30.5.12

27.5.12

Green Moss blanket :: Ta-dah!






Another ta-dah moment! The green moss blanket is now ready! I am very happy with the edging, how it lightens up the grey/brown.

More about the pattern and yarns and the edging in earlier postings.

Tämäkin peitto nyt valmis! Olen tosi tyytyväinen, erityisesti reunus keventää kivasti harmaanruskeaa.

23.5.12

Alpaca Scarves


Just finished this scarf made of Drops Alpaca. I really love that yarn. It is so light and soft and lovely. This has been my train project, I have been working with this in the train going to work.

The pattern is an old pattern from Novita website.






I have also started a new train project, also from Drops Alpaca. This pattern is Mini Mania Scarf by Sarah Core and the pattern can be found in Ravelry. There are some pretty amazing projects made with this pattern! What I love especially is that there is no weaving in the yarn ends as they can be left as a fringe. And you can do only the knitting rounds! No purling! You just start over again from the same end all the time with a new yarn. Pattern is really simple slip (purwise) and knit, each stitch is slipped and knitted on alternating rounds. Beautiful!!

20.5.12

Colorful Cushion


I wanted to make a colorful crocheted cushion to go with this blanket I finished last autumn.



First I did this, but I did not like it. While in the blanket all the different colors seemed to work together beautifully even there were so many and very different kind of colors but in the cushion it just did not look right. Backside was ok, so I frogged the frontpiece.

Pientä säätöä tämän tyynyn kanssa. Ajatus oli tehdä kaveri tälle värikkäälle peitolle, mutta jotenkin tuo monivärisyys ei toiminut tässä ensimmäisessä yritelmässä, joten ei kun purkuun. Taustapuoli sentään sai jäädä.





Then I had this idea of making just tiny granny squares with two colors with white borders. And this I like! Now I have the front piece and the back piece (with the buttons on!) and just need to crochet them together.

Uusi yritys pikkuneliöillä, kahden värin + valkoisen yhdistelmä tuntuu toimivan paremmin! Taustapuoli nappeineen onkin jo valmiina.






15.5.12

Framework


Isn't it amazing how the edging can change the whole look of a crocheted work? The edging gives sort of frame to the whole thing and can have a big effect on the look and style.

Right now I am working with the edging of the Green Moss blanket. Started with granny cluster rounds with the greyish brown, then with the greens.

On se vaan ihmeellistä miten reunus voi muuttaa koko työn meiningin. Vähän kuin kehykset taululle, se jotenkin nostaa ja kohottaa koko juttua. Ja jokainen kerros tuo vähän uutta kierrettä kokonaisuuteen. Tällä hetkellä menossa reunus tähän sammalväriseen peittoon.

See how it goes:

First with lime green sc round:


Then olive green dc's:



And finally a darker green sc round:



PS: Note my new wooden crochet hook. Not sure yet if I like working with it or not, but it surely is  Beautiful.

12.5.12

Summer Flowers blanket :: Ta-dah!

And may I present.... the Summer Flowers blanket!!!







Yarns: I have used 14 colors of Rowan handknit cotton and 8 colors of Drops Paris for the circles. White edging is Drops Paris. I used a 4,5mm hook.

Pattern: The first three rounds are worked same as the first three in Lucy's Hexagons. The fourth round is simply clusters of 3dc, 1 ch. The circles are made into squares with hdc's (clusters of 3, 1ch) and corners are 3dc, 2cd, 3dc.





Edging: I did 7 rounds of 3dc clusters and then 2 rounds in sc. The final round is mini shell stitch edging from Crochet with Raymond. I really love the lacey feeling of the edging and how it frames the whole fireworks of colorful circles in the middle.



I am so happy with the result!


6.5.12

A new favorite

I have a new favorite, the sunburst. I have always liked the way they look, but somehow I used to think they are difficult and tedious and totally impossible to make. Well they are not. It is actually nice and easy and also quite fast to make.  I like the funky chunky feeling of the pattern with the puff and cluster stitches.





Also great with cotton yarns.


I had a bit difficulties in finding the pattern so I have written the pattern / tutorial here. This is a combination of the patterns I found on the net:

START with the Magic Ring method (I use this) or ch4 and join with a slip stitch

ROUND 1: ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 15 tr into the ring, join with slip stitch. Fasten off.



ROUND 2 (Puff stitches) change color and ch 1 into the space between the tr's. *yarn over hook, insert hook into stitch and pull up a loop*, repeat * -* twice more, yarn over hook and draw it through all seven loops. Ch 1. Repeat this 15 times (into all the tr's). Join with a slip stitch. Fasten off.



ROUND 3 (Cluster stitches): Change color and join in the space between two puff stitches. Ch 1, dc4tog. Repeat 15 more times, join with a slip stitch. Fasten off.

dc4tog: In the space between two puffs, *yarn over hook, insert hook in the space between puffs, pull up a loop, yarn over hook, draw a loop through only the two first two loops on the hook.* Repeat *-* three more times inserting hook into the same space, yarn over and draw a loop through all the loops (there should be 5 loops) on the hook.



ROUND 4 (Making the square) Change color and join into any space between clusters. Ch 4 (counts as 1 tr), 2 tr, ch2, 3 tr (first corner), *ch1, 3 dc into next space between clusters*, repeat *-* twice more. In the next space make another corner: 3 tr, ch2, 3 tr. Ch 1, 3 dc into spaces between clusters three times, make a corner and then repeat the ch1, 3 dc three times, make a corner and repeat ch1, 3 dc three times. join with a slip stitch. Fasten off.



And you have a beautiful sunburst square!


4.5.12

Matcha Muffins

I got an inspiration to bake something, or not just something but with Matcha. I searched the net and came upon this idea of Matcha Muffins. I modified a little bit an old muffin recipe and these turned out just great. I love the color of the Matcha powder, it is so Green.

Recipe
2 dl flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
50 g melted butter
2 eggs
2 dl sugar (brown sugar, like muscovado is great in this)
1 dl milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1 tablespoon lime juice

Mix together the flour, baking powder and matcha powder. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Fold in the flour mixture, melted butter, milk and lime juice. Divide the batter into muffin cups. Bake in 200 C, about 12-15 min.  (I hope my baking English is ok...)






Tuli leipomisfiilis ja halusin tehdä jotain missä olisi Matcha-jauhetta. Tutkailin netistä ideoita ja päädyin tekemään Matcha Muffinsseja. Resepti vanha muffinsiresepti pienillä muutoksilla. Hyvää tuli, mehevää ja maukasta. Ja vähän erilaista.

Resepti
2 dl vehnäjauhoja
2 tl leivinjauhetta
1 tl vaniljasokeria
50 g sulatettua rasvaa
2 kananmunaa
2 dl sokeria (mielellään sokerin voi korvata kokonaan tai osittain ruskealla sokerilla kuten muscovado- tai fariinisokerilla)
1 dl maitoa tai soijamaitoa (itse käytin soijamaitoa)
1 rkl matcha-jauhetta
1 rkl limettimehua
Sekoita vehnäjauhoihin leivinjauhe, vaniljasokeri, leivinjauhe ja matcha. Sulata rasva. Vatkaa munat ja sokeri vaahdoksi. Lisää munavaahtoon varovasti sulatettu rasva, jauhoseos, limettimehu ja maito. Nostele taikina paperisiin leivosvuokiin ja paista 200 C noin 12 min.