Fall is in the air

Here's a very autumnal shawl, hand-knitted from a nice blend of mohair and acrylic. You may recognize the stitch, it's classic feather and fan - great for variegated yarn, because it form great wavy pattern. The colors in this one are truly autumnal: rusty reds and oranges, muted greens, teal, different shades of golden browns - just like leaves in September. I like the result very much. The shawl is two meters long and 43 cm wide, it can be worn as a regular, cozy scarf or as a wrap over the shoulders.

Oto bardzo jesienny szal, wydziergany ręcznie z miłej mieszanki moheru i akrylu. Wzrór znany: klasyczny feather and fan, świetny przy cieniowanych włóczkach, bo wtedy dobrze widać na nim fale. Szal jest w typowo jesiennych kolorach: rudych brązach, słumionych zieleniach z odrobiną petrolu - zupełnie jak liście we wrześniu. Bardzo mi się podoba, co z tego wyszło. Szal ma dwa metry długości i 43 cm szerokości. Dobrze się spisze jako szalik XL albo chusta na ramiona (zanim zrobi się zupełnie zimno).

The shawl is available here:
Szal można kupić tutaj:  
https://www.etsy.com/listing/108992489/hanknit-long-lacy-scarf-in-autumnal


And now a teaser of something I'm working on at the moment:
A teraz zapowiedź czegoś, nad czym właśnie pracuję:

Looks good, right?
Wygląda nieźle, prawda?

Cowls, cowls, fresh cowls!

Hello dear readers,

Dzień dobry drodzy Czytelnicy!

First of all thank you for reading my blog and leaving comments - I appreciate them all!

Przede wszystkim dziękuję za to, że tu zaglądacie, i że zostawiacie komentarze - jest mi bardzo miło je czytać!

Now let me show you what I just listed in KnitsDeLuxe store:)

A teraz pozwólcie, że pokażę Wam nowości, które ostatnio pojawiły się w sklepie KnitsDeLuxe:)

I'm in a wintery mood, though it's still summer (and they say this week will be extra hot). But I'm having fun with cowls and infinity scarves. I'm testing new yarns, inventing new patterns, trying to figure out the best way to wear them. The last thing usually boils down to: wrapped around the neck or hooding the head:) I love the idea of these neckwarmers: no loose ends that can be a nuisance sometimes, hood and a scarf in one, and with a little bit of imagination and an extra pin they can be turned into a vest protecting the shoulders and lower back. And they are so in! The keywords for this winter seem to be: infinity scarf, neckwarmer, cowl, circle scarf - I'm guessing they do differ a little, but the general idea is the same.

Jestem w zimowym nastroju, chociaż za oknem pełnia lata (co więcej, ponoć w przyszłym tygodniu mają wrócić upały). Ale ja bawię się kominami i otulaczami. Testuję nowe włóczki, wymyślam nowe wzory, próbuję znaleźć najlepszy sposób noszenia. To noszenie najczęściej sprowadza się do dwóch wersji: zawinąć wokół szyi, naciągnąć na głowę:) Otulacze są genialne - tak ogólnie, jako pomysł na dodatek. Nie ma luźnych końców, z którymi czasami nie wiadomo co zrobić, jedna rzecz może być jednocześnie szalikiem i czapką, a przy odrobinie fantazji i dodatkowej zapince, łatwo można je przerobić na kamizelkę, która zasłoni ramiona i ogrzeje nerki. A do tego otulacze są supermodne!

All the cowls below are knitted either in the round or flat and stitched up with the kitchener stitch - anyway, there are no inside seams, which makes them very easy to wear. Some of them are reversible (the same on both sides), others have the right and left side, but the left one can also be worn as the right one (it's up to the wearer to decide).

