Cloudberry

It's been a month since I posted last time and well, life just happened. I won't go into details, but it has been a rough couple of months lately and my knitting mojo has been on the low side :(
But it seems like things are working out for the better and the sun came back over the horizon the 31st of January, so the days are getting lighter and so does my thoughts. So hopefully the knitting mojo will come back too. There is so much I want to knit this year!


Last time I talked to you about all the mitten kals that was going on. And I had so many plans for all the mittens I wanted to knit during January. I only managed to make two pairs...


We have been having a long period of frost with temperatures down to -25 C for almost a month now. Cold temperatures doesn't bother me much, but when it last so long as we've had this time, I've started to get a little cabin fever...! Fortunately the weather changed yesterday and I'm crossing my fingers that it will last. We really need to get some snow or even rain as our water well is almost dried out do to the cold and dry weather we've had so far this winter.


The first pair I finished is Rev or Fox in English. They have been on my knitting list since I bought the book they are in. But can you see the little mistake I've made?


How about now that you see the palm side too?

If you look closely you can see that I have changed the dominant colour after I set aside stitches for the thumb. From the thumb and up the withe dots are popping more out than what they do below the thumb. I didn't notice it until I was about to knit the foxes heads and it didn't bother me enough to rip back. It's just a pair of mittens. If it had been on a sweater i.e I would have fixed it though.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Fox
Yarn: pt2 orange #71 and Finullgarn white #400
Needles: 2 mm / US 0 for the cuff and 2,5 mm / US 1.5 for the mitten


The second pair is a pattern from the Selbuvotter book. It's one of the charted patterns in the back of the book.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Damevott Bårdsgård
Yarn: Tove in white #1012 and purple #5024
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5

You can find all the books in my library on Ravelry.

I have decided to join in on the year of the mitten knit along that is going on on several places. So I have found all my knitting books with mitten patterns. There are so many mittens I want to knit, so I guess this is the year!
If you want to join in there are lots of places to do so. We have the I Make Mittens group on Ravelry where they knit mittens all year long and are having the NaKniMitMo which is a kal they have in January. On Instagram p4chen and treehouseknits are hosting a mitten kal this year where you knit a pair of mittens each month. I guess they have some info on their podcasts as well. Skeindeer is also having a mitten kal, the 2018 yearlong mittalong.


As you can see I have almost finished the first pair, they are just missing a bind off at the top and the thumbs. I have wanted to knit these Fox mittens since I bought the book, but haven't had any fox colour in my stash so I had to buy some wool yarn when I was at my local yarn shop last week :)

The days just fly by and all of a sudden winter came over night.


The snow makes for a beautiful background for my Bøvertun sweater!
The pattern is from Kofteboken and is originally a kofte (cardigan), but I wanted a sweater. And I think this is my favorite sweater so far and it's going to get a lot of use this winter :)


Ravelry project page
Pattern: Bøvertun from Kofteboken
Yarn: Kauni brown pp2 and yellow-orange nn4
Needles: 2,5 mm/ US 1.5 for the ribbing and 3 mm / US 2.5
Size: large
Modifications: I made short rows in the back to get it higher in the neck




It's winter and time to knit new mittens. My youngest flipped through one of my mitten books and wanted these mittens with owls :)

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Nattugla  / Night Owl mittens
Yarn: Rauma Finullgarn black #410 and white #400
Needles: 2 mm / US 0



I also managed to finish my Bousta Beanie just in time for the first snow.
Ravelry project page
Pattern: Bousta Beanie (free pattern)
Yarn: Tove
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5

I've finished two pairs of Selbu mittens. I really like this pattern - it's easy to memorize and they fit perfectly on my hands.


Ravelry project page purple mittens and red mittens
Pattern: Norwegian Mittens for Mimi (free pattern)
Yarn: Mor Aase superwash and Falk
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5 and 3,5 mm / US 4


We had a heavy snowfall this weekend so most part of Sunday was spent outdoors shoveling snow. Since the forecast had warmer weather and possible rain for this week we had to get the snow of the roof of our sheds. So it's great to have kids who can climb the roofs. Fun for him and we get the job done :)

What are you knitting and reading this week? I'm joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along.

Knitting: I haven't knitted a single stitch on my Setedalskofte since last week... No mojo to knit on it at all. So instead I have knitted lots of small things. I have finished the hat I just had cast on last week and a pair of socks. More on that in a later post. Right now I have a pair of Norwegian Mittens on the needles. It's an easy mitten pattern and I have plans for a couple more in other colours. I'm trying to use up some of my sport weight yarn and mittens seems to be the perfect project for it. And since we today woke up to -17 C and it has snowed nearly 50 cm the last couple of days, mittens is much needed!

Reading: I seem to be completely lost in the world of DI Jack Caffery... But Mo Hayder writes SO good and I can simply not put the books down. Skin is the 4th book in the series and it looks like it's going to be just as good as the others!

