New pattern - Inside out sweater

I finally finished the pattern for my inside out sweater. It's knitted top down and literally turned inside out in the end so the purled side faces out.

I used this gorgeous purple silky merino yarn from Malabrigo. It has slight variations in color which goes well with the purled fabric.

I think this is the perfect sweater for spring and summer since it's light weight and not too warm.

If you're interested in the pattern you can find it HERE.

   

New pattern - Snowflake baby hat

I first made this hat in 2010 when my older daughter was a baby. I never wrote it down but always meant to. Recently my younger daughter started using the hat and I was reminded of how happy I am with it. So I decided to write down the pattern and publish it on Ravelry. It's made with Icelandic Kambgarn but any sports weight wool can be used.

If you like the pattern you can buy it HERE or find me on Ravelry. It's available in both English and Icelandic.

My video tutorials

From time to time I make some knitting tutorials. So far I've shown how to graft stitches together using kitchener stitch, how to knit two things on one needle, how I sew in ends while crocheting and how I do a purled stitch. My videos were intended for Icelandic speaking people and all have Icelandic text (no speaking) but maybe they can be useful to others as well.

Kitchener stitch

Two items on one needle

More can be found on Youtube.

New sweater and pattern

I just finished this green lopi sweater and a pattern for it too :)

It's my first adult size sweater pattern and I decided to call it Moss since the light green colors remind me of the moss that covers lava here in Iceland.

The pattern is available here or if you have a Ravelry account then you can find my

pattern store Knitwear by unneva. The sweater is also for sale in my Etsy shop.

Tricks to knit a bit faster

Even though I'm a fast knitter I sometimes I wish I could knit a lot faster. My knitting speed depends on what size needles I am using, if I'm using steel or acrylic needles, what type of yarn etc.

I do have a few tricks up my sleeve that I believe make my knitting go just a bit faster:

• Try not to knit too tight. If you do and aren't able to change it, try using a smaller needle in your left hand (if you have interchangeable needles that is). That way the stitches will easily come of the needle despite your tight knitting.
• Use a shorter circular needle when knitting in the round. For example I use a 60 cm needle when knitting the body of a sweater, even in XL. It just makes moving the stitches easier and quicker.
• Relax your body, shoulders, arms and fingers as much as you can and, again, try to relax your knitting so it's looser without being too loose.
• Watch or listen to something really exiting. I tend to knit very fast when I do cause I get so exited. It works best though when knitting with one color in the round.

Then if this doesn't help, one could always master speed knitting:

Decrease evenly across a row

I'm a horrible mathematician ... horrible. So when I see these words in a pattern I have two options. I can either wing it and then resent my project for being "wrong" or I can go to this website and have the calculator do it for me. There's also a calculator for increasing evenly on the same site. When I found the site I thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread ... and well I still think it is :)

Do you know of any useful tools like this that you would like to share with me?

  

New cardigan

I just listed this cardigan in my Etsy shop:

It's a design by me, an adult version of the children's sweater Frost. It's made with double thread plötulopi which is my favorite for lopi sweaters.

New sizes for the Frost pattern

I just added sizes 6/8/10 and 12 years old to my design Frost. It's a sweater made with Létt-lopi (or any worsted or aran weight yarn). It features a traditional Icelandic yoke and a high neck to keep kids warm.

  

I recently made it for my son who is 8 years old. He chose the colors himself and insisted on using neon colors for the pattern. The picture doesn't display how vibrant they really are but I do like the result.

The pattern can be found here.

New things

I guess I didn't mention what I've been busy doing. 

Well, last winter I was busy finishing my first master's degree in human resource management. The thesis kept me quite busy until graduation in February. I'm quite proud of it :)

Then in August I had a baby girl. She's my fourth child and most likely also my last. She was born on the 26th and is a little bundle of joy. She even lets me knit from time to time ;)

Of course I've already made her a few things like this crocheted blanket and the sweater below:

Funny enough my sister also had baby girl in August. She doesn't knit or crochet so I enjoy making her some cute little things too:

My sister also has a birthday in August so she and her baby girl got a matching shawl and hat:

New Lopi sweaters

I haven't done much blogging for the past few months. I guess I've just been to busy. 

But I'm back now and have lots of new sweaters to show:

 

These two have a yoke pattern from a sweater called Var which can be found in the knitting book Lopi 29 by Ístex. I've done some changes to it though like changing the cut.

 

These two have a yoke pattern from another Ístex Lopi book. It's called Él and I use it alot, I guess it's my favorite. But since it is a pattern for a children's sweater, I've designed the cut myself.

 

This one is kind of my own mix. The yoke pattern is (if I remember correctly) an adaption of an old Lopi pattern. The cut is my own.

