Frisian Frillies

With a bloke with a cool scarf. If he loses it, he's a dead man... ;) We're so looking forward to this trip, and are even more excited about coming back. It is freezing here, and will do for at least another week. The word 'Elfstedentocht' creeps up in conversations everywhere, the local radio station has already dusted off their scenarios, and we're making arrangements to fit as many mattresses on our living room floor... See you next week, in 2009!

which did not work... My user name there is A. Moss. No idea how you can search on that, but hey... If you look for Twilight 2000 and then check other ads, you get the full list!

To be able to afford a great trip to Norn Iron in 2 weeks time, we decided to clear out the attic. And yes, it is also nice that in the process, we are reclaiming space in our cupboards, getting rid of cupboards, and creating more space to play and just relax. So, to advertise our 'stuff', here's a link to our ads! If you like Warhammer novels or are into Marillion, like manga drawing or Babylon 5: HERE'S YOUR CHANCE!!! Remember, there is more to come, so just put it in your Favourites, and check back again tomorrow, on Monday and again and again!!! Our ads! Come and see it here! I know, nothing knitting-related. You weren't really expecting me to be selling any of MY stuff? Come on now... :) And just to stick another feather up in my arse: my snowflakes were selected as pictures for the pattern on Ravelry! Isn't that cool! See them here . You have to be a member, but if you scroll down, you can see pictures as well. Ravelry used the finished one, with red ribbo...

I was looking around for a quick and small baby gift, and saw this cool bib with cables . After looking at it, I forgot about it until yesterday, then knit it by heart, so it looks a bit different ;) Made from very soft baby yarn, 100% acrylic, Populair Colori by Beijer, double stranded, on number 5 needles.

Not really surprising for me, but I'm a person on the darker side of the rainbow... Your rainbow is intensely shaded brown, blue, and indigo.               What is says about you: You are a proud person. You appreciate the roughness of nature. You feel closer to people when you understand their imperfections. You share hobbies with friends and like trying to fit into their routines. Find the colors of your rainbow at spacefem.com.

When she asked me if I had the pattern book with Uncle Argyle in it, I also thought: I should knit that! So, I dug out my cream and brown yarns (nice acrylics, baby soft) and got stuck in. The first few rows were quite a chore, but now I've got the technique down to a T and the pattern in my head. Still not too happy about the end stitches, but hey, can't have it all... And I started these, Hourglass from Knitty, for myself, with the Malabrigo sock yarn, Stonechat, I got from her .

And in Puk 's tree, too! She was my christmas ornament swap partner (well, she put a call out on her blog, and I thought it was a great idea, so replied...) and while she made me a lovely heart to go in my tree (picture will follow, I've temporarily displaced my camera, lol), I made here a few snowflakes. I fell in love with these the minute I saw them on Ravelry and made 4 for Puk and 2 for myself. More to follow, but, as usual, I've so much going on (work, the need to keep my weight stable by Wii-ing A LOT at night - darn all that lovely winter food..., kids that refuse to let me work/knit/crochet/do anything, and three other projects that want my urgent attention) that I've not finished as many as I wanted... A quick project recap! First, I crocheted these lovely snowflakes, designed by Sally George , and then submerged them in my sugary water. Just a few tablespoons and a cup of hot water. Let them soak for a bit, pin them out (blocking for crochet, lol) on a few bi...

My friend Mascha gave birth to her second baby boy, Jayden, two weeks ago and this morning wee S and I went over to have a look. How cute!!! Soooo smalll... For his tiny feet, I made these... Made from some left-over sock yarn and 4 cute heart buttons bought in Rotterdam...

And how come I didn't get an e-mail about the new Knitty ?? How long has this been online??? I just love that Tushy Cushy , such a shame I'm going to visit my girlfriend and her newborn baby tomorrow morning - that will never happen... ;) And what about Gwynedd ? A good contender for a nice hubby Xmas present, me thinks... As I've decided not to knit a scarf to go with my mittens, but do want something warm around my neck, Poinsettia is an option, although it's lace instead of stranded knitting... dilemma... Right, time to make some rice pancakes...

A little peek for my ornament swap pal...

Last night at SnB, we presented our knitted present for our favorite Cow (nameless and blogless), who always stands outside the café where we knit. She was a bit 'bare' and we decided she needed a scarf for winter. All of us knit a bit and it turned out to be a brilliant scarf in the end! The waiter was pleasantly surprised, sniffled his way through the poem that went with it and then also received four chocolate letters (O for Ober = Waiter in Dutch) for himself and his colleagues. I bet his usual customers don't do this... lol We had great fun knitting, composing the poem and of course sharing this super secret. Girls, I really enjoyed myself yesterday! See you next time! The waiter, flabbergasted... The cow proudly wearing her rainbow scarf

And another hat done. Nice and big... Hubbie calls it a bit girly, but I don't think it is. It's just nice and big ;) Made out of dark brown soft acrylic yarn and a lighter brown cotton/silky blend yarn (label-less from that huge stash of mine). Thanks for the sympathies and all the comments that my stash isn't big at all. ;) Wee H also needed help from daddy yesterday. Not to model a hat, but to pull out her second loose tooth, which was getting in the way and a real pain in the a... when trying to eat something. See that big-person-tooth popping up on the right? Honestly, where did my little girl go??? And a little peek of my sweater project for Sam, made out of yarn donated by blogless Marijke (yes, the one from the spinning class - too generous for her own good, that woman!!!):

