Knitting & chocolate

My brother was visiting over the weekend, and came bearing gifts!



The little guy next to the chocolate Santa is his helper, according to the Dutch tradition. I 'm almost reluctant to eat him up!



There was also quite a lot of knitting. I made a hat to match the flap-top mittens I made last winter.



The yarn is Chaco worsted weight on 4.5mm circular needles for both. I used the pattern from Handknit Holidays for the mittens, but I changed the way the flap is attached, and added a buttonhole opening on each thumb, so it can also stick out when necessary. Makes a big difference in the usability of the mittens!



The hat pattern is mine, based on something I glimpsed in the subway once. Then I decided I wanted to add ear flaps, for which the basic guidelines came from the pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I am not adding links, because I feel everyone knows about these books and patterns, and because Skid is hovering around me and wants attention.



Finally, I made the first of a series of dishcloths that I plan to give as gifts. Once again, it this is the very well-loved pattern from Mason-Dixon Knitting, which I modified only in changing the size of the dishcloth.

Is no news good news, or just no news?

Clearly, there is nothing that comes to mind for a blog post. I 've been knitting, but no progress photos. I started a brown hat, to go with the brown mittens I made last year and end my matching accessories problems once and for all!

Oh, yes, there is news! I have received my ravelry invitation (I am, of course, ListmakerKat). This place is really fun, like everyone says. I am very impressed by how much can be created on a simple idea of filling a gap.

And, I joined my first ever knitting group, Norovember. It seems that almost everything I knit lately is with this wonderful yarn, so I thought it would be a good idea to 'make it official' and try to finish some of these projects during the next few weeks.

In kitty news, look at the cutie that has become our temporary tenant at the Southern Headquarters! Now he and L have their own little Boys' Club, to balance the Girls' Club up here in the North. He 's cute, but now that he isn't terrified of humans any more, we 're looking for a permanent home for him - the Girls would go on snuggle strike if he joined the family...

Halloween

Why are weekends so short? Though weekdays pass by pretty fast too.
I must be getting old.

This, all too short, weekend passed in a lovely, mellow rhythm. Saturday it was rainy, Sunday was glorious. There was some shopping

Fabric from Pearl River Mart

Skein of recycled sari silk from friendly Nepalese woman

... and some sewing

Another journal cover. I can't stop making them.

Finally, in the spirit of Halloween, Skid decided to turn from this



to this (note the ferocious fang!)

my yarn was scared!

Catching up

It's been a while since I had anything worth posting about. Life has been busy with... well, life. But this weekend I was inspired, and made a few flowers out of felt.


On Saturday they came in very handy during my 2-hour commute for what should take no longer than 35 min.... I was having so much fun making them on the subway, that I overheard two Italian tourists commenting on how calm I appeared in the midst of frustrated people. The joys of living in the big city.

I decided to applique them on one of the bright green pillow cases I made a while ago. The picture sucks, though - this photo-shoot was a last minute decision, and couldn't wait for daylight.


In other news, I made a spinach pie with ready-made dough and some odd concoction of "Egyptian feta" that bares no resemblance to the real feta. I thought the term was patented... Anyway, it was quite yummy and all that is left from it by now is an empty pan.


Finally, here's a sneak peak of Seven's new favourite FINISHED (no borders yet) blankie. I can see I 'll have to fight for the right to use it. So far, it was almost impossible to do any work on it, as Seven would run and sit on it as soon as I went near it. I have no illusions that she may have wanted to help. She just wanted to snuggle on it. She won the first round, but I can be stubborn too...

During the last two weekends I 've been putting my 'weekend traveller bag' to work. This meant that I was too busy having relaxing pic nics with yummy snacks, taming a kitten, and exploring new places. Air travel, though, ensured that I could sneak in some knitting. Always on unfinished projects, some visible progress was made.

1. Sock #1. Made with the yarn I dyed myself. It was my first try at using different colours, and I got lucky. The green starts just before the toe increases!



2. A little sneak peak at the last two squares of Lizard Ridge. With the weather getting colder, it is the perfect time to begin crocheting the border, and then snuggling under it. The cats have been enjoying the progress of each and every square, and I can't whait for them to honour the blanket (and my lap) as soon as it is put to regular use.



3. Some cute japanese napkins I found on my last trip to Flushing. Not sure what I 'll make of them yet, but they were so pretty I could not resist



4. Finally, a quick project I whipped up in 10 min., just to see how it's done. I used an old tie and a pair of D-loops. I don't use belts very often, but this is a fun way to recycle ond ties