Heklica's crocheting and knitting blog

2011 in projects

2012-01-03T21:37:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again and everyone is posting about their New Year knitting resolutions. I'm not making any this year because last year's was a comlete failure. The only thing I did is knit some socks and some soft, warm gloves (come to think of it, too warm, considering the temperatures we've had so far this winter). I could blame it on life getting into way and bad things that happened in the family but I'm not going to do that. I'll keep these goals for next year, hoping it will be better than the last. And that's what I wish to all of you.

After 22 scarves in 2010, I managed to keep it under control and make only 8 in 2011!

This year's hit seem to have been mittens, 8 pairs altogether:

I'm also proud of my 5 sweaters/cardigans/vests (one of which is in child size, true!) but I'm not proud of the fact that I have photos of only 3 of them:

2011 also saw my first pair of socks, followed by two more, one for my husband and one more for myself:

Together with 2 hats, 2 phone cozies, a baby blankie and a table runner edging, it totals 30 projects. Not bad, considering what a difficult year it was.

I also contributed 9 squares to a collaborative project in Serbia group over on Ravelry, the result of which is a beautiful blanket (you can see it here).

Another collaborative project that began in 2011 is NS Needles' first knit-along. It started quite unexpectedly, one lazy evening over a glass of sangria, while pckristina and I were musing over possible projects for the yarns we got as presents from a friend.

Not a cardigan but... well, a scarf, of course :)

2011-11-13T18:38:00.001+01:00

In the previous post I said I only had half a sleeve to finish a cardigan. And I did finish it (at long last!) but you won't see any photos of it today because it is still in a sorry, unblocked state, waiting for its creator-cum-owner to find some time to wash it and block it and then find some more time to put it on and have it photographed by her husband-cum-personal photographer, who also has to find some free time to photograph it, preferably at the same time his wife has chosen to wear it and have it photographed. Which is going to be soon, I hope!

Meanwhile, another long-drawn-out project has finally been brought to an end. It's Wisp, a wonderfully delicate lace scarf, knit in amazingly soft Drops' Kid-Silk. A friend bought this yarn when she was in Manchester, UK but unfortunately, she bought only one skein. It was enough for a scarf but barely just so if you are planning to knit a Wisp in Kid-Silk, get two skeins.

Images of autumn

2011-10-30T21:33:00.000+01:00

I don't have much presentable knitting to show you. It's not that I haven't been knitting, it's just that it's all in different stages of unfinishedness and as such extremely resistant to photographing. Instead, I first give you some photos completely unrelated to knitting and then some fresh photos of old projects :) But please stay tuned, some new knitting is sure to follow, I only have half a sleeve to finish a cardigan :)

I really love autumn. Even with all the rain, and the cold, and this terrible wind that we have here, and the dreariness and everything. It has a certain charm, a certain poetic aura about it that gets me every year. And the colours, ah, the colours...

This year the beginning of October was so warm that you could sit in the park in short sleeves.

But soon enough the windbreaks were up at the beach

and the playgrounds were deserted.

And then finally it was cold enough to put on the February Lady Sweater I finished back in July (wool+alpaca at 40 degrees!), pack my camera and a willing photographer and head off for the river bank.

I paired it with two more projects that never had proper photos of them taken either: Travelling Woman shawl and Drops' 98-55 Bag with cable pattern in Eskimo.

Aren't I lucky that autumn colours are in vogue at the moment? I had put on a pair of Jaywalkers in matching colours too but we forgot to photograph them :(

Images of summer

2011-10-02T13:31:00.000+02:00

Goodbye, summer! I'm glad you're over so that I can finally welcome the long-awaited autumn, knitters' favourite season :)

Some very, very happy feet :)

Some very, very happy girls :)

Some very, very happy grass :)

Why do I like reading?

2011-09-05T16:10:00.006+02:00

Since that post on books I've been thinking why I like reading. What is it that has always drawn me so strongly and irresistably towards books?

The first thing must be the magic of the story, the yarn spun from page to page, drawing you ever deeper into the plot, the characters and events. It was impossible to resist the temptation presented by the mystery of the unknown and the thrill of the suspense was, oh so addictive.

Then there's the imagination, whole new worlds and universes, which provided backdrops against which I could stage my childhood fantasies and play with them, turning them this way and that, playing a hero or a victim, a savior or a villain, a sheriff or a vigilante, a cowboy or an Indian, depending on the mood. I must have been an avid daydreamer back then. It is from these stagings, I guess, that my power of visualization developed, a blessing and a curse that's been with me from a very early age.

And finally, I think that the seclusion that reading offered is what I enjoyed. Even as a child I liked being alone and was never bored. Reading offered an opportunity to be alone when I was not, an opportunity to set myself apart from the rest of the world. And it worked.

Then came university (and later work) and a different kind of reading that I needed to learn. Reading for study, dissecting, analyzing. I didn't enjoy that as much. I had a feeling that it stripped books of their magic. And that is, at least partly, why I did not go on to study literature but opted for a different line of work. And I'm not sorry because the magic is back :)

Klika Klika

2011-08-20T14:52:00.004+02:00

Kažite dragička! Otvorena je nova onlajn prodavnica vune, i to Dropsove, i to najbliža nam do sada! Zove se Klika Klika i možete je naći na ovoj adresi, ali i na FB. Jedva čekam da tamo potrošim malo para :)))

Books et al.

2011-08-08T16:21:00.014+02:00

I've always been a voracious reader. Don't you just love that collocation, 'voracious reader'? It literally means that you eat books. And that is exactly what I did. I ate them, devoured them. From a very early age, I read and read and read. Voraciously, insatiably, unremittingly. Now, I would also add, indiscriminately. As a child, I read everything I could lay my hands on. (Which, as you can imagine, meant that I read quite a few books I couldn't understand or fully appreciate.)

When I now think about my childhood reading, I see myself in the countryside, at my grandparents' place in the summer. I'd take a book and head off into their huge garden, find myself a spot under a tree (it was too hot in the attic) and spend hours there, lounging in the hot, motionless silence of summer afternoons. I'd get up and pick a pear or go and gorge myself on raspberries. Idyllic is the word that comes to mind and, although my grandparents' house did not have manicured lawns, rose gardens or breathtaking views, this picture always reminds me of English countryside. Must be all the 19th-century novels I read there :)

I've also kept a reading journal. Since 1985. No profound thoughts or enlightened observations there, just a list of books I've read. Ordered chronologically, all 20-odd years of my reading. The first entry is Alexander Belyayev's KEZ Star (Zvezda Kec in Serbian translation), a forgotten classic of Soviet children's science fiction. It seems unbelievable that it was a prescribed school text only 25 years ago!

And I've filled several notebooks into which I copied sentences and passages I liked, sometimes whole pages. I still do that. It may seem pointless nowadays, with all the online collections of all possible quotations from all imaginable books, but I find it difficult to connect to these. These are just heaps of texts, other people's texts, bland, expressionless, meaningless to me. Not my quotations.

These days I read much less. Partly because of all the work-related reading, partly because I have far less time to waste away under a pear tree than when I was 13. But the addiction is still with me. I don't go anywhere without a book, I can't go to sleep if I don't read at least half a page. I'm usually too tired to read more than that anyway, but that's a story for a different kind of post. This year I've set myself a challenge, over at Goodreads, to read 20 books. Not many, but I'm not counting work-related literature. And I'm 2 books ahead already, which I consider to be quite an achievement, as one of them is Murakami's 600+ page The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and another A. S. Byatt's 500+ page Possession. Not that sheer volume matters, but neither of them is exactly a breeze to read.

Now, if you've borne with me this far reading this pictureless post, tell me something about your reading habits. I won't ask you what kind of books you like or who your favourite author is (I've always hated these two questions!). Instead, tell me when and where you like to read and how your reading habits have changed over time.

Manchester, England, England and the long wait for our girls to come home

2011-07-06T12:44:00.007+02:00

No, our girls have not gone to war but waiting for them to come back was equally painful! Two friends of mine had gone to Manchester to a conference and I sent them to Purl City Yarns :) They came back with these beauties:

The variegated skeins are Malabrigo Lace and the mohair (argh!) is Drops' Kid-Silk, the latter bought at their own initiative, to be turned into... well, a scarf ;). Unfortunately, they bought just one skein of it, which is only 25g and 199m so not much of a scarf potential there but I guess I could whip up a skinny Wisp?

A sweater, a vest and a tee

2011-06-14T13:07:00.007+02:00

I've been waiting long for these photos :)

Drops' jumper with a cable motif and 3/4 sleeves, knit in A.P.D.O.O. Superwash Sport, bought in Leo klupko in Zagreb last year. Thank you, Lorna, for sending me that one additional skein! I finished it back in December but the photos were crappy.

Then I got a most wonderful New Year's present from pckristina, 6 skeins of Unitas's Ana, which in January were transformed into a Lace Saddle Tee.

And for the end of this eloquent post, something I've wanted to make for a long time but couldn't find a suitable yarn. Until some friends said they were going to Sweden :))) Garnstudio, of course :) I ordered Drops' Nepal and finally made Bramblewood. The yarn is fantastic and just perfect for this pattern.

Fishing gear, continued

2011-06-07T17:16:00.006+02:00

Another piece of fishing equipment finds its way into my project bag :))) A retro-look fish counter turned row counter! And it can count up to 9999, lol! It must have been made with a lying fisherman in mind :D

Buttons!

2011-05-31T14:10:00.004+02:00

I recently won a fantastic giveaway hosted by ButtonMad. I won 5 gorgeous handmade buttons manufactured by Incomparable Buttons, a company giving employment to women in South Africa. Thank you, Incomparable Buttons!

Epiphany

2011-05-13T19:56:00.005+02:00

OK, maybe 'epiphany' is too strong a word but you know that moment of clarity when, after years of looking at an object, you suddenly realize its true nature. In a flash you see that the answer to your problems has been in front of you all the time without your knowing it. This is what happened to me two days ago when I looked at the plastic tube in which my husband keeps his angling floats. He's had it for years and years and I must have seen it hundreds of times. And then two days ago, it spoke to me and its true purpose was revealed!

I mean, just look at it! I know that you know what it's actually made for! :)

The depth is adjustable so it can accommodate everything from 40 to 70 cm (that's 16 to 28 inches) in length. Perfect, isn't it?

And that's how an unruly, disgraceful sheaf of knitting needles got a pretty neat box :)

Raccoons

2011-04-14T17:38:00.007+02:00

I thought I was running late with this pair of fingerless mittens and a cowl but considering the weather we've had recently, they might get some wear before autumn :)

Pattern: Great Weekend Mitts by Thea Eschliman
Yarn: Troitsk Yarn Deluxe (red and white) and Troitsk Yarn Moscow Chic (grey)
Needles: 2.5 mm

I improvised the pattern for the cowl but I admit I was initially inspired by Veronik Avery's Redwork Cowl.

and a post in which another thing goes from bad to good

2011-04-09T14:37:00.008+02:00

You may also remember that not so long ago I got a gift token for Barka yarn from my friends. After much deliberation, I chose 5 órai tea (5-o'clock tea) in Lapacho. I had been on the lookout for an obtainable and affordable tweed yarn in worsted or aran weight for Bramblewood vest and this was a perfect opportunity.

The yarn is lovely, soft and squishy, 95% merino, 5% rayon. It knits very fast and does not split at all. Of 8 skeins I ordered, there were two knots in only one skein.

What I didn't like, though, was the colour. When it arrived I realized it was more brown than I'd expected. I'd imagined it to be more like pumpkin in colour. But, truth be told, when I put the actual skein of yarn next to the image on my monitor, there was hardly any difference. So it must have been me seeing the colour I wanted to see and not the colour that was actually there. Or it might have been that effect that you sometimes have when you decorate the house: it's one thing to see a small lime-green colour chip in the shop and a very different thing to see four huge walls of a room in that same colour. So it was perhaps seeing a big pile of brown that put me off a bit.

I knew I didn't want a vest in that colour so I repurposed it and turned these 8 lovely skeins into, why, a SHAWL, of course! I chose Mara, by Madelinetosh, and the yarn was perfect for it. Heavy, spongy and squishy in the garter section, rich and full of drape in the ruffle section. I'm very happy with it. I even remembered that I have a perfect pair of shoes to wear it with, once it gets cold again. A very warm, autumn accessory, it almost makes me wish it wasn't spring :)

I also got a shawl pin as a gift from Barkavuna, as if they knew I'd be making a shawl. Thank you, Karolina and Csilla, both for the gift and excellent customer service! Looking forward to some more yarn shopping!

