funny....

...how half of europe is covered with snow - but not us! ok, during the last two days we did have a few sprinkly showers, but I wouldn't even call them flakes and they melted on impact. today we've had a few rain showers, but it's lovely to be outside and feel the sun on your back - for most of the time:) I hope my remarks about being snowfree aren't premature - but I think I am not alone in saying that we've had enough of winter by now (and over here we really didn't have all that much!).... slowly but surely our garden is waking up:

 the buds on my blueberries are opening - in different stages, because all are different varieties. one of the fruits that provided pickings last year, despite the miserable summer weather

easter is coming closer, and the daffodils are trying their best right now - at least the smaller flowered varieties are. the large ones take a bit longer, but there are feisty buds all over the garden!

 

spring is a good time for new plans - not only in the garden, but also where textiles are concerned. I would like to make a grandmother's flower garden quilt in the future - with all kinds of purple/lilac fabrics. not in a hurry, I still have to collect a load of fabric, but yesterday I received the first instalment - more by accident than by design, but I am going to keep those for my future project:) I have a few leftovers and a larger piece or two in stash, but I want it to be a big quilt and with lots of different fabrics, so I'll collect for the time being. btw, if you like hexagons, have a look at this

 

 remember the oddly shaped "sock" I showed you earlier? this is the result.... a pincushion granny:) when I saw that design on ravelry, I knew that I had to make one myself. a friend of mine loves nicknacks like that, so I made one for her birthday. the knitting isn't really difficult, the design runs over 24 pages, but it's very detailed and you can mostly work a whole page in half an hour or so; the body is done in one piece, with a lot of increases and decreases (even the nose is knitted in like that!), only the arms are done separately. the garments are a different story - it's quite fiddly to pull everything together and I took the liberty of changing some of the works. in the original the sleeves are knitted with the arms inside, which means that you don't only have to battle your dpn, but also the rest of the granny:) I decided after one sleeve that this won't do and knitted the other sleeve from the bottom up (see below) and fixed it by sewing it to the top. actually this was far easier and it looks just the same....

 of course it's not nice to have pins in your bottom, so the granny looks rather dismayed:) it was great fun to make her bun (handspun samojede dog's hair), to crochet a lace collar and the lace on the dress - but the best bit was making the glasses from wire! maybe that was because it was the last thing I had to do?

anyway, I think at some stage I'd like to make another "autsch" - but next time I'd make the base larger, choose nicer yarns for maybe a period dress design, maybe even make the lace in bobbin lace instead of crochet. we'll see - another future project:)

as you can see working the sleeves was fighting a hedgehog - the needles are 1.5 mm - and unfortunately rather too long for this tiny project. if I did do another granny I'd buy more suitable short dpn for this!

 

 I also worked some wearables - this is a collar by Andrea Delhey, done in crochet, in black handspun merino. I changed the size slightly, but the pattern is the same - you can find it here

 detail of "baroque collar"

 when the winter grey was at its worst, I decided I needed some colour for a perk-up, so I grabbed all the reds I could find, corriedale, throwster's waste, merino etc. and spun it all up whichever way it came.

the plan was to make a 2ply in exchange for the "poison" wollmeise skein I received as a surprise mailing ages ago. I read in Kristin's blog that she loves red, so I thought that it would be perfect to cheer her up a bit after an operation she had to have. I spun the leftovers into a second skein, but there wasn't enough silk left, so the 2nd one has less sparkly in it. the problem was to catch the right colour - no luck in rain or sunshine... the slightly fuzzy one on the left shows the colour changes better, but the right one hits the colours! traffic light red:)

 

 

when I sit down for a tea break at the table I need to have a small, simple project on hand to work a few rows here and there. after collecting a weekly mag incl. a small ball of yarn for a long time, I packed all the yarn into a bag and forgot about it for a year or two. it was meant to be a knitted afghan, but I didn't like knitting the squares much, so I decided to make a granny square blanket instead. the yarn is sheer poly, which I would never ever use for a garment - but I think it'll do for a simple blanket (might end up in the dog's box though:)

 

 

I've also done several pairs of socks in the meantime, I am working on a "fia" (with lots of changes:); I have to start on several gifts soon - and of course gardening is starting in earnest now. but I'll still be able to make a hexagon here and there I think.... off to swing the needles:) oh yes, and I have to finish my 2nd "deluge" - I love that pattern, but I am going to knit the next pair without the fussy different toe shapes (for left and right foot).  

yesterday evening.....

