Alice Jean

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

2011-06-07T17:11:00.000+01:00

... however, it has been a long time. Not because nothing happened in my life, more because a lot of things came up and there is still a lot going on here. One has to make some time to blog and time is one of the things that is really hard to find for me.
Do I have a blogplan now? I have some intentions to restart again, but there is no way I can vouch for myself.
So... I think I will do some little posts every now and then about some of my woolly projects and that is about it.

What to do with a lot of lonely woolly skeins? I made D. a jumper. Started at the bottom of the body, knitting one piece. In the mean time I worked the sleeves. Body and sleeves were joined when I thought they were the good size.

Well, in the end it became something like this.

And now some details:

Almost all wool used is Bluefaced Leicester, the natural is some other wool. The pattern of the jumper itself is my own, the Fair Isle patterns were found in books or online.

A Knitter's Birthday...

2010-02-21T15:20:00.007Z

...looks like this.

Some new yarn, Drops Delight and Drops Fabel.

Also a few knitting books.

From left to the right:
Knitting on the Road
Folk Socks
Knitalong
Knitter's Almanac

This very special gift from my friend Darcy deserves its own photo. A really beautiful shawl, knit by her, especially for me. It is so very warm and soft and I'm wearing it very often.

Darcy, thanks so much!

Princess Butterfly

2010-02-21T15:15:00.003Z

Dress Up Party at school. Isn't she an adorable princess?

Hip in Hemp

2010-02-09T15:32:00.008Z

Oorspronkelijk was het grijze Schotse lontwol. Saai grijs. Muisgrijs. Niet erg, want ik had deze wol gekocht met de bedoeling te verven. Na het verven werd het geleidelijk aan gesponnen, de uitkomst was dit...

... maar dan minder rood in het echt.

Pas begin dit jaar kwam de wol eindelijk eens op de pennen. Aangezien het een tikje te stug was voor iets direct aan de huid, koos ik voor een rokje, gebreid volgens het Knitty Patroon Hip in Hemp. Als je eenmaal de ietwat onoverzichtelijke patrooninstructies doorhebt, breit het heerlijk snel.
Hier is het resultaat:

De kleuren zijn op deze foto redelijk dicht bij de werkelijkheid. Buiten genomen, het rokje in de sneeuw gelegd.

Hier is het patroon wat duidelijker zichtbaar van zowel het rokje als de kleuren:

Natuurlijk wilde D. ook wel even showen, dit is overigens nu haar lievelingskledingstuk. Zo heb je echt eer van je werk. ;-)

The Hat

2010-01-11T09:02:00.010Z

Laaaaang geleden, het was nog ergens in de eerste helft van 2009, kreeg ik van Olga lontwol in een swap. Met de prachtige gekleurde merino ben ik vorige maand aan het spelen gegaan.

Eerst wat kleuren bij elkaar gekaard.

Vervolgens aan het spinnen gegaan. Op de spoel zag het er al veelbelovend uit.

Getwijnd werd het alleen maar mooier.

En toen ben ik aan het breien geslagen. Dergelijke wol opbreien blijft verrassend en het resultaat is - in mijn opinie - een prachtige muts geworden. Top-down en van het restant van de wol kon het bolletje gemaakt worden. Dat bolletje was een vereiste van Dory, dat maakt een muts pas helemaal af.

Een heerlijk warme muts en met deze witte winter volop in gebruik!

Snowy days

2009-12-22T11:17:00.007Z

Yes, here we have snow as well. It was only a thin layer to begin with, but the children had fun anyway.

As long as one can throw snowballs it is okay.

Since Sunday we have a lot more snow to play with.

So the mittens I made are in use already. The cuffs are knit of Superwash wool, the mittens of Malabrigo Melilla. The Malabrigo was supposed to felt, the Superwash should not shrink.

It worked, the mittens have a perfect fit. Oh, this 'felting and not felting' is not my idea, just followed Techknitting.

My apologies for the somewhat blurry photo. Though the scratches on the floor are there in real.

A Christmas Parcel

2009-12-14T15:27:00.007Z

The wonderful package from my friend Darcy arrived last week, filled with some precious gifts again.

Meet our new family member Batty. Isn't he cute?

And here are some goodies. Starbucks Christmas blend - that will make a good pot of coffee - delicious biscuits and a special pen.

And here it is... drum roll...

Darcy, we are so happy with your thougthfulness! Many thanks from all of us!

Winter is nearing

2009-11-18T12:04:00.003Z

So she has got her jumper on. But on these photo's she is not only showing that jumper. :-)

Jumper

2009-11-17T15:33:00.004Z

Kind of own design, knitted top-down. Used yarn is Drops Karisma, the colours are chosen by Dory.

Some words about the yarn: the colours did not meet my expectations, the yarn itself was fine to knit.

Another pair of slippers

2009-11-05T08:46:00.003Z

For these slippers I used Myrthestieks beautiful handspun yarn.
Before felting they looked like this

After felting I decorated them a bit. This is how they look now

Prepared for their Journey

2009-10-26T11:06:00.002Z

I hope they will arrive at their new homes before Christmas!

'Is there a sheep in this box?'

2009-10-26T10:43:00.005Z

The bag we were knitting in a earlier post is felted and decorated. It looks like this

And here are some more gifts

A package of biscuits; a 'make your own mini bag', excellent to make during this half term break, and a bottle of hand made oil with a lovely scent.

This is just funny and Dory loves it. Animal sound captured in a box. :-)
So, this fantastic Magic Ball ends with a cheerful sheepy sound!

Myrthe en Tessa, heel hartelijk bedankt voor een heerlijke Magische Bol. We hebben ons er geweldig mee vermaakt!

Hand dyed at home

2009-10-26T10:25:00.006Z

Dory wanted to dye some yarn for her friend. She came up with the colours all by herself and had a good time applying the dyes to the wool.

And this is the sweety result: Dory's handpainted Blue Faced Leicester.

She might have some talent...

A good cup of coffee and some knitting

2009-10-03T10:37:00.005+01:00

Like this. Homemade cappuccino in the perfect cup.

Finished a pair of socks for Dory. She loves to wear hand knitted items and says these socks give her warm feet. Isn't she a good girl? :-)

We are knitting the magic ball into a kind of Sweetheart bag. Right now we are doing the strap. After that it has to be felt and Dory would like some buttons and embroidery on it.

More gifts are unwrapped. This is a so called 'intelligence puzzle'. Dory doesn't have any difficulties to fit the pieces together, though I have...

My little Pony, a sticker gift box.

And here's the picture she made.

On the spinning front: nothing new.

WWWW

2009-09-28T11:31:00.006+01:00

In de vorige post maakte ik al melding van het evenement met de 4 W's. Nu moet ik zelf heel hard nadenken waar deze ook alweer voor staan. Even kijken hoever ik kom: Waanzinnige WOLabies Wonder Weekeinde. Hmm, ik ben niet zeker of de derde W klopt, die kan ook voor Wol staan uiteraard.
Afgelopen weekeinde werd het in ieder geval georganiseerd en het was geweldig! Al die aardige mensen heb ik nu in het echt ontmoet en gesproken, heel wat wol en wielen kunnen zien, veel kunnen leren, wat stash kunnen ruilen, belachelijk veel kadootjes gekregen, maar vooral heb ik van alles genoten.
Hier wat spinnenwielen op een rij

Kinderspel, de trampoline was erg favoriet.

Er was een ruil/ rommelmarkt. Een heel mooie gelegenheid om je eigen stash te kunnen ruilen tegen iets van andermans stash. Geen oplossing overigens voor mensen die proberen om hun voorraad te verminderen in plaats van groter te maken. ;-)

Dan waren er nog wat spullen te winnen, hetzij door verloting, hetzij door het Witte Olifanten Dobbelspel. Kan iemand me uitleggen wat gegomde zijde is? Nou ja, wat zijde is weet ik wel, maar het gegomde dus (is dit te volgen?).

En dan de goodiebags. Helemaal vol met pakjes. Hier een eerste indruk

En hier alles uitgepakt en bekeken. Wat een heerlijke verwennerij!

Alles wat schapig is, is trouwens speciaal voor mijn dochter gemaakt of gekocht, dat weet ze heel zeker!

Ik heb zowaar nog een klein stukje verder kunnen breien aan het projectje van dit moment, een paar sokken voor D. Alleen de boord moet nog gebreid worden.

Wat mij betreft was dit eerste WWWW bijzonder geslaagd. Volgend jaar weer?