A post in which one thing goes from good to bad

2011-04-09T13:42:00.011+02:00

You remember that mohair scarf for which I had to trawl the whole country in order to find 9 different colours? Well, as it turned out, only about half of each skein was eventually needed so I ended up with 9 tiny feathery wisps of very thin mohair yarn, whose future, after the project was finished, looked bleak at best. They seemed destined to spend the rest of their lives at the bottom of one of those three plastic boxes in which I keep my stash. Nine sad little mohair wisps.

But as I'm trying to destash, they got lucky! (or so it seemed at the time...) The colours I had clearly fell into two categories: pastels and Christmas. So I took the five pastels (upper row) and started knitting a scarf... Yes, I know, I made a vow to cut down on scarves but what else can you knit with 5x8 grams of mohair yarn? As it turned out, you can't even knit this, but when I realized, it was too late, the scarf was already finished. And this is how it looked:

Soft and light like a breeze. I know it's a literary cliche but it really felt like a sea breeze against your skin. Fluffy and feathery and wonderful. True, it came out too short but with a clever knot or with a help of a scarf pin, it could have been worn. Could have been, yes, had I not turned it into this:

A jumbled, clotted mass of felted mohair! You can't even unfold it! What was I thinking? Where was my mind wandering while I was putting it in the washing machine? I'd really like to know because it must have been a wonderful place if it made me forget it's mohair, for goodness' sake! It cannot be machine-washed!

To make matters worse, it was supposed to be a birthday present for a little girl. Now, I know mohair is no yarn for little kids, but her Mum really liked it :) Now I don't have a birthday present either! What a sad ending for 5 little wisps of mohair...

Needle felting

2011-03-29T17:42:00.004+02:00

After the epic disaster last year, felting has been a no-go area for me. And understandably so, considering the miserable result of the aforementioned disaster! I reconciled myself to the fact that it was not my craft and that it would stay out of bounds forever. But then, some time ago, I could hear a little worm gnawing away my determination. Silently, gradually, out of nowhere, a thought was forming: how about needle felting? I mean, it's still felting but it's a completely different technique. And it involves needles. And I'm good with needles.... And then the right project came along - a plain, k3xp3 ribbed grey scarf for a girl that needed some but not much embellishment.

Now, although this is far from perfect, I daresay it already looks much more promising :)

Yet another pair of socks

2011-03-11T13:58:00.005+01:00

I don't have much to say. It's pretty obvious! I've been bitten by the sock bug... Well, at least socks get worn out faster than scarves so they're supposedly more in demand ;)

Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina
Yarn: Lion Brand's Sock-Ease in Sour Ball colourway
Project details: here

A great pattern, clear and well-written - enjoyed knitting it. A word of caution if you're planning to knit Jaywalkers: the zigzag pattern renders the socks very unstretchy so do follow the instructions and cast on the recommended number of stitches, no matter how scary the number may sound.

This is my first American yarn, I believe. Thanks to a friend, it travelled half the world, all the way from New York to Novi Sad, Serbia, where it was awaited with much excitement and impatience. And then it said on the label: Made in Italy! That's a heck of a lot of travelling for one little ball of yarn!

Ekstremi(teti) / Extremities

2011-02-25T17:24:00.000+01:00

It took me years to muster the will and energy and sort out my stash. And then, after I'd done it, my friends showered me with yet more yarn! It seems I'll need another 30-liter box after all! Ain't life a bitch? ;)

But before the stash event and before I got those lovely, lovely birthday presents, I managed to finish two very extreme knitting projects. Extreme in every sense. A pair of socks (my first ever, would you believe it?!) and a pair of mittens to cover both pairs of my extremities - hence the title. The former in light fingering weight, the latter in super bulky - hence, too, the title.

The socks were an adventure I've wanted to plunge into for some time now but couldn't find any suitable sock yarn. And then, when they got PEKA Salo at my local yarn shop, I knew my destiny was determined! I got down to reading about different construction techniques, various cast-on methods, etc. and opted for Stefanie Bold's Amy Lee socks as they seemed simple enough, suitable for a beginner sock knitter. Besides, I got a self-striping yarn and didn't want a fancy complicated pattern which would only be obscured by the yarn.

And let me tell you one thing, socks are faster to knit than you may imagine, I finished the first pair in 7 days of light evening knitting. And they are certainly easier than they look. But what these first socks really did for me was that they made me fearless - I now know that I can knit anything! I mean, if I can knit a pair of socks in fingering yarn, what is there out there in the knitting universe that I cannot do?! At least this is how I felt when I finished them.

The mittens were an upcycling project. Once upon a time there was a hat. A beautiful hat. A warm hat. A loved hat. Knit in a fabulous, colourful yarn. But made for a head that didn't get along with it very well. Now, I'll avoid frogging finished objects at all costs but there was no point in keeping a hat I didn't wear. So, after a lightbulb moment, I decided to frog it and make a pair of superbulky mittens by Drops. You can choose what they remind you of: oven mitts or astronauts' mittens, but let me assure you that with this snowmageddon outside, they were certainly appreciated and got many an envious look :)

Birthday presents

2011-02-20T14:51:00.012+01:00

The first surprise came on the day before my birthday so I was completely unprepared! And I still am! What I found in my mailbox was a gift token for Barka yarn!

Girls, you made me cry, that's how touched I was! Thank you for all the care and consideration and organization that you put into this!

And then, on the day of my birthday, while I was still at my morning coffee, the postman rang and these beauties arrived, a gift from Magrit and Olga. I was tempted to phone in sick at work, that's how much I wanted to stay at home and fondle the yarn!

Neizmerno ste me obradovale, hvala vam do neba! I nazad!

Nagrade / Awards

2011-02-10T09:58:00.004+01:00

Evo opet nagrada, ovaj put od Hobiholičarke Tenchee. Prosleđujem ih svima koji ovo čitate :) Osećajte se nagrađenima! Iako je tek četvrtak, lep vikend vam želim!

Award time again, this time from Hobiholičarka Tenchee. I'm forwarding them to all of you :) Feel awarded! And even though it's as early as Thursday, have a great weekend!

Veliko spremanje u hrčkovom domu

2011-02-04T09:34:00.010+01:00

Proteklo je, začudo, brzo i glatko, bez mnogo poteškoća i velikih nedoumica. Pobacah sve one male klupčiće, ostavljene za "zlu ne trebalo" ili za "poslužiće već za nešto" a ostavih samo ono predivo koje znam šta je i koje je marke, ili kojeg ima toliko da se od njega može nešto i napraviti. Bilo je teško, šta da vam kažem... ali vredelo je. Sada su zalihe bezbedno smeštene u kutije. Bezbedno jer im ne preti opasnost od moljaca ali bezbedno i zbog toga što ne mogu iskočiti i misteriozno se pojaviti na nekom neočekivanom mestu u stanu, što je do sada bio čest slučaj :)

Za hvatanje u koštac sa zalihama bila mi je potrebna estetsko-psihološka pomoć, za koju sam mislila da ću je pronaći u onim prelepim dezeniranim kutijama koje se prodaju po bolje snabdevenim prodavnicama za opremanje doma. No, videvši im cenu, brzo sam odustala pa su u pomoć priskočile jednostavne kutije od mlečnobele plastike, kupljene na pijaci za trećinu cene.

U jednoj je kutiji predivo koje zovemo opštim imenom "vunica", a u drugoj je pamuk. Treća kutija (koje ovde nema) rezervisana je za konac za heklanje, kojeg nisam ni znala da imam toliko mnogo. Doduše, on zauzima dosta mesta jer je namotan na kartonske kaleme. Sve u svemu, oko 80 litara prediva.

I pre nego što počnete da me kritikujete zbog gomilanja zaliha, a kritika bi svakako bila opravdana, moram vas podsetiti na to da živim u zemlji gde stalna isporuka neke robe nije zagarantovana, gde ako ne kupiš odmah svu količinu vune koja ti treba, sledeći put je skoro sigurno neće biti ili, ako je i bude, predivo neće uopšte biti istog kvaliteta ili će nit biti drugačije debljine i teksture, a o boji da i ne govorimo. Zbog toga, a i zbog godina nemaštine kad su se šećer, brašno i sl. kupovali na džakove jer ko zna kad će ga ponovo biti u prodavnicama, skloni smo devizi "Od viška glava ne boli" pa tako ni ja nisam izuzetak. A kad se to spoji sa već postojećom tendencijom da se ništa ne baca i sklonošću ka sakupljačkim hobijima, dobijete 80 litara prediva :)

Only Serbian this time, apologies to international readers. The post is about sorting out my stash, 80 litres of it :)

2011. počinje sa... / 2011 begins with...

2011-01-09T17:39:00.009+01:00

naravno, šalom :) Toliko o mojim novogodišnjim odlukama! No, mada nisam sigurna da je baš za utehu s obzirom na broj šalova koje sam napravila prošle godine, ovaj još pripada 2010. pošto je završen krajem decembra. Jedino je morao da sačeka lepo vreme da bi se slikao. Model se zove se Kernel i objavljen je u broju časopisa Knitty za jesen 2009.

a scarf, of course :) So much about my New Year's resolutions! Not that it should be any comfort considering the number of scarves I made last year, but this one belongs to 2010 as I finished it in December. It only had to wait for some nice weather to have its photo taken. The pattern is called Kernel, published in Knitty, Fall 2009.

A sad da pređemo na nešto što u potpunosti pripada ovoj godini, a to su rukavice Nereid. Predivna mustra, savršeno prilagođena rukavicama (prvobitno je bila namenjena za jedne čarape iz onlajn časopisa Knitty), vunica kao stvorena za njih. Vrlo sam zadovoljna!

And now for something that completely belongs to this year - Nereid fingerless mittens. A beautiful pattern, perfectly adapted to the mittens (it was originally intended for a pair of socks in Knitty), the yarn as if made specifically for them. I'm very satisfied!

Recapitulations and resolutions, sort of

2011-01-01T17:14:00.009+01:00

Things I managed to do in 2010:

lost 12 kilos
knit/crocheted some 60 projects (over 20 of which are scarves, but let's not go into that right now)
finished and defended my master's dissertation
kept my sanity during that

Plans for 2011:

write a proposal for my PhD thesis
do a sewing course
sew a Christmassy tablecloth for next Christmas
make a guitar strap for my husband
knit fewer than 20 scarves
knit a pair of socks
knit some soft, warm gloves
knit
purl
knit
purl
do some crochet
knit
purl
and knit some more...

Pripreme, 3. deo / Preparations, Part 3

2010-12-27T13:41:00.008+01:00

Apart from being two atheists celebrating two Christmases, this year we're having two Christmas trees as well :) An old, boring one, trimmed in red and gold (I'm showing you just a detail because I can't get far enough to take a photo of the whole tree),

and a new, modern one in red and silver.

A not so eco-friendly project for which we needed a branch and a metallic spray paint. OK, we used old newspapers for the stars and that's, unfortunately, the only green thing about this project. I hope we'll at least save it for next year.

Sorry about the crappy photos, both trees look much better in real life, especially with light shining onto the little disco balls and projecting tiny dots of light all over the walls and the ceiling. We used a torch (that's flashlight for Americans and Canadians) hidden at the base of the tree for that. And because the disco balls are so small, they move in the circulating air and so the tiny stars twinkle all the time. It's magical!

As for the woven paper stars, the tutorial can be found here, at Houserevivals blog.

Pripreme, 2. deo / Preparations, Part 2

2010-12-23T09:27:00.024+01:00

U ovom delu, 2 ekološka venčića.

In this part, 2 eco-friendly wreaths.

Jedan je napravljen od ostataka prethodnih projekata ("ostosa", kako bi bensedinart rekla :) ) - pletenica je bila neuspeli pokušaj pravljenja drški za jednu tašnu, crveni cvetovi su trebali da budu ukras na nekoj drugoj tašni ali ih na kraju nisam upotrebila - praktično jedino što sam naheklala baš za ovaj venac jesu 2 listića imele (po uputstvima iz 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet).

