Where did that stash come from?

Do you remember the days when I was a happy knitter with no stash? Well, no more, now I have a rather overflowing stash again, for me that is. So I  decided to look into the matter and diagnose my stash:
Linen
This is the yarn I'm currently knitting with. I'm working on a skirt in ribbing and some day I will take a picture and show it to you, but for now a picture of the yarn will have to do.

Linen
This is left over yarn from the t-shirt I recently finished. Have I showed it to you? No, I don't think so.. A post on my handmade wardrobe may be due soon.

So far no real stash, right?! Because left overs doesn't count, right?!

Cotton
This is yarn from my mum, it is OLD. She wanted to knit a shirt with it, but her hands didn't like the cotton, so now it is mine.
Shetland wool 
This is yarn I bought over christmas, I meant to make a cowl, but now I'm not so sure. For now it is waiting.


And then we have some assorted leftovers. Some cotton, some sock wool and some hand spun, which I used for the headband/hat combo pattern SNOWY EASTER.

That leads us to the last part of my stash. The never ending yarn!

wool
This is what  I have left. Yes it is another left over. I bought it for 268 DKK, which was very cheap, to make a sweater for my man. Ooops, I guess I haven't shown you that either. Bad blogger, no cookie for me. When I finished that I had barely made a dent in the yarn, so I gifted a bunch to my SIL, so she could make a sweater for herself. And still there is more. Much more. 
While it makes wonderful sweaters, it is not very nice to knit with. It scratches and makes my fingers itch. Once it is watched it is great, soft and airy. So I decided to wind it all into 100g skeins, so I can wash it before I knit with it again.


The winding was a slow process and it showed just how much yarn I have left: 600g. This should be enough for a good long cardigan for me. 


I guess this isn't much of a stash, but it takes up a lot space and I really want to knit it down.
Does yarn tend to sneak up on you and what about those pesky leftovers? Oh and lets not talk about my spinning stash...

Giveaway #1

A lot of firsts are coming my way lately, but they have all been good ones and I'm enjoying them immensely, so I figured why not spread the joy with another first!

My first giveaway is going to be for my newest pattern, SNOWY EASTER, which I told you about yesterday.  




Here is what you need to do for a chance to win this two-in-one pattern, each thing will earn you a chance, you can do as many as you like. Make sure to leave your email or your Ravelry name in every comment and please leave one comment per entry. 
  1. Subscribe to this blog on bloglovin and comment that you did so, if you already subscribe simply leave a comment saying so.
  2. Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with a link to the post.
  3. Share this giveaway on Ravelry and leave a comment with a link.

There you have it, the chance to earn up to 3 entries in the giveaway, which will close on Sunday July 7th.  

Open for business

It's here! My micro business is finally up and running. I took the initial steps back in April when I was home for Easter, then in May I published DO BE SQUARE - no fuss cotton rounds and now I am presenting to you not one, but two new designs, for your knitting pleasure.

First up we have SNOWY EASTER, a headband/hat combo pattern:


Inspired by a very snowy Easter, this headband and hat pattern helps you create an item that fits, as it is knitted from measurements. Hardly any math is involved, all you need is a measuring tape, which also means that gauge isn’t as important. 

 30 DKK/ca. $5

The third pattern in my small business is another FREE pattern called THE JOHN 6:12 BLANKET:


Jesus said to his disciples, “(...) Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” John 6:12 NIV
Thus the John 6:12 blanket came to be. We all have yarn left over from projects and this pattern allows you to use it so that it isn’t wasted. 
While the pattern is written for a baby blanket you can easily make it bigger, suggestions on how to do so are noted in the pattern. 
Only your imagination is the limit when it comes to colour combinations and yarns used, but I do advice that you only use one weight per blanket. You can always double or tripple the yarn to get the correct weight.


Malmö - A guide for the non-consumer

Malmö, the third biggest city in Sweden, only 30 min from Copenhagen by train and known as a mecca  for shoppers. A quick google search will bring you tons of shopping guides for the city, but what to do when you aren't planning to go shopping?
We went to Malmö for a day and the city has plenty to offer for the non-consumer.

PARKS
Malmö is famous for its parks and we went to a few of them: Slottsträdgården, Kungsparken and Slottsparken.
The parks are dotted with statues, fountains and plenty of animals. We were surpriced with the many geese wandering the green spaces with their youngs.




Most of the parks have waterways through them, where you can spot people canoeing and sailing motor boats and so on.




Slottsmöllan is very picturesque and close to every gardener's must see: Slottsträdgården (the castle garden). 


 At Slottsträdgården you will find all kinds of gardens and in the middle a huge vegetable garden






At the opposite end of the garden you will find a couple of huge green houses and a small café, where you can enjoy a cup of whetever you prefer.

Making your way towards Gustav Adolfs Torv, make sure to see Gamla Begravningsplatsen (The old cementary), which is a very peacefull place.


BUILDINGS
In Malmö, I would recommend seeing Malmöhus slot, which is a 14th century castle turned museum. We opted not to see the museums, but in case you would want to they are very varied and the entry fee is very reasonable at 40 SEK/ 20SEK with student ID, to see all the museums. 


Another place worth the hike to see up close is the Turning Torso.


Malmö is such a mixture of old and new that you are sure to find buildings that will suit your taste.






CAFÉ LIFE
Living up to its fame as a paradise for shoppers Malmö is crowded by cafés, the best place we found and where we decided to have a latte in the sun was Noir Kaffekultur, where the coffee is organic, the icecream homemade italian style and the barristas wear red lipstick. They even had Lactose free milk for my latte and they won my heart for good when I went to the rest room and above the mirror was a hand written note: Var fin du är idag (how pretty you are today!). 




SHOPPING
Should you forget your non-consumer mentality for a moment or just want to go browsing, I'll recommend the following places: 


Five o'clock tea is said to be the best place to shop for tea and such. We did a little window shopping once again agreeing on our future tea pot.  

Granit turned out to be a minimalist's dream, with functionality and design at its heart.