Een bol voor Dorrit

2009-09-28T11:17:00.005+01:00

Tjonge, het lijkt wel de titel voor een jeugdromannetje. Zo in die zin van 'Een paard voor Claudia' of 'Bloemen voor Hilde.'
Tijdens het WWWW (jawel, 4 keer een W) kreeg de jongedame een rugzak overhandigd door Myrthe. Een rugzak gevuld met vooral kadootjes, maar ook een prachtige rood-roze-paarse bol. Jawel, een Magische Kinderbol.
Dorrit vindt het uiteraard prachtig en heeft het tijdens de treinreis naar huis niet kunnen laten om alvast een paar dingetjes uit te pakken.

De chocolademuntjes zijn heerlijk, het dominospel is al een keer gespeeld en uiteraard is er ook al gestickerd.

En er is nog een pakje open gemaakt inmiddels: twee paar Winnie de Pooh sokken. Op de foto 1 sok van elk paar, de andere zitten nu aan de voeten. Want als je niet kunt kiezen, dan doe je dat toch gewoon niet?

Uiteraard wordt dit avontuur nog verder vervolgd!

A Birthday Package!

2009-02-13T20:44:00.004Z

Look what an amazing parcel I got from my friend Darcy!

The green stuff is a batt of a blend of Merino, Bamboo, Cormo and bits of Yak and Camel. And yes, you are looking at more of that beautiful soft Malabrigo. Close up? Here you go...

I love love love that colour! Now I have 4 skeins of Malabrigo in total, I just don't know yet what to make of it and I want it to be something especially for me
And then... the book. Signed by Kate Jcobs herself, isn't that a special gift!

Little Dory is also very happy whith all the sweets!

Darcy, thanks so much for these thoughtful presents!

Beerenburg

2009-02-13T20:26:00.004Z

Ever heard of Sokssawat!? You should have. Greetje makes such wonderful products and she also has a good sense of humor. What to think when one receives a box like this...

Some people asked me what was in the box. Well, no secrets hidden here. ;-)Just a few nice thingies, like beautiful soft BFL Aran and BFL sock yarn, some skin care products and Scottish fibre

Yes, I like it when my yarn stash grows... and grows... and grows...

Much ado about spinning

2009-02-08T20:19:00.006Z

Some ramble about my spinning adventures. This here is merino

Made into a tote. One photo before and one after felting. I have to admit I am very pleased with the result

It came out just as I imagined.

Also... I ordered some Superwash BFL Top at Babylonglegs. 'Very Berry' and some undyed BFL fibre

Superspeedy delivery and it came with some coffee. ;-)

The 'Very Berry' is on the wheel now and it spins up beautiful. I so love it!

Today I played a bit with this new drum carder

First I tried some Merino

A nice first batt came off

Second try out was some raw fleece of an Ouessant

And here is the batt. Not bad at all, but this fleece was more difficult to card. Well, I will give the fleece some much needed more washes before I try again anyway.

Feel Better Mail!

2009-02-06T20:04:00.004Z

Yesterday there was something special for Dory in the mail. Because she has been ill last week, Morgan sent her a little something to help her to get well soon. The letter took a while, so Dory was actually doing fine when it came in.
Yet she is very happy with the stickers and the cute kitten on the postcard.

Morgan and Sarah, thanks so much for this thoughtful gift, you made a little girls day!

Tagged! The fourth of the fourth

2009-01-26T20:20:00.004Z

I was tagged by Zinzia.

This is the fourth photo in the fourth folder. An oldie, the folder is of February 2004. Mick took the photo in the Arabian Desert near Riyadh.

If one feels up to it, please post your fourth of the fourth on your blog and leave me a comment.

Mooi, mooier, mooist!

2009-01-20T16:21:00.011Z

Maar eens een postje in het Nederlands. :-)Voor wie het zich kan herinneren, bij het spinnewiel kwam er ook een prachtige streng handgeverfde merino door Judith. Nu heb ik daar al tot vervelens toe foto's van laten zien, en nu doe ik dat lekker nog een keer.

Het gaat dus om de bovenste, deze is nu eindelijk ook gesponnen. En MOOI geworden! Hier een tussendoor foto
Deze wol heb ik gesponnen met een Plan. Jawel, Plan met een Hoofdletter, want het is voor het eerst dat ik iets gesponnen heb met een project in mijn hoofd. De Drop Stitch Scarf. Zo mooi! Zeker in handgesponnen garen, kijk hier maar eens (beetje doorscrollen naar beneden).
Okay, ik moet nog veel leren, vooral gelijkmatig spinnen, toch ben ik bijzonder tevreden over het resultaat. 288 meter draad na navajo twijnen. Dat moet toch een leuke sjaal kunnen worden.
En omdat ik er zelf niet genoeg van kan krijgen, nog maar een foto!

Felt Clogs

2008-12-15T12:37:00.005Z

Or how to destash about 1100 grams of yarn. Four pairs made of the veggie merino, one pair made out of a mishap of handdyed BFL. Not bad at all.

One pair for Mick, one pair for Reese, one pair (with the fluffy cuff) for Dory and two pair of slippers for me. Jerrold says he is still happy with the Matalan slippers. Let him think, we know better. :-)

Random facts

2008-12-15T12:24:00.002Z

I have been tagged by Myrthestiek!

Okay, here are six random facts about me.

I was born ages ago in Zwolle (the Netherlands)
There is no yarn in my kitchen cupboards… yet
I’m fascinated by everything Amber related. The novels, the roleplay… I’m browsing the web for diaries and logs. Do write them myself too
I would love to find more time to practice spinning, to do more knitting, to take up a book and to read it in one day
For my sandwiches I love cheese and peanut butter
I don’t drive

I don’t tag anyone. If you feel to it, post six random facts about yourself on your blog and leave me a comment.

Christmas Package

2008-12-15T09:30:00.005Z

First of all the Jayne Hat for Dorrit. Just beautiful! Dory loves the pompom.

My friend Darcy spoiled us again! Her parcel arrived days ago, my sincere apologies for posting about these wonderful gifts this late.

Needless to say how happy Dory was with all the sweets. :-)

The sheepy dish cloths are so cute!

There was another Jayne Hat in the parcel, knitted by Tom for me. I think he did a brilliant job!

And there was more.
Knitting magazines, buttons and pins and a book of the Yarn Harlot.

Kool Aid, a crocheted dish cloth, delicious coffee and Malabrigo Stonechat, so soft and beautiful!

Darcy, thanks so much for these thoughtful gifts!

Small projects

2008-12-10T09:07:00.006Z

For Jerrold this Fiery Dragon Scarf. I made some adjustments, like knitting the whole thing in the round and leaving out the scales and the ribbed part. The boy is pleased with it, his brothers and sister are jealous.

This Handmaiden Silk Cashmere is a beautiful and soft yarn I received in the Coffee and Yarn swap. I decided to knit it into a Drop Stitch Scarf.

The yarn is lovely to work with, the scarf is extremely soft, the pattern very doable. I will knit this scarf again!

Sheepy Jumper

2008-12-10T08:50:00.005Z

This is the handspun I got from Sarah some time ago.

This is how it looked after the dyebath

Finally I picked up this lovely yarn to knit it into a jumper and a pair of legwarmers. Dory worked out the designs and so it became pretty sheepish. :-)

Needless to say this is her favourite jumper!

And the winner is...

2008-11-25T15:35:00.003Z

Your name came out of the hat! Congratulations! I'll make you a nice parcel and send it out by the end of the week.

Yarn to give

2008-11-18T16:30:00.000Z

Today is a special day for me. I am not going to point out why, it is not significant. Though on account of that special day I want to give something away

It's two skeins of Blue Faced Leicester in the 'Blue Jeans' colourway and a skein of Tencel/ Merino sock yarn in violet.
If anyone out there would like to have this yarn (and a bit more), please leave a comment on this post, saying something nice. No matter on what person or subject, just be kind.

Let's make this a short 'contest'. It will close by Sunday night (23-11-2008), my daughter will pick the winner on Monday.

Spinning BFL

2008-11-18T14:00:00.004Z

Along with my spinning wheel I got that beautiful sliver from her.

The aqua-blue-spruce looks now more like this

I love how it turned out! I tried my very best to spin thicker than usual. This is about 100m/ 100g, so mission accomplished.

I know, I know, it is not perfect yet. I do have to practice and to learn a lot, but it is getting somewhere.

And this is the reddish BFL I posted about earlier. Yes, you are looking at a lot of small skeins. That is what one gets when having a 4 year old with a new pair of Ladybird scissors near a drying hank.

Gifts by Mail

2008-11-18T10:48:00.006Z

First of all: my sincere apologies to Darcy, Tessa and Olga for the delay in posting about your thoughtful gifts.