One is made from odds and ends I had lying around from previous projects - the braid was an unsuccessful experiment in bag handles, the red flowers were meant to be an embellishment on another bag but were not eventually used. Practically the only thing I made specifically for this wreath are the mistletoe leaves (from 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet).

A drugi je Springtime Wreath Lucy of Attic 24 koji je, kao što se vidi i iz imena i iz izgleda, više pristaje za neko drugo godišnje doba, ali nema veze. Koristićemo ga i za Uskrs :)

The second is Springtime Wreath by Lucy of Attic 24, which is, as you can see both from its name and its looks, more appropriate for a different season, but so what? We'll use it for Easter too :)

Pripreme, 1. deo / Preparations, Part 1

2010-12-18T16:25:00.031+01:00

Ja sam od onih koji ne veruju u Božić ali volim sve što je u vezi s njim: atmosferu, jelku, ukrase, kolače, poklone... I to toliko da ga slavimo čak dva puta: jednom po gregorijanskom, a drugi put po julijanskom kalendaru :) Za jednog ateistu - malo li je? Ove godine sam čak uspela da napravim i poneki ukras.

I don't believe in Christmas but I like everything related to it: the atmosphere, the tree, decorations, cookies, presents... And I like all this so much that we actually celebrate it twice: first by Gregorian (Western) calendar, and then by Julian (Eastern orthodox) calendar :) And all this coming from an atheist, lol! This year I even managed to make a few decorations.

Ovi Dropsovi podmetači za sveće (je l' zna kako se na crkvenoj sveći zove onaj obruč koji služi da spreči da vam vosak kaplje na ruku?) su mi zapali za oko još prošle godine. Vrlo su jednostavni i brzo se prave. Uputstva su data i za veliki i za mali podmetač.

These bobèches (I had to look up the word - it's a ring placed around a candle to catch the drippings) by Drops caught my eye last year. They're very simple and very quick. The pattern includes instructions for both a large and a small bobèche.

veliki/large:

mali/small:

Ovi mali su nastali naknadno jer mi je, pošto sam napravila dva velika, ostalo još crvenog konca. Međutim, izgledali su pretamno na crnom svećnjaku pa sam odlučila da ih malo razveselim zlatnim koncem. Meni ovako svečanije izgleda. Kako se vama čini?

These small ones were an afterthought because after making two large ones I still had some red yarn left but it looked too dark on the black candlestick. So I decided to lighten it up a bit by adding a layer of gold colour. And a boring old candlestick that looked more suitable for a spooky Halloween dinner table got a new, more Christmassy look. Definitely an improvement, don't you think?

pre/before:

posle/after:

I won some yarn! :)

2010-12-14T13:30:00.005+01:00

I won the second round of Škrinja's giveway and look what I got! A lovely Russian merino wool yarn in fingering weight! In a gorgeous rich red colour! Thank you, Škrinja! I can already see a pair of gloves on my hands :)

Moher / Mohair

2010-12-13T09:15:00.003+01:00

(for the text in English, scroll down)

Kao što znate, završila sam nedavno onaj šal od mohera. To me ponukalo da napišem post o tom materijalu.

Sudeći po reakcijama pletilja, ljudi se obično dele na one koji ga vole i na one koji ga ne vole - retko ko je prema njemu ravnodušan. Bio je naročito popularan 80-ih godina prošlog veka kada je u modi bilo sve što je čupavo i paperjasto i ja ga tada nisam mnogo volela. Zapravo, nisam mnogo ni znala o moheru, osim da je čupav, da je prirodnog porekla i da ga nikako ne želim na sebi.

I onda sam rešila da razbijem kod sebe taj tabu i da naštrikam šal od mohera. Veliki korak, nema šta! :) I dalje mi to nije najomiljenije predivo, ali sam ipak malo smekšala prema njemu.

Elem, moher se dobija od angorske koze. Ova sorta koze poreklom je iz Turske i ime je dobila po glavnom gradu, Ankari, koji se ranije zvao Angora. Angorska koza ima dugu dlaku i meni, kao laiku, više liči na ovcu, verovatno upravo zbog tako dugog runa koje podseća na ovčije. Evo, procenite sami:

Photo by Erica Peterson (IMG_0168) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Sharon chestnutt at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

Je l’ da da više liči na ovcu nego na kozu?

Ne treba je brkati sa angorskim zecom, čija se dlaka koristi u proizvodnji jednog drugog čupavog prediva, angore. A ni sa angorskom mačkom, naravno! ;)

Moher je vrlo lagan i vazdušast pa je dobar toplotni (a i zvučni) izolator. Osim toga, vrlo je otporan na vatru pa se često upotrebljava u materijalima za opremanje javnih prostora kao što su koncertne i pozorišne dvorane, hotelski lobiji i slično, mada se koristi i u proizvodnji tepiha i štofova za odela. Kada se od njega pravi vunica, često se kombinuje s nekim drugim vlaknom, prirodnim ili sintetičkim, koje služi da poveže i drži na okupu svilenkasti i vazdušasti moher. Kvalitet prediva zavisi od udela mohera i što je taj udeo veći, to je i vunica kvalitetnija.

Iako je moher vrlo mek, kažu da zna da iritira kožu kao i sva prirodna vlakna.

English text:
As you know, I recently finished that mohair wrap and that experience inspired me to write a post about mohair.

Judging by knitters’ reactions, people either like it or hate it – not many people are indifferent. It used to be very popular in the 1980s when it was fashionable to wear anything hairy and fluffy and I didn’t like it much then. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know much about mohair except that it is hairy, that it is a natural fiber and that I didn’t want it on my body.

And then I decided to break the taboo and make myself a mohair scarf. A bold move, don’t you think! :) It still isn’t my most favourite yarn but I have warmed up to it a bit. Anyway, mohair is obtained from the Angora goat. This breed originated in Turkey and is named after the Turkish capital, Ankara, formerly known as Angora. The Angora goat has a long-haired fleece and to me, as a non-expert, this animal looks more like a sheep than like a goat, probably because of its long hair. See for yourself:

Photo by Erica Peterson (IMG_0168) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Photo by Sharon chestnutt at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

Doesn’t it look more like a sheep than like a goat?

It is not to be mixed up with the Angora rabbit, whose coat is used to produce another fluffy yarn, angora wool. Or with the Angora cat, of course! :)

Mohair is very light and airy, which means it is a good heat and sound insulator. Apart from that, it is highly resistant to fire, which is why it is often used for public places such as concert halls, theatres and hotel lobbies but it is also used in the production of carpets and cloths for men’s suits. When it is used to produce yarn, it is often combined with another type of fiber, natural or synthetic, which binds the silky and fluffy mohair and keeps it together. The quality of the yarn depends on the amount of mohair.

Even though mohair is very soft, they say it can irritate the skin, just like all natural fibers.

Kaleidoskop / Kaleidoscope

2010-12-05T16:10:00.009+01:00

It's been a while since I last mentioned scarves, no? Almost two months and no scarf-related posts on this blog! Well, the abstinence is over! The last scarf from the Scarf Odyssey post is finished! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Modern Quilt Wrap by Mags Kandis!

First of all , my thanks go to Magrit and Olga, without whom I wouldn't be able to get hold of 9 colours of Patons Misty that I needed for this project. Originally, the pattern calls for Rowan Kidsilk Haze, but I used Patons Misty because it was available. Well, sort of available, I still had to ask friends to dive into their stashes in order to supply me with the missing colourways :) As you can see, the original colours are much livelier and I wish I could have used those, but I got to like these too. Beggars can't be chosers!

Impressions? The pattern is great and it knits surprisingly quickly for such a thin yarn. Don't be fooled by it being listed as 'fingering'! I've never knit with anything so thin and frail. You constantly think the thread is going to break, that's how thin and fragile it looks. But looks can be deceiving - all you have to do is try to frog it and this almost invisible thread becomes the most stubborn son of a yarn! All the mohair fibers stick to each other and entangle and it's practically impossible to frog it without breaking it. As for the pattern itself, I really enjoyed it, but as I kept putting it aside to do other projects in the meantime, it took me about 2 months to finish. The whole scarf, and it is huge, used up only a little over half a 25-gram ball of each colour! It is as fine as a spider's web!

And before I finish, I have a confession to make. The abstinence from scarves mentioned at the beggining of this post means that I abstained only from blogging about scarves. I sinned, I confess! And I sinned in secret! I've made a shawl for my niece and started another scarf for myself! But more about that in one of the following posts :)

Škrinja

2010-11-26T19:54:00.003+01:00

Škrinja je novopokrenuti sajt na kojem možete kupiti, prodati ili razmeniti vunicu, konac, pletaći i drugi pribor za ručni rad. Potrebno je samo da se registrujete i pogledate šta je već u ponudi i da, ako želite, ponudite i nešto svoje na prodaju ili za razmenu. Ja već prodala prvu vunu! :)))

Ono što je naročito zanimljivo jeste da Škrinja organizuje i svoje prvo darivanje (giveaway), a kako su nagrade više nego primamljive, obavezno se uključite. Detalje možete pronaći ovde.

Škrinja is a new site for buying/selling/trading yarn, needles and knitting accessories. They're organizing their first giveaway, this time open only for people in Serbia. But don't let this prevent you from checking it out. You can find it on Facebook too, as Škrinja na FB-u.

Big Blue

2010-11-19T20:55:00.001+01:00

Photos by magrit
Pattern: DROPS top in “Paris” with yoke in garter st
Yarn: St. George's Big Easy

I like blue but it can be difficult to find the right shade. This one comes close as it's neither the too dark, navy blue of uniforms nor that light, washed-out blue of baby afghans. And it doesn't have a green tint so it is neither turquoise nor teal. What is more, it is an aran weight cotton yarn, which is extremely difficult to find in these parts. And it also has that faded look about it that goes so well with jeans. Or so I like to believe :)

This was knit some time in August, in literally five days, all with seaming and button sewing. However, it was way too hot to wear it until it cooled down a bit. It is a pattern by Drops, a Norwegian company, so it is perfectly normal for them to design and wear an aran weight top in summer. It works in Norway. It doesn't work in Serbia. I mean, it's not the first time I have been tempted by a lovely sweater on a skinny blond model posing on a long sandy beach somewhere in the Baltic, all those enticing combinations featuring a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved cotton sweater. And a pair of hiking boots. It is just too hot here for that sort of extravagance. End of story. And I can lament as much as I like - the climate won't change. I think I've finally come to grips with this fact. That's why this is not meant to be a summer top but rather a vest to be worn over a shirt. Besides, as Romantales has pointed out, the openings for the arms on this type of garment tend to be either too tight or too loose, neither of which is very desirable, of course. So the shirt worn under it is a good solution for that gaping underarm too.

Shepherd's warning

2010-11-14T20:19:00.004+01:00

One early morning in November from my kitchen window. Sometimes it really pays off to get up early.

Red sky at night, shepherd's delight
Red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning.

Snowy Owls

2010-11-09T11:55:00.001+01:00

Owls have been rather popular for some time, not least because of Harry Potter books, of course. But even if they weren't, I just love this pattern. This is the second time I've knit it and I enjoyed every minute of it as much as I did the first time. The owl cables are perfect and the thumb gusset is done very neatly. And they are a quick knit.

Vesna fell in love with my mittens the moment she saw them and has been asking me to make her a pair ever since. However, I couldn't find Unitas's Marija, which is absolutely perfect for them. Or any other suitable bulky yarn, for that matter. And then a local yarn shop got Vlnap's Exclusiv e and I knew it was then or never :) She picked the colour and we were rolling!

We bought two skeins but one would have been just enough for the pair. I wanted to be on the safe side as in the shop they only had something like 4 skeins per colour (and only the ugliest colours!) so there was a real danger of not being able to buy some more at a later time. But thanks to my paranoia she got a hat too, made of the second skein :)

Sorry about a bad photo of the hat, it looks much better on the head but it was too hot for modelled shots.

Exclusive is a wonderful, 100% wool yarn and it knits up beautifully. The fabric it produces, in this case on 5mm needles, is soft and squishy and it has a rustic feel about it.

Green Leaves in autumn

2010-11-05T13:38:00.008+01:00

I might have created an impression that I was going to post more regularly now. Well, I was planning to. I really was, but somehow, as you've read so many times elsewhere, life has a habit of getting in the way. Fortunately, though, it didn't get in the way of some fingerless gloves, which, as I'm told, are a going to be a big hit this winter.

