More Gift Knitting

I am almost done with this scarf. I love to wear scarves, and I love to give them as gifts. I feel like they are likely to be worn by the giftee. Fingering-weight scarves have always appealed to me. They are so pretty and light-weight enough to wear comfortably. But, few things are as tedious as a fingering-weight scarf!

I'm nearing the finish line with this, and I will be glad to cast-off! But I still think it's pretty and I know the exact person to appreciate it!

Gift knitting

No selfish knitting for this girl!

There are so many things I want to knit for myself, but I decided a while ago that I was going to give knitted gifts to all the guys on my list. Hanukkah falls really early this year, so I don't really have time to change my mind.

So, hat number 1 is almost done:

It's  the Turn A Square Hat by the ever-popular Jared Flood, who blogs at Brooklyn Tweed.

It's a great pattern, fast but a truly lovely finished hat. I'm using the yarns he calls for: Cascade 220 for the solids and Noro Silk Garden for the stripes. Noro is SO expensive, so it's nice to use it as one yarn in a project. I think I can get at least two hats out of one skein of each yarn.

Am I the only one thinking of the holidays?

Welcoming the Cold

The weather here went from summer to fall overnight, which gave me the opportunity to cover myself with hand knits:

I am wearing a hat from a Vogue Magazine pattern; mitts from a free Internet pattern; basic ribbed leg warmers knit with Kidsilk and Cascade 220; and a very simple shawl. I love fall!

We ate outdoors last night -- in a temporary structure called a sukkah. The sukkah is part of the Jewish celebration of Sukkot, a harvest celebration.

It was a potluck, and most of the dishes were vegan. It seems like more and more people I know are vegan, which I find challenging to cook for. I make a lot of vegetarian dishes, but many of them have cheese or eggs.

Are you running into this, too? My friend Tsela recommends two books: Vegamonicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson. I am going to check these out. It's not that I plan to ever become vegan -- no more cheese? forget it! -- but I  want to be able to make food for all my friends.

Are you running into more vegans these days, too?

Weekend Getaway

Keith and I drove to Milwaukee Saturday morning. Luckily we wanted to do a some indoor activities because it was a rainy, windy weekend.

We toured the botanical domes, which were a bit disappointing because the tropical dome was closed for maintenance.

We really enjoyed a special exhibit on African-American art at the Milwaukee Art Museum:

And we went to some fun restaurants, like Honeypie on the hip Kinnickinnik Street, where the meals are homey and the pies are amazing!

With school starting this week, I haven't done a whole lot of knitting. But I haven't yet shared with you this great painting I saw in an art museum in Copenhagen:

The painting, titled "Anna Seekamp," depicts the artist's sister, knitting in her hand! Bertha Wegman, a Dane, of course, painted it in 1882. It was so much fun to stumble on this little masterpiece at the Statens Museum for Kunst -- the National Gallery of Denmark.

Do Europeans know how lucky they are to be surrounded by so much beautiful art and architecture?

One Done & One Begun

I finished this last night:

I thought that weaving in all the ends would be tedious but it was not, thanks to my current Netflix obsession. I have been watching Arrested Development from the start and I am really liking it. It is quirky so it might not be for everyone, but it has grown on me.

I immediately jumped into another baby blanket using the same yarn, Lion Brand Jiffy.

I need some variety so I am going to do muttered squares - even though that will leave me with a lot of ends to weave. Thank goodness for Netflix!

Knitting Deadline

Let me start by saying that I have already missed the deadline. The little boy who will be receiving the blanket has already made his entrance.

Still, I'm close to the end. I've just begun picking up stitches for the border. Yes, it is a little crooked; apparently I picked up too many stitches on one square. Oh well. I think a little boy will not mind at all.

The mom is a coworker who I just adore. I'm even forgiving her for taking time off work!

It's a Log Cabin-style blanket that I just made up as I went. The yarn is Lion Brand Jiffy. I like it for baby blankets because it wears like steel, can be washed and dried by machine, and makes a nice puffy surface to lay a baby on.

I can't wait to finish it so I can go over my friend's house and meet Cole!

My Body is Home But My Mind ....

is still here:

This is the quintessential Copenhagen scene. Nyhavn is the old harbor and still one of the most beautiful places I've been. As hard as it was to leave Denmark, it was even harder to leave my daughter back at her home in Washington, DC -- as well as my brother and his family. In my perfect world, all the people I love would live in the same city as I do!

My daughter, who has absolutely no interest in knitting, helped me find a yarn store in Copenhagen. Somehow we had the wrong address, but Rachel figured it out. Then she waited patiently while I examined the wares at Sommerfuglen, which was a moderate walk from our hotel:

I had done my research so I knew that this is the premier yarn store in Copenhagen. As you can see, it was filled with yummy stuff. They also had some gorgeous knits on display:

The selection of yarns was brought and lovely, albeit expensive. This is not a place to go for cheap yarn. Much to my surprise, the prices on given yarns were no higher than they are in the United States. As advertised, the staff is friendly and helpful.

I simply could not leave empty handed, and ended up with a couple of "souvenirs":

The skein toward the top is Hand Maiden Casbah, a luxurious mix of merino, cashmire and nylon. I have no idea of what I'm going to do with it, but I had to have it! The colors are so rich and deep. I'd heard about but never seen this yarn before. It's a pricey one, and I just wasn't willing to buy it over the Internet.

Below that is a second ball of Crazy Zauberball. I wrote about discovering this yarn a few weeks ago here. I am still knitting on that scarf and love it so much that I have to make another one in this colorway.

Speaking of colors, do you see a pattern there?

Now I need to go back on a yarn diet -- just as I need to stop with the chocolate-filled croissants that you find all over Europe!

Hamlet and Knitting

Yesterday Rachel and  I took a whirlwind bus tour so we could see castles and Viking ships that are 30 to 45 miles outside of Copenhagen. I generally avoid tours because I like to go at my own pace, but there were so many places we wanted to see.

The first stop was to see Kronborg castle in Helsingor. This is the castle were Shakespeare set Hamlet. It is the oldest standing castle in Denmark and a World Heritage Site:

Next we headed to Hillerod to see the Frederiksborg castle. First we stopped on town for lunch. A half block from the cafe I spotted this:

Yes, it is a yarn store! I rushed in and quickly bought this:

I know nothing about this yarn, but I like the colors and it is a brand I had not seen before. I will have to check it out on Ravelry when I get home.

I am glad that I rushed in the store because the castle is magnificent.

This  Renaissance castle was built in the 16th century by King Christian IV, and it is the ultimate fairy-tale castle. We walked through it in wonder.

We finished the day by touring a cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde.

It was a great day, made even greater by sharing it with my daughter!

Greetings from Copenhagen

Yes, this is my summer to travel. i am in Copenhagen with my daughter and we are having a great time. I feel so lucky to be able to share this experience with her.

Here is a view of a typical row of buildings in Copenhagen - pretty, even in the rain!

And I will finish with a photo of a summer palace: