A knitting room of one's own

We just moved to a new 3-room appartment, and made a very bold decision: We have no living room. We have a quite large kid's room, an even larger guy's room half filled with computer stuff and playthings, and [ta-ta-tara!] mum's very own little room for knitting, sewing and chatting.

It has been ten years or so since I last had a room of my own, and I really enjoy the closed door sometimes. But even more, I love to bring my family into the tiny space with three cups of tea, two magazines and a box of Polly-dolls. Yesterday, the blonde Polly took her man shopping in Knitty, carefully tiptoeing over my laptop keyboard, before they had lunch on daddy's knee.

Today, I am carefully sorting my yarn into piles on the sofa. Planning where and how to store the different yarns, and what to knit this summer and fall. Taking my time to touch and smell the delicate fibres, combining different colours, and knitting swatches as I go. Knowing that if I can't finnish today, I can leave everything out, close the door and continue tomorrow.

Yikes! I knit milk!

This weekend I got to try out the Viking of Norway yarn "milk and honey." It is made out of 70% milk fibre (and 30% cotton), and I still find it hard to understand ...WHY?

Of course, I do not quite understand HOW either, but that's for some future post. What I do understand of the process, however, is that it isn't easy nor cheap. It does sell on the eco-friendly wave, but I am not convinced that it is any more eco friendly than plain cotton.

But great political, philosophical and ethical questions aside, let us concentrate on the important perspective: The knit.

Honestly, it felt like cotton. Slightly less plied and thus also a looser knit than the cottons I prefer, but not at all like some brands of 100% cotton. So, why bother adding that much milk to the blend? Need I try the new 100% milk fibre?

Fiber snob

Askeladden sheep friendly merino have been my favourite yarn for three years, but the more berries jacket gave me a crush on alpaccas from Du Store Alpakka. More than half my projects this winter and spring have been made from this alpacca: The more berries jacket and shrug, a few baby gifts, mittens and scarves for DD and myself, and a lace cap we still fight over.

But now I have gathered my last scraps of alpacca to embroidery on a kimono, and the crush is over. Promise.

But before I return to the crisp merinos, I need to explore the Askeladden merino/silk-blends. Currently on the needles: Delicate, white lace for a baby and a soft, green shrug for me.