Because of moving home, Darcy sent me this beautiful cable needle, including necklace (well thinking Darcy!) and a cute yellow pouch to hold it

And also because of the move, Tessa sent a complete parcel. Hand dyed cotton in the back, shower gel and shampoo, chocolate biscuits, a yarn guage and tea.

This photo shows the cotton more clear: knitting it up to dish cloths. The colouring is just amazing!

All the gifts were packed in this colourful bag

Very much to my surprise I also found a gift from Olga in the post. Meant as a 'thank you' to my hubby for buying loads of Kool Aid when he was in Orlando and to me for distributing it. A set of very Dutch recipe note cards. The harmonica is obviously for Dory

Thank you ladies for these special gifts!

Playground Equipment

2008-11-05T21:05:00.004Z

Today at the playground we saw one of those... things. As it was at the playground we supposed it was meant to play with. But we could not discover how to use.
Maybe you know: one of those very futuristic designs, primary colours and definitely not a common slide, climbing frame or whatsoever.
"What is this?" Dory asked.
"I don't have a clue," I had to admit.
She walked around it, scrutinising.
"I know what this is! It's a spinning wheel for careless children!"

Flower Fairies again

2008-10-26T08:52:00.003Z

Not much news here on the woolly front. Still spinning 200 grams of reddish BFL and spun some silk

Also embellished a pair of pants (size small) with a Flower Fairy theme

Having a Good Cup of Coffee

2008-10-18T10:36:00.007+01:00

Indonesia Espresso of Simon Levelt. But that is not I want to blog about.
It has been kind of busy here, meanwhile I managed to do some little projects of my own. First of all the Felt Clogs. Because I really have to destash, I used some of the organic veggie O'Wool and knit with double yarn. A nice and really fast project, resulting in a pair of comfortable and warm slippers. With the leftover of the yarn I also made a pair for Dory, using a thread of that fluffy novelty yarn in the cuff, because she loves fluffy so very much.

Mine, before felting

And after felting

Dory's before felting

And after

And yes, I am still spinning. Currently 200 grams of hand dyed BFL, still doubting whether I should navajo ply or use the regular ply. Well, I can think it over when spinning the second half.
And here are the results of spinning and plying 100 grams of merino, 66 metre.

The merino came from Wolliesje, meant for felting. Though it spins great!

Welcome to the real World

2008-09-30T21:47:00.005+01:00

Here I am, a brand new spinner. And now I know for sure, working with wool has truly become a passion. I only lack a few sheep in the back garden.
It all begun with a spinning wheel. A few days ago she brought me an Ashford Kiwi

(Where is Igglepiggle hiding?)

And not only the wheel, she made me this gorgeous threading hook

and dyed some sliver in the most beautiful colours. I love them both!

This afternoon I had my first spinning lesson. Learned how to spin, how to ply and even Navajo plying. The first photo shows some BFL, the photo at the bottom is a merino.

I think this will become an addiction...

's-Hertogenbosch

2008-09-19T09:54:00.010+01:00

Grandma to Dory: "Look, that is the 'Binnen-Dieze'(a small river that runs underneath and through the city). Next summer we might do a tour on it."

Dory: "Don't bother. I cannot swim."

Grandma: "Oh no, we don't have to swim, we will take a boat."

Dory: "It will be crowded with sharks in the water."

Grandma, puzzled: "Well, if you don't want to..."

Dory: "Allright then. I'll go with you and keep my eyes closed..."

More impressions of this city

St. Johns Cathedral

How Charity Wool became a Baby Cardigan

2008-09-17T21:20:00.007+01:00

A while ago I bought some terrific yarn in one of those st Luke's Hospice shops for a nice price. Soft enough, superwash, 20% lambs/ 80% merino. Only the colour, sage, was not to my liking.

After the dyebath it looked like this

Now, a few months later, I've knitted 3 skeins into this pretty cardigan, better known as Helena

Really a pleasure to knit. Now it is packed and tomorrow it will be in the post to this precious baby girl.

Wonders of Nature

2008-09-17T21:16:00.002+01:00

Long time, no see

2008-09-08T08:39:00.006+01:00

Due to moving home a long time passed since the last time I published something on this blog. This post is just to let you know I did not fell of the earth. Most of the boxes are unpacked, although I am still looking for the sewing machine, which is not to be find anywhere.

Here some photos of a few things I did knit, like a Lucy
and a tote. More about these projects on the Swap Blog (in Dutch)

And a few pairs of socks. These for Dory, a pair of Infant's Fancy Silk Socks in her favourite colour

And for me a pair of Child's First Sock in Shell Pattern

One size fits all. About Necklace Cable Needles and Wristlers

2008-07-05T10:25:00.005+01:00

Some time ago Darcy send me this parcel. The Silky Malabrigo party pink was sent with a purpose, Darcy asked me if I'd test a pattern she made. As there was some cabling in the pattern, a cable needle would be helpful. So she and Leslie Wind decided to send me also a set of two necklace cable needles to test as well. They are just beautiful!

Testing is what I did. I started with the cable needle to make the Snowflake, an excellent pattern to try cables. Sorry for the bad photo.

I am pretty pleased to work with this kind of cable needle. As I was used to the type with two open ends, I had to figure out a bit how this one worked, but it is really easy peasy. You just have to work always from the left to the right. And because of its weight the stitches keep staying on this needle. If you want to have it more visualized how to work with them, Darcy has put some very clear video's on her blog.

My second project was the fingerless mitts, the pattern to be tested.

This is a fun pattern to knit, easily done as they are knitted both at once and only approximately 30 grams of yarn is needed.

The is the best part: one size fits all!

Coffee and Chocolate

2008-07-03T18:18:00.005+01:00

A very good combination. So guess what was in the mail today? Correct, coffee and chocolate. Zinzia spoiled me today with this package.

I have to say I did not expect the parcel at all, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found it at the doorstep. The chocolate and coffee are in the kitchen now, I want to save this specialty for the weekend. The crayons are in my bag, together with a small notepad. Ideal for a little girl on the road. :-)

Actually there were two parcels awaiting my homecoming. The second was not a surprise - well maybe a bit because I only ordered it only this Monday and I did not expect it here this quick. Want to know what was in it? Well, coffee and chocolate goes perfectly well with a good yarn.

Three skeins of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, from SandraSingh. Beautiful, just beautiful.

Tiny Mouse

2008-07-03T17:54:00.004+01:00

... and more. Yesterday the postman delivered a surprise package from Morgan. Dory was exited when she opened it and found all the treats. Look at this

Well, sweet are definitely always very welcome with D.

She adores that crocheted tiny mouse. It is very cute indeed. And what to think of that colouring- and sticker book. Just the perfect presents for a 4 year old.

This is so very pretty, a crocheted pot holder. Look at the four-leaf clover, isn't that special. Representing Love, Luck, Hope and Faith.

Morgan, thanks so much!

Spring Fling

2008-07-02T19:25:00.005+01:00

Almost a week ago the Spring Fling package arrived. I'm so sorry for the delay in posting about this.

But better late then never, here it is. A neat coffee mug, Surfers Blend coffee beans (in use, delicious!), toffee-chocolate sweets, Body Coffee :-) and 2 skeins of gorgeous Pistachio Nature's Choice Organic Cotton.

Chrystal, thanks so much for this lovely package!

Blocks of Chaos

2008-06-19T16:51:00.005+01:00

There are many possibilities to get rid of scrap yarn. Like making toys or other small things. Some people are using it to knit the Fishy Blanket or the Lizard Ridge. Morgan is working on a 'I must be crazy' project and is making a Sock Yarn Blanket
It took me a while to decide what to do with all that scrap yarn in my stash. With sock yarn I knit baby booties or socks for Dory or I send it to Morgan. However, I could not part with the DK and Aran. Many of it is hand dyed, most of the yarn is used to knit baby and toddler clothing. All the yarn has some kind of its own history.
So I was looking for a project. I like the fishes, I like the Lizard blanket. But they have one drawback in common: there is a lot to knit and does not have a lot of variation. I was looking for something more variable and, if possible, not to much to assemble afterwards.
A few months ago I received a lovely swap package of Christien. In there was a book full of knitting patterns, in fact all blocks. So I started the first block of the-blanket-to-be. The second block was started by picking up enough stitches of the side of the first block. And so on. That way I hope I don't have to sew that much.
It is a fun project to do. Knitting a block is not very time consuming, I have a good purpose for all that yarn, even a few metre of a particular yarn is great!
Well, enough ramble about this, here are the photos.

About the name: there is not much harmony in a blanket/ afghan like this. There can't be...