All of the sweaters are made with double strand plötulopi and are (or were) for sale on Etsy. My youngest sister, Magga, was nice enough to model for me :)

Then I had some custom orders and made these two, which I've never knitted before:

The blue one is called Ranga and can be found in Lopi 29. The green one is called Jón and can be found in Lopi 31. I had to adapt both patterns a little so I would be able to use double strand plötulopi. But I think they turned out really nice :)

Lopi sweaters for children

I love knitting lopi sweaters for my children. I think traditional lopi sweaters always look cute and are so practical. The lopi keeps the kids warm and dry but not too warm. Perfect for all seasons.

I've knitted a few through the years and I usually try to make them match, both in color and style.

 These are all made with Létt-lopi (Lopi lite) exept the white one which is made with double strand Plötulopi.

I also made an overall for my daughter with double strand Plötulopi. I loved it but I can't say she did :P

Lopi sweater

I spent the weekend with my mother, aunt and niece. We went to a cabin out in the countryside and spent the whole time knitting, watching TV and sipping white wine. It was very productive for me and I made this sweater:

This is a custom order that I received through Etsy. I really like the colors and kind of want to keep it for myself ;). It's knitted with Létt-lopi and Evilla preyarn.

Þingborg's Lopi Sweater

In this post I mentioned that I was knitting my first sweater with lopi from Þingborg. I finished it a while ago and am soooo happy with it. I used a single strand which is always a little stressful since it seems to be so weak while knitting. In this case it was extremely so. The black Þingborg's lopi is very, very delicate and I was afraid the whole time that this sweater would never make it more than a month. But fortunately I was wrong. I'm still using it and absolutely love the warmth and softness.

Still Light Tunic

I finished this tunic last winter/spring ... just always forgot to brag about it ;)
It's a design by Veera Välimäki, knitted with Drops alpaca. It took me quite some time to finish but I love the results, it's so soft and cozy.

Two Lopi vests

I just finished these vests made with Létt Lopi and Evilla preyarn. I just love ... no LOVE yarn that changes colors gradually.

Over the rainbow

Autumn foliage

Both vests are for sale in my Etsy store if you are interested ;)

No more cold feet

I just finished these socks. The pattern is called Varmi which translates to heat in English and can be found in the book Prjónað úr íslenskri ull or Knitting with Icelandic wool. I used double thread plötulopi on needles nr. 5,5 so they're very warm and cozy. I also added one star to make them almost knee high.

Knitting on a plane

I've just returned from my trip to London. I stayed there over the weekend, mostly dining and shopping.

I always used to love flying when I was younger. I even set out to be a flight attendant but started to have children before I could. Everything changed when I had the children and somehow I stopped enjoying the flights as much. At least until I discovered the joy of knitting on a plane (makes me think of the movie Snakes on a plane ... dunno why).

Now I always take some knitting project with me when I fly. I get a bit nervous every time when I go through security but no one seems to mind my wooden or acrylic needles. Then when I'm on the plane I have enough time, peace and quiet to knit away. This time I brought along an Aeolian shawl that I'm knitting with Einband (yes the scratchy laceweight wool). Three hours of flight time just disappeared as I knitted my way through the first charts. I also save money on magazines (which I tend to buy in bulk) and have something to do while I'm waiting for the flight.

If you want to try knitting on a plane then here are my tips:

- Use plastic, acrylic or wooden needles.
- Use screw on needles so you won't loose stitches if the security
    won't allow them on the plane.
- Only take one project.
- Choose a project that will keep you occupied enough without too much
    trouble.
- Choose a project that has only one color (no fair isle or intarsia)
    because that tends to take up space and/or be complicated.
- Don't bring a very big project that will bother the people next to you.
- Avoid yarns that shed a lot.
- Bring an extra set of needles in your luggage just in case.
- Remember that scissors are not allowed.

I have also tried crocheting while flying and that's perfect too. With a wooden hook it's no problem and takes even less space and fuzz as the knitting does.

Dreadful days

I'm to busy to knit these days. How dreadful is that?
Instead of knitting my beautiful Þinborg-lopi sweater or the gorgeous alpaca/silk Aeolian shawl, I have to write an intelligent chapter about balanced scorecard and strategic management.
Oh how I long for warm summer days and enough free time to knit, knit, knit ...

New pattern - Snowflake fingerless mittens

I've added another pattern to Ravelry. Fingerless mittens for women, inspired by traditional Icelandic designs. I use them over leather gloves to keep my hands really warm during the cold winter months.

They're knit with Icelandic Létt-lopi but most aran or worsted weight yarn can be used.

The pattern is available here if you have access to Ravelry and here if you don't.