LunaKnit

Wow, I actually finished a book! Only my second this year - yes, I know I've been a lazy reader! Shift is the second book in Hugh Howey's Silo trilogy and as a prequel to Wool it doesn't quite stand alone as an idenpendent book - more like a bridge between the first and the last book of the series explaining how everything came to be. If you haven't read Wool yet but are planning to (which I warmly recommend you do even if you wouldn't otherwise be the biggest sci-fi fan) don't read any further because there might be some spoilers.  In modern Hollywood films I often find it a bit disturbing that nothing is left for imagination any more. Instead you are shown every gruesome act of violence and graphic sex scene, even though what we don't see can often be scarier or sexier than what is right there in front of your eyes. Think Hitchcock's Rearwindow and the suspense they were able to build without actually showing anything. It's

It's finished and I love it. I left out the last two pattern repeats because I thought the blanket was already big enough. I also got more yarn so I could finish the Sleeping Cedars baby sleeping bag that has been on my needles for what feels like ages. It turned out a bit big, but that just means the baby can enjoy it longer. Still no sign of the baby wanting to come out even though I was so sure a week ago that it wouldn't be long anymore. The days just seem to drag on and nothing happens, I'm starting to get a bit frustrated to just sit and wait at home... Mosaic Baby Blanket Pattern: Mosaic Blanket by Purl Soho Yarns: Drops Cotton Merino #15yellow and  Drops Merino Extra Fine #5 light grey Needles: 5.0mm Sleeping Cedars Pattern:  Sleeping Cedars  by Melissa Schaschwary Yarn: Drops Alpaca #7233 olive green Needles: 3.0mm and 3.5mm

Trying to knit anything white when you have a black cat is a doomed effort to begin with. This is what you get.

I've never been much of a baby person nor have I really ever felt "broody", but as my due date is getting closer I find myself already waiting and longing for the baby to come. I can't believe how fast these months have gone by - it feels like it was only a few days ago when we did the pregnancy test or when had our first ultra check, where the baby was just under 1 cm long but we could already see his little beating heart. I can't wait to meet this little guy that keeps kicking and punching me and making waves in my belly. I can't wait to get to know him, hear him laugh and see if he has my nose or Magnus's. I can't wait to hold him. I'm only a few days short of being 38 weeks pregnant and everything should be fine for the baby to be born. Any day now.  In Finland all the expectant mothers get a maternity package despite their income or if the baby is their first or tenth. The box has quite a lot of essential baby stuff such a

I've been test-knitting for this lovely little baby cardigan for Nadia Crétin-Léchenne (Ravelry id ittybitty) and now I finally get to show it to you! The pattern will be available at first only in Kate's yarn shop in Brighton, but it will become available for purchase through Ravelry at the end of September, so don't worry! This was another lovely baby cardigan design from Nadia Crétin-Léchenne. I’ve knitted a couple of her other baby cardigan patterns (Eole and Bonaventure) so I knew what to expect. This is another instant favourite, a well written pattern with multiple choices for sizing and just the right amount of interesting little details. I love it. I used Sandnes Garn Mandarin Petit (shade #8724 aquamint ) for this cardigan. This yarn was a new acquaintance for me and it was recommended for me by the shopkeeper of my favourite LYS . I wanted a 100% cotton yarn that can be washed in 60 degrees C, which I think is great for baby clothes. It was

My mind wanders and my hands are restless. I can't seem to concentrate on anything at the moment and I'm constantly casting on for new stuff only to get bored after a few rows. The fact that my favourite LYS has been summer holidaying this past week hasn't helped me to finish what's on my needles as I'm out of yarn for few of my projects...  For example I'm out of the green alpaca yarn I've been using for a "sleeping bag" I'm knitting for the baby. This thing has been in the making for a while now - even though I love the design I found the long hem with St st in the round to be a bit of a bore to knit so I only did a few rows at a time and the changed to another projects... Now I only have the sleeves left, but they have to wait until I get one more skein! Sleeping Cedars I have shown you this blanket earlier on this blog. I'm somewhere about half way done with it, but as with the Sleeping Cedars onesie, I'm out of ya

Despite feeling quite unproductive lately (these last weeks of the pregnancy have been quite tiresome) I've actually finished something and I'm pretty pleased with the result as well. I've been knitting the Woodfords cardigan from the Brooklyn Tweed Wool People 8 collection using one of my favourite yarns, Garnstudio Drops Baby Alpaca Silk. I love how lightweight and summery the cardigan is! And now I have a lovely white cardigan that has been missing from my wardrobe. I loved the construction of this cardigan, which is quite unlike anything I've knitted before. It's totally seamless and you pick up stitches for different parts as you go. You never know what is going to happen next, and the pattern is definitely keeping you on your toes. (The hem started to get a bit boring and monotonous though, it seemed to go on for ever!) The instructions are however very well written and even though this requires more attention and concentration than your basic car

I've been meaning to knit a blanket for the baby for a while now but every time I've settled on a pattern something else comes along and I change my mind. The pattern for this super cute baby blanket was only released on the Purl Bee website last Monday and as soon as I saw it I knew it was the one I wanted to make. Plus it seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn a new technique as I've never done any mosaic knitting before. I've browsed through different mosaic knitting patterns on Ravelry in the past but always put off trying the technique because I've thought it looked too complicated. To be frank I've been a bit intimidated by it believing it to be much harder than it in reality actually is. I was surprised to notice it doesn't really differ from other slip stitch techniques, for example the three-and-one tweed knitting except that here the slipped stitches form a more complex pattern than just rows and columns.  The technique is als

Here's a few of my favourite things: hamburgers, brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I've been looking for the perfect recipe for each one of the above mentioned for years and even though I have tried at least tens of different recipes that have been promoted as "the best" I still haven't quite found what I'm looking for.  After my wheat allergy diagnosis a couple years ago I needed to start the whole process again from scratch. Not only did I have to try all my favourite recipes again to see if they still work, but I also had to learn a whole new technique of baking and find the perfect flour combination for each one of the recipes. Too often have I noticed that my once tried-tested-and approved recipes just didn't work when substituting wheat with the likes of rice and corn flour: the dough often becomes either too loose and sticky or hard and brittle to bake in the normal fashion. I've mastered most dishes but often with quite unconvention