Follow up socks

2008-06-19T16:37:00.003+01:00

A pair of socks for Dory, made with the leftover of the Stansfield Pennants and a bit of the second ball of that yarn.

I must confess not to be entirely pleased with them, they don't fit very well. Instead of the short row heel I did the heel-flap heel and that part turned out too high. Next time I'll make the heel-flap shorter. The gusset will be less then as well, but that won't be a problem.

Darcy's blog

2008-06-14T13:32:00.003+01:00

It is not a habit of me to point to blog contests, but I'm pleased to make an exception for my friend Darcy. She managed to ramble 200 posts together (I'm far far behind) and celebrates this with a great contest. Please check it out, there are some fabulous prices to win!

Fluffy mail!

2008-06-05T23:52:00.005+01:00

When I saw the postman near the village hall today (well, actually yesterday since it is past midnight right now) and he told me he'd left a parcel at the front door, I hurried home. Not easy when having a daughter with a head full of other plans like 'I want to go to the playground, I want to buy some sweets at the Coop, let's go to Chester...'

Anyway, the parcel was from Darcy. Filled with yummy yarn, a ribbon pin and some delicious tea. The postcard is just gorgeous! For Dorrit there were tiger stickers and, oh lucky day, she got herself also a sweet!

You are looking at Noro, Noro silk garden, Malabrigo Melilla and Silky Malabrigo party pink. And of course the Starbucks tea, the ribbon pin and the cute postcard.

Can you spot the three differences? :-)

Darcy, I had to take this photo especially for you. The young lady was convinced you'd like that very much, LOL!

Thanks so much! I feel truly spoiled!

Natural dyeing. Again

2008-06-04T00:01:00.004+01:00

The wool I used to try this out was the veggie O'Wool from an earlier post. This wool is absolute not suitable for children's clothing, but it will be useful for scarves or bags. I'm not sure what to knit with it yet, I'm leaning towards that popular Clapotis right now, especially because it is said to be a no-brainer to knit.
The oranges are both dyed with Madder root, the darker is fixed with citric acid, for the lighter one I used alum.

The blues were not meant to be all blue. One of them was dyed with Logwood, dipped in Indigo. It was supposed to come out more purple, but it did not. Another one was originally green, dyed with Weld, dipped in Indigo. It really was green, until I decided to fix the Indigo with citric acid - it turned into blue. Bad decision, never too old to learn. :-) The other three are blue as they were supposed to be. Well, I am pretty content anyway.

Waterlife Shorts, Ruffled Lavender Shorts and a Sorbet Soaker

2008-06-03T23:40:00.003+01:00

Blue Kiwi Tango Aran BFL, size 2-3 years.

'Sorbet' Aran BFL, size Small

Aran BFL purchased from Jimmy Riddles. size Small

Stansfield Pennants

2008-06-03T23:17:00.004+01:00

The yarn came from me, Darcy did a wonderful dye job and returned the dyed yarn. I knitted a pair of socks and they are now on their way to California.
The idea for this pattern is from More Sensational Knitted Socks I got in the Caffeine Addicts swap.

It is barely visible due to the colourful yarn, but the leg part is done in the Stansfield-16 stitch.

These are the completed socks.

The upper foot is the Pennant stitch pattern. Again not very clear. :-)

Nevertheless, it was fun to knit them. I hope they'll find a good home.

UK swap

2008-05-16T17:04:00.008+01:00

Thank you so much Lyndsay-Jane for sending me a lovely package! It is obvious you did put a lot of thought in it and did some research.

This yarn, these colours. Aren't they beautiful! Two hanks of Blue Sky dyed cotton and one Manos del Uruguay. Soft, so soft!

A knitter can never have too much bags. This one is gorgeous and already in use. Along with it a tin of Knitters Little Helper hand balm. Very useful.

My favourite coffee: Cafedirect Machu Picchu Peru. Came with a instructions to make cold brewed coffee. I'll try that soon.

Two Yarn Forward magazines. No, I don't have them already! The Bobbi Bear pattern is so cute!

And here the group shot

Thanks again, you have been a brilliant partner.

Hug Me Shrug

2008-05-16T09:40:00.003+01:00

Finished! Fast to knit, a 'no brainer'. I love how it turned out! Used yarn: 2 balls of Sirdar Just Bamboo. Pattern: Hug Me by Sara Galley. I've knit the sleeves in the round instead of knitting them flat and seaming afterwards.

Parcel from an Angel

2008-05-15T10:55:00.006+01:00

My BFF Darcy is a sweetheart. She was feeling so sorry for me I had to wait that long for my parcel in the UK swap and decided to step in as an Angel. Of course there was no need to do so, I'd had been contacted by my upstream partner again, she was dealing with some health problems.
The angel package was delivered today. The delivery itself was kind of a miracle, a Royal Mail van stopped by when I was walking along the main road in the neighbourhood. The driver asked me if my address was ... and handled me the parcel over. He had been at the door, but as I was out, he took the parcel back again.

The alpaca and malabrigo are amazing soft. And the 3 balls of cotton are lovely.

A handfelted soap, cedarwood and eucalyptus. Can't wait to take a shower!

A sheep with chocolates. That is definitely not mine. :-)

Celestial Seasonings, Vanilla Strawberry Rose. Yummy! Will try it this afternoon.

Acid dyes. They always come in handy.

Okay. This is meant to sew into a knitting bag and send back again. Are there many knitters out there who love sci-fi, fantasy and maybe role playing? I do.

My UK swap partner let me know she is going to post the parcel today. So stay tuned for another photo session!

One to send and one WIP

2008-05-15T10:44:00.003+01:00

Just some pics. The Rainbow longies are ready to send, along with some matching accessories.

And here some work in progress: knitting a Hug Meshrug with Just Bamboo.

Coffee and yarn swap

2008-05-01T11:06:00.005+01:00

A few things in life I love are coffee, yarn and swaps. So the Caffeine Swap is my thing for sure! This morning I received my parcel from Vicky and she outdid herself! I love everything in it.

The presentation was perfect

The colours are just lovely and the yarn - Handmaiden Silk Cashmere Amethyst - is so soft, I keep petting it.

Helping hands...

More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. I've already seen some amazing patterns.

The 'Silvestri' mug is gorgeous, I love that bird! You're also looking at Counter Culture Dolok Sanggul Sumatra coffee, Choice Earl Grey with lavender blossoms and Trader Joe's Espresso chocolates.

And here the whole thing together. I feel truly spoiled.

Vicky, thanks so much!

Mystic Waters and Quest

2008-04-27T20:25:00.007+01:00

It seems like ages ago I showed some serious knitting on this blog. Not that I did quit knitting, but there are a few projects I'm not allowed to share with the world outside yet. I was, I am knitting 2 lace shawls. I joined the Mystic Light KAL, did clue-1 and decided the shawl is not turning out as I'd like. The yarn is to blame for it, I am using the same yarn as for the Mystic Waters shawl. Is that one becoming lovely, the combination of the lace and cables in ML does not work with this Sheer Delight. So no photo's of that disaster.

And then the Mystic Waters. I've written about it before and was pretty positive. Until my counting and the shawl in progress did not get along with each other anymore. Very frustrating, each row I was missing stitches or had to many. So, I put it aside instead of frogging it. Well, I was very near to ripping, throwing it away, bury it, burn it... Usually I am a very patient person, really!
I left it for three weeks beside the sofa and picked it up again yesterday. And know what: the mojo was back again! No miscounting anymore, no faults and I cannot understand where I did go wrong earlier.

Something completely different is the Quest Dish Cloth I made yesterday. A dish cloth is one of those small projects, an absolute no-brainer. I toyed a bit with some stitches from the Knitting Stitch library and the outcome was like this

I jotted the pattern down, you can find it here if you are interested. Made of Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Stripes, not 50 grams used.

Surprise package

2008-04-24T15:39:00.004+01:00

Today a mix of sunshine and showers. When we were walking back from pre-school, it was raining, so we were pretty soaked when we came home. A package was waiting for us though. We did not expect it at all, so it was a very welcome surprise! And look what my little princess got

Look at the lovely flowers and ribbons, so very princesslike.

And there was also something for me. Maia knows from my blog I use hand knitted dish cloths and she gave me a Chinese Waves one. Right now we are enjoying the 'Winter Cure' tea she included. The sweets did not make it to the picture ;-)

Thanks so much Maia! You are the best!

Bugged Tape Measures

2008-04-22T10:15:00.003+01:00

What to do on a Sunday afternoon, with a little sick girl next to you on the sofa. Well, I decorated two tape measures. Easily and quickly done, only some leftover yarn needed.