 

it looked like above. after a day with real spring feeling in the air yesterday we're back to normal today - it has been raining or at least drizzling all day here. and just to prove that we did indeed have snow:

well, ok, it looks more like icing sugar, but at least we had some:) didn't last long though, 2 hours later the sun had burned everything away. that's from a week ago - we've had real april weather during the last few days....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also finished the corriedale I bought from hedgehog fibres. while spinning I thought I might spin a fine silk yarn from hankies I had dyed in similar colours, but it would have taken ages to spin that up, and because I was impatient, I plied with shop bought merino lace yarn instead. I have about a pound of yarn now, but I am still not sure what to use it for. never mind, it'll keep - right now I have "FIA" on my mind!

 

 

 

 

this is how the top looked before I spun it up. the mix with the fine merino made the yarn feel much softer; soft enough I think to wear as a shawl....

 

 

 

 I also finished the valentine's socks. the leg is quite long (for my taste at least), but there was still a good bit of yarn left over. size 43/44 - with a very simple knit/purl pattern and stockinette under foot. nothing spectacular, other than they're my first 6ply socks:) the second was started immediately; my side project when I don't fancy knitting fiddly and don't want to spin either! they're for myself - so no due date for those.

 

 

 

 

 for the last few months nothing happened with the lemons my small tree had set. during the last few days however they started to get lighter and more yellowish! do I see ripening lemons here? I hope so, there are at least 5 or 6 on it and I had planned to try salted lemons with them, because I know that they are untreated and "bio"!

 

 

 

 

 

 

sorry for the out of focus pic, but this is a smaller lemon (I know, it looks the same size:), which is still much greener in comparison.  

 

other than this the garden is still more or less miserable. only the snowdrops look spiffy, everything else is still in hiding or just visible by leaf tips. I can't wait for spring, I've just had it with winter for this year.... though maybe I shouldn't be complaining? the longer the winter, the more time I'll have to work on my Fia sweater....

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:)

Merry Christmas .....

.... or season's greetings, or happy holidays - whichever you prefer:)

 

the year is nearly gone, I can't believe that 2012 rushed by so fast! and I only just managed to make my traditional door wreath yesterday - usually it's hanging by mid-december at the latest. but never mind, I made it, though this time I didn't collect all kinds of greenery; I only used variegated holly and the reason for this is that all the variegated ones grow like mad - while the pure green one doesn't exactly rush into things here! we planted two (boy and girl) on the day we married, and they've been unstoppable ever since:) there are red berries on it, but the large leaves hide them rather well... the bow is a very old one I literally made decades back....

 

same for the christmas cookies. when I still lived in germany, I made loads of different ones; bit by bit I cut back over here, because with only three people and the occasional visitor there aren't enough mouths around to finish all of them. I did do most of them during the last weekend, so at least they are very fresh:) nobody likes to eat old cookies around easter! not even the dog....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and now I am off to dig through all the books I received:) the next few days will be spent on reading, knitting and spinning, only occasionally disturbed by a bout of cooking (and eating)! I've been looking forward to this for weeks - so here I come! btw - I received the very first handmade christmas gift from my son - who has been working on a lathe in school and took the opportunity to make a "needle holder" for me.... happy days during the rest of the year to everybody!

bits and pieces

there's not much to show here just now! I finally finished the fletta cardigan, but I didn't upload the pictures - yet. it was late at night and with a flash, so I think I might have to adjust the pix a lot to show the true colours (or at least as true as I can make them....). the finished cardigan was packed up and sent away only a few hours after I added the last touches and there was no time to wait for sunshine or even just daylight:) talking about last minute gifts....

 

I also finished two other knitted gifts - which I can't show before christmas. and I did another project - which has to wait after the pattern is published, because it was a test crochet.

 

I did however change the header picture - this is what the last few mornings looked like! below zero temperatures meant that everything was white with rime, but it all melted away quickly during the day. today we woke up with rain - but at least it meant that the roads had no icy patches! it looks nice - but can be rather dangerous for bicycle riders! the weather forecasters are funny guys (and girls) - some of them predict more of the same, some colder spells, but a lot of rain and no real snow etc. for some time to come. others however predict a very cold, icy and snowy spell for all of us for a prolonged time - actually it should already be here and last until the new year! what to believe now?

