Visiting the Yarn Barn at Karen Becker's

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I have really truly come to enjoy my life here in Madrid, and apart from friends, family and Danish candy there are very few things back in Denmark that I miss being able to do. One of them is visiting yarn stores and/or family libraries. Flipping through pattern books from designers such as Isager, Lene Holm Samsoe or even my aunt's hundreds of craft magazines from the 1960s and 1970s - that's impossible to do here in Spain. Another thing I long for is visiting the yarn barn - a old barn and farmhouse on the countryside in Denmark  - where one single woman, who started out her business 17 years ago, has filled her surroundings with yarn from all over the world. And the best thing is: everything is for sale!!!

Karen Becker started out as a craft teacher which also is where she gets her inspiration and profound knowledge on what a knitter needs. Her farm is located in small town Fuglebjerg and is more than 200 years old and the selection of yarn and patterns reflects her respect of the traditional craft but also her interest in new trends and techniques.

I love this store. I love that she has ISTEX , Kauni and BC Garn, I love that you can find untraditional skeins of cotton, linen, and even mohair in print dyes. I love that she's so warm and welcoming and always ready with a good advice.

So, if you’re ever in Denmark and you love yarn, take the time to visit her place. I promise you it will be worth it

Karen´s webpage can be found here. She’s also on facebook.

  

Estoy disfrutando mi vida en Madrid mucho, y a parte de mis amigos, mi familia y las golosinas, hay muy pocas cosas que echo de menos de Dinamarca. Una cosa sería poder ir a tiendas de lana y ver libros de diseñadoras como Isager o Lene Holm Samsoe. Otra cosa que echo de menos es poder visitar a la granja de lana – una graja vieja en el campo en Dinamarca donde una mujer sola empezó una tienda de lana hace 17 años y tiene todo lleno de lana de todo el mundo!

Karen Becker empezó como profesora de manualidades y se ve que tiene un conocimiento profundo del mundo de tejer. Su granja está en el pueblecito de Fuglebjerg y tiene mas de 200 años, y su selección de lana refleja una pasión grande de tejer.

Me encanta esta tienda! Me encante que se puede comprar marcos como ISTEX, Kauni y BC Garn y ovillos desconocidos. Además ella es supermaja, y siempre está lista para charlar o darte consejos.

Si pasas por Dinamarca y si te gusta la lana deberías visitar a la granja. Merece la pena!

La pagina de Karen está aquí. Tambien tiene facebook. 

Ancient knit patterns from Denmark

Just got back from a mini holiday in Denmark where I've had the chance to visit my aunt and my grandmother; both knitters, both with entire libraries of patterns from the 1940s and up of which I've been able to scan these two and a couple more:

I also had the chance to drop by a yarn farm (literally: a farm that had been turned into a yarn shop and workshop) where I bought 40 skeins of yarn for future projects. More to come on my crazy yarn purchase!


Acabo de volver de unas mini vacaciones en Dinamarca donde fui a ver mi tía y mi abuela: Las dos son tejedoras y las dos tienen una biblioteca de patrones de hacer punto como esos de las fotos. También visité una granja de lana donde compré 40 ovillos de lana para futuro proyectos. Luego os cuento más. 

Summer knitting is cotton knitting

I understand why most people associate knitting with winter: cold and stormy nights at home in the sofa, watching TV with woollen stitches on your needles to keep you warm. However summer time (at least what feels like summer here in Madrid where we are up to 26 degrees celsius at the moment) shouldn't necessarily mean abandoning your stitches!

For summer wear I love knitting with cotton yarn or even linen: Look for flowy patterns that don't cling to your body, and a cotton yarn t-shirt will be your favorite thing to throw on on your way to the beach or for a picnic in the park. 

There's lots of cool cotton and linen wear out there to be knitted, and I am currently letting myself become inspired from items like these. 

 1 A Common Thread, 2. The Retro Knitting Company, 3. Nokko Knit,
4. Michiyo, 5. Phildar, 6. The Retro Knitting Company
7. We Are Knitters, 8. Pickles, 9. Drops

Entiendo por que mucha gente piensa en inviernos cuando piensa en hacer punto: las noches de frio en el sofa, haciendo punto de pura lana te ayuda mantener el calor. Sin embargo, hacer punto para mi tambien es una cosa de verano. Me encanta tejer con lana de algodon y lino: Busca patrones flojos para hacer algo que puedes llevar a la playa o un picnic sin murir de calor. 

Aqui tienes unas fotos que uso yo para inspiracion este verano. 

