Kapa za viteza - A Hat Fit for a Knight

Ove dve kape sam saštrikala za Eminog drugara iz vrtića i njegovog mlađeg brata. Oni nekako često mlate mačevima i skroz su mi bili u fazonu da bi im se dopali ovi viteški šlemovi. Kako nigde nisam mogla da nađem odgovarajući „recept“, gledala sam nekoliko različitih slika sličnih kapa i sama sve složila u jednu. Bilo bi lepo i da sam pažljivije zapisivala dok sam radila, ali mene kad uhvati žar pletenja, ne prihvaćam se olovke tako lako.

Generalno sam zadovoljna kako je sve ispalo, mada je bilo dosta teško pogoditi veličinu i širinu dela koji ide preko usta bez modela ispred sebe. Isto tako je teško naći ravnotežu između finoće i čvrstine prediva. Predivo mora da bude dovoljno čvrsto da bi sve stajalo kako treba, a opet dovoljno meko da ne grebe dečju glavicu. Nadam se da sam uspela sve dobro da uklopim i da će nosioci dugo biti zadovoljni :)

I have made these two hats for my daughter's friend from daycare and his younger brother. They are always playing with swords and seemed just right for these helmets. Since I couldn't find a pattern that suited me, I had to combine a few photos of different knight helmet hats. It would have been nice if I made better notes while I knitted, but once I start knitting, I don't put down my needles for any reason.

I am generally happy with how they turned out, though it was difficult to get the sizing right with the the model out of reach. Also, it was hard to find the right yarn, since it had to be sturdy enough for the helmet to keep its shape, but also soft enough for the little heads to be able to wear it. I hope I got everything right and that the boys will be able to enjoy it all winter.

Elsa kapa - Elsa inspired hat

Juče nam pao prvi sneg - taman na vreme da isprobamo novu kapu. Pošto su moje cure veliki obožavatelji crtanog filma Frozen, E. je dobila Elsa kapu.

Kapa je rađena po ideji sa ovog sajta. U originalu je trebalo da bude heklana, ali kako meni pletenje ipak bolje ide od ruke, isplela sam najobičniju plavu kapu i dodala Elsinu kosu. Ideja je veoma jednostavna, a opet vrlo efektna. Ana kapa sledi uskoro.

We had our first snow yesterday - just in time to try out the new hat. Since my girls are big fans of Frozen, E. got an Elsa hat.

The hat was made according to this idea. It is supposed to be crocheted, but since I am a knitter at heart, I knitted a simple beanie and added Elsa's hair. The idea for the hat is so simple, but still so amazing. Anna inspired hat will be coming along really soon.

Plavi štrikaton NS Needles - NS Needles blue KAL

Grupa NS Needles se dogovorila da će ove godine imati dva štrikatona, prvi od 1. januara do 30. juna, a drugi od 1. jula do kraja godine. Prvi štrikaton je za temu imao boju (dakle, pletete/heklate šta želite, ali na zadatu boju), dok će drugi imati za temu određeni odevni predmet, a boju po izboru. Glasale smo i izglasale plavo.

Ovo je moj doprinos:

 

U pitanju je mustra Sonnensegel dizajnerke Ulrike Altrogge, a možete je besplatno skinuti kao Ravelry download ovde. Autorka je zamislila da šal bude trouglast, ali se meni više dopala ideja da bude romboidnog oblika. A to mi je i dalo opravdanje da napravim dva pom-poma. Koristila sam predivo Troitsk Yarn Angora (rođendanski poklon od prijateljice iz Beograda), a tamnije predivo je Vlnap Geisha, poklon od Heklice.

U štrikatonu je učestvovalo ukupno 12 pletilja, a izradile smo 17 radova za sada. Ukoliko ste član Ravelry-ja, radove možete pogledati ovde.

