Friday catchup and finishing things

I am still busy making more of these Lisbon-times from drops for a special lady's birthday this summer, I hope I will finish, the yarn is a bit of a hassle to work with, but it is so fluffy and soft. I am sure the shawl will look beautiful whilst being warm but still light.

Still chugging along on my ripples baby-blanket, little miss E is already born, so I better finish quickly!

And then there is the finish. I gave my friends a Easter egg (well to be honest it was a yellow paper bag with while dots on it, but it was Easter-y) and in it between some candy and a small handlotion was a crochet basket and bunny eggwarmers also from drops. And, I am quite proud, done all by myself, i read the pattern, and then just knitted and I did not make a single (big) mistake! I think it is time to level up on my knitting adventure!

I have been going to our new shiny library and borrowing loads of books, and crocheting a little and chatting to the friendly librarian. I have no idea how many books I've borrowed this month, but quite a few.  Yesterday I was so into the book I was reading that I did not quite go to bed... Oops.

I had my friends over for an Easter-lunch and Christmas dinner and workshop. We decorated eggs, sowed some seeds in decorated milk cartons. I love doing seasonal things.

 

E and I went to a lecture-thing about Roald Dahl which was very interesting. I am now on the waiting list for his autobiography. 

Oh, and I bought some yarn, I have been quite good lately and not bought a lot, some for specific projects, but this I bought just because. I love the colours.

More finishes

I am still helping my mother with the move and the end is in sight, but that means sporadic blogposts, but here are some finishes... All in knit!

My hands are also slightly sore from the late minute crochet baby blanket I made, so I decided to knit for a while, then maybe I will get a little better too.

For my friends at Valentines, they got a set of mittens each.

But as usual I stared a little late, so they got them first now, oops.

Pluviôse by Solenn Couix-Loarer 

in Blue fabel from Drops and Alpacca from Nille in the purple set. The pattern is really easy, but I thought I could need some pattern reading comprehension and also I made a buttonhole by myself. 

So yay me.

I made a hat for my cousin, here sported by husband, my cousin likes her hats big, so I bought two skeins, I used 54 grams so I made one for myself too.

This pattern is also really simple, but hey, let's do simple for a while and build up my jishin so that I will feel more equipped to tackle more knitting and continue on with my knitting adventure and then one day I will make a dress and some shorts. One day, but the day is getting nearer, I can feel it!

Pink Alpacca from Sandnes I think.

And a picture of the bunnies fighting for resources because that is what they do most days. And molt, and beg for pets when I am going to bed or going out the door. Bunnies!

This months stash busting is in plus, I only bough 600 grams of yarn, but so far I have used up 909 grams... 

Yay me again.

Back with some more yarn and some temptations

So the trip to Finland was a great success, I didn't use hardly any of my yarn that I brought but that was because we deemed the wedding blanket did not need an extra border, that was all the grey yarn I brought. I did however make a small doily while waiting for our flight that got cancelled, we popped it in with the presents. So all in all the yarn was a bit much but you never know what you might want to make...

(and I did use everything else of crafting things but my water colours, I adore making travel diaries which is why I bring so many crafting things.)

The doily fits well with the coasters too.

My outfit for the wedding with M's wedding vest.

(He did wear a suit with that)

The wedding blanket awaiting ironing and packing for the wedding. The ironing of the blanket was a three person job btw as it was big and bulky and heavy and we only had a tiny ironing board.

I went to the biggest yarn shop in the city but they claimed to not have any Finnish yarn, so I bought some Swedish, Danish and Norwegian yarn. The grey yarn only has writings in Finnish though so I have hopes that they are from Finland. The greys are for a bolero or shawl or something I think and the whites and silver are for more snowflakes, I love snowflakes.

 *

But the blanket weighed 3,3 kilos so I am allowed to buy some more yarn right?

They had these cool packages of surprise yarn too that I bought, and I got one sock, yarn to finish the other, a whole finished cowl in sparkly yarn form Sweden and some pink yarn, one is in wool and silk and the other is a bit of a mystery but I am thinking of mitts or something accessory crocheting.

Since my big thing is finished I have some hopes in making and finishing some smaller things, here I am making an iPad cover that my mother requested in wool, and since crafters minds are already on their next project I am thinking of another blanket (oh yes, I never learn, my shoulders are still not back in form) and a few shawls.  