Wszystkie otulacze z poniższych obrazków zostały wydziergane w kółko albo na płasko i zszyte kitchenerem - w każdym razie żaden nie ma szwów, dzięki czemu nie ma problemu z tym, jak je zamotać. Niektóre są dwustronne, czy raczej identyczne po obu stronach, inne są różne, ale wtedy lewa i tak wygląda na tyle fajnie, że można ją nosić jako prawą.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106112429/infinity-scarf-chunky-pink-and-brown-mix

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106338255/handknit-chunky-ivory-cowl

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106861725/handknit-red-cowl

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106338424/alpaca-infinity-scarf-in-light-ocean

https://www.etsy.com/listing/106339541/infinity-scarf-chunky-green-and-teal-mix

https://www.etsy.com/listing/105696770/infinity-scarf-chunky-beige

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107093189/infinity-scarf-chunky-green-and-teal-mix

Behold, I'm going bilingual:)

Ladies and gentlemen, od dzisiaj będzie też po polsku:)

And I'm going to show you what came out of my experiments with new yarns and beads.

Pokażę Wam dzisiaj co wyszło z eksperymentowania z nową włóczką i koralikami.

Experiment 1 - cobweb yarn / pajęczyna

A long time ago I found a beautiful yarn in one of my favorite stores. It was a gorgeous blend of cashmere, silk and merino wool. But it was incredibly thin, 2600 meters (that's over 2000 yards) per 100 g - that probably means the yarn is thinner than the one you use to sew on your buttons. And definitely more delicate. I kept looking at it for a while, after all a yarn that thin is a bit scary. But in the end I gave in and bought one skein for a bridal shawl.

Dawno temu wypatrzyłam w jednym z moich ulubionych sklepów przepiękną włóczkę - delikatną mieszankę kaszmiru, jedwabiu i wełny merino. Piękną, ale niesamowicie cienką - 2600 m/100g. Mam grubsze nici do szycia. Najpierw nie mogłam się zdecydować, bo taka cienizna jednak trochę przeraża. Ale w końcu uległam i kupiłam motek z myślą o jakimś delikatnym szalu dla przyszłej panny młodej.

And here it is:

I absolutely love this yarn. Yes, it's thin, and delicate, and knitting takes a long time, but the result is amazing. This is a true cobweb shawl. It weighs less than one ounce (I used less than 1/3 of the skein), you almost don't feel it on the skin. And it's soft, delicate and so easy to drape.

Zakochałam się w tej włóczce. Owszem, jest cieniutka i delikatna, a sama robótka pochłonęła sporo czasu, ale efekt jest fantastyczny. To jest prawdziwa pajęczynka. Całość ma 220x107 cm i waży zaledwie 28 g! Tej chusty prawie nie czuć na skórze. A do tego jest miękka, delikatna i bardzo łatwo ją ładnie ułożyć.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103881164/romantic-wedding-lace-shawl-in-silk

20% cashmere, 20% silk, 60% merino

Eksperyment 2 - koraliki / beads

Na koraliki miałam ochotę od dawna, ale trochę brakowało mi konkretnego pomysłu. A potem przypomniał mi się ten szal. Zrobiłam go wzorem estońskim z bąbelkami. A teraz wymyśliłam sobie, że wykorzystam ten wzór, ale zamiast bąbelków wplotę koraliki.

I wanted to knit something with beads for a long time, but I couldn't quite figure out what and how. And then I remembered this shawl. I'd knitted it in an Estonian lace stitch pattern with nupps. And now I decided to use it again, only this time replacing the nupps with beads.

I wyszło tak:

Podoba mi się co koraliki robią z szalem: nieco go obciążają, przez co fajniej przylega do sylwetki, a do tego błyszczą w słońcu, dzięki czemu szal migocze. Całość jakby w sam raz na romantyczne spacery przy zachodzie słońca:)

I like what the beads do to the shawl: they make it a little bit heavier, so it drapes closer to the body, and they shine in the sun, making the shawl shimmer a bit. The whole thing is perfect for romantic walks at sunset:)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/103881402/knit-red-lace-stole-with-beads

100% merino wool

So how do you like this bilingual post? Is color coding comfy enough for you to read? Let me know what you think.

I jak się Wam podoba ten dwujęzyczny wpis? Wygodnie się go czyta w takiej podkolorowanej wersji? Dajcie mi znać, co o tym myślicie.