Birthday Girl II

2008-04-22T10:04:00.003+01:00

She was still sick on her Birthday. However, she did enjoy the presents and the Animal Birthday cake although she did not eat at all.

And then in the mail...

Shaun the Sheep, sent by Darcy. She likes him very much, though she is not convinced whether to like the jumper he is wearing or not. Most of the time he is jumper-less, LOL!

And this Sheepy postcard came from Morgan and family. Do you see the glittery craft stuff?

Morgan and Darcy, thanks so much for these thougtful goodies, you have made a little girl's day!

Birthday Girl

2008-04-18T21:53:00.007+01:00

It is almost her birthday. She will turn four then. She is looking forward to it, would like it so much if we put the Christmas tree up :-). But now she is sick. Feverish, tired, not feeling well. I hope she will be a bit better on Sunday.
She did receive some presents already.

The sheep on the left and the sheepy postcard are from Susan. The little lamb on the right is the twin of Sarah's lamb.

And another package came in. This one had to be very special as it was examined by customs.

No idea what they were looking for, although the package was worth to investigate. Look what came out!

Tessa and family, thanks so much for this thoughtful package, Dory is really enjoying it!

More kindness

2008-04-18T21:44:00.003+01:00

It was a surprise to find a parcel from Iva when I got home on Monday. She made me a whole lot of gorgeous stitch markers in all different colours and sizes (one can never have enough stitch markers). She also knitted a lovely dish cloth (already in use in the kitchen) and put some kitty stickers in as well.

Iva, thank you so much!

Paspoort alstublieft!

2008-04-18T21:27:00.004+01:00

Voor een keer een post in het Nederlands, omdat dit bij de paspoortencontrole op Schiphol plaatsvond.

De man in het hokje neemt mijn paspoort aan en kijkt bedenkelijk naar D. die naast me staat. Hij bladert in het boekje tot hij haar heeft gevonden en zegt dan:
"Waar is de vader van D.?"
"Niet hier. Ergens in Apeldoorn denk ik."
"Oh. Tja, ik kan D. alleen doorlaten als haar vader erbij is."
"Eh... dit is toch een geldig Nederlands paspoort?"
"Jahaa, maar in verband met kidnapping mogen we niet zomaar kinderen vergezeld van maar 1 ouder laten passeren. Ik zou hetzelfde hebben gezegd tegen uw man als hij hier alleen had gestaan met het kind."
"Ik vind het raar. Het is niet de eerste keer dat ik alleen met kind reis en ik heb nog nooit problemen gehad."
"Tja. Nu, weet u wat, omdat u het land binnen komt, zal ik dit maar toestaan. Als u uitreizend was geweest, dan had ik niet kunnen toestaan dat u het kind meenam."
"Oh. Dan heb ik een probleem, want ik vlieg maandag weer terug naar Manchester."
"Dan moet uw man hier komen verklaren dat het met zijn toestemming is..."
"Hij kan maandag niet met me meekomen, dus dat zal lastig zijn."
"Misschien dat ze het kind dan doorlaten als u een verklaring kunt overleggen waarin uw man toestemming geeft dat u het kind meeneemt naar het buitenland."

Waargebeurd en het was niet eens 1 april. Misschien bedoeld als grap? Die maandag erna heb ik trouwens GEEN verklaring meegenomen (ook geen man) en was er geen enkel probleem bij de paspoortencontrole.

Snow at last

2008-04-06T09:20:00.004+01:00

We did not see much of it this year, but we have some snow now! Though I'm pretty sure it won't last long.
This was at 2 am.

And this around 8 this morning.

Lozenge

2008-04-05T21:54:00.004+01:00

Finally finished, a pair of Gentleman's socks with Lozenge Pattern.

Used yarn: Regia, the blue yarn I got in the Vintage Sock Swap.

Sandwiches

2008-04-02T10:04:00.003+01:00

Reese is making sandwiches for himself and his little sister. He asks her what she would like with her sandwiches.
"I don't know."
"Let's have a look... we could do cheese, eggmayonaise or ham."
"I don't like ham, I want the pink sausage." Reese is confused.
"What do you mean?" She walks toward the fridge and takes the ham out.
"This is what I want. Pink sausage."

Questionnaire Spring Swap

2008-03-25T13:38:00.005Z

Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground?
Whole beans.

2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non?
I prefer the bolder coffees, leaded.

3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up?
Fairtrade Cafedirect Machu Picchu Peru or Tesco Finest Java Sumatra.

4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both?
Both. Definetely.

5. Do you enjoy flavored coffees? How about add-ins or flavored creamers?
I don't like the flavoured coffees and hate add-inns.

6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup?
Rather a large, lovely mug. The kind that can hold a good cup of coffee.

7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it!
Coffee and knitting. Coffee and reading. Coffee and travelling.

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company?
In a perfect world it would be coffee and caramel shortbread. In the real world it is mostly only the coffee.

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet?
I rather knit. Do some crochet every now and then though.

2. What are your favorite types of yarns to work with?
Soft 100% wool; bamboo; sometimes cotton.

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now?
On the hook an everlasting project, should be a childs top someday. On the knitting needles a lace shawl, a pair of socks, a pair of longies. I don't want to talk about the projects I started long ago and never finished. Yes, UFO's....

4. What are your favorite colors in yarns? What about those that you'd never find in your stash?
Oh, there are so many colours I love. Although I don't have much with black, grey, orange and neons.

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? Any you just detest?
I use mostly circular needles.

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan?
Needle protectors are no use for me.

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going..The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favorite colors, slightly variegated..a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands.. a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.. and a lovely bamboo blend with colors to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with?
On skein of the sock yarn and one skein of the bamboo blend. Or I would use my credit card to buy more.

Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are?
Not exactly. It is cold for this time of year.

2. What's your favorite spring flower? Do you have one?
No favourite spring flowers - and I don't like tulips.

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime?
Good question! It is not my favourite season. Maybe to start visiting the English Heritage Sites again.

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day?
I think we would have a nive forest walk.

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up?
No, the weather has no impact on my mood at all. Staying in most of the day, doing some knitting and dyeing. An we would go out for half an hour, my daughter with her pink wellies and princess umbrella. She loves the rain and the puddles.

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles?
No, exept for anything knitting related, I'm not a stasher.

2. Are you allergic to anything?
Cats and soya.

3. Do you have pets?
No. Due to allergies. Two of my children are allergic to almost all pets.

4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in?
I have done more swaps. The last two I participated in were the Knitting Vintage Socks Swap and in the UK Swap.

5. List 3 of your favorite blogs - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them.
I read plenty of blogs I enjoy. It does not feel right to list only 3 of them.

Morwenna

2008-03-24T12:58:00.004Z

Remember the handspun I got from Sarah? It is dyed. The colours are the result of a collab between my daughter and me. She preferred actually far more pink, but as pretty much of her jumpers are in pink, I convinced her another colour would also be nice. She came up with blue with a bit pink and violet. I think she has chosen well.

Handspun BFL/Corriedale by Babylonglegs, hand dyed in shades of blue, periwinkle, pink and violet. The matching solid skein is periwinkle.

What will become of this? It will be stashed for some time now as there are many other projects that need to done and/or finished. And when all is done? Well, might be a hoodie.

Knitting lace. With lace!

2008-03-20T16:23:00.003Z

Tried before and convinced it was not my cup of tea. But when this yarn arrived, I decided to reconsider my earlier decision and give it another go.
I spent a few hours browsing for a nice pattern and found Mystic Waters, just what I was looking for. And I must confess, it really goes well. Yes, there are a few mistakes, but I found out to fix them without frogging the whole thing. And I have learned there is no need to make the perfect shawl. I might go for the smaller version, don't know that yet, but for now I'm pretty pleased with the progress.

Swap delivery!

2008-03-20T15:56:00.006Z

It took the postal services some time to deliver, but finally it is here. Spoilt again! Christien was my upstream partner in the 'mamma swap' and supised me with the most gorgeous items. First of all she knitted me a pair of wristwarmers/ fingerless gloves. They fit very well thanks so much! I am a very cold handed person, so they will be very useful.

And then she assumed I'm a coffee addict, so there were four coffeecup coasters. Very pretty.

A book full of stitches and patterns...

some yarn for my stash :-)

And, if it was not enough already, also some easter decorations and a bookmark.

Thank you so much Christien for making this swap special!

The fairy princess

2008-03-18T17:33:00.003Z

Received an early birthday gift today. She is so very pleased with the necklace and the lucky charms.

The fairy and frog postcard is so very precious, we've framed it. Zinzia, thanks so much, you made a little girls day!

