Third time is a charm?

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 11 Comments

First try on the Missoni Maxi Skirt was huuuuge.
336 stitches according to my swatch.
Could easily fit two of me. So I ripped it off.

This is the second try.

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192 stitches. Too fitted. I’m actually ripping it off right now.

I think that 12 repeats of my chevron pattern will (fingers crossed) work. That’s 288 stitches.

Remember when I told you that I hate swatching?
That’s way. Swatches lie! At least to me!
Or I didn’t measured myself well enough :-/
(Please, agree with me that it was the swatch’s fault…
I’m very tired…. )

I’ll probably cast on a pair of socks before trying again.
I need some comfort knitting.

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along.

PS : Thank you all for your wonderful and so helpful advice on this skirt.
Sorry for not being so active on your blogs. I read your posts but on a hurry. No time for commenting yet. Everything is crazy right now with the house building but feels great to feel so tired for this!
😀

Yarn Along

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 16 Comments

Happy Wednesday knitters!

I’m just popping in to join you in Ginny’s Yarn Along.

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The Chevron Baby Blanket is almost done. Just two color sections left and then the border.
Tomorrow they will find out the baby’s sex! I-can’t-wait!!

I also finished today my Ugly Socks.
It definitely didn’t worth my knitting time. The yarn shouldn’t be called yarn. I think it is muted plastic sting! Ugliest thing ever! A friend from work bought it for me. A non knitter friend.
Anyway, I knitted this pair for wearing it with my rain boots at work. A pair of socks that will not make me feel sad if it gets ruined.
In more exciting knitting, I’m hoping to cast on for my skirt later this evening.
Thank you all for your help! You are the best!

Planning….

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 19 Comments

You know about that time of the year that you are reorganising your stash, trying to find something more seasonally to knit with?

Well, I did that and look what I found!

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People, I’m in love!

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Just look at these colours!

I remember when I bought it.

It was back on my first days of knitting. It was love at first sight! But at that time I didn’t know enough about yarn. I thought all these colours would mix all together in a beautiful sweater. But when I casted on, I sadly saw that the colours were creating thick stripes and I didn’t like that.
So I bought more of it, thinking what if I hold two strands of yarn together in contrasting color? Would that give me the effect I was searching for my sweater? It didn’t!
So it was waiting patiently in my stash for 6 years!

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While I had my seasonal rearrange, I had this yarn in my winter yarn’s bag. I was confused with myself on why I had this cotton feel yarn along with wooly yarns.
Until I saw the label.

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“Silk and mercerised look”.
Look???? So what are you made of, my beautiful yarn?
Microfiber acrylic! I would never guessed!

To sum up, this is Alize Diva Batik.
Next step, look in Ravelry for projects with this yarn used.
Ok, there were some pretty gorgeous shawls but I had 5 skeins of it. Perhaps I could do something bigger?

And there it was! I saw this project.
Have you seen in cartoons when someone sees something and his jaw drops, his tongue unfolds and his eyes are popping out?!
Yeah, that was me cause OMG that dress!!!!
I completely lost my sleep over it!

I also checked out this, this and this project for inspiration or any helpful notes but I wanted more a long skirt instead of a dress.

So it’s decided! A skirt it will be!
Now I need your expertise.
I will knit it in round because when I purl my wrist hurts badly.
Should I knit it top-down to check on the fit and if I see it doesn’t work like I wished, to frog it in an early stage?
Or should I knit it bottom-up and keep the option of turning it into a dress open, supposing there’s still yarn left?
What would you do?

PS: I would have shown you my swatch but last night me and F caked the skeins and it is frogged.
That #*&^/@# was such a pain to cake!

WIP: Chevron baby blanket

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 12 Comments

I have crazy knitting plans!
A long knitted skirt, a dress, a top. All that for me.
I have the yarn and the patterns.
A skirt for my mum. I have half the yarn needed and waiting for the rest to come but I have the pattern.
Also (drumroll here) all of the patterns are mine!
I don’t think I’ll have the time to write them down any time soon and have actual patterns for anyone interested, but when things calm down I’ll do my best 🙂

But there is also a baby on its way. My best friend’s first.
My baby knitting is a little delayed by the excuse that we don’t know yet if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl.
Stupid excuse since I  know I’ll make everything neutral-gender.

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I started a baby blanket hoping that it will be finished before the weather gets very hot.
You all must know my love for stripes by now.
But do you know that is better than stripes?
Chevron!
I just love chevron.
The pattern is very simple and using a 5mm crochet hook makes the blanket fly off my hands.

