In all the stopping and starting I did with this blog I seem to have lost my blogging voice. If I read through the older archives (almost ready to put them back online) I find myself documenting all the knitting I did and being so happy about a finished hat or another project in the works. And now… I do take pictures of (most of the) things I make, but when it comes to blogging about them I often sit at my computer and get stuck at “I made a hat.”
Oh well, let’s just try and keep blogging. May be it’ll come back.
So.
I made a hat.
I wanted something easy, just to keep my hands busy and my mind free to talk (I made this while the girls were visiting), so I made my all time favorite pattern again. (if I ever bring my ravelry up to date I’ll have a real number, but I do think I made well over 20 of these now)

And some slippers (this pattern again)

And since I do like looking back into those archives and see everything I’ve been making over the years I thought I’d add these from the last few months:

Potholders. For my mother. I made some of these years ago and she loves them and kept asking me to make more. I gave her these for mother’s day. (this pattern, two of them crocheted together, I knit twice in one stitch to increase instead of yarnovers)

Another drop stitch scarf from a linen/cotton blend yarn. I gave this one to my mother for her birthday. And she loved it. Of course she did. Last year she stated she needed a bigger cupboard for her scarves and hats since I made so many for her. And there was no way she was letting one of them go, she wears them all for different occasions and with different coats.

Another simple hat, I made up the pattern while working on it. It’s kind of big, but I like those colors together and it feels soft and warm. I might keep this one myself.

Um, yeah. Told you I love this pattern. Funny thing, my husband doesn’t like how this type of hat looks on me, but this one he actually digged. Must be the two colors.

Over those months I’ve also been knitting on this shawl, but I didn’t really like working with that uneven (cotton) yarn and all the garter stitch got really boring. I did manage to plow through until I had a decent size though. And truth to be told, I just put it on to take that (ugly – excuse the dirty mirror- ) picture below and it’s still on my shoulders. It seems the shape (that I made up by messing around with increases) works for me. Hmn. Maybe I’ll try that again in yarn I do like?

I’m joining Ginny’s yarn along today.

Oh goodness, what a week we had.
Not fully recovered from the flu (still not) we dove into moving our youngest daughter into her new apartment as soon as she got the keys last Wednesday. So we did a lot of driving up and down to Ikea, we assembled some (ha! she had a tiny, tiny bedroom and needed to fill a good sized apartment) furniture, bought two second-hand couches, hung some lamps (that would be my husbands job, he’s good with electricity) and… well, you get the drift. So busy.

Anyway, I still managed to knit a bit on the boring squares for the potholders I’m making as Holiday gifts. I tried knitting them on circular needles, but I’m not convinced that it’s really easier that way. The other knitting is on hold for now, I’m still not sure what to make with that yarn.

Once I started reading the book pictured above (Illusion by Frank Peretti) I had to sneak in some reading time too, because… wow! That is such a great book! It’s really hard to describe what it’s about without giving too much away, but so, so good to read.
(confession: I took this picture last Monday and I finished the book that same day, the book I read after that was not really worth mentioning – though entertaining – and I’m between books right now).

So what are you knitting and reading?

I’m joining Ginny’s yarn along today.

Knitting: After finishing the sweater dress, I’ve been working on some smaller projects. Although one of them is actually a big project. I’m trying to knit enough potholders to give to my family this Sinterklaas, but I did the math and well… 7 households times 2 potholders times 2 squares makes 28 squares to knit? Oh my, so boring…
So I’m allowing myself to work on something else too. I found this assortment of really soft wool at the thriftshop one day (you can see the whole bag here) and I’ve been dying to start working with it, although I’m not sure what I’m making. Maybe a hat, but it could also be the start of a sweater. I’m trying to figure out how far one of these little skeins will get me before I decide. Ha, that would make a bigger project too, I guess. I did knit some smaller items between the sweater and these though. I will show those soon.

Reading: Stephen King: Full Dark, no Stars. What can I say? I think Stephen King is one of the greatest writers of our time, but I’m not really into scary stories, so I don’t often read his books. Sounds silly, I know.
When I do read his books I’m always impressed though. As a reader, but also as a writer. When I read his books, I feel I’ve got so much to learn.
I really appreciate his little forewords and epilogues for that matter, since he usually talks a little about writing in those. I think I read somewhere that he wrote a whole book about writing, maybe I should buy that someday…

Anyway, these four stories are really raw and harsh, but somehow I couldn’t stop reading when I started.
I read the first two in one evening and I think I will start reading the third one tonight.

 So what are you knitting and reading?

Though that bulky yarn makes it less suitable for everyday wearing (it’s warm!), it does make for a quick knit. I finished my sweater dress last Thursday.

I love it. Some of you already commented about the colors. Yes, neutral, but not boring. That’s why I love it so much (I made cowls with it before and knew I wanted a sweater in that colorway).

The cowl neck turned out a bit tighter than I was going for, but when I tried it on, I liked it, so I kept it that way.

The length is just right, a few inches above my knee. I know that in the picture it seems somewhat tight on me, but it does look good in person (so hard to take pictures of oneself). Also I lost a lot of weight lately and I hope to loose a bit more, so I like that it will still fit then.

Overall, I’m quite please with it.

Knit with Marl Wool from Zeeman (but I think they don’t sell it anymore, can’t find it online), no pattern but some help from Elizabeth Zimmerman on the yoke and the back neck short rows.

I’m joining Ginny’s yarn along today.

Knitting: I’m at the last part of the yoke of my sweater. I’ve been trying it on and it’s tight, but it does fit. Now I’m guestimating how to make a wide turtleneck (is that the right way to explain this? I want something that looks like a cowl on a sweater) with a little help from Elizabeth Zimmermann (Knitting without tears, I love that book).

Reading: Peter Tremayne, The Leper’s bell. My father loves these historic mysteries and keeps recommending them to me. This is the second one I’m reading and I’m still not sure if I share his opinion. I like the historic information that is added throughout the book (it’s set in Ireland in the Early Middle Ages), but sometimes it feels like it doesn’t really add to the story, but instead holds it up. Also I miss a feeling of connection to the main character. She doesn’t feel real to me. But then again, it’s quite entertaining. I am curious who stole the baby and why, so I’m sure I will finish it.

So what are you knitting and reading?