Spring Cape Knit Pattern // Patrón de Capa de Primavera

As I promised yesterday here's a spring treat for those chilly spring knitter nights: My spring cape pattern

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Spring Cape Pattern, English

Materials: aprox 700grams of thick wool yarn similar quality DROPS Eskimo and circular needles 7-8mm with 80cm cable

1. Cast on 52 stitches with circular needles and work elastic rib (K2, P2) for 15 cm in the round

2. Knit entire round of knit stitches while placing markers after 8 stitches from beginning of round, 26 stitches from beginning of round, 34 stitches from beginning of round, and 52 stitches from beginning of round (last marker should coincide with beginning of round). These markers mark the sleeve, front, sleeve and back of the cape. 

3. Start increasing like this: Knit (knit stitches) until 1 stitch before first marker, kf&b into next stitch, slip marker, kf&b after marker. Repeat increasing technique around the last three markers. See this link if you are not sure how to increase

4. Knit the entire round in knit stitches without increasing

5. Repeat step 3 and 4 until you reach 25 cm measured from the top

6. Knit entire rows of knit stitches until you reach 40 cm measured from the top

7. Divide into two sections like this:  Knit 19 stitches from beginning of round, place the following 47stitches (front piece) on a large safety pin or a strand of yarn. Leave the front piece while you knit back and forth over the remaining stitches on your needles (back piece)

8. Knit back piece back and forth like this:

8a: with the wrong side facing you, K5, purl all stitches until 5 stitches is left, K5

8b: with the right side facing you: knit all stitches

repeat 8a + 8b until the entire piece measured from the top measures 70 cm measured from the top

9. Place back piece stitches on stitch holder, pick op front stitches and knit like this

9a: with the wrong side facing you, K5, purl all stitches until 5 stitches is left, K5

9b: with the right side facing you: knit all stitches

Repeat 9a + 9b until front piece measures the same as back piece.

10. Unite front and back piece on circular needles and start knitting in the round again.

11. Knit all stitches until piece measures 78 cm from top (incorporate color change anywhere you want if you wish - I changed after 74cm)

12. Knit elastic rib (K2, P2) for 10 cm

13 Bind off, weave in ends and wear.

Materiales: 700 gramos de una lana gorda con calidades semejantes a DROPS Eskimo y agujas circulares de 7 o 8mm con 80cm de cable

Patrón de Capa de Primavera, español

1. Montar 52 puntos con agujas circulares y tejer punto elastico (2 derecho, 2 reves) en redondo durante 15 cm

2. Tejer una vuelta entera de puntos derecho mientras pones marcas despues de 8, 26, 34 and 52 puntos.

3: Empezar a aumentar así: Tejer puntos derechos hasta el ultimo punto antes de la primera marca, tejer dos puntos en el mismo punto, pasar marca, tejer dos puntos en el punto siguente. Continuar a aumentar con esta tecnica alrededor de las marcas siguentes en la vuelta. (Si no sabes aumentar, lo puedes ver en este video)

4. Tejer solo con puntos derechos sin aumentar

5. Repetir paso 3 y 4 hasta que tengas 25cm (desde arriba)

6. Dejar a aumentar y solo tejer puntos derechos hasta que 40 cm

7. Dividir puntos en dos secciones, tejiendo 19 puntos, pasando los siguentes 47 puntos a un imperdible grande (pieza frente)

8. Tejer los puntos que tengas en las agujas (espalda) por ida y vueltas así:

8a: Lado reves: 5 derecho, el resto de la vuelta con puntos revés hasta que te falta 5 puntos, 5 derecho

8b: Lado "cara": Solo puntos derechos

Repetir 8a + 8b hasta que mide (desde arriba) 70 cm

9. Poner puntos de la pieza atrás en un imperdible, coger los puntos de la pieza adelante y tejer así:

9a: Con el lado revés hacia tu mismo tejer 5 derechos, tejer punto revés hasta que  te queda 5 puntos, tejer los ultimos 5 puntos como derechos

9b: Tejer todos puntos como puntos derechos

Repetir 9a + 9b hasta que las dos piezas tienen las mismas medidas. 

10. Unir frente y espalda en agujas circulares y empezar a tejer en redondo. 

11. Tejer hasta 78 cm en total (mediendo desde arriba)

12: Tejer punto elastico (2 derecho, 2 revés) durante 10 centimetros. 

13: Cerrar puntos. 