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I chose white, grey and beige acrilic yarns for easy washing.
I know my friend will like the colors since her house is decorated in grey and beige.

I don’t know if it’s just me but I find blankets…. healing!
Having a hook and yarn and ending up with a blanket, is soothing for my soul. I feel grateful and covered by love as the blanket grows and starts covering me.
Have you ever felt that?

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along.

Last but not least, thank you so much for the comments on our house.
You put a big smile on my and F’s face.
You all are the best!

FO: The Gifted Reindeer

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 30 Comments

I’m inexcusable!
There’s been more than two months that my Gifted Reindeer is finished and I haven’t show it to you yet.
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Truth is I was planning on a more organised photoshoot.
Let’s all agree that is not going to happen!
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But I have something else, equally special for you….
First let’s talk about Reindeer.
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I couldn’t love more this cardigan.
The cable pattern down the back is so so beautiful.
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This pattern has everything I like.
It’s seemless. It’s an open cardigan. There is texture on the end of the sleeves. You can choose the length of the sleeves. You can have wider bands. Looks amazing in cotton and in more wooly yarns so it can be either a summer or winter garment. And it is Alina’s first pattern!
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I did this one in cotton since it was the best I could find but also because I wear cotton for more months.

As for the surprise I have for you….
What about our house first pictures?
Get ready for a bunch of them.
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(The view from the veranda with a sneak peek at our garden and the chicken coop)
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(The north side with the neighbour’s goats. He is happy to have young people in the neighbourhood so he is treating us daily with fresh goat milk which as it turns out I really like)
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(Still no walls on the main floor. Lots to be done until we can call it home. Can you see the ladder? It will lead to my craft room!)
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( The east side that has view to the sea)

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(Talking about my craft room 🙂
La la la!)
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(Hopefully next month I won’t be able to look out since there will be the roof done. Also, my hair is a mess, I know, but I’m growing them to donate them)
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I hope you enjoyed this little tour.
I know I enjoyed wearing my Reindeer which is so close to my heart while touring you around our House In Progress.
Thank you all for being so supportive.

And thank you Alina for everything….

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along.

FO: Walls-up socks

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 18 Comments

My Walls-up socks are finished even though the actual walls are not.
Sigh.
I guess falling off the scheduled timetable happens when you build a house, right?

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In the bright side, I now have sock blockers!! La la la!!
My love did his wonder again! Thank you darling :-*

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Back to the socks, I love love love them!
Even though there’s far too much pink for me.

The yarn looks so… happy.
(I strongly believe that a yarn CAN look happy)

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I used half my yarn so I will soon make another pair.
I’m thinking I’ll go for vanilla socks just to let the yarn’s colors to bloom with no distractions.

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Hermione’s Everyday Socks is a great pattern even though I did a different heel.
Why I didn’t try the heel that the pattern suggested?
Because by the time I had to do the heel, I didn’t have the pattern with me. I know shadow wraps short rows by heart and I really like how it looks and how it fits but I would like to try something new.

I know. There is always next time 😉
Learning never ends….

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along

FO: For Maria

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 22 Comments

You know when you just scroll around Pinterest and you see something that makes you drool over your screen?

Yeah, you do! 🙂

When I saw this pin I couldn’t get it off my mind.
I heard it whispering: “Knit me! Knit me for Maria!”

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The original pattern is a paid one.
Sadly, I couldn’t buy it because I don’t have a bank account that allows internet purchases (it’s hard, believe me!) so I improvised.

Even though I didn’t knit an actual Golden Wheat Cardigan, I want to thank the designer for the inspiration.

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I tried to have the purl side as the right side but this yarn didn’t look that good. It’s an acrilic fingering weight yarn which I held two strains together. It’s the same yarn I used for my Flax in a different colorway. 

I think you are probably not the biggest fan of acrylics but I find it extremely durable and easy to wash since you can just throw it in the washing machine, that I can forsee its scratchiness (is that a word?).
For someone that doesn’t know how to treat hand knitted items is great.
As is for lazy people like me!

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The buttons weren’t easy to found.
Made of ivory. So beautiful and fragile, like Maria!

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I know Maria since university.
She’s more like family to me.
Always there for me, as I am for her.
I’m so grateful to have her in my life.

I wanted to knit her something special and I’m sure that this cardigan will be her favorite. It’s just so Maria’s taste.

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It’s such a warm cardigan that taking those photos really made me sweat!

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As you can tell the photoshoot happened in F’s garage.
The photographer was my F.
Thank you my love ♡

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He has improved so much although he couldn’t capture the side faux seam while I was wearing the cardigan.
Such a pretty, little detail.