I never thought taking photographs of your own hands was so difficult! No matter what contortionists' moves I tried, I just couldn't get the right angle. That's why I'm using a friend as a model. While we were sitting in a cafe one lovely October morning, drinking hot chocolate, basking in the sun and talking about a pair of mittens she'd asked me to knit for her, a cunning plan formed in my scheming knitter's mind. I showed her my gloves and, sure enough, as I'd expected, she put them on! And then, all I had to do is quickly press the camera button. Thank you, Vesna, you are a fantastic glove model!

I actually made two pairs of these, one for myself (shown in the photo) and one for another friend's birthday but with a shorter cuff. The pattern is Leafy Fingerless Gloves by Laura Peveler, well written and easy to follow, with a clever transition from the leaf stitch section to the fingers. I used Majšperk's Carmen for this, which is a sport weight yarn, but on 2mm needles, to get a close-knit effect and make them warm (and to obtain the right gauge too). Gloves and mittens are usually knit on needles that are smaller than those you would normally use with a given yarn, for exactly these reasons. You don't want a loosely knit, see-through glove that even the gentlest of breeezes can penetrate.

What I love best about them is the textured surface of the leaf stitch pattern, how the leaves and the branches are raised above the garter stitch background. The version with a shorter cuff gives a decent length too so don't be tempted to go for the longer cuff unless you want them really long (and difficult to put on under a coat and over a wrist watch).

Next time, you'll see the mittens I made for Vesna, partly because she so willingly fell for my dirty trick :)

Que Sera, Sera

2010-10-21T19:18:00.014+02:00

There's this superstition every knitter knows: knit a sweater for your boyfriend and he'll leave you. It's usually referred to as the Sweater Curse and it even has its own Wikipedia entry, believe it or not. Of course, I'm not superstitious, but you know what these things are like - you don't really want to put them to test :) And then I couldn't wait any more. Come Year Seven of our marriage, I decided the time was ripe. I mean, the seven year itch and all that, I thought I might just as well knit him a sweater if it's going to be a critical year anyway. And what other sweater but Cobblestone and what other designer but Jared Flood (do I hear sighs, girls? :))?

And what d'you know, he even posed for the shots :)

Scarf Odyssey 2010

2010-10-17T13:58:00.019+02:00

I know the title of this post sounds like a sci-fi parody in which, after centuries of battle for supremacy with Hats and Gloves, Scarves get to rule the world, but, trust me, a psycho drama is a more likely genre! I've counted the number of scarves and shawls I've knit so far this year and it is 15 plus 1 in progress. Now, if this is not material for a psycho drama, I don't know what is! 16 scarves! In 10 months. And out of these, three were knit twice and one was knit 4 (four!) times so it is actually 21+1! And still, by some strange whim of self-preservation, I don't think I am obsessed with scarves! Oh, sweet self-delusion!

The first in the row was Kim Haesemeyer's French Scarf, which I knit for myself in two shades of grey and then for my husband in brown and red. Looking back, this must have been one of the early signs something was not quite right but I missed it.

Later the same month, in only one day, a chunky cowl was born - Trish Woodson's My Kind of Town Cowl.

It happened after I got my hands on some Phildar yarn, which miraculously appeared in a local yarn shop. Another scarf that came out of the same miracle was Entrelac Scarf by Laura Spradlin.

February was marked with some green cotton used for Marina Orry's "Irene" Scarf.

After all those cables and chart reading, I needed some mindless, endless garter stitch scarf. And sure enough, tried and tested Strikkelise's Baktus came to my rescue, just in time for 2010 Ravelympics.

In March, for a short moment, it seemed Jolene Mosley's AeRang, with its airy lace design, might herald spring and with it the ebbing of my scarf mania.

But obviously, it was not to happen. If anything, it got worse and I knit 2 (not one but two!) identical scarves in super chunky furry yarn, one for my mum and one for my mother-in-law.

Such a heavy, robust yarn and 10mm needles simply begged for something finer, more delicate. What followed was AnneM's Revontuli

and soon after that Sabine Riefler's Anne Shirley.

In July I surprised myself by proving to be reasonable enough and choose not wool but cotton for summer knitting and make only two shawlettes by Liz Abinante: Yvaine

and Travelling Woman.

The summer cotton spree peaked with me knitting four Montego Bay Scarves, designed by Amy R Singer. Now, what tells me there may still be some hope for me is the fact that only one was for me and the remaining three were gifts. You'll see only three photos because two of the scarves were made in the same yarn.

photo by magrit

photo by magrit

September meant that birthday season was approaching. Hastily, I made DeVine Neck Warmer by Melissa McColl for my best friend's birthday and then, having bought too much yarn (surprise! surprise!), I made one for myself too.

The last in the row is Sharon Maher's 3-2-1 and you're done - curlicue scarf, the only crocheted one so far.

And yes, I almost forgot, there's one that is in progress at the moment and that will, let's hope, keep me occupied till the end of the year so that I do not make any more scarves/shawls/shawlettes/cowls/wraps/neckties/neckwarmers. It is Mags Kandis's Modern Quilt Wrap.

Ok, that's it. I've come out. If after this post you no longer want to read my blog, I'll understand. Really, I will.

Međudržavni skup

2010-10-10T12:20:00.001+02:00

Već nedeljama mi u folderu Drafts stoji post s naslovom 'Septembar'. Stvarno sam htela nešto da napišem kako ne bih preskočila mesec (kao da je to uopšte važno, no žudnja za simetrijom je čudna i moćna stvar) ali sam bila neverovatno lenja i neinspirisana. Ne za pletenje nego za pisanje. Toliko me je mrzelo da bilo šta napišem da sam razmišljala da li uopšte još želim ovaj blog. I tako je septembar došao i prošao, u mrzovoljnom premišljanju i promišljanju smisla ovog bloga. Što ne znači da je isti i pronađen niti da se došlo do nekih dubokoumnih zaključaka. A ni do eliminacije lenjosti, kad smo već kod toga, ali to je već druga tema.

I onda se juče desilo nešto što me je konačno nateralo da se trgnem. Nas nekoliko je otputovalo u Zagreb da se upoznamo s pletiljama iz Hrvatske. I provele smo se fantastično, zahvaljujući velikom gostoprimstvu i druželjubivosti s kojom su nas dočekale. Hvala vam, devojke, na prelepom danu! Ne sećam se kad sam se poslednji put toliko smejala. A da ne govorim o tome da nismo zaklapale ceo dan - u povratku nas je Magrit spasila sa Septoletama inače bismo sigurno ostale bez glasa :)

A umesto grupne fotografije, evo nekoliko uposlenih ruku :) Ko nas zna, spojiće ih sam s licima :)

Nisam uspela sve da uslikam ;) ali ćemo to ispraviti drugom prilikom.

Dve nove kape / Two new hats

2010-08-18T09:01:00.007+02:00

Šta drugo štrikati u sred leta nego tople zimske kape?! Prva je Luxury Lid Meri Kinan, ovaj put bez pruga ali ukrašena heklanim cvetom.

What else to knit in the middle of summer but warm winter hats?! The first one is Mary Keenan's Luxury Lid, this time with no stripes but embellished with a crocheted flower.

A druga je još jedna Chunky Knit Beanie Lesli Frend, ispletena za jedan dan laganog štrikanja, ovaj put nešto duža kako bi se mogla navući preko ušiju.

And the second one is yet another Chunky Knit Beanie by Leslie Friend, a quick knit finished in a day of relaxed knitting, this time with a little more lenght to it so that it can be pulled over the ears.

Revontuli

2010-08-02T13:52:00.002+02:00

je ime ovog krasnog šala AnneM, i znači 'aurora borealis' (polarna svetlost) na finskom. Nakon mnogo premišljanja, ipak sam se odlučila da ne uzmem vunicu Kauni u duginim bojama (što su mnogi izabrali za ovaj šal) već prigušeniju, univerzalniju kombinaciju prljavobele, bež, sive i braon.

is the name of this lovely shawl pattern by AnneM and it means 'Aurora Borealis' (Northern lights) in Finnish. After much deliberation I finally decided not to go for the rainbow colours of Kauni yarn (as many have done with this shawl) but for a more toned-down, versatile palette of off-white, beige, grey and brown.

A present

2010-07-09T08:14:00.007+02:00

I've never won anything. OK, I once had a lottery ticket that won enough money to pay a month's rent. But that's all. And it doesn't really count because it was money and it was gone in a second. What I mean is that I've never won anything cherishable, anything that I'd look at and smile every time. And then I entered Fridica's giveaway a few weeks ago and I won! :)))))))))

And it's not just anything, it's a beautiful book with vintage baby patterns, in packaging which Fridica embellished with stickers of babies :) Now, how cute is that?! Thank you very much, you made my day! I keep both the book and the packaging on the living room table so that they cheer me up every time I enter the room :)

Razglednica iz Liona / A postcard from Lyon

2010-06-14T12:19:00.017+02:00

Prošle nedelje sam bila u Lionu - poslom doduše, ali s mnogo turističkog razgledanja (i vrlo malo štrikanja).
I spent most of last week in Lyon, on business but doing a lot of sightseeing (and very little knitting).

Bazilika Notr Dam de Fovije, posvećena Bogorodici, za koju se veruje da je u 17. veku spasila Lion od kuge.
Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourvière, dedicated to Virgin Mary, who is believed to have saved Lyon from plague in the 17th century.

Bazilika se nalazi na brdu Fovije, s kojeg se može spustiti uspinjačom ili stazom koja vas prvo vodi kroz vrt ruža ili vrt hortenzija (po izboru),
The basilica is situated on the Fourvière hill, from which you can come down either by the funicular, or you can take a downhill walk through either a rose garden or a hydrangea garden (your choice),

a potom kroz predivne strme uličice.
and then down these beautiful steep little streets.

Grad leži na dve reke, Roni i Soni, pa ima čak 4 obale. Evo detalja sa jednog od kejova, sa neobičnom vodenom instalacijom (u nedostatku bolje reči).
The city of Lyon lies on two rivers, the Rhône and the Saône, so it has as many as 4 river banks. Here's a detail from one of the quays, with an unusual water feature.

A ovo je fontana Bartoldi, s konjima kojima iz nozdrva izlazi vodena para, a koju je izvajao Frederik-Avgust Bartoldi, isti onaj koji je napravio i Kip slobode (što sam saznala tek nakon što sam se vratila kući).
This is another water feature, la Fontaine Bartholdi, with steam-breathing horses, sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the same guy who designed the Statue of Liberty (which is something I learned only after I got home).

I za kraj ovog kratkog putopisa, jedan primer kako se lepo može spojiti tradicionalna i moderna arhitektura - nadstrešnica iznad ulaza u metro.
And at the end of this short travelogue, an example of how traditional and modern architecture can be combined with success - a roof above the entrance into the metro.

3 giljotinirane slike / 3 guillotined photos

2010-05-28T17:13:00.007+02:00

Bila sam prilično zauzeta u poslednje vreme, ali ipak uspeh da ponešto završim.

It's been quite busy round here but I managed to finish some stuff.

Pattern: Honeycomb
Yarn: St. George's Extra 20
Needles: 3.5 mm

Odličan model prsluka, krojen u struku i vrlo dobro stoji čak i ako ne nosite veličinu XS. Mustra dosadi posle nekog vremena ali vredi izdržati. Zaista se tegli, kao što i piše u uputstvima, pa ga svakako napravite jedno 10 cm užim.

A great pattern for a vest, with some waist shaping, very flattering even if you are not size XS. It does get a bit tedious after a while but it's worth enduring. It does stretch so do make it about 10 cm narrower, as suggested in the instructions.

Pattern: Plain and Simple Pullover
Yarn: Phildar Preface
Needles: 2.5 mm

Bojala sam se da će, s obzirom na to da se radi iglama 2,5, ovo trajati čitavu večnost. Međutim, kad se danas setim (završila sam ga negde u martu), uopšte mi se ne čini da je dugo trajalo i rado bih ga ponovo štrikala. Prilično je zahvalno za plesti pošto samo do rukava treba uraditi 40 cm ravnim žersej bodom u krug (sve očice plesti pravo) na iglama 2,5 pa se može mnogo filmova/televizijskih emisija pogledati ili audio knjiga preslušati. Vrlo sam zadovoljna vunicom jer se rad posle pranja jako fino izravnao - čak sam dobila komplimente da izgleda kao da je mašinski pleten.

