that's better!

it works again! I can upload directly from my files, which is a great relief, as it only takes seconds to do... I hope it stays that way! was that just a hiccup - or did somebody at blogger actually listen to my complaint?:)

I have to finish some more gift projects before I can start my next bigger project (but I know which one it's going to be - have a look at this: Fia). I might just start a small sample to check out how it looks, but I can't start it yet, because I have to finish these socks, among other things. I've bought two balls of 6ply sock yarn, which I've never used before. I had to check out the difference in stitches, but it knits up nicely - and faster than 4ply:) which is good, because I have to hurry up a bit..... the colours are nothing to write home about, but you know - men and sock colours.....

I also took the chance to get my hands on more "normal" (aka 4ply) sock wool in lovely colours, when I was asked if I "needed" something from wollknoll in germany. what a question:) the two balls on the left are singles with a lovely blend of colours (stronger in reality). I tried the yarn before, it knits up nicely, though it has a very slight tendency to bias. works well with some patterns though! the hank on the left is a 4ply, can't go wrong with a bit of purple....the dye behind is purple, too - for dyeing in the machine. I have some terry fabric in white, that I'd like to dye with this.

and this is my second project on the needles (apart from some stuff I am spinning of course). it's done with dpn 2mm and silk blend sock yarn. it started to look like a small sock. then a heel.... and then what? no, I didn't make a mistake - it won't be a sock! the skin colour might be a hint.... and I can tell you that the very narrow bit on the needles - is a neck! no more clues - but all will be revealed in time:) it's a bit fiddly, but at least the 24 pages of instructions are very detailed and knit up pretty fast!

 

I am also getting together my seed orders and gardening stuff. it's february very soon - and this means that over here at least the gardening season won't be far away! plenty of stuff already peaking out, even though we had miserable, monsoon like weather the last few days. but I can see the first fat crocus buds and the daffodil leaves are nearly full size! my tulips from last year are halfway out - only the freshly planted bulbs need a bit more time to show. it's time - I don't want winter anymore and hope for a nice spring this year (seems to be all we're  getting now, the summers are so ugly that they don't qualify for that name anymore....)

 

I also had plans to show you a few of the books that made it onto my shelves over christmas, but I think I'll push it into the next entry....

not again!

I don't know why, but somehow we seem to be irresistable to dogs, when we cycle to town or back. last week DH was followed by this fellow. her name is Dobby (like our dog) and we know the owner, so we were able to ring them. 15 min. later he picked her up. she is a lovely dog, very well behaved and friendly. just a bit wet that day:)

 

do you remember her? yep, that's Moggy... when DS came home from school today, he was very late and we thought he had a flat tyre - again. not so, he had to walk, because as friendly as Moggy is - she has no manners at all:( she jumps in front of the bike or even tries to get up on it (delighted to see us:) - even when the cyclist tries to get away! have you ever tried to outcycle a very large dog like that? better don't try, it doesn't work! by the time you could be up and rolling - she has jumped on top of you and pulled you down (yes, I tried, I had to walk halfway into town 2 weeks ago because of her.) the owners let her roam freely it seems - I am just waiting to find her killed at the side of the road - or shot, because she was caught chasing cattle:( what annoys me most is that she is still young and trainable - and such a lovely dog! now DS will have to walk to school tomorrow - with Moggy in tow to hand her back to her owners! and she's soaked wet - the whole house is wet with her (luckily we have tiles in most rooms, and she isn't allowed into the rooms with timber flooring until she's dried off)! and you can't just put her outside, because she wants company and in search of that she starts scratching on doors!

 

I haven't blogged for a while now - and when I tried just now, I found that apparently I cannot upload pix directly from my computer anymore:( who's crappy idea has this been? I had to open a picasa album, load the pix I want into that to put them on the blog. if that isn't changed again soon, I might stop blogging altogether, because it takes even more steps now!:( why is hardly anything changed for the better???                                   anyway, of course I did finish a few things since my last blog entry. and started even more:) this is a bookmark I found in one of the interweave Jane Austen mags. I changed it slightly - the original features a heart, where I put in the diamond. and I didn't use beads, because I didn't have any that would have fitted the colour of the yarn or its size! it's half silk, half wool, handspun and dyed with the leaves of red-leaved elder... I added a bluish ceramic button - it's not an easy colour to match!

 

 

 I also finished the Fletta cardigan to give to my mother-in-law. in hindsight I should have left out the green; I don't think it does much for the pattern. this photo is awful, but it shows the colours reasonably well.

the photo below shows the pattern better - but for some reason it doesn't let me write text beside it (what's wrong with blogger now?) I still have quite a lot of old rose left, but only one skein of the darker cardinal. not sure what I'll do with the leftovers.......

 

I ordered some felt squares from the uk in mid november, which I wanted to use for some christmas decos. didn't work out quite like that, my sterling draft was apparently lost in the mail and it took some time to sort it all out. a few days back I received my 20 ordered squares, so now I can make easter decos with them instead:) there is a great choice of colours here - but unfortunately it was either no proper light at all or strong sunlight - which makes the colours look a bit garish, which they aren't at all. plenty to do - but first I'll have to clean all the floors tomorrow, when hopefully Moggy has gone back home:)