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I was on a deadline to finish it because Maria was supposed to visit me last week for Easter but unfortunately she couldn’t.
The cardigan will have to be sent to her soon even though the weather is getting hotter every day and she will not wear her new cardigan for months.

Do you think it is possible to have a couple of cold days?
In May? In Greece? Who am I kidding?!
A knitter can always wish for cold weather, right?
😉

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along.

Thank you Veronica!

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 9 Comments

Don’t you love winning on giveaways?
I know I do!!

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Veronica from Ajugas was giving away this lovely silk bag.
She mentioned, she would randomly select one recipient for the silk bag on or around the Spring Equinox.

The word Equinox was unknown to me so I turned to Google translation 😛
I was thrilled to find out that she meant the 20th of March, which is my birthday!
(For everyone interested Equinox is Isimeria in Greek)

And what a thrill when she informed me that I was chosen!

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I absolutely love the old fashioned style of the bag. So granny!
It is perfect for small projects, like my socks.

But the rest of the goodies her package was having in, definitely outrun the bag.
Sorry beautiful bag!

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She so generously included 4 balls of the squishiest yarn I ever touched in orange!
I love that orange and it’s F’s favorite color.
He already tried to claim it 😀

The yarn is 80% cotton 20% casmir.
A delight!

Not to forget, she also sent me some hand cream and lip balm.
Grrrrrreat!

I can’t believe how generous knitters can be!
Every time I get so amazed!

Veronica lives in the other corner of the earth, in Texas, but our love for knitting brought us close.
I have more people to share my passion here than in my daily life.

Thank you Veronica for being one of them.
I wish you always give so much joy to others.

Thank you all for supporting me, inspire me and just be absolutely freaking amazing people!
I’m really grateful…

Socks n’ HIP (House In Progress)

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 25 Comments

Spring (or an early summer to be more accurate) is here!

The weather is sunny and hot and all I want is to spend more time outdoors.

We have started preparing the garden and hopefully we will plant our tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini etc during the weekend.
Meanwhile, our turtles are enjoying our salad leftovers….

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Our house is slowly starting to look more like a house.
There are now some bricks but nothing special to show you yet.

When I casted on my stripy socks, the ceiling of the main floor/floor of the attic had just been built and we had to wait for 28 days for the cement to dry. But cement gets stronger if it is wet all the time. So, we had a schedule to water the floor 6 times a day!
While F was watering, I was in charge of the faucet.
And knitting my socks 😛

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If they look different to you than their WIP post,  it is because I ripped the first one off because I got a little obsessed with the stripes on the heel.
I feel much better with this result (after 4 attempts) and with having matching socks (after a mild breakdown).

So, now that one critical chapter of our HIP is done, another one begins.
Walls. Brick walls.

I thought it will be great if my knitting is accompanying our house in a way.
And I dream of a drawer full of hand knitted socks in our new house.
And I enjoy knitting socks so much!

I decided to knit a pair in every big part of the construction, while I am at the construction.

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I casted on Hermione’s Everyday Socks using the yarn I won in Laura’s giveaway.

This pattern seems to be on everyone’s needles lately, and I admit to be a Harry Potter enthusiast as well, so it was a perfect match.

These will be my Walls-up socks and I have about 3 weeks to finish them.

Also I’m waiting for F to get some free time to make me wooden sock blockers, as he promised me!
How lucky am I???
How amazing is he?!

Joining Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along.

FO: Rainbow Scrap Sweater

~ zeta (kalianapodi.wordpress.com) ~ 16 Comments

The Rainbow Scrap Sweater is finished and its recipient is enjoying it!

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A wonderful, easy and so colorful little sweater for a little person.
It took me 4 days from start to finish while watching season 3 of Elementary. Multitasking, I know but how amazing is it that we can watch a movie or a couple episodes of a serie and end up with a -let’s say- hat!
Mind blowing!

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Back to the sweater, I weight it when finished and I happily found out that I can make another one by using only one skein of one color. So, I think this will be the official sweater pattern I’ll be knitting for future gifts for toddlers.

Remember the little vest? It fitted this little guy like a glove!

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He is such a sweetheart! I almost took him with me when leaving!
He was sitting quietly on my lap all the time I was there! He even took a nap while I was holding him! Most babies like me immediately  (my sister says it’s my funny face) but this one was really something!
It was love at first sight! For both of us!

I hope you all have a great week along with your loved ones and huge amounts of tenderness!