*Mr. Ruesselo #2

Close-ups of the second elephant I knitted last month. Every time I finish a new knitting project, I immediately start wondering what it would look like in a different color and feel like trying out every possible combination. Do you feel the same?

{The pattern is designed by Svitlana Kondratova (@im_strickfieber) and you can find it for free on her ravelry page.}

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*Spring tasks

We finally had some very welcome rain after the long dry period. I’ve started pre-growing the first little seedlings, and they are already bravely sprouting up from the soil. Yesterday, I prepared the garden beds for adding fresh compost and pruned the last berry bushes. The birds are very happy about the rain and are singing nonstop. It’s that time of year again when there’s so much to do all at once that you don’t know where to start. But I try not to let myself get too stressed and take things step by step as best I can, before falling into bed exhausted in the evening.

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*Swan bonnet

It was wonderful to try something new again. In this case, I used the intarsia technique for the first time, and after some trial and error, I got the hang of it. The colors I chose match my old blue linen dress perfectly. The pattern was designed by @rhirhi.knits, and I saw that she’ll soon be releasing another one – maybe I’ll give it a try as well sometime.

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*March knitting & the first Spring flowers

 {Music: White Forst (in Kazan) – Fabrizio Paterlini + Cloud Hands – Daniel O'Rhys + Le Démarche – Yann Tiersen}

Nature is slowly awakening. Finding the first snowdrops in the forest always feels like a little miracle after winter, just like the scent of violets that suddenly wafts through the garden, inviting the first bees to linger. I knitted a swan bonnet using the intarsia technique for the first time, and another elephant. The days feel bright and promising, and I can't wait to start the first seeds for the greenhouse and vegetable garden.

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*white & silent

When the forest paths were still white and the trees silent.

The second picture is by far my favorite in a long time! It came out better than expected! The overall atmosphere was breathtaking!

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*seed in the darkness

I'm still deep in the fields of winter with my analogue photography. Meanwhile, I've picked the first snowdrops, and the scent of violets makes a stroll through the garden especially delightful. I've had to cut communication to a minimum, as I feel the need to make space for the voice of my soul, without having to repeat how difficult everything is. I'm tired of justifying myself. I'm tired of so many things, and feel that many things are coming to a close. I have started in the hidden, like a seed in the darkness of the soil. Now it's time to nurture and grow.

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*Mr. Ruesselo

The pattern for this elephant pushed me out of my knitting comfort zone,

and I can hardly believe that I actually managed to knit it!

I love the design! I made many mistakes but learned so much at the same time!

I sewed on glass beads as tears to make it more personal. 

The pattern is designed by Svitlana Kondratova {@im_strickfieber} and you can find it for free on her ravelry page.

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*Snow mushroom

Some pictures of the mushroom I knitted. It was my first project using double-pointed needles since I tried to knit my first sock back in 2011. I never finished it, though.

The pattern is called "Enchanted mushrooms" and you can find it for free on garnstudio.com.

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*Steps on the ice

A few more impressions from my winter album.

Silent and soft.

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*Snow hat

Close-ups of the snow hat I made. It's a very simple pattern, but I really like it. I actually knitted it twice because the first version was a bit short for my hair – I like to have room for my bun. It snowed wonderfully the first time I wore it. 

Pattern "Snow hat"

I used  5.5 mm circular needles (60cm) and one skein of Rico Design Soft Alpaca in color 'Creme' and one skein Garnstudio Drops Soft Tweed in color 'Marble Dreams'.

Cast on and Ribbing

1. Cast on 60 stitches onto circular needles

2. Join in the round, make sure the stitches are not twisted, and place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round.

3. Ribbing pattern: Knit 2, purl 2 around

4. Work this pattern for 7 rounds (about 3,5cm)

Main Body

1. After the ribbing, knit all stitches

2. Continue knitting in the round until the hat measures about 18-20 cm from the cast-on edge.

Decrease (for the crown)

From here you should switch to double-pointed needles or use the Magic Loop method. 

Round 1: Knit 4, knit 2 together – repeat to the end of the round (50 stitches remain).

Round 2: Knit all stitches

Round 3: Knit 3, knit 2 together – repeat (40 stitches remain).

Round 4: Knit all stitches

Round 5: Knit 2, knit 2 together – repeat (30 stitches remain).

Round 6: Knit all stitches

Round 7: Knit 1, knit 2 together – repeat (20 stitches remain).

Round 8: Knit 2 together around (10 stitches remain).

Finishing

1. Cut the yarn, thread it through the remaining 10 stitches, and pull tight.

2. Weave the yarn into the inside of the hat and secure it. 

3. Weave in all other loose ends.

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