 

Our knitting group NS Needles has decided to organize two KALs this year. The first began on January 1st and ends on June 30th, and the second one begins on July 1st and lasts until the end of the year. The theme of the first KAL was to knit/crochet any garment in a previously determinted colour, whereas during the second KAL the task is going to be to knit/crochet a specific garment in a colour of our choice. We voted and the topic colour for the first KAL was decided to be blue.

I have knitted a shawl called Sonnensegel by Ulrike Altrogge, the pattern can be downloaded as a free Ravelry pattern here. The author has designed the shawl to be triangular shaped, but I decided to make it in a shape of a rhombus, thus having a reason to make two pom-poms :)

I used two types of yarn that I got as presents from my knitter friends: the lighter is Troitsk Yarn Angora (from a friend in Belgrade) and the darker one is Vlnap Geisha Color, a gift from Heklica.

12 knitters took part in this KAL, having knitted 17 garments so far (you can see them here).

Can Can rukavice iliti umem i ja da ispletem rukavice - I can can knit a pair of mittens

Ovo su moje prve rukavice! Već dugo zavidim drugim pletiljama kako su se odvažile da pletu nešto tako komplikovano, ali nikako nisam imala hrabrosti da se i ja upustim u te vode. Međutim, došlo doba da se i to proba :)

 

Rukavice su namenjene mojoj prijateljici Neveni, mami Eminog najboljeg druga. Jesenas su se odselili u Irsku i mnogo nam nedostaju. Povremeno nam dođu u Novi Sad i te trenutke željno iščekujemo i Ema i ja. Osim toga što se uvek super ispričamo i uporedimo beleške, a klinci obnove svoje prijateljstvo, Nevena me uvek obraduje nečim fantastičnim - časopisima sa mustrama za pletenje. Na tome, kao i na predivnoj knjizi koju mi je prošli put poklonila, sam joj beskrajno zahvalna, jer, kao što je poznato, naše izdavaštvo se tom temom ne bavi. Ili se bavi na nivou iz 1983. godine.

 

Pošto je za rukavice zaista trebalo veoma malo prediva (manje od 50 grama Troitsk Moskvičke na iglama 2,5 mm), odlučila sam da ispletem i kapu. Za kapu je bilo potrebno nešto manje od 75 grama, na iglama 3,5 mm. Kapu sam radila tako što sam na Dropsovom sajtu (link je ovde) našla neku sličnog oblika koja mi se dopala, samo što sam mustru prilagodila pletenici sa rukavica. A mustru za rukavice možete naći ovde, autor je dizajnerka Erica Lomax, a mustra se zove CanCans.

 

 

These are my first mittens! For a long time I have sighed at the sight of my knitter friends embarking on this journey, not having the courage to try it out myself. But, the time has come :)

The mittens are a gift for a friend, Nevena, the mother of my daughter's best friend. Last September they moved to Ireland and we miss them dearly. They do come to Novi Sad from time to time, and both my daughter and me very much look forward to these meetings. Not only do we catch up with the chit-chat and our kids get to spend a great time together, but Nevena always surprises me with fantastic presents - knitting magazines! For that, and the lovely book she brought for me last time, I am so grateful, since the publishing business in Serbia does not have an ear for knitters. At least not since 1983 :(

 

The mittens required a surprisingly small amount of Troitsk Moscow Chic Yarn (less than 50 grams using 2,5 mm needles), so I decided to knit a hat, too. I needed less than 75 grams of the same yarn for the hat (using 3,5 mm needles). I knitted the hat using a pattern of a similar one found on the Drops Garnstudio site (link here), I just adjusted for the cable from the original mittens pattern (which you can find here). The designer's name is Erica Lomax and the pattern is called CanCans.