 

at least I have plenty of materials to do the christmas baking - and it's high time now! I made two sorts, peanut butter cookies - one of our absolute favourites (recipe on page above). and mocca-hazelnut macaroons - which are ok, but won't make it on our list, because they flattened out a bit and don't really taste very special. and now I am off to do more - not sure which ones, but I have to do coconut macaroons at least!:) and I started a new knitting project - to be enjoyed this evening. it's the best stage of knitting - when you are still full of enthusiasm about the project and can't wait to get your hands on those needles:) best of all - when it's a project that will be finished before the absolute boredom sets in that usually befalls me, when I am working on a larger project!

not much to show....

it's been a while.... by now the leaves are off the trees (Elke - it didn't look half as nice today, or rather it was so foggy that you could barely see the tree in the header, never mind the other side of the valley....), the nights are often frosty - but the day temperatures are still in the plus grades, so that we do have icy patches after dark, but during the day the roads are ok... I hope that it stays that way; at the back of my mind I have the niggling worry that very soon we might have snow and ice again and problems with shopping etc.. and I am talking about shopping for food, not for elaborate christmas gifts etc.!

which brings me right on to the reason why there was so little blogging done here. several larger projects as christmas gifts mean very little time for anything else I could show here! but - it's looking good, I am making progress and hope to be finished in time (without night shifts, if possible:).

this is a small project I used to test out a bigger pattern. the first time round I chose a needle size too small and ended up with a piece of cardboard (Lagerfeld might have worn it instead of one of his ubiquitious stiff collars:). after ribbing and going up in needle size I ended up with a wearable cowl. which could be improved on, it's far from perfect. if you wear it like this it rolls up to the outside, which is alright. if you try to wear the purlside out, you end up with a ring around your neck that feels uncomfortable and looks.... a bit like a rodon cake tin! the yarn is darker in real life, handspun superwash merino, dyed with food dyes, plied with a fine cotton thread. I am not sure if I leave it like this and wear it - maybe. or I'll just pull it all apart and use the yarn for something else.... I don't think I'd buy superwash fibres again - they have an odd feel to them, a bit like cotton balls, nothing like wool at all:(

 

 

 I also spun some honey coloured mohair I had in stash for some time, but I only managed 200 of the 300 g, the rest is still in the corner, waiting for a quiet moment. I miss the spinning, but if I start doing it right now, I loose too much of the time I need for finishing christmas stuff! but I am looking forward to lots of spinning time during the holidays:) no plans for the mohair yet. I think it's too scratchy for a scarf, no idea what I'll use it for or even if I should ply it or not.

 to make sure I don't run out of work during the holidays I stashed up from Suzie during the last spinner's meeting:) there are some small balls of merino in purple, red and green. also two bags full (100 g each) in different shades of blue. I got two 1 kg balls of teeswater (I think I might have bought most of what was in store by now:) plus a small bag of a few gaywool dyes. a small booklet with christmas deco ideas in knitting. and for creative times two bags full of sari silk strips, in the pic on the right, pink and purple tones....

I had also planned to knit the "licorne" socks by J. Laidman.  I looked around for some sock yarn in the right colour, which isn't easy (the original yarn isn't available anymore and was from overseas anyway), because it has to be one with very subtle colour flecks, nothing with stripes or other patterns. I thought I found what I wanted on Beata's hedgehog fibres page, but when the yarn came it was too pinkish blue to fit the pattern. luckily the yarn found a new owner immediately! that's what the gaywool dyes are for - I think I stop hunting and just dye my own:) I also orderd some corriedale fibres in purple from Beata - and I can't get enough of it, have to keep myself from running to the wheel to start spinning it:) I only have 250 g, so it won't be enough for a large project. but I think if I spin it into a fine singles I should have enough for a nice shawl or maybe a shrug.

when a friend asked if I wanted to order some sock charms - I couldn't resist! it was fun to unpack the little bag they came in and lay out my collection:) some of them I wanted for a friend, who cannot resist anything "mousy".... I'll add them to the christmas gift, without socks, just as a small something to unpack.

the hands I want to put on handmade larger projects. the elephants and hippos (below the elephants) will go to new owners soon - and the rest will go into my stash for now - to be added to later projects... but in my mind I am already working on dragon and witch socks:) or maybe something with teapots in the design?

 

at the last spinner's meeting we also took apart the CTC exhibition in the museum in Castlebar. my picture socks are back home now as are my bobbin lace pieces - and the jacobs wool socks, which I'll send to their intended owner this week - after the poor man had to wait for so long to receive his "thank you" for the milksheep and jacobs fleeces he gave us for nothing!

as I said, nothing much to show apart from materials... but while I am knitting away on the christmas stuff (I still have to write all the cards, too:() my head is whirling with new ideas, projects I'd like to start in the new year and techniques I want to try out soon... right now the garden is so dripping wet and cold, that I don't even make it down to the tunnel or dome. most days I just put bird food out and that's that:) it's too tempting right now to sit in front of the warm oven and do "inside stuff" after the long months of taking every opportunity to do jobs outside!

happy "1st advent" to all those, who celebrate it - and a nice time before christmas for those, who don't! I am finally going to put up my deco around the candle holder - to light the first candle, if rather belatedly....