Spring Cape and New Roomie

There's not a lot of blogging going on at the moment around here. I've also had to put a lot of other things on stand by, including my writing, knitting, garden projects and so on. Why, you ask me? Well, because Marco and I decided to take in a new room mate. He's quite a freeloader: he doesn't want to pay rent, he doesn't participate in maintaining the house neat and clean, he's quite the attention seeker and if you  don't prepare his breakfast, lunch and dinner on a fixed time schedule, he gets pretty grumpy. But, he's worth it, I have to say. Meet our new roomie, Pancho:

But even most of my time these days is spent nurturing the new puppy, I do have a little crafty detail I wanted to share with you: My new spring cape that I have knit costumizing a top-down raglan sweater pattern and turned into a cape (top photo).I´ll be sharing the cape pattern on the blog tomorrow, so stay tuned.

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No escribo en el blog estos días. Tampoco estoy haciendo muchas cosas en tema de cocinar, tejer, cuidar plantas etc. Por qué? Bueno, porque tenemos nuevo compañero de piso que hace nada: No quiere pagar alquiler, no quiere limpiar la casa, exige un montón de atencion, y si no preparas su desayuno, comida y cena, grita. Pero vale la pena. Os presento a nuestro nuevo compañero, Pancho. 

Sin embargo tengo una cosita de hacer punto que quería compartir: Mi nueva capa que he tejido personalizando un patrón básico de un jersey raglan. 

Mañana publico el patrón aquí en el blog!

Knitting on the Radio

There are very few things I enjoy more than knitting while listening to good radio programmes. I've discovered new scientific phenomenons via Radiolab or learned how to write a love song via This American Life - all while knitting upon stitch. And that's exactly why I am happy to tell you that I'll be uniting those two things - knitting and radio programmes - tomorrow when I'll be giving an interview in the in Spanish channel Cadena SER in the A Vivir Madrid programme on knitting. 

The programme is in Spanish so keep your fingers and knitting needles crossed that I won't make a complete fool out of myself while I, in Spanish, explain the many wonders of being a knitting teacher. Tune in tomorrow Saturday 6th, at 13.45! Hasta mañana!

en español

Hay muy pocas cosas que me gustan más que tejer y escuchar a la radio al mismo tiempo. Por eso estoy muy contenta que mañana me van a entrevistar para una programa de radio sobre mis clases de hacer punto.  La entrevista será mañana sábado el día 6 a las 13.45 en A Vivir Madrid a través de Cadena SER. 

Será en español, así que necesito que cruzeis los dedos y agujas de tejer que no voy a decir algo completamente tonto en español. Hasta mañana!!
 
Update: The interview went well and you can listen to it by going to this page and click on "oir Tupper Knitting"

Hanging shelves tutorial

Spring is coming and I'm going plant crazy. Everything that's green and alive is being welcomed into our home, and seeing how we don't have a terrace (man, I would kill for one, especially during summertime in Madrid), I need to start getting creative regarding indoor plant decorations.

A while ago I fell in love with these plant hangers, but the idea of having to buy pots that would fit the exact measurements of the shelves didn't appeal to me. So, I decided to make my own hanging shelves. And it turned out to be quite easy with a clean and cool result. Here's how I did it.

Materials

1. Three pieces of wood, 20cm x 60cm

2. 2 x 5meters of cable wire

3. A hook for hanging up your new beauty

4. Wire fixers to hold the weight of the shelves while adjusting the distance between them

All materials were bought at Leroy Merlin

Here's number 4 - the wire fixers. I'm pretty sure this is not their real name, so don't ask for "wire fixers" when you go material shopping. Just look for these guys. 

Drilling and sanding

Next up is drilling the holes that the cable will be going through. I drilled mine 2x2 cm from each four corners of each shelf. 

Assembling

Tape both ends of the cables before taking them through the shelves. Using tape keeps the cable from unraveling making it easier to work with. Now take one end of the cable and lead it through one hole, attaching a wire fixer underneath. Repeat two times with the other shelves, and later at the other corners of the shelves.

Finished product

Adjust distance between shelves with the wire fixers to your liking (Mine are aprox 30 centimeters apart). Drill a hole where you want your shelves to hang and hang up your floating shelves! 

You can place the shelves further apart if you want to add more "air" between your plants:

And now fill your shelves with whatever your plant heart desires!

Top shelf: Marco's pride, the Blue Nose II
Mid shelf: Hierba Buena, Thyme and a crocheted cactus
Bottom shelf: a pothos plant and a spiderwort. Both purchased at Casla