I survived Christmas (and New Year, and the first week of 2012:))

Well, it wasn't that difficult, really:) But it was very busy, so today is really the first day when I'm starting to catch a break. First there were some gifts to knit:

This time I kept it to a minimum:)

Then I came up with a new cowl for the shop - close fitting hoody type of neckwarmer.

Blend of mohair and acrylic, available here: long cowl from KnitsDeLuxe at Etsy.

Then there was an order for one of my favorite models:

White Angel from Debbie Bliss - blend of super kid mohair and silk, great yarn to work with. I love this shawl, it's soft, delicate, big (usualy about 180-190 x 60 cm), and ultralight (less than 100 grams).
[Advertising mode on] available on demand via Etsy [advertising mode off] :)

And in the meantime, I knitted a quick "I-want-one":)

Now I'm working on a new Queen of the Forest shawl (pattern available here: Queen of the Forest at Ravelry or here Queen of the Forest at Etsy. This one will be big leaves in deep teal - great color, unfortunately one of those I can't seem to get right on camera. Anyway, here's a sneak peek:

Well, that's it for now. Time to go back to work:)

Merry Christmas Shawl

It's red, it's golden, it sparkles. I bet it's something Mrs. Santa Claus would wear:)

When I got this yarn I knew it would be perfect for knitting something especially for Christmas. But I didn't want it to be a seasonal garment, so I went for something subtle - a miniature trees that don't have to be trees:) On any other occasion they may be just some geometric lace pattern.

The shawl is incredibly light - only 43 grams (1.5 oz). Size: 160x85 cm (ca.63x33.5")

Available for sale here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/87303417/cyber-monday-sale-merry-christmas-shawl

(Cyber Monday sale continues: use code CYBERSALE to get 15% off the order).

Pre-Christmas knitting madness

There are not enough hours in the day!

For the past weeks I've been knitting like crazy, hence my silence. I'm making new things, dealing with special orders, organizing the shop - it's a total madness. But I'm enjoying it enormously. Here's a quick update on my recent project (all available in my Etsy shop - BTW, I'm running a special sale before Christmas, so look in the shop announcement for current discount codes).

Let's start with something I have made especially for winter. It's a shawl that can be a scarf , or a hooded scarf, or a narrow blanket. I knitted a similar one for myself and I'm wearing it almost all the time. It's long, wide, warm and cozy.

Next two shawls can be worn all year round - they're lace shawls knitted from a very fine kid mohair/polyester blend. Both remind me of the tree just outside my window; one that changed its colors from green to gold.

And now back to winter neckwear: a scarf and a triangular shawl. I absolutely love the colors on both, and the structure of the shawl.

There are more shawls in my shop, so come in, have a look - maybe you'll find something for yourself or for your loved ones. Happy shopping!

Gail is ready

Loved knitting it:) The yarn is not exactly the best, I used something really old, but I love the way it turned out. I'm keeping this one for myself.

Gail in progress

Gail (aka Nightsong) is one of the most popular shawl patterns at Ravelry. And one of the most popular. So I've decided to knit one for myself. Here's what I've got so far:

This is work in progress, so you can't really see the beauty of the pattern yet. That's why lace has to be blocked. (You can read more about it here.)

For now, have a look at the wrong side. Looks funny, doesn't it?

Almost like tiny mountains:)

Queen of the Night

Do you know what the worst part of knitting with a black yarn is? That's right - taking pictures. I've finished another shawl, and I am very happy with the result, but my camera just cannot get it right. It makes the shawl gray, blurs the lace pattern, casts weird shadows. Plus, the yarn I've used has a shimmering thread, which makes the task even more difficult...

But you know what, I just can't wait to show you this shawl. So here it is, the Queen of the Night - black, lacy and shimmering.

 

The pattern I used is Hagakiri 1 from Haapsalu Sall. The yarn is a blend of mohair with acrylic, nylon and polyester, which makes it a bit hairy, but at the same time soft and delicate.

And now I'm off to studying photography - maybe next time I'll manage to take better photos:)