Isola Lily

Classy knit bags

2014-05-29T21:05:00.001+02:00

Who said that knitted bags need to be boho-style? These bags are classy and knit, I like!
Especially the first one, a Dolce & Gabana:

Knits I luuuuve

2014-05-29T21:00:00.000+02:00

The pictures says it all, I dream of having these in my closet... Hey just realized that they're all yellow!

ROAR fibre and yarn!

2013-09-22T00:44:00.000+02:00

Please check out my new shop for handdyed fibres and yarn!
www.roarfibreandyarn.com

The knitting patterns and handknits will stay on Etsy and Ravelry.

Wabi Sabi + yarn = YES please!

2013-06-18T23:26:00.001+02:00

Just beautiful knits

2013-05-12T19:54:00.000+02:00

Ian Mosh

unknown

Yumiko ISa

Spring spinning and dyeing

2013-05-07T12:37:00.001+02:00

I have really dived into the fibre dyeing for real and love it. Here are a few pics from what I've been up to lately

Cake anyone?

2013-02-18T21:16:00.000+01:00

Eat as much as you want without getting fat!
Recipe can be found on Garnstudio's website.

Spin-dye-spin-dye

2013-02-17T21:15:00.000+01:00

I've been dyeing some fibers lately. I LOVE to dye fibers, you can't really tell how it turns out until the rovings have dried.


This vibrant orange and pink merino turned into...


this gorgeous 2-ply


I want to team up this lovely aqua with some crystal beads, wouldn't that be great?


Muddy pastels

New family member. But she hasn't got a name yet...

Cables galore

2013-01-16T21:59:00.003+01:00

Cables seem to be the decor trend right now, they are everywhere.

Cable throw

Lamps from Mio

Floor tiles

Salad anyone?

Bugansky cups

Spin me right round - December update

2012-12-29T21:25:00.000+01:00

Just one single post in December! Why? Well, I except for a couple of small special orders from friends and family I haven't been knitting much lately. (Ok I spend some time - too much time! - with an alpaca/cotton sweater with a crazy ad lib-make-it-up-as-you-knit-kinda-pattern that ended up in nothing but that's all.) Partly because I've been suffering from shoulder pains and colds these last two months but also because I've realized something about my knitting... I fear that it's not really the knitting I like. It's the fibre. It's the wool. That must be the reason why I almost never finish anything unless I have to (when knitting gifts for example). That's why I love planning projects but grow tired of it when I'm halfway and start looking at some other patterns, colors, yarn. It's the fibre itself that I like. Maybe I'm having some sort of wool fetisch?

So during my knitting drought I returned to spinning and boy have I spun. I even got me a spinning wheel. It's really old, almost antique, and I knew almost nothing about spinning wheels when I got it. It must have been dear to somebody because it has been mended at a hundred different spots. But it still hardly work. The few seconds that it works it really wonderful but then I spend hours and hours fixing it here and there... I hate stuff that don't work! However, studying it has really made me want one! That works that is.

The new family member that I love and hate at the same time.

But until I can afford a new one - pray that it will be soon! - me and my spindle are best friends. Here are some of the things I've spun lately.

Sunday Swift

2012-11-18T18:51:00.000+01:00

Sunday afternoon and I get to use my yarn swift for the first time! As far as I know, there is only one store in town that sells yarn swifts, or yarn winders. They cost 649 SEK which is almost USD 100. A bit expensive I think... I got mine on the flea market for just 60 SEK! Just a tenth of the price, what a bargain.

It doesn't happen too often that I buy my yarn in hanks but the winder will be of great help if I decide to dye yarn as well. My first use of this winder is for Alpaca Flamé by BC Garn, a fine thick-and-thin of the softest alpaca in crisp light grey. I've already made a cowl and baby cardigan using this yarn, I love it so much! I've teamed it up with a thin cotton thread for making a basic sweater for myself.

A hat for Kaleido!

2012-11-13T21:18:00.001+01:00

You know the saying that you should try something new each day? Well, this is a first, I knit a hat/cowl for a dog! This cute fella is called Kaleido and belongs to a friend of mine. Being more of a cat person I can tell you that my knowledge about a dog's anatomy is very limited. Kaleido is a whippet, which reminds you of a miniature greyhound. I learned that this breed has very sensitive ears and doesn't like windy weather (who does?) But Kaleido has got his ears covered now! It was a fun knit, hope that he enjoys it too. At least he looks great!

