WIP - Tadpole Socks

I am so excited that my sock-knitting adventure is going better than I anticipated.
Currently I have the {Tadpole sock} on my needles and seeing that I had all this lovely red and orange yarn to play with, a pair of bright socks was really a no brainer for me.

In all honesty, I never thought I would take to the pattern that well, but it is so easy!

My first sock was completed within three evenings and I just started the cuff of the second one.

I am now on a mission to complete one pair of socks each month...well let's see how well I fare with that one

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

The Torch visits East Cowes - London 2012

I am not really that fussed about the Olympic games - like everything else, it is not like it used to be. When the focus was on track and field and you had such names as Sebastian Coe, Daley Thompson, Michael Johnson, Carl Lewis, Florence Griffith-Joyner etc - well those were the days when I religiously watched.

Nowadays you have to endure sports like sailing, beach volleyball, football and all that nonsense which bores the heck out of me. There are no BIG superstar names anymore (at least not to me, I could not name you the 100 mtrs record holder male or female right now, whereas years ago I would have been able to rattle them all off without problems).

But enough with the rambling, what was a little bit exciting was the fact that the Olympic Flame would be passing right outside our flat on Saturday. As the access to our flat is elevated we did not have to mingle with the crowds and with my super zoom lens I got a few good shots of the last runner before the Flame left on the ferry to the mainland.

It was even more exciting to see that it was {Dame Ellen MacArthur} who carried the Flame on the last stretch - how fitting for both, the Flame and her!

Other than watching the Flame pass by I had an eventful weekend, with more walks than before and the feeling that my recovery is going really well and to plan.

This coming Friday I will get the results of my post op blood test and have to go for an ECG and blood pressure test again. Then I can finally discuss with my GP the possible lifestyle change following the induced menopause.

Currently I do get the hut flushes, but they are not that severe and if I can counteract those with herbal remedies rather than HRT, that would be much preferred.

If everything goes as planned I should be back at work in two weeks from now.

Believe it or not but I am going to miss daytime television....

FP - The Lace Hoodie Cardigan

I am sooooooooo overdue posting this bad boy, but due to the weather being so bad here the lighting for taking photographs was just not good enough.

My {hoodie} was actually already finished and all sewn up on 24 June 2012, but I only got a decent shot of it a few days ago.

All the time I was worried that this would be another garment which looks awful on me, but I am sooooo excited to say that I am loving it. The hoodie is a perfect fit and I am seriously thinking of doing another one in a different yarn/colour, as it is so pretty and so lovely to wear.

**click on images to enlarge the view**

I made a change to the pattern of the sleeves though. For a start I thought that the mesh pattern looked a wee bit out of place. And secondly, I could not get my head around the increase an staying in line with the mesh pattern. Tried it three times and must have made the same mistake over and over again as the sleeve ended up on all three occasions totally imbalanced.

So, I decided that I wanted to carry on with the lace pattern and just worked it into the middle section of the sleeve and plain stockinette for the left and right. Personally, I think this looks much better than the mesh.

This cardigan has been a lot of firsts for me:

• The 1st cardigan I ever knitted and which did fit!
• The 1st time I worked with set in sleeves (not easy)
• The 1st time I used Kitchener's stitch (loving it!!!)

Even though the seams for the arms are quite amateurish and a wee bit crooked - I am leaving them as they are. I love my hoodie the way it is and once I get back to work, I know I will get a lot of use out of it.

For more finished projects hop over to {Tami's blog}

WIP - The Dude's Blanket

I think we can officially pronounce me the Queen of frogging as I am most certainly a "re-doer" of my crocheted/knitted items. For some strange reason I fall out of love with some of them pretty soon after completion and cannot resist the urge to re-do them.


Maybe it is because I had them on my hook/needles for so long and during the creating process started to bore of them? It doesn't really bother me, but sometimes Mr P gets a lil' exasperated with it all. Especially when my frogging extends to his blanket.

