dpns) and circular needles. For the former, you can use either 4 or 5 dpns. For the latter, you will need to use either the magic-loop method or the two-needle method. Which method to use is up to you, different people...

This post is a bit more personal than my usual posts. A bit shorter too. This is just to say that, with some effort, I could easily find something more like my usual posts to write about. I am definitely growing a few vegetables in the plot I have not posted about yet. And there are many, many plants in my overgrown garden I have not mentioned here either. What about knitting? Even though I have not been focusing on it so much as I used to, I have just finished knitting a placemat of my own design and am very happy with the result. And I could definitely find an exciting technique I have not learned before. I have just got one in one of the opened tabs in my browser. What about last weeks candy? Have you noticed I could not find the time to post one? And my book club? I confess I have read a few books since I last posted, but I never come around to write about them. And what about one of my main topics: feminism? Can you believe the metoo movement has taken hold of almost every corn...