Well, actually it’s more like a light breeze. But it’s going rather well compared to the rest of the year. I finished the dishcloth. I could have made it bigger, but I feared I would run out of the brown cotton. And then I found I did have enough to crochet a border and still had some scraps left. Oh well, it is about the right size now. I did the border about three times until I realized I was putting way too much thought into something I will use to wipe my counters. Anyway, I think I like what I did.

So I started another one in different colors (these are all scraps from the thrift store).

I also finished the hat. I had to add some other yarn and it still was barely enough to make the hat big enough to fit over my ears.  It’s warm and soft though. And since we’re having a snowstorm again I might even actually need to wear it.

Since I loved making a hat so much I now feel like I should start another one. But I’m also still  working on those socks and maybe two projects at once is enough… I’m having a hard time to decide how to proceed with those socks though. I would love to move on from plain socks and add some fancy knitting. But I don’t want to make it too complicated either.  Hmn. Sometimes choosing a pattern beforehand is easier than winging it… Then again this is more fun 😉

visit more crafty people via Nicole’s (Frontier Dreams) Crafting On

I guess knitting is like blogging for me. So many reasons to quit (for knitting the main reason is my arthritis), but I’m always coming back to it. Last week I started knitting a dishcloth, thinking a small project that I actually would use was more fun than dragging along on a sweater I didn’t even like (I frogged the lilac sweater I was working on). It’s coming along nicely (I’m sooo slow these days), but it’s a bit boring.

Yesterday I couldn’t take it anymore: I just had to knit a hat. I love knitting hats. Not sure why, but I do.
Problem is that I hardly ever wear hats (it just doesn’t get that cold around here) and I have lots of them already. But then again, it’s a hobby. People who paint don’t really need another thing to hang on their walls, do they? It’s all about having fun, being creative.

So I just grabbed some yarn and started. I’m not even sure if I have enough of this (it was a thriftshop find) to make a hat, I may have to get creative with some other yarn. But I am having fun.

visit more crafty people via Nicole’s (Frontier Dreams) Crafting On

I actually frogged two of the four project I was working on last week, so my basket is a lot emptier right now.
The yarn (thread) I was using for the blue summer sweater was just not working for simple stockinette stitch. It’s a kind of cotton, twisted with a thinner shiny thread and that twist  was causing really uneven stitches that irritated me more and more. I was almost done with the body, but I knew I would never wear it. So back to square one. I think I’ll try crochet with this yarn next. I do love the color.
I also frogged the assymetric shawl. First of all that bouclé yarn makes my hands hurt, but also: A. I don’t wear shawls and neither does anyone I could gift it to and B. I wouldn’t wear those colors (though I do like them), and neither does anyone I could gift it to.  So I think this yarn will go back to the thrift store to find an owner that will actually love and wear it.

The other two projects are going slowly, so I don’t have much to show. I did find a project that never made it to the blog though when I was updating my ravelry (I’m notastation, if you’d like to follow me there).
For Sinterklaas my sister got me one skein of yarn. She really wanted to give my enough to make something big, but was shocked by the price. She did tell me where to find more, but I liked the idea of just using that one skein and made myself (another) cowl. Since we don’t have really cold winter here, I hardly ever use thick wool cowls. But I do have a jacket that doesn’t close all the way up, so something to keep my throat warm would be nice.

(I remember using an online pattern for this, but I can’t find it…)

I come from a culture that has “normal is weird enough” (that’s a rough translation of a Dutch saying) as a norm. We don’t really do emotions and sentiments (except about soccer). I don’t like soccer and I do get emotional, but I’m not normal at all 😉
One of my main problems with blogging has been that I’ve always tried to maintain a Dutch blog in synch with this one, but sometimes things that made perfect sense in English just didn’t feel right in Dutch. The fact that my blog and its contents kept showing up as sidenotes in reviews of my books didn’t help either, but that’s another story for another day.
Anyway, it feels freeing to focus on this blog only. Because I do like to share good things, moments that I want to savour.

Yesterday I felt cranky and sad and, well, just off. It had been building up the whole week for no good reason at all and I was done with it. I know the answer is to get outside, especially when the sun is shining, but it took me a few hours (really!) to get myself off the couch and outside. But when I finally did, it worked its magic. I did a bit of light weeding (at this point most of the beds are actually sort of kept up- a first for me) and some half-hearted pruning, but I was too tired to start one of the bigger chores that are still waiting for me out there. I didn’t want to go inside already though, so I sat myself down on a bench in the sunshine with tea and knitting. Bliss!

For Sinterklaas my sister got me one skein of yarn. She really wanted to give me enough to make something big, but was shocked by the price. She did tell me where to find more, but I liked the idea of just using that one skein and made myself (another) cowl. Since we don’t have really cold winters here, I hardly ever use thick wool cowls. But I do have a jacket that doesn’t close all the way up, so something to keep my throat warm would be nice.

(I used a free, online pattern for this, but I can’t find it…)

Fun fact: when I told my sister what I made (a few weeks later), she said she thought that skein would keep me occupied most part of the winter. Does it show she’s not a knitter? 😉

 joining Ginny’s yarn along

Knitting: I cast on a hat last Monday, but this morning I frogged it. Too small. Oh well, it was the distraction I needed at that point and I’ll cast on another hat with that soft grey yarn soon. But first I’ll start something with that lovely green yarn my sister gave me.

Reading: The girls got me that magazine. I love looking at cozy pictures like that, though I learned the hard way that it doesn’t translate too well into my own home and life. I’m also reading another Nora Roberts trilogy and when I finish that I look forward to read some Christmas stories.

So what are you knitting/making and reading?

joining Ginny’s yarn along

Knitting: Only three squares to go! Looking forward to starting something different. Thinking about making other gifts (since I’m so early – do I miss the last minute stress? I guess so).

Reading: I wanted something simple to read while thinking about my own writing, so I reached for The Gallaghers of Ardmore by Nora Roberts. One of her trademark trilogies; lots of romance, family and friendship, a bit of a fairy tale ghost story and so much love for Ireland that I want to visit that country more than ever (but I have yet to convince my husband to spend a  much needed vacation in a region that has even more rain than we do).

So what are you knitting/making and reading?