Doing research!

While my internet was gone, I decided to do a little research on some garments I've been dying to make for quite some time now. Ever since my friend Bale made a "langnisselue" for her friend back college (2010-11), I've been wanting to make a similar one for myself. These hats belong to the little gnome "nisser" we got here in Norway. They are super long with (usually) a folded brim and often a big tassel in the end. They're all in one colour, usually a slightly darker christmas red.

These particular hats that I'm interested in making comes from a christmas advent TV-series called "Amalies Jul" (and also later "Jul på Månetoppen"(and maybe even "Jul i Blåfjell"? I have no idea cause I don't like the ones with the "blånissene")). Here we follow a little family of "rødnisser" (aka the red gnome "nisse") that lives in the stables at a big, old manison where Amalie spends her christmas that particular year (this all was aired on TV for the first time in 1995). Amile doesn't know of the "rødnisser" and they can't show themself to Amalie.

Anyway. When the "rødnisser" are of a certain age, they have to earn their "langlue" at the "langluefesten". Normaly their pointy hats are quite short and stubby, symbolising that they're still kids and then they get get the "langlue" which are these long, pretty and adult hats. They are slightly felted and have a nice and clean look to them. No pattern, no fancy cables or stuff, just plain knit.

My friend Bale once gave me the pattern she used for the hat she made, but I have no idea where I managed to put it. I might just have to freestyle it at the best of my ability to make this kind of hat. I've already got my hands on the yarn my friend used, so I'm ready to start it any minute, really.

BUT! That's not all! What I've REALLY been wanting from this series is the hat Amalie recieves from "Nisseungen" on her birthday. It's the same shape as the normal "langlue", but it's more colourful with some kind of pattern to it. I've been drooling over this hat for quite some time now, and my friend Bale gave me the pattern originally for me to get started on that particular hat, but it was kinda impossible to find a good picture of it and also get the right yarn. This Ullteppegarn yarn above does not carry all the colours I need for her hat.

For last christmas, I managed to get the TV-series on DVD, so now I can get clearer pictures and realy study it. The colour pattern itself is actually quite simple. I've drawn it down and would be just about ready to work this hat up...if only I had the yarn...

It has five colours; red, purple, dark purple/maroon, moss green and light grey/beige. The Ullteppegarn doesn't have a good green colour. For some reason, they carry just about all kinds of darker, natural colours, but green they decided to keep in the shade lime. Other yarn types I've looked at doesn't have good purple tones, or they don't carry beige or a clean grey.
Already, I've been struggeling with this task for a few years, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to solve it in due time for this winter either... Maybe the red hat, but not this colourful one.

Ah! And one last thing! Amalie also recieves a pair of mittens and long socks on her birthday. These I've never bothered to actually take too much notice of, but on near inspection, they're quite pretty! I've just launched a wanted sign on these on a knitting group on Facebook. I doubt if anything will show up, but who knows. To be fair, I haven't done much research on these yet, so they might be a quick little fix...or it nothing else, I'll just have to try and trace the pattern...

Now I'm in a crazed christmas mood! Please excuse me while I spray down the appartment with my marzipan perfume, sprinkle cinnamon in every corner and drag the tree and decoration out!

Felting projects!

Make a new blog, I said... Make it a challenge, I said... I think we all know I've failed that allready...

Well, I would like to welcome my new followers! Thank you all for stopping by, I truly hope you'll stick around and enjoy what I post here. I was supposed to update my blog every day with my progress of knitting every day...but I fell out of that... I'm trying to update as often as I can remember it though.

Anyway! I am currently in a felting mood! I'm plowing my way though wool scraps I got lying around that I've saved for felting.

This started with Bård's aunt wanting one of the "nisse" gnome wine holders I made for his parents a few years ago. I had bought yarn to make one for her, but only recently started it. Yesterday (or was it the day before?), I finished it up and it now only needs felting. I used a yarn I've never tried for felting before, so it'll be fun to see the result. His body and hat is knitted while the brim of his hat and nose are crochet. I've allready stuffed his nose with stuffing and the beard is just simply tied on.

I've allready made two of these, check them out here.

But as I said, I got a bunch of wool scraps that I've saved. I got three piles of wool scraps: one for new, pure wool that I can use for felting, one for superwash treated wool that I use for ugly scrap socks, and a third pile for just random wool scraps without lable to use for whatever. The "felting" pile has grown alot and I figured I'd bust some of it out and make a few slippers...which is usually what I make with them.

I love felted slippers and I wear them every day, all year around, no matter how ugly they look. So right now, I'm working on one square pair in horrible color combinations, and I might do a different pair for Bård afterwards. I'm trying to work on several felted projects at the same time. Since I'm felting in the washing machine, I'd hate to waste both electricity and water if I can help it.

But since the wine holder needs to be felted, dry and all done by the 20th, I got a tight timeframe going on... Trying to work up the slippers as fast as I can to toss them in the washer.