On 2.5 mm needles I was afraid it was going to take ages. But now, in retrospect (I finished it back in March), I don't have a recollection of it taking too long and I'd do it again any time. Quite rewarding knitting, both as a process, as you actually need to knit 40 cm of stockinette in the round on 2.5 needles - that makes for quite a lot of TV/movie/audio book listening time, but also rewarding as a result. Very pleased with the how the yarn 'bloomed' in the washing, evening out any loose stitches and producing a very smooth and uniform fabric.

Pattern: Drops' Jacket with double seed stich on yoke
Yarn: St. George's Cotton Cable
Needles: 3.5 and 4 mm

Džemper na kopčanje s podignutim strukom (ako ovo nije dobar termin, prosvetlite me) sa Dropsovog sajta, ispleten pamučnim koncem. Kroj je veoma dobar ali mi se ne dopada baš spoj rižinog boda (kojim je rađen gornji deo leđa i pređica) sa glatkim bodom rukava. Osim toga, toplo preporučujem.

An empire-waist (thanks, costumatty, for teaching me the term) cardigan by Drops, knit in cotton. It has a very good shape but I'm not pleased with the transition between the seed stitch of the front and back panels and the sleeves. Other than that, highly recommended.

Torbe, ponovo / Bags, again

2010-05-21T07:25:00.005+02:00

Here's finally some photos of two finished bags. The first one is Drops' 98-55, knit in Eskimo, finished ages ago but now with some matching lining.

And the second one is Drops' 106-37b, crocheted in Phildar's Tribord, made to match our new yacht ;) (but, alas, photographed on a terribly overcast day).

More details on both can be found on my project pages on Ravelry.

Noć muzeja / Night of Museums

2010-05-18T10:04:00.017+02:00

For this year's Night of Museums (also known as the Long Night of Museums) we found ourselves in Zrenjanin, where there were not as many events as in Novi Sad or Belgrade (or elsewhere in Europe, for that matter) but nevertheless, we enjoyed it a lot. What I like about the Night of Museums is the festive atmosphere, which, it is true, does not exactly contribute to one's ability to appreciate works of art at leasure, in peace and quiet generally found in museums in galleries, but it does stir some artistic activity in sleepy little towns such as Zrenjanin. And it draws people out. To see so many people go out in the cold and wind and driving rain just to go to the exhibitions was really good. Yes, many of them raced through the exhibitions as if only to put a tick on their list, without paying too much attention to the exhibits themselves, but these people would have never visited these places had it not been for the Night of Museums. Let's hope that at least some beauty brushed against them in the process.

We had two little kids with us so the choice of venues was limited. Among these, Zlatinka Kovačev's wool dolls were a definite highlight for me:

There were many more dolls, most of them mythological creatures, but it was crowded and we couldn't get decent photos. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a page I could link to or any relevant information about the author.

Jastučići / Pincushions

2010-04-23T21:48:00.009+02:00

Pošto je žuti stigao na odredište, sad mogu da postavim slike a da ne pokvarim iznenađenje :)

As the yellow one has arrived at its destination, I can now post photos without ruining the surprise :)

Pattern: Naalepuder

The only way is up

2010-04-13T19:10:00.001+02:00

No, I haven't fallen but I'm posting these as motivational posters to remind me (and you, if you need reminding) that the only way is up.

Čipka / Lace

2010-04-05T10:15:00.003+02:00

Pattern: AeRang (available as a free Ravelry download in pdf here)
Yarn: Phildar Preface
Needles: 4mm

Prva vunica kupljena preko interneta/ My first yarn bought online

2010-03-25T10:30:00.009+01:00

Već neko vreme merkam ovu torbu od Dropsa. Htela sam da je ispletem od Unitasove Marije, iste one koju sam koristila za ove rukavice i šal. Međutim, u prodavnici u kojoj sam je bila kupovala više je nije bilo i nisu znali da mi kažu kada će je i da li će je dobijati. Pošto mi je stvarno prekipelo od ovakvih odgovora u našim prodavnicama, odlučim da se počastim original vunicom, ni manje ni više nego Dropsovom vunom Eskimo, koju godinama čežnjivo gledam. Nikad do sada nisam imala prilike da nešto ispletem vunicom za koju je pisan neki patern već sam uvek morala da se dovijam da nađem adekvatnu zamenu, što je, kao što znate, često u rangu nemoguće misije s obizirom na slab izbor vune u prodavnicama.

Elem, pronađem prodavnicu u kojoj se može platiti bez korišćenja PayPal-a, koja nudi pristojne cene poštarine i koja šalje robu u Srbiju. Ne verujete da takvo šta postoji? Nisam ni ja, pet puta sam proveravala da li dobro vidim. Onlajn prodavnica se zove Scandinavian Knitting Design, nalaze se u Velikoj Britaniji i specijalizovani su za prodaju skandinavskog prediva, paterna i dodatne opreme. Ali to nije sve. Neverovatno su ljubazni i spremni da pomognu (što mi je bilo potrebno pošto sajt koji koriste za plaćanje nije imao Srbiju na spisku zemalja pa smo se za to zajednički izborili) tako da ih toplo preporučujem. I tako, nakon 11 dugih dana, Eskimo je stigao :) Mojoj sreći nema kraja. Hvala SKD-u!

For quite a while I have had my eye on this bag by Drops. The yarn I had in mind was Unitas's Marija, the one I used for these mittens and this chunky scar f. But then, to my horror, it was out of stock in my local yarn store and they couldn't tell me when and if they were going to have it again. Sick of similar experiences in Serbian shops where reliability and professionalism are as rare as a winning lottery ticket, I decided to treat myself to the yarn required by the pattern. I've never knit anything with the yarn called for by the original pattern (for reasons too well-known to all of you from this part of the world) and I was really excited about the prospect of getting the Drops Eskimo :) I actually managed to find a shop that accepts non-PayPal payments and has decent shipping rates and includes Serbia in the list of countries. I'm sure you think that's impossible to find. Yes, I know, I had to double check too as I couldn't believe my eyes: all three criteria fulfilled?! Yes! The shop's name is Scandinavian Knitting Designs. They are based in the UK and they specialize in Scandinavian yarns, patterns and accessories. But that's not all. They are very kind and generous and willing to help. Eleven (long) days later my Drops Eskimo arrived :))) I won't be able to get a grin off my face today. Thank you, SKD!

Reklama / A commercial

2010-03-18T16:02:00.007+01:00

Nemam ništa novo da vam pokažem, ali pogledajte zato ovu reklamu. Znam da mnogi od vas plaćaju astronomske račune za gas i da je ugođaj daleko od ovoga u reklami, ali mi je toliko slatko da sam morala da podelim s vama :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUFnH7KYMFE

Brza kapa i spori šal / Quick hat and slow scarf

2010-03-04T18:54:00.007+01:00

Već sam štrikala i ovu kapu i šal, ali ovaj put je to bilo na poseban zahtev :)

I've already knit both the hat and the scarf but this time I made them at a special request :)

Detalji na Ravelryju.
Details on Ravelry.

Izložba veza / Embroidery exhibition

2010-02-25T11:24:00.022+01:00

Prošle nedelje sam u Muzeju grada Novog Sada bila na izložbi pod naslovom "Vez po pismu, pismo po vezu". Radi se o tradicionalnim motivima vezenim različitim tehnikama, od rišeljea do goblena, na predmetima različite namene, a ono što im je zajedničko jeste upotreba pisma u vezu. Ako ste u Novom Sadu a zanima vas vez ili ručni rad uopšte, toplo preporučujem. Izložba je otvorena do 1. maja, a muzej se nalazi u Dunavskoj 29. To je na samom kraju pešačkog dela Dunavske ulice, s leve strane (mapa). Fotografisanje je bilo dozvoljeno pa evo nekoliko slika.

I went to an embroidery exhibition last week. The exhibits were mostly of traditional motifs and patterns, but what they all have in common is the use of letters and alphabets. Cameras were allowed so I was able to take a few photos.

Plakat za izložbu / Exhibition poster

Kuvarica (dozidnica). Šovinističku poruku neću komentarisati :) / I don't know the name of this in English. It's a piece of embroidered cloth that in the past (in the days before tiles began to be widely used) would be pinned onto the wall above the cooker to prevent the wall from getting dirty and as a form of decoration. A lot of sexist messages on them :) This one says something like "When the kitchen is in order, the woman is as sweet as honey".

Šporet i još jedna kuvarica ("Zašto gledaš sad u lonac kad mi nisi dao novac") / A traditional stove with another wall cloth ("Why are you looking into the pot if you didn't give me money" - it rhymes in Serbian).

Detalj iznad šporeta, vezeni držač za šibice / A detail from above the stove - a match box case.

Držači za četke i češljeve. Od bensedin art sam naučila da se ono prvo to zove "četkara" pa pretpostavljam da je ovo drugo "češljara". / Cases for hairbrushes and combs.

Krevet s vezenom posteljinom, ćilimom i ponovo dozidnicom. / A bed with embroidered bed linen, a kilim and again a wall cloth.

Vez u šifonjeru. Jako mi je simpatično što su stavili čak i dunje. / Embroidery in a traditional wardrobe. On the top you can see two half-dry quinces - people used to leave them in the rooms to dry because of the pleasant smell. Some people still do it.

I, za kraj, par ženskih gaća :) Moram sebi nabaviti jedne ovakve. Inače, ne vidi se, ali pri vrhu imaju sitnim bodom izvezeno ime vlasnice / And for the end, knickers :) I wish I had a pair of my own :) You can't see it but there's actually the name of the owner embroidered in small letters at the top, near the belt.

Upustovani vanzemaljac / Felted alien

2010-02-22T12:54:00.006+01:00

I subotu smo bensedin art i ja bile na kreativnoj radionici o pustovanju, tj. filcovanju. Na njenom blogu možete pročitati detaljniji prikaz i pogledati fotografije, među kojima je i slika prelepog lista koji je ona napravila. Bilo je odlično i dobro smo se provele tapkajući vunu, do lakata u vrućoj vodi i sapunici. Bilo je prelepih radova, sa cvetnim, geometrijskim, alfabetskim i drugim motivima. Međutim, kad je došlo vreme da se prikažu gotovi radovi, ispostavilo se da moj rad ne liči ni na šta do na vanzemaljca iz Rozvela! Ako mislite da preterujem, možete se i sami uveriti ako pogledate fotografiju:

On Saturday bensedin art and I went to a felting workshop. You can read about it and see some photos on her blog, including a photo of a beautiful leaf she made. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a good time soaked in hot water and soapsuds. There were some truly beautiful designs involving flowers, geometrical shapes, symbols of all kinds, letters and what not. But when the finished pieces were revealed, mine turned out to resemble the Roswell alien. If you think I'm exaggerating, check for yourself:

Iskreno, zar nije ovo nešto najružnije što ste ikad videli?!

Honestly, isn't this the ugliest thing you've ever seen?!

Doduše, dobila sam krpicu na kojoj je već bila iscrtana šema pa me je mrzelo da crtam svoju. Reko' nema veze, to je ionako samo proba, nebitno je kako će izgledati. Ali svejedno! Pošto je korišćenje makaza najstrože zabranjeno u tradicionalnom pristupu ovoj tehnici, morala sam krišom da mu ošišam kosicu, da ne vidi učiteljica. To mu je donekle popravilo izgled, ali ipak nisam uspela da se izvučem - kad sam došla kući, muž mi je umro od smeha kad ga je video. Prva reč koju je uspeo da izgovori bila je 'elijen'! Ako ništa drugo, bar imamo iste asocijacije, hehehe!

Truth be said, I was given a cloth that already had this pattern on it and I couldn't be bothered to draw my own. But still! As the use of scissors is forbidden in traditional felting, I had to hide from the presenter to cut its 'hair' off. It was a slight improvement but still my husband laughed his head off when he saw it. The first word that he managed to pronounce inteligibly was 'alien'. At least we think alike, lol!

In conclusion, I think it'll suffice to say this is not my craft. Don't worry, I promise to stick to machine felting!

Ravelimpijske ige / Ravelympics

2010-02-16T08:56:00.005+01:00

Učestvovala sam na Ravelimpijskim igrama 2010 s još jednim Baktusom i evo medalje i banera za blog koje sam osvojila time što sam završila trku u disciplini Scarf Super-G.

