LunaKnit

Seaming and weaving in yarn ends are my least favorite parts of knitting. It always takes me by surprise how long those things really take. When you bind that last stitch off your needles it feels like you're done, that's it, it's finished. But no. There's still the blocking, the seaming, the buttons and all the other finishing touches left to be done. With this cardigan it took me an extra evening of work to get everything ready. I never seem to remember how slow work seaming is (especially if you don't really do any other sewing like me and if you want the resut to look neat.) and I get frustrated when I'm not finished by the time I thought I would. I always seem to underestimate the time it takes thinking "oh it's just a couple of seams and a few yarn ends + 6 buttons, that should be a piece of cake!" But when you are already into your third hour of sewing and your sleeves are still completely separate entities from the body you

Not wanting to spread unnecessary negativity I'm first going to briefly write a happy-joy version about this hat, giving you the option of skipping all the annoyance and foul mood this pattern caused me later on in this text. I really like how this hat (eventually) turned out. It is exactly what I was looking for: minimalistic, light-weight and impossibly soft (thanks to the Lamana Cusco which feels like hugging a kitten). It's certainly not thick enough to brave the winter chills, but I'm embracing the capsule wardrobe ideology and knitting for the season at hand, and the hat is perfect for this time of the year: when you can almost pretend it's summer in a sunny and windless spot, but around the corner the cold can still take you by surprise. Before I started to focus more on my wardrobe and concentrating on knitting things that I really love to wear, all my hats were of bright colors so it's now nice to have a simple and neutral colored cap to go with

It's almost that time of the year again! Last year I only heard about Me Made May challenge in the first few days of May and missed the official sign-up. I had a guerilla-me-made-May instead trying to wear at least one me-made garment each day of the month even though I wasn't officially participating in the challenge. It was actually a lot harder than it seems like: usually I automatically have something self-made on me - a hat, a sweater, pair of woolen socks - but now I really had to think and plan what I was wearing instead of just spontaneously grabbing something on my way out. To add to the challenge May last year was exceptionally warm here in Finland so wearing something woolen wasn't the first thing I had in my mind every day. Not that I was complaining: I would always choose sunny days over sweater-weather. This year I made sure I signed up for the Me Made May challenge in time. I will also post my pledge here for all of you to see:  I, Sari from

These are our plans for the day!

This was the first time ever that I ordered yarn online before first seeing (and feeling) it in reality. Some might call me a kind of a yarn snob - not because I would only use expensive brands but because I only knit with a few tried and tested sorts that I know I like (and refuse to buy synthetic fibers) - but I just find it really hard to venture out of my comfort zone and try new things: what if I don't like how the yarn feels? If it irritates my skin? If it pills immediately? Or the color is nothing like it looked on the computer screen? I don't want to risk ruining a knitting project just because the yarn choice was off . I had read so many good reviews about Holst Garn yarns and obviously they are very popular among Ravelers (thousands of knitters can't be wrong, right?) so I felt brave enough to try them for myself. I love how many colorways there are to choose from and the vast array of colors was exactly what allured me in the first place. However t

Here is my wardrobe update list aka knitting queue for the next months: 1. A lightweight white cardigan. Can you believe I do not own one? I really like these two designs: on the left Woodfords by Elizabeth Doherty and on the right Breckon by Amy Christoffers 2. Basic black cardigan that works with everything (no pressure finding the perfect pattern, huh?); the lack of one is another huge shortcoming in my current wardrobe. 3. A lightweight white cap suitable for transitional seasons. And a black one as well. 4. Flowy light grey scarf, again: something simple that works with everything. Such as Tissé by Julie Hoover. 5. A loose knitted top for the warm end of the summer days after I've given birth (I hope I'm not being overly optimistic about the length and warmth of Finnish summers...). I really like the Azalea pattern by Pam Allen. 6. A few relaxed summery pullovers, also loose enough for my post-baby body - I was thinking about knit

While waiting for the spring weather to get back on track I've been embracing the change of seasons by knitting a couple of light-weight hats. My quest for a - I dare not say perfect but - more functional, wearable and easily mix-and-matched wardrobe has made me take a whole new approach to my knitting. Previously I only had one ( my Hutchin ) light hat suitable for transitional seasons, like late spring or early autumn, and everything else is thick and woolen and way too warm. This year I've been trying to concentrate on the so called "wardrobe basics" and staple knits, to really focus on what I need to have in a functional wardrobe rather than what I find just fun to knit or quirky. I've already finished my first "essential" piece: my Exeter cardigan and casted on for another similar one but in a lighter shade of grey. The first hat is a dark grey lace hat with striped inside which makes it reversible and very multifunctional,

I'm already super excited about my second Exeter cardigan and I'm not even halfway done with the back. I just can't wait for it to be finished! I'm knitting it with my favorite combination of Garnstudio Drops Alpaca and Baby Merino - I think those two yarns together make the perfect combination of softness and warmth. As you can see I made some modifications with the cable pattern of the original cardigan and changed it to lace and chevron stitch with lots of twisted and traveling stitches. P.S. I played around with the look of my blog this morning, not sure if it will stay this way or if I will do more changes. I also changed the name from Inspired by Luna to LunaKnit , because I've heard the former makes people think of Luna Lovegood (?). I haven't read the Harry Potter books so I won't take any stance on whether the association is a positive one or not, so I decided to change the name to the simpler and shorter LunaKnit - that's how I feel fr

Let me make a few things clear to avoid any confusion and further disappointment: First of all, this is not a book about yarn, knitting, crocheting, sheep or anything even closely related to making woolen garments.  Secondly, I did not buy this book believing it had anything to do with any of the aforementioned. This book was actually recommended to me by a friend. A male friend to be precise. One who has probably never even tried his hand at knitting.  Thirdly: this is a sci-fi novel set in a dystopian world. And finally: this might just be the best book I've read in a long time. I've been such a lazy reader ever since I fell pregnant. Usually I've been such an evening person but at the moment it feels like I'm already sound asleep even before my head hits the pillow. Some nights I've tried to fight the tiredness but only managed to read a page or two before my eyelids have started to feel way too heavy. The lazy Easter holiday mornings

These colors remind me of the Little Prince story even though the main character had green clothes. But I think these colors would fit nicely on the pages of the story book.  We now know that we are having a little baby boy (or as surely as they can say at this stage of the pregnancy, but it was quite evident in the last ultrasound) and even though it didn't come as a surprise and I'm perfectly happy about having a boy, the knitter in me sighs sadly not being able to knit all the cute little dresses and lacy hats I already had in mind. Boys' clothes are so much more basic and traditional and the "acceptable" colors more conservative than those for a girl. It's socially more acceptable to dress a little girl boyishly than make a boy wear girly clothes: a girl can wear navy blue and car prints but pink and glitter are considered unconventional on a boy and a dress would be unthinkable! Looking through patterns for baby clothes on Ravelry there'