Ružičasta vanila - Purple vanilla

Prilično je vremena prošlo od kako nisam postavila post o pletenju. Nije da ništa ne pletem, nego manekenka nije naročito voljna da se slika, a i vreme nikako nije htelo da se prolepša, pa nismo imali ni zgodnu pozadinu.
Elem, ovaj prsluk sam isplela još u februaru. Mustra se zove Wild Vanilla. Divna je za pletnje, ima puno pletenica, taman dovoljno da vam pletenje bude zanimljivo, ali ne i preterano opterećujuće. Prsluk se pokazao kao veoma praktičan za nošenje, Ema ga je nosila gotovo celu zimu. Ima i jedan zgodan detalj na leđima, malu pletenicu koja ustručuje prsluk, ali nikako nisam to uspela da prenesem fotoaparatom (na vebsajtu dizajnerke ćete pronaći mnogo bolju sliku).
Za izradu sam koristila predivo Troitsk Yarn My Baby i igle br. 3,5.

It's been quite a while since I've posted about my knitting projects. It's not that I've given up on knitting, it's just that my model is not willing to be photographed, and the weather has been so bad recently that we just couldn't find the right location for the photoshoot.
Anyway, I finished this vest in February. The pattern is called Wild Vanilla, and I've used Troitsk Yarn My Baby and 3.5mm needles.
The pattern is a joy to knit. It's got lots of cables, just enough to keep you occupied while knitting, but not overwhelmed. The vest proved to be a very practical piece of clothing, my daughter has been wearing all through the winter (and it has been a loooong winter).
It has also got a cute little cable at the back that makes a great detail, but I just couldn't get a good photo of it (check the pattern web site for a much more successful photo). 

Orange Tempest

Ovaj džemperić je bio završen još pre nekoliko meseci, ali princeza nije bila voljna da pozira. Srećom juče sam je uhvatila u dobrom raspoloženju :)

Rađen je od prediva Troitsk Yarn Deluxe, sa duplom niti. Jedino su nabori rađeni sa jednom niti.

Ovo je prvi put da koristim ovo predivo i mogu reći da sam zadovoljna njime. U štringli nema čvorića, nit je ujednačeno upredena i lepo se pere. Posebno mi se dopada što se nudi široki raspon boja, pa zaista možete birati. Uputstvo za izradu je besplatno i možete ga naći ovde.

 

 

I've finished this cardigan a few months ago, but little miss Princess wasn't in the mood to pose for it. Luckily, I caught her on a good day yesterday :)

I've used Troitsk Yarn Deluxe for this project, double stranded. Only the yoke was made with one strand. This is the first time I used this yarn and I'm pretty satisfied with it. It washes well, there are no knots in the skein and it's spun evenly. I especially like the wide range of colours the company offers.

The pattern is free and you can find it here.

Sove su u modi - Owls are all the rage

... reče Marijana. I: „'Ajd mi ispleteš jedan šal sa sovama?” I još: „Onako, sa par sovica. Ništa naročito komplikovano.” Reče ona i podstakne mene ambicioznu kakva već jesam. Od tih par sovica i običnog šala nastade „Hogwarts Express”, sa ni manje ni više nego 22 sove. A pošto je ostalo prediva, nastade i kapa sa još 3. Predivo Majšperkova Nika, igle br. 4, perlice - rasturena ogrlica :)

 

... Mary Anne said. And: 'Would you knit me a scarf with owls on it?' Followed by: 'Just a few owls. Nothing too complicated.' That's what she said and kickstarted the ambitious me. Those few owls and a not too complicated scarf turned into 'Hogwards Express' with 22 birds on it. And since there was leftover yarn (when isn't there leftover yarn?) a cap emerged, with three more owls. Yarn used was Majsperk's Nika, needles number 4, the pearls came from a disassembled necklace :)

 

 

Moj jednogodišnji projekat - A year long project

Prekrivač sam započela prošlog leta i završila ga skoro tačno godinu dana kasnije.
Plela sam sa St. George Tango pamukom, ali na žalost nisam izmerila koliko je prekiravač težak pre ušivanja postave, pa sad ne znam količinu. Prvo je počelo kao ćebence za Emu, onda je Ema porasla, pa je onda trebalo biti veće ćebence, i na kraju je preraslo u prekrivač za njen krevet.