Takmičila sam se u individualnoj konkurenciji ali može se takmičiti i ekipno, a ima preko 9000 prijavljenih takmičara. Evo naziva nekoliko disciplina, samo da vam dočaram koliko je maštovito smišljeno:

Beading Biathlon
Cable Cross-Country
Giant Slalom-ghan
Hat Halfpipe
Mitten Moguls
Nordic Colorwork Combined
Short Track Shawls
Single Skein Speed Skate
Sock Hockey
WIPs-Dancing

Zvanična pravila Ravelimpijskih igara mogu se naći ovde. Pogledajte spisak disciplina, mapu ravelimpijskog sela, i radove koji su uspešno prošli kroz cilj, a postoji i prenos uživo. Dođite da učestvujete, nije kasno a stvarno je zabavno. Medalju možete osvojiti čak i tako što ćete nešto oparati ili završiti neki stari nedovršeni rad!

I took part in Ravelympics 2010 with another Baktus scarf and above are the medal and the blog badge that I won for crossing the finish line in Scarf Super-G event. I competed individually but there are also teams that you can join or you can start your own team. There are over 9000 contestants. Here are the names of some of the events, just to illustrate how imaginative it all is:

Beading Biathlon
Cable Cross-Country
Giant Slalom-ghan
Hat Halfpipe
Mitten Moguls
Nordic Colorwork Combined
Short Track Shawls
Single Skein Speed Skate
Sock Hockey
WIPs-Dancing

The official rules and FAQ about Ravelympics can be found here. Have a look at the list of the events, the Ravelympics village map and finish lines and check out live coverage. Come and join, it's not too late and it's really good fun. You can even win a medal for frogging something or for simply finishing a WIP!

Četiri godišnja doba - jesen / Four sesons - autumn

2010-02-13T07:58:00.003+01:00

I know autumn has long gone and it's almost spring but I've been too busy to sift through the photos. There weren't many to chose from but anyway, here's the last remaining of the four seasons as captured by my camera this year.

Heart of darkness

Multiplicity

Carina i porez / Customs duty and tax

2010-02-12T07:57:00.019+01:00

Razgovarajući s ljudima i prateći pisanje nekih od vas, zaključila sam da se mnogi ne usuđuju da kupuju na intenetu. Osim opšte besparice, faktor koji ćemo ovde zanemariti, razlozi su verovatno višestruki. Godine izolacije u kojoj smo živeli učinile su da smo propustili celu jednu epohu razvoja elektronskog poslovanja pa kod mnogih postoji strah od nepoznatog - kako od samog procesa onlajn plaćanja, tako i od nepoznatih iznosa carine i poreza. Zebnji od ovog drugog u ne maloj meri doprinosi i autističnost državnih institucija ove zemlje u kojoj je transparentnost samo parola koja se po potrebi izvlači iz naftalina u predizbornim kampanjama. Pošto moja pretraga interneta za razumljivim pravilnikom o carinjenju nije urodila plodom, ne budem lenja pa se pre neki dan uputim u carinu da iz prve ruke saznam koliko nas mogu odrati za vunicu. Ako uvozite cigarete na šlepere, tekst koji sledi se ne odnosi na vas :)

Carini podležu pošiljke vrednosti preko 20 evra. Carina iznosi 10%. Na iznos na koji je dodata carina obračunava se porez od 18%. Važno je napomenuti da u celu računicu ulazi i iznos poštarine (ne znam samo da li se na poštarinu plaća i carina i porez ili samo porez, ali razlika ne bi trebalo da bude velika). Mislim da postoji još i taksa za carinski pregled, a to je, ako se ne varam, 300 i nešto dinara.

Porez na knjige je 8%. Carini ne podležu pošiljke čija je vrednost manja od 20 evra.

Napominjem da ne mogu da garantujem za tačnost ovih podataka jer ih prenosim onako kako mi ih je saopštila službenica u carinskoj upravi. Svakako vam savetujem da se pre naručivanja neke veće pošiljke raspitate na zvaničnom mestu. No, svejedno se nadam da su ove informacije tačne te da će vam biti od koristi i omogućiti vam da planirate troškove i izbegnete neprijatna iznenađenja.

A evo za kraj još jedne ohrabrujuće vesti iz Ministarstva za telekomunikacije od pre desetak dana: http://www.mtid.sr.gov.yu/aktivnosti/aktuelno.837.html. Nisam sujeverna, ali se sve ne usuđujem da se radujem.

The post is about customs duties and taxes that you have to pay in this country when buying things online and having them shipped from abroad.

Entrelac šal / Entrelac scarf

2010-02-10T07:13:00.000+01:00

Ova vunica je savršena za entrelac.

This yarn is perfect for entrelac.

Pattern: Entrelac Scarf by Laura Spradlin (Ravelry download here)
Yarn: Phildar Horizons (discontinued) (Ravelry page here)

Ex Yu prsluk / Ex-Yugoslavia vest

2010-02-07T11:08:00.008+01:00

Vunica je makedonska, kupljena na izletu u Bosni dok smo bili na odmoru u Srbiji, a prsluk ispleten za nekoga u Vojvodini :). Trudiću se da sledeća pletačka turneja obuhvati i ostale republike :)

Not the greatest of my knitting achievements but interesting because of its geo-political origin. The yarn is Macedonian, bought on an excursion to Bosnia while on holiday in Serbia, knit for someone in Vojvodina :) Next time, I'll try to include the remaining ex-Yugoslav republics in my knitting project.

Teglica za dugmad / Button jar

2010-02-02T07:38:00.001+01:00

Po uputstvima sa bloga CraftPudding, za koja sam saznala preko bloga Hobbychic.

Made following the photo tutorial from CraftPudding, which I learned about via Hobbychic.

PS Zbirka dugmadi mi je stvarno jadna, znam.

PS My button collection is pathetic, I know.

Rođendan / Blogoversary

2010-01-31T08:00:00.006+01:00

Ovaj blog danas slavi 3. rođendan. Hvala što ga posećujete :)

It's the 3rd anniversary of this blog. Thanks for reading it :)

Upoznajte Gavru / Meet Gavra

2010-01-29T08:59:00.003+01:00

Džemperić za Gavru, psa naših prijatelja.

A sweater for Gavra, our friends' dog.

Entrelac

2010-01-26T07:17:00.015+01:00

Jako mi se sviđa! Uprkos činjenici da mi je trebao ceo dan da je sašijem.

I love it! Despite the fact that I spent one whole day sewing it.

Vunica: Phildar Horizons. Hvala ti, bensedin art, što si me ubedila da je kupim :)
Yarn: Phildar Horizons. Thanks, bensedin art, for talking me into buying it :)

Konačni obračun / Final disclosure

2010-01-17T22:05:00.000+01:00

Dragi moji, evo konačno i onog dugo očekivanog obračuna s prošlošću. Neki su projekti čekali dugmad, neki da uvučem končiće preostale nakon spajanja delova, a neki nekoga voljnog da fotografiše na ispod nule (zato ne zamerite na amaterskim fotkama, bilo je jaaaaako hladno i modelu i fotografu). Neću mnogo daviti, detalji će biti na Ravelry-ju a ime modela je link koji vas vodi do uputstava.

My dear readers, here's finally the long-awaited disclosure of my FO's. Some of them had to wait for buttons to be sewn, some to have ends woven in and some waited for somebody willing to do a photo session in subzero conditions (so forgive the amateurish character of the photos, it was verrrrrrrrry cold). All the details will be posted on Ravelry. The names of the projects are links to the patterns.

February Lady Sweater

Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest

French Scarf no. 1

French Scarf no. 2

(Da, ovo je moj savršeni muž koji ide sa mnom u prodavnice s vunicom i koji je pristao da pozira sa šalom. Mada, nažalost, ne u stilu Stiva Makvina :)))
(Yes, this is my perfect husband who goes shopping for yarn with me and who agrees to model the scarf for my blog. Unfortunately, he refused to do so in Steve McQueen's fashion :)))

Lace Ribbon Scarf

(Kapci su mi se zaledili - zato žmurim. / My eyes are frozen shut.)

My Kind of Town Cowl

Chunky Knit Beanie (pdf)

To bi bilo to. Uhvatila sam konačno korak sa sopstvenim radovima.
I guess this now more or less wipes the slate clean and I'm now ready to keep in step with my own projects.

Letnja torba / White with wicker

2010-01-12T14:34:00.009+01:00

Romantales, buttons ahead! Approach with caution :)))

It's a bit too early to talk so I'll let the photos do the job.

The handles are detachable so I'll be able to use them with another bag.

Prošlost vs. Budućnost / Past vs. Future

2010-01-05T10:16:00.014+01:00

Svi pišu o planovima za narednu godinu. To me uvek unervozi pošto mislim da u nečemu zaostajem - potpuno blesavo i neutemeljeno, znam, ali tako je. Rado bih i ja pisala o planovima za budućnost, ali kako ću kad imam još 5-6 radova koje sam odavno završila a nisam ih još ni spomenula? (Možda onda i nije neutemeljeno što mislim da u nečemu zaostajem? :/) Moram, dakle, prvo da raskrstim s prošlošću :) Zato u narednim postovima očekujte takve obračune. Romantales, moram te upozoriti da će biti dugmića, i to strašnih, pa zato u narednom periodu pažljivo otvaraj ovaj blog ;)

Ali dok se ne obračunam s prošlošću, evo šta ću prvo da uradim ove godine:

Heklanu torbu
Ove ručke sam kupila na buvljaku (hvala ti bensedin art!) kao deo jedne odvratne, prljave torbe od skaja koju sam se jedva usuđivala dotaknuti. Torbu sam, naravno, bacila, a ručke mi se toliko sviđaju da mi je prosto žao da ih upotrebim. Toliko žao da sam smislila plan kako da ih upotrebim za više od jedne torbe. Ali, prvo skoči pa reci hop :) Plava tkanina na cvetiće će biti postava.

Držač za najlon kese
Ovo mi je brat naručio pošto ne znaju šta će i kuda će sa silnim najlon kesama. Mora biti zeleno-narandžast, da se slaže s dnevnom sobom iako će, pretpostavljam, stajati u špajzu. Mislim da ću koristiti već isproban Bernatov model, ali bez cveta.

Everybody seems to be writing about their craft plans for the new year. This always makes me nervous because I feel I have to catch up - silly, I know, but I can't help it. I'd love to write about my future projects but there are still 5-6 FOs I haven't even mentioned. So I suppose I have to sort out my past first and start with a clean slate :) However, until that happens, here is what I'm planning to do first:

Crocheted bag (first photo)
The bag handles are reclaimed from a dirty second-hand leatherette bag I bought at a local flea market. I'm so in love with the handles that I've actually come up with a plan to use them for more than one bag! The blue fabric will be used as lining.

Plastic bag holder (second photo)
This one is for my brother's family, to help them cope with all the plastic bags. Green and orange, their favourite colour combo, with Bernat's pattern I've already used.

Futrola za ključeve / Key cozy

2010-01-04T09:12:00.009+01:00

Napravljena sinoć. Od zanemarljive količine konca i s mnogo muke oko dugmenceta i kopče. Ovo mi je bila polazna tačka.

Made last night. With a negligible amount of yarn and a lot of trouble with the button and the clasp. This pattern served as a starting point.

Sretna Nova godina! / Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T13:07:00.004+01:00

Rukavice bez prstiju od norveške vune / Fingerless mittens made from Norwegian wool

2009-12-28T08:34:00.001+01:00

Konačno sam fotografisala rukavice bez prstiju ispletene od vunice koju mi je poslala Hobbygåsa. Naštrikala sam ih još odavno i dosta sam ih nosila ove jeseni, naročito na biciklu. Savršene su! Hvala ti, Hobbygåsa!

I've finally taken photos of the fingerless mittens I made from the yarn I got from Hobbygåsa. They were finished some time ago and I wore them quite a lot this autumn while cycling to work. They are perfect! Thanks, Hobbygåsa!

Ovo je inače najpopularniji model na Ravelry-ju. Ovakve rukavice isplelo je preko 13 i po hiljada ljudi. Možete ih pronaći ovde.

This is, by the way, the most popular pattern on Ravelry. Over 13 and a half thousand people have made these mittens. You can find the pattern here.