When the decomposed body of a young woman is found near railway tracks just outside Bristol one morning, all indications are that she's committed suicide. That's how the police want it too; all neatly squared and tidied away.But DI Jack Caffery is not so sure. He is on the trail of someone predatory, someone who hides in the shadows and can slip into houses unseen. And for the first time in a very long time, he feels scared.Police Diver Flea Marley is working alongside Caffery. With the traumas of her past safely behind her, she's beginning to wonder whether their relationship could go beyond the professional. But then she finds something that changes everything. Not only is it far too close to home for comfort - it's so horrifying that she knows that nothing will ever be the same again.And this time, no one - not even Caffery - can help her ... -from Goodreads-

A ball of blue gradient Nordlys yarn was perfect for this pair of North Pole mittens with polar bears :)



The snowflakes are made of purl stitches - a little neat detail.


Ravelry project page
Pattern: Nordpolen votter from Den store Votteboka
Yarn: Nordlys #927 and Nagano #300
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5

What are you knitting and reading this week? I'm joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along.

Knitting: I'm still knitting on my Setesdalkofte and the body is almost done and waiting for the sleeves so I can start the yoke. I haven't knitted as much on it as I had planned because I got hooked on a pair of sock... Which is done and will be blogged soon. This morning I casted on a new project - a pair of North pole mittens with polar bears.

Reading: Another library lend picked up just because of the beautiful cover. Do you do that? Read a book just because you think the cover is pretty? I'm sure I'm not alone ;) I'm not always lucky with the content of the book, but this time both the cover and the story is good.
Burial Rites is a true story set in northern Iceland, 1829,.

Agnes Magnusdottir is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men. Agnes is sent to wait out the time leading to her execution on the farm of District Officer Jon Jonsson, his wife and their two daughters. Horrified to have a convicted murderess in their midst, the family avoids speaking with Agnes. Only Toti, the young assistant reverend appointed as Agnes' spiritual guardian, is compelled to try to understand her, as he attempts to salvage her soul. As the summer months fall away to winter and the hardships of rural life force the household to work side by side, Agnes' ill-fated tale of longing and betrayal begins to emerge. And as the days to her execution draw closer, the question burns: did she or didn't she? -from Goodreads-

What are you knitting and reading this week?
I'm joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along and Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm and Craft On.

The days just seem to flew by and suddenly it's Wednesday again... It's raining today so what little daylight we have is dark and gloomy, so sorry for bad photos. Anyhow, I've brewed a cup of tea, have the fire going in the wood stove and my knitting trying to ignore the lousy weather.

Knitting: It has been cast on all the things lately... There is so much I want to knit! And I'm sure I'm not alone feeling like that now and then ;) Right now I'm trying to finish up my daughter's Totoro mittens before christmas. It's going to be a part of her gift. Which means I need to knit the boys something too - not sure what yet, but I think it will be socks or mittens. I have my needles ready - just need to find the right yarn.

Reading: I've picked up The Land of Painted Caves (Earth's Children #6). It says on my Goodread page that I started reading it in April 2011... And I know that I was SO eager to get it as I loved the previous books in the series. But somehow this one didn't keep my interest long enough to read it through. I have been reading a few chapters now and then during the years and was almost halfway through it when I picked it up a few days ago. I have decided to finish it this time and it does seems like the story is getting a bit more exciting.

As the story opens, Ayla, Jondalar, and their infant daughter, Jonayla, are living with the Zelandonii in the Ninth Cave. Ayla has been chosen as an acolyte to a spiritual leader and begins arduous training tasks. Whatever obstacles she faces, Ayla finds inventive ways to lessen the difficulties of daily life, searching for wild edibles to make meals and experimenting with techniques to ease the long journeys the Zelandonii must take while honing her skills as a healer and a leader. And there are the Sacred Caves that Ayla’s mentor takes her to see. They are filled with remarkable paintings of mammoths, lions, and bears, and their mystical aura at times overwhelms Ayla. But all the time Ayala has spent in training rituals has caused Jondalar to drift away from her. The rituals themselves bring her close to death, but through them Ayla gains A Gift of Knowledge so important that it will change her world. - from Goodreads -

I have finished a couple of things since last week. First is a pair of Bird mittens. They turned out a little to small for me, so I'll have to knit another pair using a needles size larger and in the colours leighsideknits used for her mittens.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Bird Mittens from Norske vottar og vantar
Yarn: Mor Aase superwash
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5 and 3 mm / US 2.5


Trying to photograph purple in the light we have now is almost impossible... but you get the idea. And yes, I have used two different yarn dyelots as I am trying to knit up my stash.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Fidelio (free pattern)
Yarn: 107 g Ida Strømpegarn #336
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5
Size: small

Well, I thought the next mittens to show up finished here was going to be my daughters Totoro mittens... But no. My Hubby so kindly (?) said that I of course could knit two pairs of mittens for some of his friends wives, without asking me first. So after buying some yarn for it and picking a pattern that would knit up fast, I managed to knit these up in a couple of days.
I must confess that this was not a mindless enjoyable knit. I had so many other projects that I wanted to knit on, but I pushed through and I'm glad I did because they turned out great. So I really hope they will be appreciated!