Tokom tih godinu dana sam naučila sledeće:

1. Uvek je dobro imati u kući jedan ovakav projekat, kojem se možete vratiti kada god neki kraći bude gotov, a vi ne znate šta da pletete. To će vas sprečiti da odjurite u prodavnicu prediva i navrat-nanos kupujete vunu, jer vas „svrbe prsti” (meni se to često dešava).
2. Uvek je dobro plesti projekte koji se ne ušivaju, odnosni čiji se delovi ne sastavljaju, pa kad jednom završite sa pletenjem, završili ste i sa projektom. Ovaj prekrivač je rađen „Log Cabin” sistemom, tako da kvadrat/pravougaonik nastaje podizanjem očica iz prethodnog.
3. Uvek je dobro da kada u zemlji Srbiji kupujete predivo gledate da kupite dovoljno, a ne po sistemu „biće toga i kasnije”, jer neće biti. Barem ne iste debljine, boje ili nijanse. To sam naučila težim putem.
4. Uvek je dobro, a čak i najbolje, kada imate prijateljicu koja je vešta sa šivaćom mašinom, pa može da vam pomogne oko postavljanja prekrivača. Hvala bensedin art na veeeelikoj pomoći sa ovim projektom :)

I started knitting this bed cover last summer and finished it almost exactly a year later.
I've used St. George Tango cotton, but unfortunately I didn't measure the weight of the bed cover before sewing the lining, so I have no idea about the quantity of the cotton used. It first started as a baby blanket for Ema, but then Ema grew bigger, so it was supposed to be a regular blanket, but in the end it turned out to be a bed cover for her room.

During this year I have learned the following:

1. It is always a good thing to have a project like this around the house - a project that you can go back to after you finish a smaller one and don't know what to do with yourself. This should stop you from running to the closest yarn shop, buying the first thing you get your hands on, because your fingers itch from the lack of knitting (this happens to me a lot).
2. It is always a good thing to knit projects that don't require sewing pieces of it together. So, when you're finished with the knitting part, you're basically finished altogether. This bed cover was made using the "Log Cabin" pattern, by lifting the stitches of a square/rectangle to make a new one.
3. It is alway a good thing to buy the whole amount of yarn that you need for a project at once (at least in Serbian yarn shops), and not to rely on the shop having it later as well. Because it won't. At least not in the same colour or weight. Learned it the hard way.
4. It is always a good thing, and perhaps the best, to have a friend who is handy with the sewing machine, so that she can help you with sewing the lining. Thank you, bensedin art, for all the help with this project :)

Kapa glavu čuva - You should leave your hat on

Ovo je malo zakasneli post, iz više razloga. Prvo, proleće nam se smeši, pa nam kape još neće dugo biti potrebne, a drugo - ove dve kape su već odavne saštrikane i uveliko nošene, a nikako da budu fotografisane i objavljene.
Prva je rađena po ovoj mustri. Jako se lako plete (kad naučite da čitate Dropsove mustre) i veoma mi se dopalo da pletem „pirinač” bod - to se sad ređe sreće. Predivo sam dobila za rođendan, od moje drage prijateljice Tijane, koja je savršeno odabrala boje :) Pošto mi je preteklo prediva, saštrikala sam i ovaj grejač vrata, tako da sad imam komplet.

This post is a bit belated, for more than one reason. Firstly, spring is upon us, so I won't be needing caps for long, and secondly - these caps have been finished long ago, and already worn a lot, but I never got round to taking photos of them and publishing them.
The first  one was knitted according to this pattern. It's very easy to knit (once you get used to reading patterns written by Drops) and I very much enjoyed knitting moss stitch - you don't get to do that much these days. The yarn was a birthday present from a dear friend Tijana, who picked the colours perfectly. Since I had some yarn left, I knitted this neck warmer as well, so now I have a set.

A ova „marsovka” je saštrikana za Eminog najboljeg druga iz vrtića - Dimitrija. Sećate li se ovakvih kapa? Jeste li ih i vi nosili kao klinci?

Mustra je ovde, ali je zahtevala mnogo prepravljanja, pošto je ovo predivo daleko deblje od onog navedenog u „receptu”.

