Well, actually just Friday in pictures, but that was what this week was all about. I spent the day knitting at T.’s bedside (except for three hours when he was in surgery). I actually finished two hats and started a dishcloth. It was a long day…
Anyway, everything went very well. They found the problem, fixed it and he is feeling better than he’s been feeling for a long time. He was discharged on Saturday morning. We’re both taking the rest of this week off and away from the computer/internet to rest and heal (my ear is still acting up).
Wishing you all a great start to your week!
Month: August 2018
52 hats :: 34 – this yarn
Oh, I love this yarn so much! This shade of blue is my favorite (like the sky on Curaçao) and combined with that greyish brown… oh my. Yes, I love it. I figured it just needed to shine on its own, so I made a very simple hat, that I love just as much as the yarn itself. I may have found myself a new keeper…
A to-do list
Three things I need to work on today:
1. decide what yarn to use for my next hat (told you, I should stop buying yarn – or find better storage)
2. clean up this mess (this is what’s left of our former bedroom after we took out the bed and the wardrobes)
3. work on those photo albums
Oh yeah, and prepare for tomorrow (T’s surgery). But I prefer not to think too much about it. This surgery is supposed to be routine, but it scares the hell out of me… Anyway, trying to avoid thinking, or blogging, about that. I’m scheduling tomorrow’s hat post to keep on track and I hope to be will be back on Monday to tell you I was just worrying too much, like I always do when loved ones have medical issues that I can’t take care of myself.
Linking up with/inspired by Carole Knits’ Three on Thursday
I can't be trusted around thrift stores…
Ahem…
In my defense: those photo albums were on my list. I need to downsize my rows of large albums into something that will be easier to move and store. That’s why I went to the stores in the first place because I knew you can find lots of photo albums, most even unused for a fraction of the price you pay for new ones.
The hairpins, well didn’t actually need them, but I only have a few elastics and it would be nice to do something else with my hair than just braid it out of my face.
Two dresses and a t-shirt… or actually two t-shirts and a dress, since one of the dresses is so short I’ll probably wear it with jeans or thicker leggings. Okay, I do have enough to wear. But it still fits into my closet with ease, so I thought I’d get away with it. My husband likes it when I wear nice clothes, so it’s not just for me (I’d probably be in leggings and wider dresses if it were just my decision). Oh, and one of the dresses still had the tags of the real shop on it, so for 5 euro that was a really good deal, I think.
But the yarn… hmn. I need to knit faster. A lot faster. Because the basket is overflowing right now.
And that planner… Totally uncalled for. But so typical. I tend to buy planners and notebooks when life gets crazy and/or scary. I guess it gives me the reassurance that I can handle things as long as I have the means to write it all down (I hardly ever do – who’s got time for that?).
I was very happy to find the filofax perforator though because that means I can start designing and printing my own inserts again. You know, since I don’t have anything more important to do.
I was also looking for two small chairs for the bedroom. Didn’t find any that fit the bill, so I guess I still have some more thrift shopping to do in the future. Oh my…
Last week in pictures
Last week… Goodness… that was some week! So busy. But I don’t have many pictures to show it, but I was too busy to take them. There was a lot of work on the computer. Bookkeeping (catching up after a few weeks of letting it go) and editing. And then there was the house. T. did most of that, but I’m the one holding and handing stuff, so a lot of time went into that too.
But. We finished the technical space, moved the washing machine in there. That freed up space for a dishwasher in the kitchen, so we ordered one and T. installed it right after it arrived. I’m not sure if I’ll use it every day (we try to save on electricity/gas bills and have to work out the difference between using the dishwasher and heating water), but it was a lifesaver this week.
The rest of the week was spent on the back room.
We left off here two weeks ago:
But this week we cleaned it up,
added wallpaper
and a laminate floor
and then we hung some curtains and moved in (also got a new bed)
I think I’m going to do a big ‘reveal’ post with better pictures and some befores once it’s really finished and decorated, but I really wanted to show how far we got this week. We still have a long list of small things to finish, but the big renovation project is done. So happy about that.
Oh. Knitting? Um, yes. A little bit, while working on the house (hence the filthy jeans)
This week?
A little bit of editing that needs to be finished this week and hopefully some writing.
But mostly cleaning and organizing. I won’t show pictures of the mess in the rest of the house. It’s just too much. And then there’s the shed and the garden and… well, I’ve got my work cut out for me.
Edited to add: Well, it seems this week (and the next) will be a little bit different. My husband just got a call that there was an opening in the hospital’s schedule. His operation will be this Friday. So glad we’ve got that downstairs bedroom ready!