Spring Parcel for Dory

2008-03-15T15:38:00.008Z

Thursday evening a parcel arrived. A Pay it Forward gift from Marjon. She put the most gorgeous things together, almost all for Dory.

Pretty much in pink, one of Dory's favourite colours. Something to wear and some clothing for Babyborn, who was also very pleased with it.

I totally adore these tiny Babyborn slippers, they are too cute!

I must admit I was shocked when I saw the calendar at first - how much I love everything knitting related, my knowledge of German is not very well. But all the patterns are in Dutch and that is a language I do understand :-).

Lieve Marjon, heel hartelijk bedankt voor dit prachtige pakket!! We zijn er erg blij mee.

Another RAK parcel

2008-03-11T11:32:00.004Z

Early this morning a box, stuffed to the nose, arrived at our home. It came from Afton, who granted my wish for fantasy books for my sons. 22 of Piers Anthony and 1 of Lloyd Alexander. And as a surprise she sent me also a whole lot of Spinnerin Sheer Delight (95.5% virgin wool/ 4.5% mirlon. Okay, that's it, I'll finally have to knit one of those gorgeous shawls I see everywhere.

Thank you so much Afton!

Top down jumper of odd balls

2008-03-09T12:45:00.006Z

A large part of my stash are the only skeins of a kind. Pretty colours, though not enough to knit a larger project. And how many hats does one need? So I decided to combine some yarns. This jumper is the outcome. Size: 5 years (oversized, I like it when she has some use of it a bit longer).

For the top part I used the combination of the PIF wool I got from Christien -50 grams of each colourway- and the 2 balls of red Rowan Pure Wool DK I'd stashed.
I liked the idea of a girly finishing and that's when the Veeler Wolletje of Tessa came in.

Dory is very pleased with this 'Princess Jumper' as she calls it.

More Kindness

2008-03-05T14:39:00.003Z

Came through the door today! LucyJ sent a surprise parcel with 100 grams of lovely dishcloth cotton and a package of small scented gel pens. Thank you so much Lucy! I am truly pleased with it!

Tuesday

2008-03-05T13:33:00.006Z

Tagged by Myrthestiek, who asked me to tell about an ordinary day. So I picked yesterday.

6:30 am Woken up by Dory who jumps into my bed. While she is playing with some soft toys, I do some reading.
7:30 am The alarmclock goes off.
7:45 am We really go out of bed, take a shower, get dressed, arrange the breakfast table, tell my youngest son where to find his planner, PE kit, tie, football boots and so on.
8:30 am The boys leave home for school. While having my own breakfast, I run through dozens of emails and have a look at Ravelry.
9:15 am Dory and I leave home and walk to her preschool.
10:00 am Back home again. Time for my first cup of coffee of the day (Starbucks Christmas blend) and to answer and write some mails. Later I start to prepare some orders and have more coffee. In between I do some knitting on these socks.

Lozenge socks, using the yarn I got from Johanna in my Vintage Socks parcel.
12:00 Collecting Dory. She has had a good time at preschool. We walk to a busstop for a bus going to Northwich.
1:15 pm After paying in some cheques and buying sewing notions at the market, we are having lunch at Bratts, because of the 'cute fairy lunchboxes'.
2:45 pm Back from Sainsbury's it appears we've just missed the hourly bus to Chester that would have brought us close to home. We don't want to wait another hour, so we catch a bus that will bring us as far as Greenbank.
3.35 pm Back home again. Making some tea, Jerrold comes home from school.
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm Doing a lot of things, like answering phone calls, answering more emails, tidy up the messy place a bit, reading D. a story. Reese comes home from school.
5:30 pm Cooking an early dinner.
6:00 pm We eat :-).
6:30 pm Jerrold leaves for a meeting of the Air cadets. Reese and I do the tidying up, loading the dish washer and some cleaning.
7:30 am - 8:30 am Bath, story and bedtime for Dory.
8:30 - 10:30 am Doing the last bits and pieces for my UK swap partner. At least everything is boxed and the address is printed. Coming your way right now Scarlettina! I was supposed to keep my identity secret, but googlemail acted up and displayed my name spontaneously as I forgot to check on the settings first.
10:30 pm - 1:30 am I do some knitting and some reading before going to bed.

Althouh I am curious to know how your day was, I'm not going to tag anyone :-)

Rough night.

2008-03-01T08:42:00.005Z

Nature is having one of its busy weeks. Earlier this week the earthquake, not quite a shock as we were only woke by the vibrations. Though the storm of last night caused some actual damage.

Fences blown away on both sides of the garden. Not onlly our garden or the neighbours, but also the fences of their neighbours and theirs...
Well, it is only material damage. It could have been worse.

Random Acts of Kindness

2008-02-27T15:24:00.005Z

What can I tell about this group on Ravelry. This group is for giving without expecting anything in return, and possibly receiving gifts that you don't deserve!

Today I received a wonderful gift from Morgan, a set of books. The Amber books are for Reese as he has his Dutch exam in May and reading some Dutch will be a benefit for him. Though it is very weird to read some fragments in Dutch when you just have read the English version for the second time.
The other book, Ancestors of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson is for me. I love reading fantasy.
Morgan, thanks so much, you rock!

Vintage socks

2008-02-24T13:50:00.004Z

Not the most beautiful photo, I know... These are the Child's French Socks I made Tessa in the '(handmade item for) Mamma swap'. Used yarn is 75% BFL/ 25% nylon, dyed in pink and lavender.

Wool, lovely wool!

2008-02-24T13:29:00.005Z

It is always fun to receive parcels, especially when they are the fluffy kind :-). Here I have approx 600 grams of the most lovely and soft handspun BFL/Corriedale from the talented Sarah. I am planning to make a cardigan or jumper with this wool, so stay tuned!

She also sent Dory a present, a wonderful purse and a CD 'the Story Tree'. D. is so pleased with it, at the age of nearly 4 she is very into stories.

Sarah, thanks so much! xx

And another one!

2008-02-17T10:08:00.004Z

Another birthday parcel came in yesterday evening. This one came from Tessa, she truly did spoil me!

Hand spun and hand dyed wool named 'Veeler Wolletje' in beautiful colours, a set of lovely hand made stitch markers to add to my collection and a cute notecard.
Tessa, thanks so much!

Make my day!

2008-02-16T12:45:00.006Z

I have been awarded the "Make my Day" by the brilliant Angie of Jazzycrafts. Thank you so much, you did make my day!

The Blurb...

"Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times."

Before I begin listing 10, let it be known that you all make my day!

Darcy at Darcy's Knotty Knitter for being a wonderful friend,

Tessa at Myrthestiek because of her pleasant posts on her blog and her emails,

Morgan at Dromen van Avalon because I have found in her a soulmate and a friend,

Annemarie at Wollekje because of a wonderful magic ball swap, I still enjoy a pair of cosy socks :),

Ailsa at Not Enough Time to Craft for spending some great time together,

Marjon at Made by Mama for the pictures of her beautiful little daughter,

Christien at Famke's Frutsels for her kindness (PIF),

Olga of Olgiesblog because it is a lot of fun to read her blog,

Rae at Rae knits n Wa because of her enjoyable blog,

Last, but definitely not least Sarah at Babylonglegs for her most inspiring blog.

Pass it on girls, spread the love...

Oh my, got a Birthday parcel!

2008-02-16T12:29:00.005Z

All the way from California, from Darcy. The card is too cute (yes Darcy, I passed up the trip and the million and chose option #3...). The Christmas Blend of Starbucks is to die for, the chocolates will be tasty as will be the tea... and that yarn! Lorna's Laces pale pink. I love it, want to knit it immediately...

Thanks so much Darcy!

Skirty combo set

2008-02-10T13:11:00.001Z

This was the first skirty I've ever made, so kind of a challenge. I think it really turned out well. The pattern is my own. The hat is a top down model. The legs are ribbed, I hope this will improve the stretchyness. Therefore they are not embroidered. Used wool: BFL Aran weight.

4

2008-02-08T19:56:00.000Z

Many thanks to Greetje. Here are my '4'

4 jobs I held
nursery teacher
helpdesk assistant
childminder
crafts teacher

4 movies I like
Witness
Lord of the rings
Love actually
Equilibrium

4 places I've been
Eilat, Israel
Arhus, Denmark
Guernsey
Caernarfon, Gwynned

4 places I lived
Zwolle
IJsselstein
Eindhoven
Horndean (Hants)

4 TV shows/programs I watch
Currently? Torchwood
-
-
-

4 Radio-shows I listen to
I never listen radio

4 favorite foods
Cheesepizza
Indian
Chinese
Vegetables. Really, I LOVE vegetables.

