MOONSTITCHES

Alive and Knitting, once again...

What shall I say?!

Repeat my big words from 1 1/2  years ago, my announcement I would be coming back, back then?!

Or keep it a little more demure like half a year ago? Telling you I really wanted to get my ravelry pages updated and therefore needed to post pictures of finished knits here on the blog first...?

All is still true, yet all I managed to do in the meantime was taking those lazy iPhone photos and post them on Instagram.
But... I still feel that there is something missing when I'm not blogging and I also did get a new camera this summer and am eager to take pictures and share my view of Japan with you again, so it seems obvious, yet again,  to announce my comeback. 

Hello, I missed you!

And: I made a sweater (or some more) in the meantime.

It's Enchanted Mesa by Stephen West, but in a boring/ more practical shape. Knitting through my stash (Stash), having a lot of fun using leftovers and odd (Oddity) gems that would otherwise most likely have slept there until the end of time because they were heavily variegated, pink or sparkly...

Stash Oddity.

And please feel free to start humming David Bowie's Space Oddity right now, I did the same for the last 12 days (since I have been casting on)(earworm!!!). 

If you saw my photos on Instagram you know that after completion this sweater turned out to be in need of major surgery in order to get rid of one stripe right in the middle, but here it is, all well and I am quite happy with the result.

More pictures, as always, on Flickr and the Stash Oddity project page on ravelry.

Nice to be back, once more.

Mittens 2013

As well as we pay Hokkaido up in Japan's north a visit each winter, I decided I should knit at least one new pair of cozy, pretty mittens every year.
Winter is just so much more enjoyable with new, warm knits!
On ravelry I stumbled upon those lovely mittens by Mandy Powers and instantly knew I had to have them.
Trying to use some yarn from my stash, I knitted them in a wool/alpaca blend I had been using for this sweater. The final stitches I did last week on our way to Niseko on Hokkaido, so again I had a finished pair of mittens to photograph in Niseko's heavenly powdery snow!
Hope I can repeat this new found tradition next year!

Alive and knitting

I won't read my postings from last year when I announced I was coming back, but I think I had in mind to post some pictures of my knittings to finally get my ravelry project pages updated. So here are two of my most favourite knits I have ever done:
the left mitten and the right one of my pair of Fiddlehead Mittens!

The pattern is well written and knitting the mittens is so easy and quick. I very much enjoyed making these. Last year.

And over this past year they went through many things, including too hot washings and a bicycle accident I had in December during which they had to withstand a lot!
Knitted in a heavy DK weight yarn on small needles, they are dense and thick. Lined with an angora blend they are even warm enough to serve me as perfectly cozy skiing mittens while being on Hokkaido last week - with temperatures of up to minus 14 degrees Celsius!

I surely will never again wear some High-tech skiing glove again - I choose good old fashioned wool mittens!

La Turballe

The moment I saw Veera's Gathering Stripes - adult version, I knew I had to knit one. But which colours should I choose?
Those stripes, that collar... all the sudden I had the impression this sweater was speaking French to me.
Not exactly looking like a traditional Breton Sweater but very much like a modern, very cozy version of it.
And thinking of Breton Sweaters I immediately was remembered of that beautiful bicycle tour I once did, with my husband (boyfriend back then), starting in Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) with the intention to ride to Brittany.
With a rough idea which way to go we started our journey. A few hours later we discovered we had forgotten all our maps at home... and since we were young and had no money to splurge, we decided to just rely on the sun and road signs. Later on we followed La Loire, passing beautiful castles and famous, old towns. And ten days after leaving home we finally reached the Atlantic Ocean at La Turballe.
We didn't get to Brittany, no, but that little town, the beautiful, deserted beach (off season) were just perfect.
What a great moment - reaching the coast after ten days of hard work!

Inspired by Stéphanie's wonderful version (Ravelry) of the sweater I ordered yarn at Jamieson's Of Shetland in french colours. One could argue they look much more dutch in this horizontal striping... anyway, this is the french sweater!
The yarn is fantastic. Rustic, yet so soft, also light and I guess quite durable. Very pleasant to work with and the knitted fabric is just beautiful!

More photos and details on Ravelry.

I want to thank you for all your sweet comments and messages. You made me smile!!!
I started replying to you but couldn't get back to all of you yet. You'll be hearing from me soon!

Au revoir!

issho ni - together

Thank you very much for your warm welcome!
Many of you have been writing to me over the last twelve months - most messages I left unanswered. I will try to reply to you during the next ten days. Hope you are all well!
This is a sweater I started shortly before the earthquake, finishing it while we were on Okinawa in March last year.
I mentioned here on the blog we would be staying on Okinawa... we've been there until the end of March. Came back to Yokohama afterwards, been here since then.
The sweater was made in a bigger size to let Dagny grow into it, and she did, just now, as I mentioned earlier today on Ravelry. Being so completely simple and a little rough meets my almost nine year old girl's sense of fashion perfectly - anything cute must be avoided now, we're becoming kind of cool these days.
And I am not making fun of this - this is only my attempt to take it with humor as I find that all this growing up is happening way too quickly. You know what I mean. Sometimes I'd like to push the pause button for a while.

Last year was the anniversary of 150 years of friendship between Japan and Germany - that little badge symbolizing this friendship found a permanent place on this otherwise completely unadorned sweater, giving it its name - issho ni - together.

It is a DROPS design, old fashioned bottom up raglan without any bit of fanciness to it. Perfectly satisfying if you want to knit a basic raglan sweater.

I will continue with a series of knitting posts here on MOONSTITCHES over the next days. Have been knitting all year, always am, and all those knits, not shared here or on Ravelry feel like a pile of laundry which needs to be taken care of.
Bye! Talk to you soon!