Do you sometimes need to figure out how many yards of yarn you have used for a specific knitting project – for instance for yarn substitution, or if now you want to know how many yards you have left? And if you like me, are not the fastest at doing calculations, you might also appreciate  an  app for your smartphone to  make the calculations for you. Not that the calculations are too complicated, but anyway ….

Now I have finally cracked the code with regard to making apps for Android tablets or phones. I did an attempt about a year ago, but the learning curve was simply too steep, so I gave up and ended up with interactive PDF files for some of my knitting patterns, Dragesjalet and Any Size, Any Gauge Socks. I also did a few “estimators” which sadly has not had the large audience. It is of course much smarter to have the application on a smart phone or tablet. Apps are the way forward.

And then today I got my first little knitting app for Android completed – it will be available in English eventually. It calculates the yardage from information about the weight of a skein of yarn and how many yards there are in a skein. Furthermore, the application can calculate how many yards of yarn that you have used if you type in the weight of the used yarn.

Now while I write, I get ideas for several things the app should be able to do, in order to increase the functionality, and I also have plans to implement several other knitting estimators. Ideas for things that otherwise would be useful, are more than welcome. So far I have the following on my to do list:

• Gaugeconversion
• Number of stitches to pick up from a bias edge
• How to distribute increases/decreases evenly
• Conversion between metric and US
• …

I am considering whether I will make the apps available in Google’s Play Store at some point.

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One of my goals is to knit something for my family that they can appreciate and enjoy using. I knit all the time, so ideally they should be dressed in knitted garments from head to toe. I mean,  who else would? Yet have the feeling that I can not really figure out what they appreciate, and even though they are kind and encouraging, I’m afraid I can not live up to the ideal at this point. And then again. When I saw this photo, I realized, that we’re all really heavy users of my knitting!

To the left is a retro-inspired hat, updated with new colors. It is knitted in my favorite yarn,  Peer Gynt from Sandnes, so durable, it will probably last for 100 years. The hat was actually a sample where I made some experiments with different patterns and colors for a baby sweater. I ended up not using the pattern, the orange was just too modern for a sweater. The hat turned out to be quite popular – and it still is.

The knitter flashes two pieces of home knitting! The hat is in fact a cowl, Tuesday Night Cowl, by Susan Lawrence. It is knitted in Cascade 220 Wool, whose primary strength is the many colors it is available in. And it is wonderful to knit in. I love the hat, it is perfect when the hair is set up. The scarf is my Irene shawl, zen-knitting. I used the the most wonderful yarn for it, Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light.

The head band has been popular as well. It is just a simple cable worked as a long strip, and grafted together. A super quick project. Again, most often simple designs can work really well. The head band is worked in Cascade 220 Wool.

Oh, and the yellow hat! You could say it was a random project made in Variant Garn fra Sandnes, that I got at a flea marked for no money. A simplified version of   the Mix and Match Nordic-hat,  designed by Kirsten Spurkland. I brought her The Knitting Man(ual), a while back, a book that contains several excellent basic patterns for men, including this hat. The hat is used frequently, which the knitter is very pleased about. Once more, when the young family members are wearing the hat, it turns into a true fashion statement! More images on Ravelry.

But something is wrong here! This youngster is not wearing any hand knit! In fact he does. A pair of lovely, black finger gloves, knitted in Uldgarn from Netto. They are quite anonymous, and I can’t help thinking that they look like something you could just buy in any store. That doesn’t implicate, that the gloves are not perfect, they are, and they result from numerous experiments to create the perfect gloves with the perfect fit and the perfect thumb. I will write down the pattern at some point.

And in addition, you cannot see all the woolen, hand knit socks we are wearing, the sweaters and huge number of mittens we have in our suitcases. What strikes me, is that the projects we have valued the most, is the simple but pretty design, worked in durable, high quality yarn, not necessarily expensive. We have been using the hats, mittens, scarfs, socks through several winters, and it looks like it will continue to be used. That is just the way I want it to be, I will just go on knitting!

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Who should have thought Beijing is a Knitter’s El Dorado? It is, I can tell you. Just have a look at these three wonderful women, knitting in the sun on a beautiful but freezing cold day in Beijing’s artist neighborhood - 798艺术区. A visit to Beijing as well as to 798 is highly recommendable!

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It is with great pride that I now can announce that I have been given the task of designing sportswear for the Danish / Kenyan participants in The Kilimanjaro Marathon 2013! It brings my knitting and designing up in a completely different league, I think Hummel, Stella McCartney … Well, our marathon team here is a bit special because it is made up by a small hippopotamus, Kiboko Bono, who has devoted his life to the Girls – more specifically Plan’s campaign, Because I am a Girl. His assistant, or sponsor if you like, is Lene Rohde, who climbed Killimanjaro on her 50th birthday earlier this year to raise money for girls in Bondo, Kenya.

I embarked on the task of designing and knitting right away, and so far the jersey almost done. The design is very simple, straight up and down, holes for the front legs, a couple of decreases for neck, followed by short rows to give a little shaping. It is closed with buttons in front. And the fit is perfect! The challenge is now to embroider the logo. I have looked in a few books, designed and been thinking, so now I must see to overcome my “fear of the blank embroidery”!

Here’s a little bonus info about Kiboko, copied from his profile on Facebook.

   “Kiboko is Swahili for hippo. I am a friend of everyone but my heart belongs to the girls… and banana cake of course I was made in Indonesia but my true home is Bondo in Kenya, close to the Lake where African hippos feel most at home. I live for adventure and I love to meet people and talk to them about all the girls I love. I travel to remind the world to bring up girls in love and respect. To make sure that all girls have enough to eat, that they sleep safely at night – and that they go to school. As their brothers do…”

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