Butterfly hat

December 21, 2015 ~ Maggie ~ Leave a comment

After finishing the sweater-that-took-forever, I really wanted to make something small and easy. So, of course, I decided to make a hat. I also didn’t want to think too much and make one up myself, so I went searching for a pattern.
I was browsing Soulemama’s archives, when I found this hat she made. And I’m such a long-time die-hard fan that I remembered she had made one before. Both times I loved that hat when she posted it. It was worth a try.

So I made the Butterfly hat. It was just what I needed. It’s simple, but with a nice little twist (those butterflies look wonderful, but are really easy to make). And the finished hat feels so soft and warm on my hat. I love it. The yarn is real wool from a bag of yarn my father found (someone was throwing it out and he saved it). I already made a cowl with it last year. If we do get a real winter after all, I’m all set 😉

Bright side

December 17, 2015 ~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

Last Sunday I finally finished my sweater.
It doesn’t fit.
I know, that’s sad. I was so optimistic about a lot of things when I started it in July. I thought I was finally knitting again and I expected to finish it in a few weeks. Also I had lost a few pounds at that time and I was convinced I was on my way back to a healthier weight and a smaller size. I wasn’t. In fact, I gained the pounds back and then a few more. Ahem.

On the bright side: it did come out remarkably well, considering I didn’t use a pattern. And maybe this is the little push I needed to start eating right again? It’s cotton and definitely a summer sweater (hence the shorter sleeves – they’re about 3/4) so there’s still time.
We’ll see. (it may also end up in one of the girls’ closets)

Lots of thinking

December 11, 2015 ~ Maggie ~ Leave a comment

I don’t recommend trying to invent a sweater without a pattern when you’re not feeling too well. It requires lots of thinking and thinking requires energy.
And that’s why this sweater had been in the making for six months or so (maybe even longer). But. I’m getting there. Just half a sleeve and then copy that one for the other sleeve. Maybe this weekend ?

Honey cowl

December 10, 2015 ~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

Well, I finally finished a knitting project. Apart from a happy but short period in May (when I did finish something, but I never took pictures of it) 2015 was not a good year for knitting. Maybe this will get me back on track?

It’s the Honey Cowl. I knit the short version of this pattern before (my archives are still off line, so I can’t link to it) and while I was knitting this one I wasn’t sure it was the right decision to make the longer version. I thought it would feel bulky around my neck. Well, it doesn’t. In fact it feels so good and warm and soft that I don’t want to take it off, even when I’m inside.

This weekend

July 6, 2015 ~ Maggie ~ Leave a comment

:: we’ve done almost nothing at all, since we were having a heatwave that was supposed to break all records (it did, but not where we lived) and we tried to be careful. It was good, but I’m itchy to do something now (which is good, since it’s Monday and a lot cooler and I have a todo list that is a mile long).

:: I started knitting something new before finishing what I was working on. That’s not how I usually do it, but I found out the synthetic stuff I was working with was sort of melting in the heat. It was scratchy and my knitting felt clumsy and hard. It was actually a relief to go through that, since that’s exactly how it felt when I first got sick, on Curaçao. It’s good to know that wasn’t the joint pain that made it impossible to knit, it’s just the combination of that yarn and the heat. Note to myself: buy better yarn especially to take with me on the next trip.

:: we watched our neighbours transferring their family, some guests, a party tent and lots of food and drinks to the other side of the channel (and back again) in two tiny boats.

:: felt some of their enthusiasm rubbing off and sat at our bedroom window watching an empty road most of the afternoon to see this for just one minute:

That’s the Tour de France rushing by.

:: enjoyed the weather cooling off and the rain falling down (no watering – yay!)

:: rested enough to actually feel up to dealing with the week to come. So I guess I’d better put down the laptop and get to it 😉
Wishing you all a happy start of your week!

Honey Cowl

August 6, 2014 ~ Maggie ~ 2 Comments

Oh my. I think I found another one of those simple patterns that I will make way too much. I’d seen it on a few other blogs before and had to try it. I’m sold. It’s simple, but not boring and I love the result.

The pattern can be downloaded (free) here (I made the short version in yarn that was a bit too thin and a bit too hairy, but I still love it).

Pillowcases

July 17, 2014 ~ Maggie ~ 1 Comment

I still wasn’t done with the yarn the girls got me for Sinterklaas, so I finished the pillowcase I started last December and then I made another one. For the backs I made two white squares, one knit diagonally, one a big granny square.

The rest of the yarn was made into squares for KAS.

Total count: 1 hat, 1 scarf, 2 pillowcases and 6 squares, all made from my lovely gift of five skeins of yarn (well, seven if you count the white). Not bad!

Yarn Along

September 12, 2012 ~ Maggie ~ 8 Comments

on Wednesdays: Ginny’s Yarn Along (adding a bit of writing into the mix of books and yarn)

:: knitting: after reading another blog in the Yarn Along, I remembered I don’t even like scarfs. Last winter I wore a cowl and I loved how that felt. So I decided to start knitting a cowl with that yarn.

:: reading: printing proofs of my new book. The final round and the hardest part, since I really need to let go of it now. I’m supposed to dot the i’s, not to rewrite parts I suddenly don’t like.

:: writing: still working on the concept story. It’s a different way of writing and sometimes hard, especially since I decided to let one of the recurring characters go through something. I have very little room to make that story work, but I’m getting there. It’s a learning experience.

Two hats

September 19, 2011 ~ Maggie ~ Leave a comment

This is a very boring post.
I knit a blue hat.
And another blue hat.
That’s it.
The second hat was meant for my mother, to go with the scarf I knit her, but it’s a bit too small for an adult and I don’t have enough of this yarn to make it bigger. So it’s going to be sent off to South Africa with the other one. I still love knitting for those children, but I have to confess that I am planning some selfish knitting too…

A cuddle

September 6, 2011 ~ Maggie ~ 1 Comment

What’s this you’re asking (except some lovely morning sunshine and my lens cap that I should have cropped out)?
This, dear readers, is a cuddle.

Actually just a sleeping bag with a sack with a collar, meant to keep the littlest of the orphans warm. A perfect project for when I’m too tired to think when knitting, since after the collar it’s just knitting round and round until it’s long enough. I don’t have any real babies in my life to model this right now, so I asked my very first baby, Caroline to help out.I think she’s quite cozy.

(disclaimer: I’m not sure about safety issues with this garment, it is what the ladies of KAS ask for, but I wouldn’t use it for very small babies)