Great gifts for kids, knit a doll

2012-11-11T11:37:00.000+01:00

Knitting toys is a great idea for gifts since you don't have to care about fitting or what season it is. There are tons of knitting patterns out there for dolls but Barbara Prime's are one of my favorite because of their classical look. See the all at www.fuzzymitten.com.

Pug!

Cat!

Lamb!

Nice stitch II

2012-10-20T13:52:00.000+02:00

I love to find new useful stitches, it can really help you come out of a "knitter's block". This stitch is called linen stitch and I love it because it gives the feeling of woven fabric. The knitted piece becomes very dense, you might want to use a larger needle size than you normally do. Because of the density the stitch might not be suitable for garments. But I do recommend it for pieces like bags, shoulder straps for bags (or guitars!), placemats or even rugs.

It's quite simple too, like this:
Cast on an uneven number of stitches.
Row 1: [WS] K1, *p1, slip next stitch purlwise while holding yarn to the back, repeat from * to last 2 sts, p1, k1.
Row 2: [RS] * K1, slip next stitch purlwise while holding yarn to the front of the piece, repeat from * to the last st, k1.
Repeat Rows 1 and 2.


Right side

Wrong side

Yarn bombed trees

2012-10-08T21:00:00.002+02:00

It's October and autumn is at it's best. I actually like the fall, I would even go as far as to say it's my favorite season. But as soon as the leaves has fallen off the trees the cozy part is over. I would love to see the trees in my city yarn bombed! Here's a few inspiring pics, all from Seattle.

Yarn crafts for kids II

2012-09-25T20:49:00.000+02:00

Remember the beautiful yarn balloons that you can make with your kids? Old post here.
You can use the same technique for making yarn bowls as well, using a glass or plastic bowl as model. I didn't think of that... Ideas on yarn crafts for kids without knitting is great. Will keep my little one busy while I can keep buying yarn without guilt!

Honeycomb lace stitch

2012-09-23T17:00:00.001+02:00

New stitches are fun! Came across this one the othter day. Will be great for at cowl I think.

Knit like this:

Row 1: Right side: k
Row 2: k
Row 3: k1, p1, (yo, p2tog,)to last st, k1
Row 4: k

So simple!

At the office

2012-09-18T21:00:00.002+02:00

Ok so I have a confession to make (not yarn-related this time!). I'm not the super-knitting-designing-spinning woman I pretend to me. I have a regular job. In an office. At a bank. Yes.

I will keep this funny e-card in mind when I seek inspiration for our next meeting!

So true!

2012-09-12T20:16:00.000+02:00

Art displaying art

2012-09-10T20:14:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I know that most wouldn't agree that knitting is art. But it can be! Anyway, the sculpture behind this piece is truly skillful.

Art by Emlyn Budds.

Princess shoulder wrap

2012-09-09T18:41:00.000+02:00

Sometimes things don't turn out like you expect - they get better! I struggled with making a hat for Isola in a yarn I hadn't knit with before. Should be quite an easy task since I've knitted and designed quite a few hats for her. But I realized that it was becoming way too big at the same time I was running out of yarn. Annoyed I started ripping it all up but suddenly it occured to me that it looked almost like a small cape. A little alterations here and there and voilà, a shoulder wrap was born! And not just any shoulder wrap, it is sooooo soft you wouldn't believe it.

I think that a white one would look drop-dead-cute for Christmas...

Available for custom orders in my Etsy shop!

Hooked on lions

2012-08-28T17:27:00.000+02:00

Be sure not to miss this exhibition if you're in London. Crocheted HUGE lions by artist Shauna Richardson. You can see them at the Natural History Museum until 10th of September. What a work!

The Lion Heart Project


Lions on tour, what a sight!

Another fab crocheted piece by the artist.

Gradient and gorgeous

2012-08-12T20:12:00.000+02:00

It feels like I'm going on about yarn with long colorways. I happen to love gradient colored stuff, don't ask me why. So imagine my excitement when I found this seller on Etsy. The shop is called Color Shift Yarn and is run by Erica Heftmann. She calls herself "a studio dyer and Senior Member of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists" which I suppose is a fancy word for dyeing wizard. So she has been developing these dyes for 20 years but still, there must be some kind of magic involved when the results look this good! Just imagine all the things you could do with it... I can't stop thinking about it.

Pictures are from her shop.

Other gradient stuff... not yarn-related!

Must-have-tights from BZRshop on Etsy.

Versace

Passing on wisdom

2012-07-31T23:40:00.001+02:00

Hear me roar...

2012-07-06T22:56:00.000+02:00

Absolutely fantastic... turn your little kitty into the lion that he is!
Pattern here by Mer Almagro.

pic by medvssa