4 places I'd rather be
Walking in the forest
Reading a book in my bed
Ireland
Having a shower

The 4 I tag, only when interested!
Darcy
Angie
Sarah
Morgan

Another PIF package received!

2008-02-07T23:01:00.000Z

This afternoon I got another PIF package. This one came from Christien. She has really spoiled me, made me the most nice pressies.
All gifts were put in this bag, isn't that a neat cable? These little bags always come in handy as I've so many projects at the same time on the needles.
My little princess (today she was princess instead of sheep) could hardly wait to unwrap everything. Actually, she did not wait at all.

She immidiately decided the stickers were hers.

Close up of the lovely hand dyed wool

And the cute stitch markers... Christien must have known I collect them!

Almost everything but the stickers (they were already in use. Attached to the buggy, in the castle and to the swing-go).
The green item on the photo is a very gorgeous hand knit hairband. I really can use that!

Thanks so much, Christien!

Topic of the week #3: Project Process

2008-02-03T00:50:00.000Z

Q: What is your process when planning a project? Do you shop for yarn and then find a suitable pattern? Do you find your pattern and then go out to buy the yarn? Or are you stash-busting? If your stash is out of control, how did it get that way?

A: Mostly I don't do any planning at all. When I am looking for a project, I have my Ravelry queue to browse, my huge stash of pattern print outs or a few knitting books. And this 'looking for' can take so much time, I'd better cast on some project and just start knitting. I have enough yarn in my stash to choose from or to dye up in the colours I like.
I seldom shop for any particular yarn, but when I am in a yarn shop, it often happens there is some yarn I cannot resist, although I don't know any use for it (yet). I bring it home just to add it to my stash. And that is how my stash is getting out of control (well, it still fits in one room, not bad at all), do I have to tell more?

Babyborn's soaker

2008-01-28T13:05:00.000Z

Easy download here.

Lizzie’s Babyborn Soaker.

Fits a Babyborn doll of 43 cm.

Materials needed

30 gram Blue Faced Leicester Aran weight 167 metre/100 grams

Circular needle 4.5mm/ 40 cm

For the legs: 4 DPN’s/ 4.5mm or circular needle 4.5 mm) 60 mm (or more) if you’re planning magic loop.

Stitch marker

Darning needle

Optional: stitch holder

Explanation slip slip knit

Slip one stitch, then slip the next. Insert left needle into the front loops of the slipped stitches and knit them together from this position (through the back loops).

Knitting the soaker

Cast on 52 stitches. Place marker as beginning of round.

First round: Knit 2, Purl 2

Repeat this the next 6 rounds

Next round: Knit all stitches for one round.

Working short row

Knit 10, turn, Slip 1 Purl 19, turn

Slip 1, Knit 18, Slip next stitch to right needle, pick up stitch below with your left needle, put slipped stitch back on left needle, K1 (that is the slipped stitch), Knit picked up stitch and the next stitch together. Pull the yarn tight (not too tight) to avoid holes. Knit 30, slip next stitch to the right needle, pick up stitch below the next stitch with right needle. Put picked up stitch and slipped stitch back on the left needle, knit these 2 stitches together. Pull on yarn again. Knit 10.

Knit all stitches next round.

Work another short row

Knit 12 stitches from marker, turn

Slip 1, purl 23, turn.

Knit 22, Slip next stitch to right needle, pick up stitch below with your left needle, put slipped stitch back on left needle, Knit1 (that is the slipped stitch), knit picked up stitch and the next stitch together. Pull the yarn tight (not too tight) to avoid holes. Knit 26, slip next stitch to the right needle, pick up stitch below the next stitch with right needle. Put picked up stitch and slipped stitch back on the left needle, knit these 2 stitches together. Pull on yarn again. Knit 12

Knit until the front part measures 7 cm from the cast on stitches. End round at stitch marker.

From stitch marker: knit 15, bind off 4, knit 14, bind off 4, knit 15.

Working the back

Next round: knit 13, knit 2 together, turn

Purl 28 stitches, turn.

Round 1: slip slip knit, knit to last 2 stitches, knit 2 together, turn

Round 2: purl all stitches

Repeat round 1 and 2 until 10 stitches are left, end with knit round. Break off yarn. Leave stitches on needle or put them on a stitch holder.

Working the front

With right side facing join yarn. Knit 14, turn

Purl 14, turn.

Round 1: Slip slip knit, knit to last 2 stitches, knit 2 together, turn

Round 2: Purl all stitches, turn.

Repeat round 1 and 2 once more.

Then knit next row, turn

Purl next row, turn

Repeat these 2 rows 3 times. Break yarn, leaving long tail (20 cm).

Use the tail to graft together the back and front stitches.

Legs

Pick up 28 stitches with DPN or long circular ate leg opening. Knit 1 round.

Next 7 rounds: 2 knit, 2 purl.

Last round: bind off.

Weave in ends. Make an I-cord to your preference, thread the cord through the waistband.

Have fun with this soaker!

Liz.

Rollicks again and a Tri-Peak hat

2008-01-23T13:52:00.000Z

They are finished!

Easy peasy to knit and they fit well. Although if I do them again I won't go for the seed-stitch heelflap, it makes the heels a bit too wide.

And then a Tri-Peak hat. Easily knitted and kitchenered,I think it took not 3 hours. The wool is the handspun Corriedale I got from Sarah, brilliantly hand dyed by Dory. When I saw the Tri-Peak I suddenly knew this wool was perfect for it.

A dolls hat, the end of the Magic Ball

2008-01-22T16:29:00.000Z

This Watermelon Magic Ball was a Christmas gift from Darcy. I started to knit almost immediately and made a pair of mittens, in the meanwhile discovering the most precious gifts. When the mittens were done, there was enough magic left for a bag and more presents fell out.
With the leftover I have knit a dolls hat, actually I had to add some other sock yarn to complete it. All presents revealed now. Here is a photo of the hat with that special Ravelry button (now on my coat).

And these sheep markers are too cute!

Darcy, thanks so much, you rock!

Rollick

2008-01-20T10:14:00.000Z

Or a great example of pooling... The upper parts of the socks were knitted on a 2.25 mm needle. It pooled badly, I considered to frog the whole thing and restart this pattern with another yarn or knit another sock pattern with this yarn. But the working needle cracked. Happened of course when I was in the train to Birmingham... any idea how frustrating it is to be in a train for over an hour, have to wait another hour at the railway station due of a cancelled train and sitting in the train back for one hour and a half WITHOUT any knitting to do?! Well, let's not ramble about these things in life (in future I'll always have a spare needle with me).
Anyhow, I don't have any other 2.25 mm needles, so I switched to a 2.5 mm. And the pools became stripes.

The Rollicks are fun and easy to knit. The yarn in use is Stroud Wool SuperSock yarn, colourway Pink and Rust.

We all stand together

2008-01-17T16:17:00.000Z

It's more 'hang together' here. On the sofa. Dory not feeling well, me neither. Having some kind of a cold. Or a flu. So we did some browsing on youtube for nice video's and stumbled upon this one.

She loves it! We have seen and heard all versions of 'the frog song' several times now... rabbit, rabbit!

Magic ball: almost there!

2008-01-14T17:14:00.000Z

I thought knitting a tote would do the trick. But it seems this is kind of a never ending ball :-), so there is still a bit left to reveal. I did find the most lovely things hidden in the ball.

A sheepy tape measure, so very cute! I have to hide it from Dory, as she thinks all sheep are hers. More sheep stitch markers (also to be kept away from little hands), a French guy and more tea (most of it is already gone).

Want to see the tote? After knitting I tried to felt it, not much felted though. As you can see I tried to use more yarn in the crocheted flowers. The bag is lined with cotton twill.

My special Vintage Socks

2008-01-13T12:58:00.000Z

Arrived Friday! Of course one of those hectic days, no time to blog. I was in luck, the parcel was delivered when I was not home, but the postman left it in the porch instead of taking it to the delivery office. Complete wit a friendly note he left it there to save me a trip. Yes!
The package came from Norway, from Johanna. Oh my, she did spoil me!

And not only me, for Dory there was a colouring book with some stickers inside. 'Hello Kitty.' She loves it.
With the book removed, the box was still filled to the nose...

with hazelnut coffee beans (delicious!) and yummy dark chocolate...

Regia blue sock yarn. Excellent to cast on another pair of Vintage Socks... if I could find that book! Where could a knitting book hide? The grey sock wool is the leftover from my socks (later this post). I think it might be enough for a pair of socks for Dory.

A candle with a lovely smell, darning needles and a tape measure.

These stitch markers are brilliant. Johanna did make them herself.

