Swatching Spriteling!

First clues for Spriteling arrived on last week, and now I have completed the swatch.

Since I've decided not to buy any new yarn this year, I went to my stash and searched for a proper yarn for this. This asks for 400 meters of fingering yarn, and I use Dazzle HT Sock by The Natural Dye Studio.

The pattern is well written and charted. I made a lot of mistakes in knitting the swatch, but I think I noticed all of them in time. Yet, I'm not sure if I love this lace pattern or not. It reminds me of the spider's web in I do: it's difficult to see what the pattern presents. But, let's see how this project proceeds and how this swatch pattern is used in the shawl. Can't wait the next clue to come!

Things that have made my week:

• A feverish cold
• Spring sun that melts snow

Pray for Japan

Angels, please spread your wings over Japan!

My crafty roots

If you grow up surrounded by yarn, carpet rag, needles and weaving accessories, what else can you become than a knitter? I visited my birth home where my mum still lives, knitting and weaving. And where my grandma used to live, knitting and weaving. 

My grandma taught me to crochet when I was 5 or 6 years old. I only learned to knit at school. I still remember how sweaty my hands were, how tight my gauge was, how ugly colours I had, and how awful projects I made. Considering that, it's a miracle that I still knit.

My grandma Elsa and her neighbour Aale were knitting buddies. During the Second World War, they took care of the farms, kids and animals and knitted socks for their husbands at frontline. After that, they still had to knit to keep their families warm. But at the 1970's, they probably knitted and wove only for fun. If Raverly would have existed then, they would have been first to join!

Things that have enlightened my week:

• Week of winter holiday
• Skiing and sledging with my mum and daughter
• Bright spring sun