Kitties in a row afghan by Beverly A. Qualheim

This is the afghan I hope I am not crazy enough to start because it needs cat coloured yarn and I only have a few skeins of wool from Nille so I would need a ton more.... I am trying to stay strong!

Chevron Lace Cardigan by milobo

And there is the jacket that I really want to make for myself, but I really should finish my skirt first! But I could use some of that Drops Merino in navy I have in my stash?

Angel Wings Pinaforte by Maxine Gonser

And since one friend is having a little girl in May I so want to make a dainty little dress.

Florida Shrug  by Nyanpon

I made one for the wedding and now I want to use that as a template to make another the right way.

Lizard Pattern by Jasmin Räsänen

I am sure all my friends would love this pattern and I know Fabel from Drops is on sale now which I think this pattern would look great in.

Victoria shawl by Cherry Heart, picture from Ravelry

This pattern was on sale today so M bought it for me, I really want to make one!

All these photos are from revelry which is where the links go, what do you think I should start on when I finish my skirt?

Thoughts count

M is still home and we are enjoying our time together, today we went to the store to swap some presents, I got a book that I would have quite liked, if I had read the first, but since the store didn't have the first book, I traded it for two knitting books.

 I had to buy the tea we got at my uncles, so today we had caramel and vanilla tea.

I also got two other knitting books for Christmas so this year I better get better at knitting. Which is sort of my New Year resolutions, I think...

 M and I are watching Home alone one and two and they are great at giving me Christmas feelings. But I do think we need to bake more, I have eaten all the good cakes already.

I should finish the last two halves of the two wrist warmers, but instead I started something new. I think this might be for Christmas next year, ( yes I have started thinking about next year when I am not done with this year yet, so what else is new?) but I do love watching Christmas movies and doing Christmas crafting while it is still Christmas, the rest can wait. At least until January starts? I should finish the table runner I almost finished last year too, maybe that is next?

I bought some more yarn to make those hats my family requested I make, for next year, I like it when it actually sounds like my gifts were happily received because I try to give gifts that fit the person, but you can't always succeed, and sometimes you succeed but forgot to think about things (or in this case sequels) so gifts have to be traded. But it is the thought that counts.

Final stretch

Today M and I had a slow day at home with fiddling with some presents again. I had green tea in a mug I made M years ago. The little green alien is him, and I am the pink bunny.

We saw Kaze Tachinu from Ghibli which I gave M, we played some Playstation that his sister and fiancee gave us, which was pretty amusing.

 The glasses in the back were gifted to us by M's parents and I love them, the glasses I mean. We needed a pair of celebratory glasses not for everyday use like our pretty green ones, and these fit with the fine dining pottery.

Something else that we watched which was pretty amusing was this sight: The bunnies having fun with the tree. Since most of the parts they can reach have been munched away we placed their bed beside it, and Mimle finally understood what to do. So now they are both snacking on the tree.

And another present is done and gifted.  I know I am still a bit late, but the person I gifted it too was not sorry she had to wait. She got a scarf and a set of wrist warmers to match. I started the scarf a bit too narrow and ended up starting a second you know which is why I was late, but the narrower scarf was given to someone else who loved their scarf and the bigger scarf fits my friend a lot more.

I have only two halfs of the last two wrist warmers to do. But my cousin who will get one and her brother who will get the other I won't be seeing until late January or so, so I still have time.

And while I am in a Christmassy mood I hope to start some gifts for next year so I won't have to make another mad dash to finish. But I think I will, after all, that is a tradition, and one I quite like, because I always add gifts or people to give things to which is part of the fun^^

I should be able to finish within this year, but I don't have to:)

Third day of Christmas and third Christmas celebration

Driving in the snow. Did I mention that it is snow! Did I mention I love snow?

We are visiting family again, and so I got tea again, caramel and vanilla, it was really good! Did I mention I love tea? I love vanilla and caramel too.

We played card-games, I won first, then me and my youngest female cousin won together. I love winning. Did I mention I like winning but am a very sore loser?

I finished one scarf yesterday and the second one today and I started the matching wristwarmer and finished one. But there is still two halfs to do. Did I mention I like making things? Did I mention I am not that good at finishing things? Did I mention I love starting new things?

Want to see how the finished hat and beard look on the intended person? Quite handsome, and it fits him too. :) Did I mention I like my cousin? My uncle wants one too now. And did I mention my younger female cousin also wants one?

Happy Merry X-mas

Gifts have been given and received, well wishes have been uttered all around, good food and treats have been devoured and family have been met.

