Author: Maggie

Spiral up (or down?)

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

Another gray hat. I know… But I had this really big skein and it is actually a nice shade of gray. I think the men in my family will be happy to wear these hats. But I have to admit that I’m glad I’m almost done with it.

Almost two years ago, I was toying with the idea to start writing patterns for the hats I made. I actually published a few, but they never really took off. Also, pattern writing is a lot of work, especially if you want to sell them. I usually don’t bother with gauge and things like that, but I’d need to. So I decided to let go of that plan though I sometimes still think that it would be so great to make (some) money with knitting.
A few days ago I did realize I could just add some notes to my posts about the things I knit. Not really patterns, but just “what I did” in pattern language. So that’s what you got yesterday.
But then I moved on to writing today’s post and I realized that I have been very bad at taking notes these days and I don’t really remember the specifics of this one. It shouldn’t be too hard to explain in words what I did though, so let me try.

What I did:

I could write an intricate pattern for that spiraling ribbing, but the trick is to cast on one stitch less than you’d need for the ribbing you’re using. I did a K1, P1 ribbing, so I cast on an odd number (don’t remember how many – 79 probably, since that’s about the number of stitches that makes an adult-sized hat with this yarn) and just kept doing K1, P1.
When I thought the ribbing was high enough I increased the stitches (K3, K1f&b) and kept knitting till I had a nice slouchy hat. The top was finished by alternating k2tog and K rows until I had approximately 10 stitches left. Pulled the thread through the remaining stitches and wove in ends.

Green

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

But not with envy 😉

A few months ago, I felt unhappy because all the yarn I had left to knit with was gray. Rather depressing. But buying yarn is not easy here. There are a few shops that carry it (as far as I know) and none of them has a lot.
At that moment I even thought there were only two shops that carried it. But I was in town and decided to pop into a fabric store I discovered that day. And there, right in the back they actually had some yarn. Acrylic, of course (they love their polyester here – clothes, sheets, fabric, and yarn), but there was this green that I loved (still my favorite color, it seems). I asked if there were more skeins than the three on the shelve and they dug through a few boxes for me, but alas, no luck there. I bought the three skeins anyway. Just because they were there. And they weren’t grey.

And then they just sat there, because I didn’t know what to do with them. A shawl? But I don’t like how they slip off my shoulders constantly. A cowl? But I had plenty of yarn to work with and it would be nice to cover my shoulders.

I found inspiration on the internet (where else?). I already had this cowl in the back of my mind, but more recently I’ve been admiring Chris’ design and Jeannie’s version of it.
Could have waited for the pattern to be released, of course, but I was impatient and made up my own version. I can always knit another one when the pattern is there. Since really, you can’t have enough cowls (oh wait, maybe you can if you’re living in the tropics and only visit colder regions a few weeks every year. But let’s ignore that little fact.)

So I cast on some stitches (better description below) and used a stitch pattern based on Soulemama’s hat pattern. When I thought the neck section was high enough I doubled the stitches and just kept knitting from there.
I have to admit, it did get frustrating after a while. That stitch pattern is perfect for a small project like a hat and even a cowl, but it was very slow (and hard on the arthritic hands) knitting for the shoulder part.
But I do love the result.

I also love that the stitch pattern turned out to be reversible.  I may even prefer the inside…

What I did:

CO 102 stitches, join in the round
knit three ridges of garter stitch (alternating K and P rows)

Stitch pattern:
1. k1, yo, k2tog – repeat till end of round
2. k1, yo, k2tog – repeat till end of round
3,4,5 P all stitches

Repeat pattern 6 times

Increasing:
1. k1, yo till end of round (204 stitches)
2. K all stitches
3,4,5 P all stitches

Return to stitch pattern, repeat 9 times + first two rows once
knit three ridges of garter stitch
Cast off