This balaclava was made for Ema's best friend from daycare - Dimitrije. Do you remeber these caps? Did you wear them as kids?

The pattern is here, but it required a lot of tweaking, because the yarn I used is much thicker than the one called for in the „recipe”.

Princeza Holi i naše malo kraljevstvo - Princess Holly and our little kingdom

Nedavno smo imali maskembal u vrtiću. Ove godine sam bila malkice ambicioznija nego prošle. Sećate se da sam pominjala da su nam Ben i Holi sada omiljeni likovi, pa je Ema odlučila da će da se maskira u princezu Holi. Krila smo dobili u jednom od onih časopisa o princezama, pa sam ih sačuvala za neku ovakvu priliku. Kruna je rajf na koga su prišivena dva žuta oblika krune od hamera. Čarobni štapić smo napravili od silikonskih modli za kolače (u obliku zvezde). Isekla sam im dno i zalepila jedno za drugo, napunila koflinom i umetnula štapić koji se dobija uz balone. Nameravala sam da i zvezdu napravim od hamera, ali sam se bojala špicastih ivica i mnoštva dece.

Recently we had a costume party at Ema's daycare. This year I was a wee bit more ambitious than last year. You probably remember my mentioning that Ben and Holly are our favourite cartoon characters, so Ema decided to go as Holly. We got the wings from some magazine about princesses, so I saved them for an occasion like this one. The crown is a hair pin with two crown shaped yellow cardboards sewn together. The magic wand is made from sillicone star shaped cake moulds. I cut out the bottom and glued two of them together, filled the wand with some amigurumi stuffing and inserted a stick that kids get with balloons. I was planning to use cardboard to make the magic wand, but I was afraid of the combination of pointy edges and small children.

A ovu Holi sam pravila jako dugo. Vodila sam se mustrom za Pepu Prase, ali sam morala izmeniti lice, oblik tela, dodati krila, krunu i kosu. S obzirom da mi je ovo prva polu-samostalna mustra, jako sam ponosna. A Ema, kada ju je izvadila iz paketića, samo je uzviknula: „Mama, ponovo Pepa!”. Toliko o tome...

The other Holly took a looong time to make. I used Debbie Birkin's Peppa Pig pattern as a guide, but I had to change the body shape and add the wings, crown and hair. This being my first semi-personal pattern, I am very proud of it. But when Ema pulled it out the Christmas gift bag she just said: "Look, mom, another Peppa!" So much for that...

Norveško zeleno - Norwegian Green

Konačno sam ga završila! Počela sam još u junu, ali su me vrućine omele, tako da sam se tek nedavno prihvatila igala. Mustra je savršena, nisam morala ništa da prilagođavam. Jedina zamerka mi je obrada teksta karakteristična za Dropsove mustre (sva uputstva su data u jednom pasusu, mali prored, teško se mogu snaći prostim bacanjem pogleda). Ali, kad je besplatna, ne smemo se puno žaliti. Ukoliko neko od vas poželi da isplete ovaj džemperak, a ne razume baš engleski, neka ostavi komentar i poslaću vam prevod. I ubaciti veći prored i podeliti tekst u pasuse, obećavam.

Sve u svemu, veoma sam zadovoljna sa ovim radom, iako nisam imala dovoljno prediva (nedostajala mi je jedna trećina štringle da završim okovratnik). Ali, ne primeti se, zar ne?

I have finally finished it! I started knitting it in June, but the heat waves put me off Alpaca yarn, so I decided to finish it only recently. The pattern is perfect, I didn't have to change a thing. My only complaint is about the layout of the text, which is characteristic of all Drops patterns (most of the instructions are given in one paragraph, with very small spacing, it is difficult to find where you are by just taking a glance at it). But it's free, so we shouldn't complain.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with how it worked out, even though I didn't have enough yarn (I needed a third of a skein more to finish the yoke). But you wouldn't have guessed, right?