My guest went home today after breakfast, and M and I have been lazing around all day in pyjamas using our gift just like Christmas the 1st should. It is a tradition of mine and most of Norway I think. 

I had strawberry tea given to me by M in this years best mug ever given to me by my mother.

(it is an Elsa Beskow mug)

We watched some great Norwegian films, a comedy called "Den spanske flue" which to my happiness was shown this year, M had never seen it, but he laughed a lot alongside my mother. It was as hilarious as ever, I L O V E that play, not just for Christmas, nostalgia or tradition but it is actually funny.

And then we saw "Reisen til julestjernen", we had to tape most of what is shown on Christmas Eve just because we didn't have time to watch it then. This movie is mostly just tradition, I like watching it, but it doesn't get my undivided attention. Tomorrow I am hoping we get to see some of the eastern European Christmas tradition films.  I love Christmas!

I had TONS of cakes, this beautifully decorated lot was given to me by my friend Evi, look at those cute bunnies, and edible glitter! (glitter was something I was given by someone else, so I am so baking something this Christmas, hopefully with M)

And I so very very close to finishing the last two scarfs, yes two, I know I said I was making only one, but then it was too narrow for the person I felt, so I made another.

I am very sure I have made almost 50 of those trees.

Later when I am done with all the presents I will make a recap and we will see just have much I made, and considering I only started in October in earnest I feel I have made a lot.

I know much of my gifts have been well received which is always nice to hear.

I hope you all are having a happy merry Kurisimasu.

Tjueførste Desember

I like this mug, although I have to drink my tea rather fast before it turns too cold. Today it was black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, pepper, orange peel, vanilla and apple. Kind of hard to taste the vanilla, orange and apple. I do wish there was more taste in these. I have spotted some places that sell these half off online and I am debating whether or not I would like one. I mean I love having tea of the day, but these are rather bland and boring, so I might just search for other tea-calendars, I have spotted at least one more.

I have finished one half of the last wrist warmers, this one looks big, but that it because it is for M. He has bigger hands than me.

The scarf is now either halfway or one third. I have used up one skein of the lovely red alpaca yarn I bought on sale last time I was up at my mothers.

Oh, and we web-shopped our Christmas groceries this year, and splurged on home delivery, although truth be told, we got a discount and because of that we decided to "use" half of that to have them bring everything to our door. Very time saving when one does not have a car. We would have taken four trips to the store to buy all this I think.

Bunnies smell M is munching on an apple, and although they already got a taste they are trying to get more out of him. Best to stand and eat so nobun can jump up and steal food from ones mouth again.

A present in November

But my birthday isn't for another month!

This was a gift for the buns and me, and Valmin has his birthday this month;)

I was going outside and checked our mailbox and inside were a note from our postman! I didn't have time to pick up the parcel from the postoffice because I was on my way to my mothers, so I told boyfriend he had to pick it up for me. He did and it was waiting for me when I got home from my mother's. 

I couldn't wait even if it was in the middle of the night, I had to open it. Mimle was exited too. It was from an online friend, we agreed to send each other and the buns a small parcel, but then I was in the middle of moving house and stuff and it took ages before any of us had the time. 

Mimle and Valmin got so much! Mimle tried to eat through the plastic so I had to give her some pellets while I opened something up for consumption.

Valmin came too when he heard the sound of crunching.

THere were Lofties, dried dandelion, dried apple tree leaves, something called Supreme Fibrafirst for rabbits, (which they were unsure of, but then Valmin ate both Mimles and his and begged for more), and Woodlands rabbit herbal forage. They got spoiled rotten! 

I was spoiled too! I got a Belle and Boo pencil,  two cross-stitch magazines! One of them with lots of Belle and Boo and the other with Christmas designs, so I have no excuse now and need to make some Christmas cards;) And then finally some chocolate, one with pineapple and coconut and the other with some nuts and vanilla. ( my online name has vanilla in it, which I am sure she remembered). Swapping is so much FUN! 

Too bad she might wait for a while, because even though I sent her parcel on Halloween it has still not gotten to the UK, the tracking says they sent the gift to the US... Strange, I have sent the postalservice an email so I hope it eventually gets where it is supposed to....

Mimle is checking to see if Valmin is eating something different and better than her, but he is not, they are eating the same. Mimle stole Valmins piece anyway. But then Valmin ate her bit and begged for more and got some too since he is so stinking cute.

Thank you for a wonderful gift:D 

We are all so grateful and happy!