Stop and notice

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

Even though – or maybe I should say because –  I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and stressed these past few weeks (months?), I’ve been trying really hard to stop and notice the beauty around me as often as I can.
I have always loved looking at the sky in times like these, though I can’t really put into words why (I’ll try anyway).
It makes me feel… unimportant, small. But in a good way. It’s comforting to realize that the world is not falling apart because my little life isn’t going smoothly. And it makes me think about how important the things I’m worrying about really are. The house isn’t as clean as I’d like, I’m running late with work assignments, I didn’t post on Instagram for a week, I should be writing a book, etc. etc. So what?
Things (even bigger, sad things like my mom’s disease) just happen because they happen. Sometimes to us or people close to us and then it hurts, but there are seven billion people on this little planet who all are going through something sometimes.
Still, the sunset is painting beautiful colors, rainbows appear, the stars are shining brightly, the moon is going through her phases, the world keeps turning. Always.
To me, this is comforting. So I try to stop and notice the beauty of the sky a few times every day.

Wishing you all a great, worry-free week!

Crafty goals

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

Last week I actually did great on the knitting goals, if I say so myself (ah, the benefits of aiming low!). On the sewing, not so much (not at all, actually). I did (partly) clean up and organize the entry room though and I have now a table ready to sew on. So who knows what will happen next week?

Last week’s list:

Knitting:

✔ work on green cowl (actually finished it! – show & tell next week)
✔ maybe start a beret for my mother (started one, finished it – turns out to be wearable, but rather tight, so I started another one – sneak peek in pictures above)

Sewing:
X purse for daily use
X quilt (or maybe start small and make a table runner?)
X drawstring bags to use in my suitcase while traveling (I love the packing cubes like these that I see all over the internet and of course I could either order them or try to make them, but I think simple drawstring bags could help with the packing chaos too, so I’m trying that first).

This week’s list

 Knitting:

– finish second beret
– knit some of these slippers (the pattern is no longer online, but I have it written down in my notebook) to keep my feet warm when we’re in Holland
– decide if I could make more of them as gifts (maybe better than hats?)
– use up the rest of the Christmas yarn (granny square to use as decoration on the table?)

Sewing:

The fact that I’m not sewing doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the things I want to do. I keep adding to that list… Oh well, we’ll see.

– hem that plaid cotton I bought to use as a tablecloth
– make placemats (the ones we’re using are stained and not washable – not my smartest buy)
– purse for daily use
– quilt (or maybe start small and make a table runner?)
– drawstring bags to use in my suitcase while traveling (I love the packing cubes like these that I see all over the internet and of course I could either order them or try to make them, but I think simple drawstring bags could help with the packing chaos too, so I’m trying that first).

I’m hoping for a productive, creative weekend, though there’s also this other list of things I need to do…
Wishing you all a great one too!

Being grateful after all

~ Maggie ~ 12 Comments

I sometimes struggle with the whole grateful thing. Sometimes I try and know that behind my simple gratitudes is a world of ‘despite…’ and ‘still…’, “but…’ and other not so grateful thoughts. And then I don’t post them at all.
But last week I went to Carole’s blog to link up my post for Three on Tuesday and her post really hit me.

She talked about how the things she listed were all things that didn’t go very well at first and the struggle to get to a point she could be grateful for them. And then she said: “then we get to feel thankful in a way that’s bigger and better and more satisfying because it took some work to get there.”

Wow! That really struck a chord with me.

So it’s not wrong to know that you aren’t just simply thankful for some things… It’s not ungrateful to know that it’s hard to be thankful for them sometimes… I know, duh! But also, somewhat of an epiphany to me.  I have been trying to work up some higher serene feelings that just weren’t there (because, life) and now I’m finally starting to accept that it doesn’t have to be all that perfect.

So here are three things that I am thankful for today (despite…, but… etc.)

1. This house.
Talking about struggle… But it is all worth it. I already love it the way it is and it will be beautiful someday.

2. Living here.
I still get homesick every once in a while and there are times that I wished we never left, but I do love this island and the kind of life we’re able to live here.

3. Airplanes.
Ha! If I had to travel on a ship for six weeks to see my family I don’t think I’d moved here. I hate the flight itself (ten hours, no knitting allowed and I always have to force myself not to think about the fact that I’m in an aluminum tube going really fast and really high), but it takes me to my family, or back to my island and that’s why I am grateful that they exist.