Izlog u radu - Work in progress

Svi koji me iole poznaju znaju da ja nisam osoba koja skače sa projekta na projekat i koja ostavlja stvari nedovršenima. Međutim, ovo leto me je promenilo.

Počela sam da pletem ovaj džemper od prediva koje mi je stiglo iz Norveške, ali je ovo leto bilo toliko vruće (i još uvek je) da jednostavno nisam mogla da smislim dodir alpake.

Pa sam prešla na jedan drugi projekat. Pletem ćebe. U početku je bilo zamišljeno kao ćebence za moju ćerku, ali mi se čini da ću joj moći to spakovati i u miraz.

Kom tipu pletilja vi pripadate? Onima sa više započetih projekata ili onima što dosledno završe sve što započnu, pre nego što pređu na nešto drugo?

All of you who know me are aware of the fact that I am not a person who jumps from one project to another and leaves things unfinished. However, this summer has changed me.

I started knitting this top using the yarn I got from Norway, but this summer was (and still is) so hot that I just couldn't imagine the touch of alpaca.

So I switched to another project. I am knitting a blanket. In the beginning it was supposed to be a baby blanket for my daughter, but it has grown, so it looks like I'll be able to save it for her dowry.

What type of a knitter are you? The one with a lot of works in  progress or the one that always finishes all that she begins, before moving on to another project?

Kivi devojčica iliti Napad panike (My kiwi girl or A Panic Attack)

Znate li onaj osećaj kad vam se jedan projekat približava kraju, a vi uviđate da nemate isplaniran naredni? Ona pitanja u glavi - Šta ako ovaj projekat završim večeras? Šta ću ujutru da štrikam? Ili - Sutra je nedelja, a prodavnice sa predivom ne rade! Šta ću da radim do ponedeljka?

E pa, ova kivi haljinica je rezultat tog napada panike. Jednog petka popodne, navrat-nanos, Ema i ja smo otišle u St. George da izaberemo predivo. Na brzinu. Bez razmišljanja. I kupile St. George Una 23. Kao što sam mogla i očekivati predivo se rasteže i pušta boju (vrhovi bambusovih igala su mi kivi boje). Ali, kol'ko para tol'ko muzike. Dobra stvar je što će, s obzirom na stepen rastezanja prediva, Ema moći da nosi haljinicu još godinama.

Mustru sam takođe odabrala na brzinu, mada se tu nisam pokajala. Moram da priznam da mi je odlučujući faktor bila jednostavnost mustre i preslatka devojčica na slici.

* * * * *

Do you know that feeling when your project is getting near the end and you slowly realize that you haven't planned another one? Those questions in your head - 'What if I finish this project tonight? What am I to knit in the morning? Or - It's Sunday tomorrow and all the yarn shops will be closed! What am I to do till Monday?

Well, this kiwi wonder is the result of such a panic attack. On a Friday afternoon Ema and I hurried to St. George yarn shop to pick some yarn. In a rush. With no thinking. And we bought St. George Una 23. And, as expected, it stretches and the colour runs (the tips of my bamboo needles are now kiwi coloured). But, you get what you pay for. The good news is that, having in mind how much the yarn stretches, Ema will be able to wear the dress for years to come.

I chose the pattern in a hurry, as well, but I have no regrets about it. Although I have to confess that the deciding factor was the simplicity of the pattern and the cutest girl in the photo.

Pepa Prase u domaćoj izvedbi - A homemade Peppa

Pošto Ema ima dve godinice i u fazonu je Pepe Praseta, mama se potrudila da pronađe amigurumi koji će odgovarati željama njenog prvenčeta. Kraće surfovanje internetom dovelo je do recepta Debbi Birkin, objavljenog u časopisu Woman's Weekly Magazine, u novembru prošle godine. Recept je veoma jednostavan i pravo ga je zadovoljstvo plesti. Ukoliko niste iskusna pletilja, ova mustra vam neće predstavljati veći problem. Jedino što je ušivanje raznoraznih delova i njihovo punjenje dosta velika gnjavaža.

