Feeling good about Šticle

Where better to draw inspiration from, than from my own culture?

Šticle, (shtiz- leh) are little  wristlets made from coloured wool, simultaneously beaded while knitted on two needles.

They are found in the Panonian area of Croatia – typically from areas of Slavonija, Valpova, Bizovac, and Baranja.

I have a certain love for these, as they are so specific to certain nosnje, and each pair has its own uniqueness. They come in a variety of colours – from red, brown, black, to multi-coloured, incorporating yellow, blue and green.

So it is with this inspiration, and my former project of wrist/ arm warmers, that I am making some So Sweet accessories that bring together my love of accessories and my love of Croatian folklore.

stay tuned…. 🙂 they will be appearing in my Etsy shop shortly!

an ode to my knitting machine

I first got my knitting machine in December 2009.

In the beginning, I was very overwhelmed. Being a hand-knitter first and foremost, I found it to be a tremendous challenge to begin a technique that was completely backwards to me.

It took me quite some time to get the hang of it, and essentially learn how to knit backwards, but now that I am a little more experienced, I can experiment more!