Linking up with Carole’s Three on Tuesday

In my garden :: hopes and dreams

~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

I’ve always wanted to grow my own food. And yes, I’ve done it too, for a while.

(writing that sent me to my blog archives. Remember this garden? I had to stop myself from digging too deep into the archives because I actually don’t even really have time to write this post, let alone read my own blog archives. I did find out that some older posts have missing pictures though because I deleted my Flickr account. Will have to fix that. Some day.)

I’ve also always wanted to grow medicinal herbs, but we used to live in a region that had so much pollution that I never really felt safe to do so.
Traveling and lack of time, energy and space made it hard for me these past few years, but now I’m dreaming again. After all, we have half an acre of land and that may not be enough to do real homesteading on, but it is plenty to play with.

Most of what you see here. behind the artificial grass, is my future garden, where I can plant whatever I want. It’s a lot bigger than it looks here. And then there’s the rest of our lot, that needs some landscaping. I think it would be fun to make a cactus garden with all different kinds of cactuses and succulents. And we need color. Bougainvilleas of course, but there must be some other possibilities too. All in good time…

Since we live in a completely different climate now, I have a lot to learn. But that’s part of the fun. Our coconut trees are growing steadily and we’ll probably have our first coconuts in about a year.
My first papaya tree needs to be planted soon, it’s growing really fast. The other seedlings need a bit more time, but they’re coming along too.
Two weeks ago I’ve planted an avocado pit and a kalbas. I’m watching it constantly, but so far, nothing has happened.

We already have quite a bit of aloë and agave growing here (it was here when we bought the house). I need to look into harvesting and using the aloë (there must be a way to keep it longer than a few days too) and I want to find out if the root of this agave is edible.

I found out I should have started growing a vegetable garden about now to be able to grow when there’s rain and to harvest before it gets really hot and dry so I have to skip this year. Next year I want to grow some corn and beans and maybe some zucchini, pumpkin and/or squash too.

Also on my list for next year: bananas, mangos, and soursops. Oh, and a lime tree (we use a lot of lime in our drinks). And I also want to try to plant a pineapple. How cool would it be to make a fruit salad or a smoothy with fruit from our own trees?

I would also love to find the edible kind of cactus that is indigenous here but isn’t growing on our land (the one in the picture is inedible but beautiful).

Oh, plenty of plans and dreams. But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?

Simple hats for the win

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

I feel like a broken record when I talk about how much I love knitting hats and about how simple patterns are all I can manage these days. But that’s the way it is right now. So. another hat, another simple pattern (k5 p3 rib). Yes, I loved making it. And I’m sure someone will be happy to wear it too.

So, I’m off again. Making more simple hats (this was # 4 of the 20 before 2020 by the way, so no, I suppose I’m not going to meet that goal. Then again, there are still a few weeks left. Hmn…)

Sidenote: I sometimes feel like I’m exaggerating when I talk about not having the headspace for a lot of things etc. But yesterday we were having dinner and T. was hinting gently that he felt it wasn’t quite enough. So I was thinking about what I had (we really need to get some groceries this week) to make as an extra for him. It more or less went like this: “I want to save the minced meat for tomorrow, but this afternoon, when I took today’s steaks out of the freezer to let them defrost I found some chicken that I forgot about, but that is frozen solid and…. wait! Today’s steaks?”
Um, yes. I somehow totally forgot about those. Ate my roasted veggies without even realizing something was missing (we always eat steak with roasted veggies)… So yeah. Headspace.

Bon Siman!

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

This happened last week and no, he wasn’t able to repair it (nor will the pro mechanics be, at least not for a price that will be worth it). We’re driving a rental now and halfway into buying an affordable, but reliable secondhand car.
Let’s hope this week will be a smoother one… (not going to list everythng else that happened, but oh my… – just small annoyances though, no big sad happenings)

Wishing you all a great week!

