What is on My Knitting Needles? Mis on varrastel?

Currently I’m working on a summer cardigan which I am knitting with an interesting hemp-cotton-viscose blend yarn, which I bought on a spring-time trip to Copenhagen. Before the trip I searched the internet for information about the yarn shops there. Walking around and looking for the shops it turned out that some of the shops had ceased trading and some had moved. I noticed that in Denmark yarn stores open relatively late and are often closed some days in a week. On my last day in Copenhagen I planned to use the Danish money I had left  to spend in a yarn store. On arriving in Denmark the previous Friday whilst walking along Vesterbrogade I saw four or five yarn stores.  On Tuesday, when I wanted to buy yarn, the only one that was open was the  Therese Garn store. This is a strange little shop. On the street in front of the shop there are piles of yarns in baskets, like in many yarn shops in Denmark. However upon entering the shop it seemed I had run into yarn jungle! In a relatively small room all the walls are covered from floor to ceiling with shelves full of yarn, and that's not all! In front of shelves on the floor lay stacks of yarn packages waist high! From these chaotic piles of different yarns, I managed to dig out some exciting finds. I noticed, for example,  lot of products from the Danish company, Onion yarns. I chose from shelves different yarns, but on several occasions it appeared that the desired quantity wasn’t available. The final decision fell in favour of the turquoise-blue hemp yarn from Onion brand because summer's coming.

When I started to knit the yarn felt a bit stiff and rope-like between my fingers, and I was afraid that fingers might get sore. However, already halfway through the first skein was that feeling lost, as the yarn becomes increasingly softer. It is pleasant to knit.

I very rarely, when I'm knitting, follow a written pattern. Mostly I design my own garments. I had a vision of what I would like to knit and started to go through pattern books, looking for something interesting and a new for me stitch pattern. I chose a pattern from the book "Omas Strickgeheimnisse", p. 167. The pattern reminded me of sails. However on knitting the pattern I found that the yarn and the pattern does not work well together. The pattern is knitted on each row and there is yarn-overs in a back row as well. I didn’t like too much how single strand ladders were created. Obviously, this pattern fits better for wool than cotton. What do you think?

I have chosen another pattern, zig-zag’s (no. 41), from Burda patterns collection, Russian edition of "Volshebnõi Klubok". Thanks for the book to Martaberta.

The story will continue by me displaying some of the (new to me) knitting techniques I used.

Praegu on käsil suvise kampsuni kudumine huvitavast kanepi-puuvilla-viskoosi segusest lõngast, mille ostsin kevadisel Kopenhaageni-reisil. Enne reisi otsisin netist infot lõngapoodide kohta. Kohapeal selgus, et mõni pood oli tegutsemise lõpetanud, mõni kolinud. Taani lõngapoodide puhul on silma jäänud, et avatakse suhteliselt hilja ja tihti on pood nädala sees mõnel päeval hoopis suletud. Viimasel päeval oli plaan järelejäänud raha lõngapoodi jätta. Reedel mööda Vesterbrogade’t jalutades nägin nelja-viit lõngapoodi. Teisipäeval, kui lõnga tahtsin osta, oli ainult  Therese Garn avatud. See on üks pisut kummaline pood. Välisukse ees tänaval on lõngakuhjad korvides ootel nagu vist kõigis Taani lõngapoodides. Sisenedes aga tundus, et olen sattunud lõngadźunglisse! Väikese ruumi seinad on kaetud maast laeni riiulitega täis lõnga, ja see pole veel kõik! Riiulite ees põrandal on kuhjade viisi lõngapakke. Kuhjad ulatuvad vööni, kui mitte rinnuni. Sealt ma siis kaevasin välja üha põnevamaid lõngu. Silma jäi näiteks Taani firma Onion lõngad. Valisin riiulilt välja järjest uusi lõngu, kuid mitmel puhul selgus, et soovitud kogust ei ole. Lõplik otsus langes Onion’i türkiis-sinise  kanepilõnga kasuks, sest suvi ju tulemas.

Kuduma hakates tundus lõng sõrmede vahel jäik ja nöörilaadne, kartsin, et sõrmed jäävad valusaks. 

Kuid  juba esimese toki poolepeal oli see tunne kadunud, nagu muutuks lõng järjest pehmemaks. Meeldiv on kududa.

Väga harva, kui ma koon etteantud õpetuse järgi, rohkem ikka omast peast. Seekordki oli idee olemas. Lappasin mustriraamatuid otsides mõnd huvitavat ja uudset mustrit, mida kududa. Valisin mustri raamatust “Omas Strickgeheimnisse”, lk. 167. Pildil olev muster meenutas purjesid. Kuduma hakates leidsin, et see lõng ja muster koos ei tööta hästi. Mustrit kootakse igal real, ka tagasireal on õhksilmused, ja nii moodustuvad lõngajooksud häirisid mind. Ilmselt sobib see muster paremini mõne elastsema, villasema lõngaga. Mida arvate?

Uueks mustriks valisin sik-sakid (nr. 41) venekeelsest Burda mustrite kogumikust “Volshebnõi Klubok” ("Bолшебный клубок"). Raamatu eest tänud Martabertale :)

Lugu jätkub mõningate (minu jaoks uudsete) detailide näitamisega, mida kudumisel kasutan.