Zimska bajka / Winter fairytale

2009-12-22T08:42:00.002+01:00

Dropsova, naravno. Šal je predivno debeo, mekan, topao, sav utoneš u njega kad ga staviš oko vrata. I kapa u kompletu. Uputstva za oboje se mogu skinuti odavde. Vuna je St. George-ova Zlatna idila sa srebrnim nitima, igle br. 7. Nejednake je debljine pa rad ne izgleda baš vrlo uredno.

By Drops, of course. The scarf is gorgeously thick, soft and warm, you simply sink into it when you wrap it around your neck. And a hat to match. Both downloadable from here. Yarn: St. George's Zlatna Idila with silver lurex fiber, needles no. 7. The yarn is a bit chunky at places so the stitches aren't very neat and uniform.

Grejači za cipele / Boot toppers

2009-12-19T12:45:00.000+01:00

Taman na vreme za ovaj sneg :) Grejači za cipele od Kristin Nicholas, objavljeni u njenoj knjizi Kristin Knits i u časopisu Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007.

Spot on time for the snow :) Boot toppers by Kristin Nicholas, published in her book Kristin Knits and in Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2007.

Rezultati mini ankete

2009-12-18T22:17:00.005+01:00

Hvala svima koji su odgovorili na pitanje iz prethodnog posta. Kao što znate, na ovom blogu se nikad nismo bavili kulinarskim temama, ovde se pre radilo o jednoj jezičkoj nedoumici. Napominjem da nije bilo tačnih i pogrešnih odgovora, mene je zanimala upravo vaša upotreba ovih reči. Pa, da sumiramo do čega smo došle:

Paprikaš se najčešće kuva od piletine ili svinjetine, može mu se tokom kuvanja dodati krompir, i po pravilu je ređi od gulaša. Može se praviti i s kobasicom, a neko dodaje i paradajz.

Gulaš se kuva od junetine, odnosno govedine, i/ili svinjetine i gušći je od paprikaša. Jede se s testeninom ili pireom. Neki tokom kuvanja dodaju i povrće.

Ovo znači da nije samo vrsta mesa ta koja određuje o kojem se jelu radi te da je razlika u kombinaciji različitih svojstava: vrste mesa, gustine i priloga. Jedini problem je zapravo svinjetina koja se ponaša pomalo ambivalentno te uskače čas u paprikaš, čas u gulaš pa su tu, pretpostavljam, bitnija ostala svojstva. Još jedan problem je i divljač. Ne znam kako je drugde, ali u Vojvodini jelo od srnetine zovu srneći paprikaš mada i izgledom i pripremom liči na gulaš, što je u skladu s onim što je Cronitty lady napisala. I na kraju, mada svakako ne najmanje bitno, jeste pitanje knedli koje, začudo, niko nije pomenuo, a koje su, bar meni, suština svakog (pilećeg) paprikaša koji drži do sebe :))) Dodaću samo, čisto reda radi, da, ako je od ribe, onda je uvek paprikaš, bez obzira na pripremu i sastojke. A o tome šta je bećar paprikaš, nekom drugom prilikom :)

PS Moram još ovo da dopišem! Znate kako je Google Translate preveo 'bećar paprikaš' na engleski? Playboy stew, hahahahahaha!

Mini anketa

2009-12-13T20:02:00.004+01:00

Imam jedno pitanje na koje bih volela da mi odgovorite: koja je po vama razlika između gulaša i paprikaša (i perkelta ako vam je ta reč u aktivnom vokabularu)?

This is just a question dealing with the difference between two terms used in local cuisine.

Futrole za jabuku / Apple cozies

2009-12-09T10:15:00.010+01:00

Ostalo mi je pamuka od torbe pa sam, nemajući pametnija posla pre neko veče, napravila ove dve futrole za jabuke, tj. narandže. Kad krećem na posao, često u torbu na brzaka ubacim jabuku ili narandžu pa će ovo dobro doći. Link do uputstava je ovde.

Just a quick post with two apple (or, in this case, orange) cozies made with the yarn left over from the bag. I often throw in an apple or an orange into my bag when I leave for work so this will come in handy. Link to the pattern is here.

BYOB

2009-12-07T10:51:00.006+01:00

Dok ste ovako raspoložene za ostavljanje komentara, bolje da objavim još jedan post :)

BYOB je u engleskom skraćenica koja znači 'bring your own bottle' i koristi se da nekome koga pozivate na žurku kažete da treba da ponese svoje piće. Mojra Rejvenskroft (Moira Ravenscroft) je tako nazvala jednu svoju torbu, reintrepretirajući ovaj izraz kao 'bring your own bag' i aludirajući pri tom na to da u prodavnicu treba poneti svoju torbu. Uputstva su objavljena u časopisu „Knitty“ za leto 2008. i mogu se besplatno preuzeti odavde ili, ako ste član Ravelry-ja, u pdf formatu odavde.

Mene je ova torba opčinila od prvog trenutka, ne samo svojim oblikom nego i bojama u kojima sam je viđala na Ravelry-ju pa sam jedva čekala neko zatišje da je započnem. I evo, ispade ovo (molim vas da primetite kako se boja slaže s kuhinjskim elementima i venecijanerima :D):

Kako se ne bi stekao utisak da sam stalno nezadovoljna onim što ispletem, neću ništa kritikovati, ali evo par saveta za one koji će možda poželeti da naštrikaju ovu torbu:

Jako dobro proverite da li vam se veličina probnog uzorka slaže s onom navedenom u uputstvima. Čak i ako se slaže, slobodno uzmite tanji konac ili tanje igle ili i jedno i drugo pošto je torba jako velika. U protivnom će vam se, osim ako niste jako visoki, pazar vući po zemlji.
Ako radite s pamučnim koncem, uzmite u obzir i to da će se torba jako istegliti, naročito ako u nju budete stavljali nešto teško.

I fell in love with this bag the moment I saw it. It was designed by Moira Ravenscroft and the pattern was published in Knitty, summer 2008. It can also be downloaded in pdf format from Ravelry.

If you're planning to knit this bag, however, make sure you double-check your gauge. Even then, you can go down in needle size or yarn weight as the bag is really huge. Besides this, cotton will stretch a lot, especially if you are going to carry heavy stuff in it. Happy stitching!

Sivo-crni prsluk

2009-12-06T16:24:00.003+01:00

Još jedan od radova koji su završeni pre par meseci. Ovaj sam čak i nosila!

Another project finished a couple of months ago. I've even worn this one!

Pattern here.

Stolnjak / Tablecloth

2009-11-12T11:50:00.001+01:00

Kupila krpe na metar kako bih porubljujući ih isprobala svoju novu (polovnu) šivaću mašinu. Kako nikada nisam šila, i obično porubljivanje je pravi poduhvat. No, učinilo mi se da bi se ove krpe mogle opheklati i od njih napraviti stolnjak, što se pokazalo kao užasno dugotrajan i nadasve dosadan posao, ali mislim da se isplatilo.

I bought this dishtowel fabric in order to sharpen my (non-existent) sewing skills and try my new second-hand sewing machine. I cut it, hemmed the towels and then reassembled them and added a crochet border. A waste of time, some would say. Maybe, but I like the effect and the uniqueness of this tablecloth. A tedious project, though.

Nove torbe na delu / New bags in action

2009-11-05T11:45:00.011+01:00

Pattern by The Purl Bee can be found here.

Robustne pletenice / Chunky cables

2009-11-04T04:30:00.000+01:00

I ovaj debeli topli šal da ide uz rukavice.

And this thick and warm scarf to go with the mittens.

Hu-hu / Hoot

2009-11-03T18:46:00.005+01:00

S prvim snegom, u posthelouvinskoj atmosferi i u skladu s mojim pokušajima da uhvatim korak sa sopstvenom prošlošću, predstavljam vam rukavice koje će mi sigurno biti omiljene ove zime:

With the first snow, in the general post-Halloween atmosphere and in accordance with my attempt to catch up with my own past projects, I present my favourite mittens for this winter (knitted, truth be said, in the middle of June):

Pink

2009-10-29T19:27:00.007+01:00

Drugarica se nedavno porodila pa, kako je već red u svakoj domaćinskoj heklerajskoj kući, ne ide se na babine bez Dropsovog ćebenceta :)

A friend has given birth to a baby girl (I wonder how many craft blog posts begin with this sentence? :))) so... a Drop's blanket was in order.

Konac je 100% pamuk, nešto Patons Grace, nešto St. George-ov Tango i Cotton Cable, sve dvostrukom niti i heklicom broj 6.

Letnji džemper, napokon / Summer sweater, at last

2009-10-27T23:23:00.000+01:00

Evo ovo sam htela da naštrikam. Boje koje smo bensedin art i ja odabrale sjajno idu jedna s drugom, i bila sam izuzetno zadovoljna, ali kad sam ih počela plesti i kad je pletivo malo odmaklo, i uz konsultacije sa tim mojim savršenim-mužem-koji-ide-sa-mnom-da-bira-vunicu, uvidela sam da će biti prešareno, nekako previše zlatno i tetkasto, pa još i u kombinaciji s tim valovitim bodom - ni blizu nečemu što bih ja inače nosila. Zato sam sve bila oparala i posle nekoliko kombinacija odlučila se za belu+bež+meliranu bež-braon+zlatnu i za Mamu kao buduću vlasnicu.

Izvinjavam se na amaterskom kvalitetu fotografija :(

The sweater in the above photo is what I wanted to knit. The colours bensedin art and I picked look great together, but when I actually knitted it, it was too goldy, too shiny, too auntly and too busy for my taste. Ripped it and started again but this time with 4 colours only: white, beige, beige-brown variegated + gold - looks better but is still something my Mum would wear more gladly than I would. It's so 80's isn't it?

Sorry about the amateurish quality of photos :(

Četiri godišnja doba - leto / Four seasons - summer

2009-10-06T20:21:00.009+02:00

Ne baš plodno leto, a ni fotke ne deluju baš letnje, al eto tako se zadesilo.
Not a very fruitful summer nor very summery photos but there you go.

Pastoralna idila / Pastoral idyll

Koridor 10 /A Serbian motorway

Lokvanji / Lily pads

Zalazak / Sunset

Hvatanje koraka / Catching up with the past

2009-09-29T09:36:00.011+02:00

Mnogo kasnim s obaveštavanjem o završenim projektima, priznajem. Ima 5-6 stvari koje sam završila tokom leta, a nikako da ih uslikam. Ovo je prva. Torbu sam videla kod bensedin art, u ovom postu, i oduševila sam se. To je, ako se sećate, ona koja se prvo isplete pa se onda ispleteno iseče makazama da bi se ubacio rub. Iz ove perspektive, čini mi se da je to sečenje potpuno nepotrebna operacija pošto se mogu isplesti dve stranice odvojeno i onda se ušije ispleteni rub, bez potrebe da se seče i ivice obrađuju mašinom. No, imaću to na umu kad je budem sledeći put radila :) Uputstva i šema su iz časopisa Interweave Knits, leto 2000.

I'm desperately behind with my finished projects. There are 5 or 6 things I haven't even taken photos of, let alone blogged about. This is the first in the row, finished some time in the spring but then the summer set in and it had to wait for cooler days. Great bag (Interweave Knits, Summer 2000)!

Odmor

2009-09-21T21:19:00.013+02:00

Dok ne pronađem vremena i volje da fotografišem gotove radove, evo koje su mi slike bile pred očima najveći deo prethodne nedelje:

Ostatak vremena sam uglavnom provodila ležeći u ležaljci kraj žardinjere sa mirisnim začinskim biljem.

Pošto nam je propalo planirano letovanje na moru, častili smo se sa 6 dana pored Drine. Odmorila sam se kao ni na jednom odmoru do sada, dosta mi je bilo samo da gledam u lišće, vodu, nebo, ili da ćutim i žmurim upijajući sunce i slušajući tišinu (mada, ovo s tišinom je tu samo zbog dojma, ptičice su bile vrlo bučne!).

These are the views and activities I enjoyed during our 6-day holiday by the Drina river - reading, crocheting, fishing, relaxing in the hammock by a herb garden. Heaven on earth it was.

Matt

2009-09-19T14:09:00.006+02:00

Danas moram o nečemu pozitivnom i veselom. Ovo je s prošlogodišnje turneje ovog momka, Meta Hardinga. A evo i njegovog sajta: Where the hell is Matt? i odrednice na Wikipediji. U Srbiji nije bio. Danas mi je jasno i zašto. Verovatno bi dobio batina. Ili bi ga proglasili za bogohulnika. A najverovatnije i jedno i drugo. No, to je jedna druga priča koja nema nikakve veze s njim, uživajte gledajući ga kako pleše!

Look what I got!

2009-08-18T12:07:00.004+02:00

This treasure was in the mail today, from Hobbygåsa, a kind and generous friend from Norway, an excellent knitter, photographer and a nature lover :)

Look at the ladybirds! Aren't they adorable!

And then, among other things, two really useful tools, one that I was on my wishlist for a very long time and that will make sewing and weaving in much easier (and hopefully enjoyable :)):

and one whose function Hobbygåsa had to explain to me but then I was over the moon because there'll me no more slipping from my dpns :)

You put the black rubber caps on the ends of your dpns (double pointed needles) to prevent your stitches from slipping off - quite handy if you're carrying your knitting around in a bag, as I do. The beads are gorgeous, really my style :)

Thank you, Hobbygåsa!

3K (kafa, konac i koverta)

2009-07-30T16:11:00.012+02:00

Bila sam na kafi s bensedin art i opet je 3 sata proletelo a da nismo ni trepnule. A samo smo malo proćaskale i otišle da kupimo konac :) (imale smo još toga u planu, ali nismo stigle). A kupovina konca je priča za sebe. Ja sam od onih koji baš ne vole šoping i oduvek mi je odlazak s drugaricama u kupovinu bio pravo mučenje. Ali ovo, ovo je jedno sasvim drugačije iskustvo. Kupovati konac s nekim ko se bavi istim hobijem kao i vi, a uz to se još i razume u predivo jeste pravo uživanje. A pri tom je vedar, duhovit i kreativan! Nema štrenice ni klupka koje nismo pipnule i prokomentarisale! I onda mi je još pomogla da odlučim koji konac da kupim, isprobavajući sa mnom razne kombinacije i alternacije, nudeći rešenja koja meni nikad ne bi ni pala na pamet. Na kraju mislim da su svi zadovoljni: ja što imam drugaricu za kupovinu konca, moj muž što više ne mora on da bude ta drugarica, a verovatno i prodavačica jer će moje kupovine ubuduće kraće trajati :) A nadam se da će i bensedin art biti zadovoljna jer sam joj obećala šal za rođendan pošto, nećete verovati, ima samo jedan a i taj je star i ofucan. Još samo da saznam kad joj je rođendan. A evo šta smo izabrale za jedan pamučni letnji džemper (koji sam odmah juče započela).

I went for a coffee with bensedin art and then we went shopping for yarn. This is what we chose for a summer sweater (of course, I had to cast on the moment I got home. :) Shopping for yarn with such a cheerful, witty and creative person was a true pleasure! I hope we'll do it again some time soon :)

No, zadovoljstvima tu nije bio kraj. U sandučetu me zatekne koverta s obeleživačima koje mi je poslala virtuelna drugarica iz Hrvatske. I njih sam, naravno, morala odmah da isprobam :) Hvala ti, Twitchy :)

And then, when I got home, an envelope with stitch markers from Croatia :) It felt like Christmas!

Futrola za mali kompjuter / A cozy for my little computer

2009-07-25T13:56:00.011+02:00

Naravno da ima da se kupi i čak imam jednu kupovnu, ali... trebala mi je heklana futrola. Sigurna sam da me razumete :) . Radi se o malom netbuku od 7 inča, veličine rokovnika, koji sad bez ikakvih problema mogu da nosim u tašni.

Of course you can buy one and I've got one but... I needed a crocheted computer case. I'm sure you understand :). It's a small, 7-inch netbook which I can now easily carry around in my bag.

Stavila sam vatelin koji sam proštepala zajedno s postavom kako bi sve to bilo što mekše i zaštitilo kompjuter.

I put in some additional lining (the thing used in winter jackets, the name of which I don't know in English and am too lazy to search for at the moment) for extra cushioning. Then I sewed it onto the red cloth in a criss-cross pattern, which produced these 'airbags'.

Pletenje prstima / Finger knitting

2009-07-13T12:49:00.007+02:00

Nakon što je uspešno savladala osnove heklanja, moja bratanica je insistirala da je naučim da štrika. Rado bih je ja naučila, ali sam se brinula kako će se izboriti s dve igle i svim onim petljama pa sam odlučila da je umesto običnog pletenja naučim kako da plete prstima. Lakše je i bezbednije. Evo dva šala koja smo napravile:

After she successfully mastered the basics of crochet, my niece insisted I taught her how to knit. I would love to do that but I was a bit worried about how she'd cope with two needles and all the stitches so I decided to teach her finger knitting instead. It's easier and safer. And here are two scarves we made:

Koristile smo ova uputstva.

We used this tutorial.

Kreativna radionica - Creative workshop

2009-07-10T08:40:00.011+02:00

Moram da se pohvalim rezultatima nastalim tokom kreativnog boravka moje 8-godišnje bratanice. Već od ranije sam je naučila da hekla lančić, što, priznaćete, i nije baš naročito zanimljivo i brzo bi dosadilo svima, a kamoli hiperaktivnoj osmogodišnjakinji. Sada je naučila stubić i stubić s navijutkom, a evo i radova iz serije Summer 2009 Bratz Fashion Collection:

I must boast of projects completed by my 8-year-old niece while she was staying with us. I had previously taught her how to make chain stitches, which cannot keep anyone's attention for too long, especially not that of a hyperactive 8-year-old. This time she learned how to do single and double crochet. We present to you the projects from Summer 2009 Bratz Fashion Collection:

1. suknja - Skirt no. 1

2. suknja - Skirt no. 2

Crveni top bez bretela - Red strapless top

Ogrtač koji se pretvara u pokrivač (uz pomoć magije, naravno) - Wrap that turns into an afghan (by magic, of course)

Zelena kapa / A green hat

2009-07-03T09:48:00.000+02:00

Ostalo mi je vunice od šala pa, da se ne baci (kao da bi, he, he), naštrikah kapu Foliage:

I had some yarn left over after Springtime bandit and decided to make a hat to go with it. It's Foliage, from Knitty, Spring 2007.

Prolećni bandit / Springtime Bandit

2009-06-26T07:09:00.000+02:00

Springtime bandit, koji nosi moja omiljena manekenka. Namenjen je njenoj baki, ali baka je tog dana mislila da ne izgleda dovoljno reprezentativno da je slikamo za blog :) Boja na prvoj slici je bliža stvarnoj boji.

Springtime bandit, modelled here by my favourite model. Her grandmother, for whom it was knitted, didn't feel she was presentable enough that day to be photographed for the blog :) The colour in the first photo is closer to the original.

Četiri godišnja doba - proleće / Four Seasons - Spring

2009-06-21T11:14:00.005+02:00

Najavila sam seriju slika posvećenih godišnjim dobima. Danas se (nažalost) završava proleće pa evo tim povodom 6 fotografija: tri u zelenom koloritu, sočnom i svežem, s početka proleća, a tri u žuto-smeđem, kao nagoveštaj leta, vrelog, sprženog i usahlog.

I bi svetlo / And there was light

Omega / Omega

Malo boje II / A bit of colour II

Vilinski prah / Fairy dust

Light catchers

Dah Francuske / The French feel

From now on, I'll post a short summary of my posts in English, for those of you who don't speak Serbian :)

I made a pledge, some time at the beginning of this year, to make a series of photographs inspired by the four seasons. As, unfortunately, spring finishes today in the Northern hemisphere, here are six spring photos: 3 in fresh, succulent green from the beginning of spring and 3 in yellow-brown shades, heralding the hot, scorching summer we have ahead of us.

Baktus i Karius

2009-06-09T09:45:00.001+02:00

Predstavljam vam šal Baktus. Da ga ispletem potakla me je jedna norveška blogerka, Hobbygåsa, čiji sam pak blog otkrila zahvaljujući Zmaji, a sama uputstva našla na Ravelry-ju. Pa vi sad vidite gde bi moje štrikanje bilo da nije interneta!

Šal je ime dobio po Baktusu, liku iz norveškog romana za decu, autora Thorbjørna Egnera. Baktus i Karius su mali trolovi koji lagodno žive u ustima jednog dečaka, naročito kada on jede slatkiše i ne pere zube. Baktus ima crnu kosu i ime mu vodi poreklo od reči bakterija, a Karius je riđ i nazvan je, naravno, po karijesu. Više možete pročitati na Wikipediji i Caprino's World of Adventure (gde se može pogledati i odlomak iz lutkarskog filma snimljenog po ovom romanu).

Postoje 2 verzije istog šala: Baktus i Karius. Ova koju sam ja isplela je Baktus i plete se pravo svaki red (garter stitch). Karius se plete 1 red pravo, 1 red krivo (stockinette stitch). Na Ravelry-ju ima prelepih primera i jednog i drugog.

A sad malo o kapi. Tu nema nikakve zanimljive priče koja bi stajala iza imena. Jednostavno mi je trebala kapa rađena ovim bodom koja bi se po stilu slagala sa šalom. A gde drugde pogledati nego na Drops-u. Podseća me na rastafarijanske kape, samo u mom slučaju nema dredova koji bi je popunili :)

Razigrane perle

2009-05-22T07:31:00.006+02:00

Pogledajte šta sam dobila od Magrit! Radovala sam se kao malo dete, kao kad sam dobijala pisma iz dalekih, egzotičnih zemalja pa nisam mogla da dočekam da uđem u kuću da ih otvorim. Hvala ti, Magrit, ulepšala si mi dan! I to ne samo jedan pošto mi koverta stoji na radnom stolu pa se iznova obradujem svaki put kad mi pogled padne na nju.

Jastučnica Cappuccino

2009-05-16T19:34:00.002+02:00

Ne znam kako, ali stalno u šteku imam ove Catanije Color. I što god da radim, nikako da je potrošim. Ideju za jastučnicu sam dobila kad se klupče slučajno našlo pored ćebadi. I tako je konačno ovaj konac našao nešto s čime bi se slagao. Ovaj drugi, krem boje, je neki predivan pamuk koji je toliko mekan da mi je žao što ga nisam upotrebila za nešto što ću češće dodirivati :) No, u pola rada nestalo mi je krem konca pa na zadnjem delu jastučnice preovlađuje braon-sivi. Unutra je običan kupovni jastuk.

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

2009-05-13T18:12:00.002+02:00

Svako od nas ima svoju mračnu stranu. Ovo je moja :)

Intermeco

2009-05-11T21:35:00.016+02:00

Nekoliko radova čeka da uhvatim vremena i prepodnevnog svetla da ih fotografišem. U međuvremenu, evo par sličica koje nisu u vezi s ručnim radovima (a ni sa zagađenjem i zaštitom okoline).

Verovali ili ne, ovo su vrata studentske službe na Poljoprivrednom fakultetu u Novom Sadu:

Ono što me ovde fascinira nisu pitanja tipa "kud se dede ljubaznost?" ili "da li su studenti tu zbog njih ili oni zbog studenata?" nego činjenica da je neko zapravo morao naručiti ovu nalepnicu i platiti da se odštampa i onda je, verovatno s velikim uživanjem, nalepiti na vrata.

Reklama za Coca-Colu. Koja je svrha?

Izlog

I posle Tita, Tito!
(Ironično, čovek čiji je lik na čarapi i ovoj plastičnoj nozi koja neodoljivo podseća na protezu, umro je s amputiranom nogom)

Trobojna futrola

2009-04-29T08:15:00.002+02:00

Ostalo mi je narandžastog Tanga od džempera, još malo Golfa i nekog neidentifikovanog i eto, ispade futrola!

Končani džemper, vel. 4

2009-04-23T09:10:00.002+02:00

Ispleten po ovim uputstvima, za jednog trogodišnjaka kojeg sam posle morala da jurim da ga slikam :)

Konac: Tango - 100% pamuk (St. George)

Četiri godišnja doba - zima

2009-04-17T16:40:00.001+02:00

Mada je zima odavno prošla i proleće uveliko tu, evo nekoliko fotografija snimljenih ove zime. Nadam se da ću uspeti da napravim ovakvu izložbicu za svako godišnje doba.

Zeleno-plava refleksija

Neposlušnost

Malo boje

Brr

Trijumf života