Linking up with Jeannie Gray Knits’ Makers’ Monday
52 hats :: 33 – it really is my favorite pattern
Yes, it’s that pattern again. I’m not going to apologize for it, I just like knitting it. It’s like talking to an old friend or something like that.
I did something funny a few weeks ago. I have this beautiful notebook that the girls gave me for Sinterklaas years ago. I started using it as a knitting notebook after months of not knowing what to do with (didn’t want to ruin it, but most of my notebooks end up like a mess, tearing out sheets etc.). The first year of notes is 2015 and I sort of kept it up through the last years. But I thought it was a shame that the years before that were missing.
So one lazy Sunday I browsed through my blog archives and took notes of every knitting project I posted. Starting with the red cardigan and working my way through 12 years of blogging. Oh my.
I know there are some projects missing from the blog (like the hats I made for a friend and her family and my first shalom cardigan), but at least now I have a bit of an overview.
And at least now I was able to count how often I actually made this hat.
This is number 25. Ahem. No wonder I can knit this without thinking about the pattern too much…
Adding to the stash
Because my time, budget and storage are limited, I have this rule for myself that I can’t go (thrift) shopping for yarn unless I’m completely out of it.
I’m not, obviously.
But this morning I was in a few thrift shops, searching for something else and I happened to run into some yarn. So I decided my rule didn’t apply here. I mean, my time wasn’t wasted, since I was already there. The basket can handle just a little bit more yarn (I hope) and for a total of Euro 4,50, it wasn’t exactly a big chunk out of my budget.
Or maybe I’m just making up excuses now. Anyway, I’m happy with it. The shiny yarn on the left is really beautiful and I think I can make a shawl with it (it’s two skeins). The rest will probably end up as hats, though I’m also thinking I have so many shades of grey* now, that I could make an ombre shawl or maybe even a blanket.
I do love that about having a bigger stash. Dreaming up projects, making plans.
Good thing I didn’t find what I’m looking for, so I’ll have to visit a few more thrift shops soon…
*nope, no reference to that book. I didn’t even read it
Last week in pictures
Well, last week was not the best week ever. I have an ear infection again and even though the leaflet that came with my eardrops states there are no side effects, I do feel tired and sick. T.’s heart acts up again too, but now that we know what it is and that something will be done about it (eventually – stupid waiting lists), it’s not as scary as it was before.
Anyway, we did manage to reach an important milestone in renovating that back room on Monday. The ceiling is in! It’s really starting to look like a real room again.
Also on Monday, I played around with some mini plants as a gift for my mother’s birthday that evening. Made me want to buy some for myself. I love to buy baby plants and see them grow. Some of my biggest plants started out tiny. But I behaved. I already have a lot of plants and I can’t take them with me when we move. Then again, the girls will gladly take them off my hands (they all have their father’s black thumbs). So maybe I will let myself have some of these little ones to play with.
I couldn’t decide what to knit (besides hats) and realized I actually needed some more dishcloths. Not the most exciting thing to knit, but it feels satisfying to make something I need.
I prefer a clear blue sky, but clouds can be beautiful too… (hmn, I could philosophize about a deeper meaning here, but I think I won’t)
We spent the weekend doing smaller chores (instead of wallpapering the back room). I still felt sick and did a bit of organizing around the house. T. had to move around some pipes (heating, water, gas) to finish our ‘technical space’ (where our air system, central heating boiler, solar system and washing machine are/will be). That resulted in this mess (keeping it real 😉 ), that I will be cleaning up today.
I also have to finish some editing and of course the bookkeeping. No time to get bored 😉
52 hats :: 32 – Butterfly Hat
Such a fun pattern! I loved knitting this as much as I did the first time. And though this yarn was thinner than what the pattern called for and the hat ended up smallish (next time I’ll add an extra row of butterflies), I love the result.
Three things making me happy today
1. My yarn stash. I know it’s not that much, but it’s enough for me right now (with a move to the other side of the world still in the works). I love being able to browse through it and choose what to use for the next hat.
2. Rain! Oh, I’m sure I won’t be that happy about it in a few weeks. Or months. Because this is actually normal around here most of the year. But it’s been unusually dry around for two months. My garden (or in fact the whole country) really needed a few rainy days.
3. This leather backpack I found at the thrift store yesterday. It needs a bit of love (it was completely dried out and stiff, I’m working on cleaning and greasing the leather), but it’s still in very good condition. I’m really looking forward to using it.
Linking up with Carole Knits’ Three on Thursday