Za izradu Pepe sam koristila St. Georgeov Tango (svetlo rozi, tamno rozi, crveni, plavi i beli) i igle br. 4. 

Princeza je oduševljena, Pepa je već i večerala s nama, obišla bakino dvorište, rekla svim ukućanima laku noć i sada mirno spava. Uživancija!

ù  ù  ù  ù  ù

Since Ema is two years old she is all about Peppa Pig, so mommy did her best to find an amigurumi that would fit fulfill the wishes of her first born. After a short surf on the Internet I came across the pattern by Debbi Birkin, published in Woman's Weekly Magazine last November. The pattern is very simple and is a joy to knit. If you are not an experienced knitter, this pattern will not give you a lot of trouble. The only trouble is that sewing up all the numerous parts and stuffing them is quite boring.

For making Peppa I used St. George's Tango yarn (light pink, dark pink, red, blue and white) and needles no. 4. 

The princess is overjoyed. Peppa has already had dinner with us, was shown around grandma's garden, wished all the members of the family a good night and is now sound asleep. Joy!

Haljina za devojčicu - Little girl dress

U poslednje vreme sam bila baš zatrpana poslom (što je, u principu, dobro) ali i nekim drugim manje dobrim obavezama, pa baš nisam stigla puno da pletem. Kada mi prođe dan a da nisam sela bar 15 minuta da se družim sa svojim iglama imam osećaj kao da je dan bio izgubljen.

Ipak, uspela sam da završim Little Sister's Dress na vreme da mala princeza stigne u njoj na rođendan kod svoje najbolje drugarice iz vrtića. Pretila je opasnost da će joj biti pretoplo u ovoj haljini (taj dan je bilo preko 20 stepeni), ali smo haljinu ipak obukli.

Recept za haljinu je savršen, ništa nisam morala da menjam, tako da ga od srca preporučujem, čak i pletiljama početnicama. Jedino što zahteva veću debljinu prediva, tako da sam ja za dete od 2 godina plela najmanju veličinu (kao za 3 meseca). Eto potvrde da je neophodno uraditi gauge pre nego što počnete plesti (iako ja to nerado radim, jer jedva čekam da počnem novi projekat).

Koristila sam St. George predivo, Una 23. Ovo predivo nikako ne bih preporučila početnicima, jer se jako lista, pa morate biti dosta pažljivi da podignete celu petlju.

Još jedan podvig vezan za ovaj projekat je to što sam sada prvi put plela "kako treba". Naime, do sada sam prave petlje plela "through the back loop", misleći da je to jedini način. Međutim, nije. Sada kada sam plela "through the front loop", pletivo mi je puno ujednačenije. Trebalo mi je dosta vremena da treniram ruke da pletu drugačije, ali vredelo je. Isti problem sam imala i kod krivih i očica, tako da sam se i tu prevaspitala. Čovek se uči dok je živ :))

* * * 

I have had tons of work lately (which is, basically, good), but also some less than pleasant obligations, so I haven't had much time to knit. When a day goes by without at least a quarter of an hour of knitting, it is a day wasted.

Nevertheless I managed to finish the Little Sister's Dress in time for the little princess to wear it to a birthday party for her best friend from daycare. There was a serious danger that the day would be too hot for this dress (it was more than 20 degrees that day), but she wore it anyway.

The pattern for this dress is flawless, I didn't have to change a thing, so I wholeheartedly recommend it, even to beginners. It did ask for a thicker yarn, so for a two-year-old I knitted the size for a 3 months old baby. Just goes to show how important it is to do the gauge before beginning the project, which I rarely do because I can't wait to start a new project.

I used St.George Una 23 thread. I would not recommend it to beginners, because you need to be very careful when sliding a stitch, for it tends to break apart into individual threads.

