Author: Maggie

Crafty goals

~ Maggie ~ 5 Comments

So here we are. A new year. So much time to make so many things.
I’d like to join other makers and list all the things I want to make this year.
But to be honest, I’m feeling a bit uninspired. I love making hats, cardigans and sweaters, but I really want to shift my focus to making things I can use or donate here on Curaçao (donating to charities overseas is an option, but really expensive).

I did buy a lot of cotton yarn when I was in The Netherlands, both new and thrifted, so that limited stash I used to have to deal with is no longer a problem. I also bought some acrylic yarn that would be lovely as a cowl or shawl (those jelly rolls in the middle of the picture), so I think I will start that cowl/showl pattern soon.

But other than that… I don’t know.

There’s a whole lot of that blue cotton and I think I want to make something (a wide sweater or a kimono) to wear over my swimsuit at the beach, but I don’t think I can handle that much lace. This page gave me some ideas though. Drop stitch! Brilliant.

I’d like to try and make some stuffed animals (lots of children here to give them too), but I’d have to use patterns that you need to follow row by row (I like mindless repeats) and dpn’s. Those are both things that scare me right now. Dpn’s for finishing a hat are okay though, so maybe I’m just being silly. And well, I have to get used to shaping and tight knitting and things like that before I can try to figure things out for myself (my favorite way of knitting).
I did a little search and here are some patterns that I like: owl, fish, doll, sea creatures, teddies (not on dpn’s – ha!)

Oh, and bags. I could try to knit bags. Those are shapes I should be able to figure out without a pattern… And of course, I could use some headbands. I never made any more than the two I originally made, because I didn’t like the yarns I had for that, but I do have some great options now. And if I want easy knitting it might be a great idea to start knitting some placemats, because I have some not washable store-bought ones that are getting gross.

Ha. I guess the best solution for feeling uninspired is to write a blog post about it. Kind of like thinking aloud.

Here’s my list for this week:

– start the cowl
– make a headband
– start the doll (or one of the other toys)

Sewing? Not going to happen this month. Our oldest daughter will arrive Tuesday for a four week (!) stay and I don’t think I will have any time to sew.

One word, three things

~ Maggie ~ 8 Comments

Just like last year, I had a hard time accepting the word that was coming to my mind when I started thinking about what word would be fitting for 2020.
Ironically that is exactly why I chose it. My word will be “accept”.
I could make a long, long list of things I need to learn to accept, but I think listing three is enough for now (I think I will write about this about once a month).

– things I cannot change
I know. So cliche. But also, so true. I’m constantly stressed out and tired because I’m constantly trying to fight, change or at least be prepared for the hard things in life. But I need to accept that my mother is going to die this year, that my father is ill too, that the girls will have their own problems and that more bad things will happen. I know, this sounds very depressing, but I hope this will free my mind and help me to notice and enjoy the good things in life.

– my body
Age, allergies, gaining weight… I have a hard time accepting that my body is not doing what I want it to do. And that doesn’t help to take better care of it. I want to stop fighting my body and to start nourishing it.

– other people (how they interact with me)
I have a hard time coping with how people treat me (or others). I can worry for hours when somebody says or does something harsh even if it was just a stranger that bumped into me and told me to be more careful. I need to accept that not everybody will like me and that even people who do like me will sometimes say something unfriendly. I want to learn to let it go, to focus on kindness and friendship.

Linking up with Carole’s Three on Thursday

The last two hats

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

… of 2019, that is. Although I want to try to knit more things that I can actually use throughout the year, I don’t think I will ever not knit hats. I just love them too much.

The first one I made for my father to match the beret I made for my mother. Just a very simple hat, using up every last bit of that skein.

After that, I was still itching to knit, but not feeling capable of anything remotely complicated, so I cast on for another hat in the yarn I made that green cowl with.

Simple, but warm and soft. I think I’ll keep this one, to wear with the cowl when we’re in The Netherlands for the holidays. It doesn’t get that cold there (usually no snow, just lots and lots of rain), but to me, it felt very cold. And they sure can use some extra green in winter…

Home!

~ Maggie ~ 5 Comments

(reusing an old picture because I’m too lazy/busy to take a new one)

Last year I was thinking about what word to focus on for 2019 and all that came to me was ‘home’.
I resisted at first. Strongly. Because it made me sad to even think about it.
At that moment we were still in our house in the Netherlands, but it didn’t feel like home anymore because it was staged for selling and already under contract. We had been searching for a house on Curaçao, but every time we thought we found a good one, something went wrong (sellers deciding not to sell, after all, other buyers cutting in, etc.). We were planning to really move to the island, but I still had a lot of mixed feelings about it.
I thought it would make things even harder for me if I focused on ‘home’ as my one word.

Well, it turned out it was the perfect word for this year. I didn’t focus on it, but it sort of worked its way into my thoughts a lot.

I learned that home isn’t only about walls or things. I love, love, love the house we ended up buying and renovating. I’m excited about all the things we plan to do and yes, it helps to live in a house I like so much, but in the first few months, I suffered a lot from homesickness.