While the kids were playing (nr. 1) and sleeping (nr. 2), and we had a bit of a weepy Sunday afternoon (too wet to go and collect crops from the allotment), I looked around for something to do. First I clear out the cupboard under the stairs and after pulling out all my boxes with stash, the bug hit me. MUST... SORT... YARN... BY COLOUR! I need help... I guess any knitter will be know my reaction to this: I DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH STASH, DO I?????? Guess what my DH said when he saw it: 'Shall I carry that upstairs then, babes?' Yes, no 'I guess someone doesn't need to go to yarn shops anymore' or 'You're always saying you've nothing to knit'. No, 'Shall I carry that upstairs then, babes?' What a darling ;) (Yes, I'm very happy with him too...) After this feat, I decided to treat myself: And to be honest, I ate 3 of those 'zoenen', not just the one... And had 3 cups of Senseo, two sips and it's gone. I'm so glad I drink d...

Today, on the way back from a (Board) Games Exhibition, we saw a full rainbow. Big S was over the moon, as he had never seen one like this before. When we got closer and closer, it got bigger and more beautiful, and we saw it was actually a rainbow which reversed back from indigo to red. And, we drove past the end of the rainbow. The actual end of the rainbow was in the field straight next to the motorway. Unfortunately, no pot of gold, no dancing leprechauns... But a beautiful sight nonetheless! And then the quilt yesterday! It was gorgeous! 27 x 11 m of soft goodness, hanging of our own Tower of Pisa... I can't wait to see the rest of the exhibition. And my two babies on the way to Sinterklaas. They are true believers, even though Sam's only a new recruit and Hannah is starting to doubt... I wonder what it will be like next year. I just love this time of year, kills my waistline, but hey, that's what we have January for... ;)

And then all of a sudden it's gone. A huge gap remains... It wobbled for about a week, and then today, while playing and trying to bite my coat in jest, she lost it. Had it in her hand and looked at me, totally shocked. But also proud. Big girl now...

Do you remember that feeling after your last exam at secondary school? Or after handing in your dissertation at university? After telling a long-time boyfriend that it's over? The big black hole. It's the feeling I had last night after finishing these mittens. They were such a joy to knit that I was sad that it was done. For a week I enjoyed my stolen moments on the sofa, the house all quiet (or the tv blaring out while watching a kids' programme or American football), counting away, watching the pattern grow. Like a little baby being born, but then with less pain ;) And here they are, in their full glory, because of my fascination with Desperate Housewives (at the moment I'm catching up with it and I'm in full swing in season 2): my Brees! I know she would love them (although I've not seen her knit anything else but a scarf...), considering how passionate she is about aprons, I bet she would have mittens matching her coat(s) too - although I guess it doesn'...

The first mitten is finished! Yeah... It was such a fun knit, and it went so quick! I really have the hang of that stranded knitting now and the fact that there's only a pattern to read on the front does help. I made a few little mistakes in the thumb, but no-one sees those (I definitely don't)... Can't wait to get them finished and wear them. Sooooo soft! And yes, I also want to knit a matching scarf and hat...

My eyes fell shut at 1 AM, but by then I had done quite a bit of knitting already. My mitts are starting to take shape! And GO BARACK! Good luck mate, I will keep a sock in my bag just in case you visit NL anytime soon and I manage to snag a picture of you... (and here I wanted to put a link to that one very (un)fortunate knitter whose picture of BO with her sock totally overflashed, but who was lucky enough that other people in the audience did get some good pics...)

Last weekend, I spent a night away to catch up with some friends. I had been talking about my wheel so often that of course they challenged me to take it with me. And of course I did, to their surprise! But it was great. I got to chat, drink wine (but not that much) and spun, and spun, and spun... until my roving was gone. Thanks Brenda for the lovely photographs! And then, last night, knitting through the annoying pain in my arm, but thoroughly enjoying the knit and all the pre-election antics on the telly, I finished Mesi! The inside is almost as much fun as the outside. Made out of Juvel, a 100% washable wool, in purple and green. This will be given to a friend of mine at SnB Fryslan, who has contacts in a shelter, and there will be some homeless gals and geezers walking the streets with cool hatwear this winter! I knit this with the yarn in both hands, purple in the right and green in the left hand, to get some practice for my Snow Bird Mittens, which I started straight after. No t...

Not sure if there are any Americans reading this blog, but get your arse into gear NOW and go and VOTE! It's the one right that can really make a difference to yourself and everyone around you! No, I'm not going to tell you who for, but if I'd live in America and was allowed to vote it would NOT rhyme with rain... Anyway, knitting update in a minute...! Have to rescue our almost new flatscreen from kiddy fingers and toys...

I had a great time last Saturday at the Handwerkbeurs! Despite the fact that the location was not used to its fullest (it has gorgeous large industrial windows, but it was all blackened out, snif snif), it was lovely to walk around the craft fair and let yourself be engulfed in the positivity of handicraft. Sigh... So many people who still think it matters and who attends fairs like this to show off their work and to purchase great quality material. It was super cool! At the fair, I met quite a few people who read my blog. It was so cool to see yous! Handy, those Ravelry buttons, aren't they??? I had a chat with Saskia , with Niek from a new store, De zeven katten, and met up with Mariella , the Frisian knitting fanatics and loaoaoaooaoads more people (I'm still blaming post-birth-dementia for not remembering all your names...). I knit scarves for the KiKa bears, bought a bear myself and bought stash. Loads of stash. Well, not as much as some people (I did not need a trolley, h...