Another personal victory connected to this project is the fact that this is the first time I have knitted something "the correct way" (if there is such a thing). All these years I have knitted "through the back loop", thinking that is the only way to do it. However, it is not. Now that I have switched to knitting "through the front loop", my stitches are much more even. It took some time to train my hands to do it differently, but it was so worth it. I had the same problem with purl stitches, so I changed that as well. You live and learn :))

Moj izlet u Amigurumi - My trip into Amigurumi Land

Kao što sam već napomenula, ja sam po opredeljenju pletilja, ali sam i povremena heklica. Ovo je ta povremena faza. 

U želji da ovaj post bude i informativan, a ne samo izložba malih amigurumija, skoknula sam do Vikipedije da pronađem zvaničnu definiciju amigurumija. Dakle, amigumi (ili u originalu "編みぐるみ") je japanska umetnost pletenja ili heklanja malih punjenih lutaka. Ime mu potiče od spoja japanskih reči ami (pleten ili heklan) i nuigurumi (punjena lutka). Amigurumi su obično životinje, mada se izrađuju i tako da predstavljaju razne predmete kojima se dodeljuju ljudske karakteristike. Po Vikipediji, amigurumi nema nikakvu upotrebnu vrednost, već čisto estetsku. On se izrađuje i skuplja zbog svoje osnovne estetske vrednosti, a to je dražesnost. Iz tog razloga amigurumi životinjice obično imaju veliku glavu i umanjene ekstremitete. Za njihovu izradu se koriste igle za heklanje ili pletenje, nešto manje od onih koje biste inače koristili, kako se pletivo ne bi rasteglo prilikom njihovog punjenja. Osim prediva i igala, potrebno vam je i punjenje (preporučujem koflin), plastične granule koje se stavljaju pri dnu figurice kako se ona ne bi prevrtala, zatim plastične oči ili prigodni dugmići, filc i šta vam mašta poželi. Interesovanje za amigurumi putem Interneta je počelo 2003. godine, a već 2006. godine je amigurumi bio najtraženiji artikal na Etsy-ju. Te se godine prodavao za sume od 10 do 100 dolara.

Na Internetu, a naročito na Raverly-ju možete pronaći mnoštvo besplatnih mustri za izradu amigurumija. Mustra za oktopode i Nema je sa Interneta, dok je Štuka moje idejno rešenje.

Jeste li i vi imali ekskurziju u amigurumi svet? Da li biste želeli da podelite to iskustvo sa drugim čitateljima? Ostavite komentar sa linkom do vašeg amigurumija, žarko bih želela da vidim vaš rad.

As I have already mentioned, I am a knitter at heart, but I am also an occasional crocheter. This is the aforementioned occasional stage.

In my attempt to make this post more informative than just an expo of my amigurumi animals, I took a stroll down to Wikipedia to find the official definition of what an amigurumi is. Hence, amigurumi (or in its original form "編みぐるみ") is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed dolls. Its name is derived from the combination of Japanese words ami (meaning knitted or crocheted) and nuigurumi (meaning a stuffed doll). Amigurumi are usually animals, but are also created to be inanimate objects with human like characteristics. According to Wikipedia, they have no practical use, but purely an aesthetic appeal.  They are created and collected solely on the basis of their aesthetic value, and that is cuteness. For that reason amigurumi animals usually have a large head and smaller sized extremities. They are made using a crochet hook or knitting needles of a smaller size that you would normally use, so that the gauge would not stretch too much after stuffing. Apart from yarn and hook/needles, you will need stuffing (I recommend polyester craft stuffing), plastic pellets to be inserted under the stuffing to prevent the amigurumi from toppling over, plastic eyes or appropriate buttons, and whatever your heart desires. The Internet fad for amigurumi started in 2003, and by 2006 they were the best selling item on Etsy. That year they were sold for from 10 to as much as 100 dollars.

You can find an abundance of free amigurumi patterns on the Internet, especially on Ravelry. The patterns for my octopuses and Nemo were found online, but the pike fish is my own design.

Have you embarked on an amigurmi journey yet? Would you like to share your work with the readers? Please leave a comment with a link to your amigurumi. I would so much like to see it.