Home also isn’t only about being with your loved one(s), because that was part of the problem for me. I felt torn between my husband on Curaçao and our daughters and my parents in The Netherlands and I knew that would never really change.

But…I felt so much better when I allowed myself to do and enjoy the things I did before we moved. Knitting, (dreaming of) sewing, thrifting, reading, blogging, gardening and even cleaning.
Of course, our lives are different now and it’s not the same, but these things are part of me and I needed to get back to them. Incorporating them into our new life was exactly what I needed.

I guess feeling at home is also about identity, about being able to be who you are, to do what you love.

Last Friday we returned from our trip to The Netherlands. Although I have felt sad for not being closer to my family, I haven’t felt sad for not living there anymore one second when we were there.

And yes, it feels so good to be home again!

Right now I am…

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

… looking back at some really great family gatherings
… so happy that we’ve managed to take some family pictures
… even happier with the pictures I got of my parents.
… feeling under the weather today
… looking forward to more family gatherings
… but also looking forward to going home
… trying to enjoy our time here as much as I can
… thinking about the things I’d like to do next year
… loving that picture of my sister’s dog

… wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

I feel like Goldilocks

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

Not that I’m house crashing with three bears, though. That would be… weird. To say the least.
But the hats I’ve been making for my mother did get me thinking about that fairy tale.
Remember? The first beret I made for her was too small. The second one was better, but actually a bit too big.
But now… I think I’ve got it. This one is juuuuust right 😉

(not posting pictures with my face showing today. Goodness, I’m suddenly all wrinkled up. Must be the cold or something.)

What I did:

CO 72 st., join in the round, k2,p2 – 6 rounds
Increase: K b&f 3 times, k1, repeat till last four stitches, K b&f 2 times, k2 (132 st)
K 15 rounds (stockinette stitch)

start decrease: 
(the decrease is done in 6 sections, knitting less stitches before ssk each time)

K 20, ssk – repeat till end of round
K entire round
K19, ssk – repeat till end of round
K entire round
etc.

keep alternating decrease rows and K rows until you did K10, ssk
Then stop the K rows and keep decreasing (k9, ssk; K8, ssk etc.) until you have 12 stitches left.
Use a darning needle to pull thread through remaining stitches and pull to close. Sew in ends.

Christmas on the island

~ Maggie ~ 6 Comments

The people of Curaçao love parties, decorating, colors and glitter. So yes, Christmas decorating is a big thing here. I thought it would be fun to show you, so I took pictures whenever I saw something.
Enjoy!

Adding today to a post I prepared two weeks ago: 
Gosh, I miss Curaçao! I feel “torn between two lovers” right now. Enjoying my time with family here, part of me settling right back into The Netherlands and not wanting to leave them again, but also counting down the days until we can go back. I miss… everything. The sun, the heat, the smells, the sounds, the people, the house…
Since Curaçao is where we live and we are going back (we have to – we are not Dutch citizens anymore), that’s actually a good thing, isn’t it?

Warm feet

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

(writing this from the Netherlands, but the pictures were – obviously – taken on Curaçao)

I finished these just in time to take them with me. I have to admit that the color really, really isn’t me. I bought this on the island, and there wasn’t a lot of choices. I do like the color as is, but it doesn’t go with any of my clothes. Still, I’m wearing these almost 24 hours a day (yes, I wear them in bed). We do have heated floors in our Airbnb, but I still get cold feet.

I used a pattern that I had written down in my knitting notebook. I thought Ravelry said it was offline, but I found it here.
I love how simple, yet effective it is. I did make one change though. I found previous versions were very slippery, so I decided to knit the whole sole (1/3 of the stitches) in garter stitch, instead of all stockinette after joining in the round. I do feel it works (or maybe I’m just walking more careful these days).

Right now I am…

~ Maggie ~ 6 Comments

… so, so cold
… wearing two sweaters and two pairs of socks
… considering adding another layer
… drinking hot tea
… wondering when the day will start (it’s nine-thirty, but still so dark)
… knowing this is pretty much it, it won’t get lighter
… feeling weird because I’m not used to this anymore after only one year
… tired of a week of driving around visiting our girls and my parents
… but very happy to have seen them all (twice already)
… also tired of yesterday’s birthday (our youngest girl turned 27!). Her tiny living room was packed with people, but it was fun.
… trying not to think about how my parents are doing too much (they just keep going, but I know they are both running on reserves)
… looking forward to spending more time with them, because… well, this might be the last time I can
… also trying to ignore T.’s coughing (and his not so healthy-sounding breathing). At least now I’m really sure that for his health it was the right decision to move to Curaçao.
… remembering the really wonderful afternoon I spent with an old friend. A few years ago she lost both her parents in a very short time under similar conditions as mine are in (dad chronically ill, mom losing the fight with cancer). She also lost her husband last year and I felt really sorry for her. I was actually geared up to comfort her but instead, she managed to comfort me. She inspired me to get a grip on the things that will happen inevitably, both with my parents and T.
…  trying to come up with a plan for the day. I know there is some work I need to do, but I can’t remember what
… considering to take it easy and curl up with a book, some knitting, and more hot tea
… wishing you all a great week