Crafty goals

~ Maggie ~ 4 Comments

Though it feels more logical to post to-do lists at the start of the week, I’m going to try to post my crafty goals on Friday. Always the one going against logic… Well, actually not. This morning I realized that I do most of my crafting at the weekends (because I try not to work and to stay away from the computer on Saturday and Sunday), so it would actually make sense to think about what I’d like to do on Fridays. And it would be fun, looking forward to the weekend (and the weekdays after the weekend) like that.

So here it goes.

Knitting:

– I’m still working on that cowl. It’s going rather slowly, but I changed the needles I was using and I think that makes a difference. The ones I was using weren’t slippery enough for acrylic yarn and the thread was twisted too much. I won’t say I want to finish it this week since I think that would be too much, but I really would like to get a lot further than I am right now. I used one of the three skeins I had and I think I need to use one and a half more to make it the size I’d like. And I would really like it to be finished in time for me to use it when we’re in The Netherlands next month.

– The cowl is actually the only project I have on the needles right now. I finished a hat last week and haven’t cast on for a new one yet. Because of the above, I’m not planning to start another project. But well… you never know. I want to make my mother a beret since she told me she’s wearing them every day now to cover her balding head. She says she likes the berets better than fitting hats these days because she feels her head is so small now (she lost a lot of weight). But I keep worrying about the yarn (good quality not available here) and the pattern (no headspace for intricate cables or things like that). Which is silly, since she’s my number one knitting fan and she’s been wearing and saving every single hat I ever made for her.

Sewing:

I don’t know if I’ll be able to sew, but I’d love to. On my list of things I’d like to make:
– purse for daily use
– quilt (or maybe start small and make a table runner?)
– drawstring bags to use in my suitcase while traveling (I love the packing cubes like these that I see all over the internet and ofcourse I could either order them or try to make them, but I think simple drawstring bags could help with the packing chaos too, so I’m trying that first).

About being off-grid

~ Maggie ~ 12 Comments

I’ve been thinking about writing a blogpost about being off-grid for a while, but somehow I just can’t find the right way to write about it. There’s so much to say, but I don’t want to get too technical about it. Also, how boring can it get? Very boring, I think.
But… Carole’s Three on Thursday saves the day. Listing three things about living this way sounds completely doable.  So here we go. Three things I want to share about us being off-grid.

1. We’re completely off-grid (for electricity only, we do have water), but that was not exactly what we wanted. Our plan was to have enough solar panels and batteries to get us through the day and night, but with net electricity as back-up for cloudy days or days that need just a little bit more electricity. But that didn’t happen. We found out that we need to get our wiring certified (after they told us we didn’t have to), but can’t afford the cost of the survey right now. So we’re making do with being off-grid, even though it wasn’t the plan. It was frustrating at first, but we love a challenge.

2. I actually like being very aware of how I use electricity. I can’t just switch on the washing machine whenever I want (have to wait for the batteries to be fully loaded again, or ask T. to run the generator). I can’t use (and therefore don’t even own) a dishwasher, a coffee machine, a slow cooker, a microwave, a toaster or any electrical appliance like that. Well, I could during a sunny day (and we have lots of those), but I’m so used to doing without now, that I don’t want to invest in luxury I don’t really need.
We do have a refrigerator and can charge our laptops and phones whenever we need to. We have (LED) lights throughout the house (and outside) and can run (ceiling) fans when we need to. I find that’s enough (T. would like an air conditioner as soon as we get connected to the net because he gets too hot most nights, but I’d rather do without).
I love being mindful of things I used to take for granted, while still living comfortably and being able to use some of the modern technology that I really wouldn’t want to lose (internet, washing machine, sewing machine).

3. Last week, there was an island-wide power outage, that lasted 17 hours.
We didn’t even realize something was going on until our internet failed. T. messaged a friend of ours that works at the provider (we had an issue with the company the week before and he thought they switched us off again) and that was when he heard there was an outage. The provider had good generators though, so six minutes later we had internet again and life went on as usual in our house. I had done some major grocery shopping a few days earlier, so there was no need to go to town. And that was great because things quickly turned into chaos all over the island. Traffic lights not working, gas stations not being able to use the pumps, atm’s out of power and swiping not possible too, shops and schools closed… Oh my.
We’ve never been so glad we decided to invest in solar power…