A lovely notecard and some cards of places of interest of Trondheim . I really want to visit Norway someday and she knows that. Trondheim might be a good choice when planning our next holidays.

The whole lot together. Gorgeous, I felt overwhelmed when everything was unwrapped!

And the best thing of course: the socks! I truly love them, the are very comfortable, have a perfect fit and are beautiful knitted with Regia Silk. First time I have something silky in my socks :-)The pattern used is Gentleman's Fancy Sock with some alterations.

Johanna, you have done a beautiful job, thanks so much!

UK Swap questionnaire

2008-01-09T18:55:00.000Z

Part One: Crafting

Do you knit, crochet, or both?
I’m a knitter. Sometimes I do crochet, I’m plotting to make a Lacy's Child Top.

What do you like to make? Do you have a favourite project?
Actually I like almost everything. Clothing, bags, toys. I like to vary in my projects. Scarves are not really my thing, although I have seen some pretty ones lately, so I might change my mind about that.

Do you have a favourite type of fiber or brand of yarn?
I love wool. BFL, Treliske Organic Merino, Jitterbug, Lorna’s Laces. Recently I got some bamboo yarns, they have a lovely soft feel and I’m looking forward to knit it.

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn?
Don’t like the novelty yarns too much.

Do you do any other crafts?
I'm a yarn dyer and I started spinning with a hand spindle.

What knitting do you bring ‘on the go’?
Smaller projects, 'no-brainers' like socks, soakers, bags…

What do you carry your ‘on the go’ knitting in? Do you want something new?
I’ve a few ‘small project totes’. And I’m always in for something new.

Are there any knitting gifts (book, toy, yarn, item, tool) that you have been lusting over?
Oh yes!

Part Two: Your Favourites

What is your favourite colour? What is your least favourite colour?
I like most colours, purples the best. Dislike… difficult to answer. Solid orange, solid black.

What scents/smells do you like? What don’t you like?
I like the more fruity smells, not too strong. And I hate the smell of jasmin.

How do you like to pamper yourself? (bubble bath, hand creams, massage, manicure)
Always hand creams as they are very useful. Second lip balms.

What goodies to you like to treat your tummy with? (chocolate, biscuits, truffles, etc.)
I try not to…

Do you prefer tea or coffee while you knit? Any particular kind? Favourite mug/cup?
I’m a coffee addict, though I drink tea every now and then. I have some mugs I like more than others

Do you listen to/watch anything while you knit? (TVshow-Along, movies, music, podcasts)
I like to watch dvd’s. TV shows? Is there anything I need to watch?

Part Three: Living & Past-times

Where do you live in the UK? (General idea not address)
Mid-Cheshire, Northwich area.

Have you always lived here, or did you grow up somewhere else?
I did grow up in the Netherlands and moved to England 3 years ago.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I would like to visit my friend Darcy in California. Countrywise I’d love to travel to Norway, Sweden or New Zealand.

If you couldn’t go to a knitting group, what other kind of gathering would you go to? (book club, tea party, yoga class, jewelery class, etc.)
Maybe a book club. I like to read.

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.)
Don't know. I'd like to think I'm unique :-)!

Final Part

Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)?
No.

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know?
Not that I can think of.

Is this a beginning?

2008-01-07T22:24:00.000Z

Having 3 handspindles there's no excuse left. I have to learn spinning. To be honest, I tried several times, using online tutorials, but I did not get the hang of it. My big problem is to get the spindle twisting in the right direction. It just did not work out. Kind of frustrating. In the end I decided to look in that 'Spin it' book I have for some time now (and never looked at). There was one sentence about rolling the spindle on the leg towards the hip. I tried... and it worked! As there is some yarn around the shaft now, even the spinning itself seems to work.

Okay, the spun yarn looks very very slubby and I really hope it will improve.

Use the fluff...

2008-01-07T22:00:00.000Z

And some of my stash. In fact there is some (December) addition to my stash since the last picture of it, but I don't want to talk about that now ;-). I am using that stash, far more important.
From Riggwelter I got some yarn in the caffeine addicts swap. The caffeine (coffee) is long gone (delicious) and half of the yarn is knit into a dolls outfit.

Modelling here is Dory's dolly, the clothes are meant for Alora's doll. The yarn used is Rowan Holiday, one ball for the top and one for the pants. No scrap yarn left. The edgings are done with that fluffy how-is-it-called plastic yarn that Dory loves so much.

And I made some dish cloths using the Bernat Handicrafter cotton.

I'm pretty content with this cotton, it is a nice cotton to knit.

As well finished some more serious knitting.

The mittens and one UFO finished

2007-12-30T14:23:00.000Z

No more gifts came free yet, half of the yarn is used. I am making up my mind what to knit with the rest of the yarn, jumping between a headband, wrist warmers, a hat, baby booties...

And I finally finished one of my hibernating projects, a skirt for Dory, made of hand spun wool, dyed with natural dyed. I like how it turned out.

Incoming and outgoing parcels

2007-12-30T13:58:00.000Z

Yesterday a beautiful PIF parcel of Darcy arrived. As I should actually pay her, there was absolutely no need to do this, but she chose me as one of her spoilees. And look what we got! Yes, it is 'we' again, because Dory confiscated immediately a few of these items.

A Christmas table cloth, a Christmas handbag...

Christmas ornaments, immediately hung in the tree ;-)

Coffee, yummy...

Little Britches, so very cute!

I bought the balls of cotton myself, they were also in the package. The colours are very pretty!

The rabbit in the snow is Dory's favourite.

This is the outgoing parcel, tomorrow it will be send to a very sweet lady.

O-Wool

2007-12-27T20:03:00.000Z

Yesterday I received an email of the manager of O-Wool concerning the organic merino in this post. I commented about the quality of this wool.
The merino of O-Wool has a good quality, but there were some problems early this year. I'm offered a partial replacement of the wool. The yarn I got turns out to be 'second quality', though this was not stated when I bought it in that coop.
Below a detailed explanation of the veggie problem. I have permission to quote O-Wool. I want to make clear this is NO LONGER a problem and that any veggie yarn they have in stock will clearly be sold to their shops as “seconds” (lesser quality yarn).

“Early this year (2007), we received shipments of O-Wool Classic with unacceptable amounts of vegetable matter (VM). Producing products with certified organic wool varies greatly from making products using conventional methods. One area where this is vastly different is how to work around this VM that gets caught in sheep’s wool between shearing cycles. VM includes many different substances including twigs, burrs, grass, and various seed matter.

In conventional wool processing the VM is removed by using carbonization. Carbonizing involves passing the wool through sulfuric acid bowls and ovens, before rollers crush the brittle VM that remains. This process eliminates virtually all the VM and is why most wool products on the market do not contain VM.

At the Vermont Organic Fiber Co (VTOF), we have helped establish and follow the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Processing Standards. These standards were established to ensure organic certification could be followed through the whole production process. Under these standards carbonization is not allowed. This means we have to use alternative measures to remove the VM and from time to time VM will end up in the final product. We as a company are willing to accept minimal amounts of VM as a natural variation in the products that mimics nature and is part of the organic process. But this particular batch of yarn far exceeded an acceptable level, and therefore we could not, in good conscience, continue to sell this yarn at regular price. We still have much of this yarn in stock and have begun to sell it as “seconds”.

We have since added an organic combing process that eliminates most if not all of the VM. We have already processed and sold two lots of this combed fiber, and the yarn is beautiful and free of VM.

VTOF has been producing 100% certified organic wool yarns for the past eight years. We have learned a great deal about the benefits and challenges of upholding organic fiber processing standards. We strive to produce the best certified organic wool products for the textile market. Our goals as a company are to improve on production processes, support organic agriculture, clean up manufacturing processes, to make the world a better place and to focus on making our company and products more sustainable. We hope that you continue to believe in the integrity of our product, and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship.”

Knitted Vintage Socks

2007-12-27T15:16:00.000Z

These are for my downstream partner in the Knitting Vintage Socks Swap. It was a nice pattern to knit, the Fancy Silk Socks. This was the first time I blocked socks, the sock blockers are made out of placemats by myself, very easy to do and cheap (sometimes I like to be cheap :)). I've also gathered some other nice goodies to send with the socks. Before the box goes overseas, I'll snap a photo of it.

And yesterday I started with the Magic Watermelon ball. I will knit a pair of mittens out of this, I am a bit concerned the yarn is not strong enough for a pair of socks. It easily snaps. In fact I don't wear gloves or mittens very often, but it has been cold here the last few weeks. Maybe we will have another cold period this winter and they might be very useful.

Can you see the cute sheep marker?