Ravelry project page
Pattern: Norwegian Mittens for Mimi (free pattern)
Yarn: Mor Aase in white #1001 and dark grey #1088
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5 and 3 mm / US 2.5
Size: Woman

In my absent, I have knitted lots of mittens. I'm trying to use up my yarn and as it's getting colder, mittens seems to be the thing to knit ;) The kids need new mittens, but none of these are for them... I'll most likely sell all of these or gift them to someone. I have two more pairs on the needles that will be finished during the next days, one of them a pair of Totoro mittens for my daughter. But if you'd like more info about these mittens, you'll find it over on Ravelry.

What are you knitting and reading this week?
I'm joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along and Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm and Craft On.

Knitting: Nothing has come off the needles since last week... But it seems like I can't stop my self from casting on new things *sigh*. I'll have to admit it makes me fell a little stressed having so many projects on the needles at once. So I have decided to not cast on anything new until some off them are done. The project that I love to knit on right now is a pair of Latvian mittens from the book Latvieša Cimdi. There is SO many beautiful patterns in this book, but I think the one I have on my needles is my favorite.

Reading: After finishing Belgarvia, I picked up another book from the library, The Moonlit Garden by Corina Bomann. I am about 1/3 in and are hoping it will start to get a little bit more exciting soon.

Lilly Kaiser had come to terms with her solitary, uncomplicated life after becoming a young widow. So when a stranger delivers an old violin to her Berlin antiques shop and tells Lilly it belongs to her, she’s completely bewildered. Why should she be the one to inherit such an exquisite instrument?

Together with her best friend, Ellen, and handsome musicologist Gabriel Thornton, Lilly sets out to explore the violin’s legacy. From England to Italy to Indonesia, she follows its winding trail. Along the way, she learns of Rose Gallway, a beautiful woman of English and Sumatran descent who lived among Sumatra’s lush gardens more than a hundred years earlier. A celebrated and sought-after musician, Rose once owned Lilly’s violin and regularly played concerts for Sumatra’s colonial elite—until, one day, she simply disappeared.

As Lilly unravels the mystery behind Rose’s story—and uncovers other unexpected secrets—she’ll come to see her own life in an entirely new light. And as each shared discovery brings her closer to Gabriel, her heart might finally break its long-held silence. - from Goodreads -

As you can see from this photo I took on my morning walk, fall is definitely here.
It's my favorite season with the smell, the chill in the air and the colors. Right now it's raining and the wind is blowing, so I am just hoping the leaves won't fall of just yet...

Knitting mittens in the summer is actually a great idea. When the cold and snow comes in a few months, I already have a pair of warm mittens to wear ;) So I am going to cast on a new pair soon since the kids really need some new mittens for next winter.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Tallula's Heart
Yarn: 63 g pt2 in yellow #01 and grey #85
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5
Made for: Me

What are you knitting and reading this week?
I'm joining Ginny at Small Things for Yarn Along and Nicole at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm and Craft On.

Knitting: With the cold and rainy weather we are having here in the north, a pair of mittens seems just right to have on the needles... The pattern is Tallulah's Heart.

Reading: I finished Drums of Autumn this moring - loved it! So of course I had to pick up The Fiery Cross right away, hoping it is just as good.

1771: the Colony of North Carolina stands in an uneasy balance, with the rich, colonial aristocracy on one side and the struggling pioneers of the backcountry on the other.
Between them stands Jamie Fraser, a man of honour, a man of worth. Exiled from his beloved Scotland, he is at last possessed of the land he has longed for. By his side his extraordinary wife, Claire, a woman out of time and out of place, blessed with the uneasy gift of the knowledge of what is to come. In the past, that knowledge has brought both danger and deliverance to Jamie and Claire. Now it could be a flickering torch that will light their way through the perilous years ahead - or might ignite a conflagration that will leave their lives in ashes.

I personally think wool mittens are the best and that they will keep you warmer than store bought ones. And as the snow at the moment is the sticky type and the kids mittens looks like this when they play in the snow and I have to dry them like this, a couple of pairs is never enough...  So the last pair off the needles are for my youngest. I've used an adult sized pattern, but knitted them on smaller needles so they will fit him.

Ravelry project page
Pattern: Gydas votter
Yarn: 91 g Mor Aase in #1088  and #1012
Needles: 2,5 mm / US 1.5
Made for: Endre
Size: Adult, modified with smaller needles to ca. 12 years