I finished it at the end of last year and you can see it in all its former glory {here}, but since then it has been an eye sore for me. Not even sure why but it bugged me to no end. Mr P was happy with it but it annoyed me that it was not wide enough for my liking and somehow the stripes did not work for me either.

So, I asked the Dude if I could please, please frog the blanket and start again and much to my relief he said yes ( I think he knew if he would put up a fight I would whine a lot...he really had not a chance in hell, poor lamb)

I decided I wanted a blanket for him made from larger granny squares, as I can hook them easy while watching TV. I have four different colours to use, so I am alternating three of them in all possible combinations and join them as I go along. I am about 50% done and loving it, but I haven't taken a more recent picture yet.

For now you will have to make do, with the first picture I took of the beginning squares.

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

She scrapped, she did!

I almost can't believe it....I scrapped again - after a seven month break!

As soon as I finished my greeting card the other day I had to get stuck in and create a layout, just to see if the creative spark is still there.

First I started with the textures and after die cutting my title from some corrugated cardboard, I distressed the letters with ink and mists. Oh, the joy to get my fingers all sticky and grungy again :)

Needless to say I simply had to have one of my beloved butterflies plonked somewhere on the layout, right?

My black outlining still worked a treat as well which gave the die cut some added dimension.

The layout itself was created for the recent {Donna Salazar Girlie Grunge Challenge} and was also inspired by the sketch of DT member Mistra. My non-scrapbook items are the bits of punchinella tucked underneath the paper and bits cut from my English dictionary (you can see one line with the explanation of the word "rejoice" to the right of the butterfly)

Of all my old scrapbook supplies I kept all my Donna Salazar stuff because I am still a massive fan of her and her products - pretty much everything else had been given away but not Donna's products, no siree.

So, you wanna see the complete layout?

It is not 100% up to the standard I would like it to be, but I am nevertheless pleased with how it turned out.

**click on image to enlarge the view**

Materials used:

Papers: Donna Salazar for GCD Studios

Cardboard: Donna Salazar for Zutter

Inks/Mist: Donna Salazar for Clearsnap Inc

Die Cuts: Donna Salazar for Spellbinders

FP - Crochet Skull Card

I am sure excited about my current finished project because by combining my new love for crochet/knitting together with my previous love of paper-crafting I am now in the mood again to create cards and scrapbook pages...woooohoooo.

But let's start from the beginning - I blame my buddy {Trace} for my rekindled passion, because she send me an email the other day with a link to {this pattern}. Now anyone who knows me will also know that I am a total sucker for skulls: always have, always will. Thankfully Mr P's nephew shares this obsession so it's always easy for us to find gifts/create cards and it gives me an excuse to search online for anything skull.

After Trace's email I searched Ravelry's database for more crochet skull patterns as I did not like the jaw bit too much on the original pattern and I found {another one} by Matthew Gravelyn. I hooked the little fella up in no time, using embroidery floss and a 2mm hook.

Here he is before blocking, a wee bit crooked:

And here he is after blocking - to be honest, I have no idea why the area around the eye sockets is reddish, as if he was bleeding from his eyes...creepy

And here is the finished card, I am so happy with it and hopefully this will see me get back into the papercrafting mood, as it has been quite annoying having to buy greeting cards over the last six months :)

For more finished projects hop over to {Tami's blog}

WIP - Tappan Zee Cardigan Pt II

Uhm....that original WIP didn't last long. 'Memba my {initial yarn choice} for the Zee?

While I still love the colours, the feel of the yarn never appealed to me and in a way I was somewhat glad when despite a gauge swatch, my first attempt at the Zee turned out to be too small.

But I did not give up then and there, unravelled my work and started afresh with larger needles and one size up. That instantly made the yarn feel much softer and I happily carried on towards the arm section again.

Somewhere along I must have made an error because no matter how often I counted and recounted the stitches something did not tally up for the larger size. I guess something was trying to tell me to leave off that particular yarn for this project.

As I really wanted to do to {Tappan Zee Cardigan} (I don't get why it's called a cardigan though, to me something without arms is a vest...) I got my frogged Sirdar Smoothie yarn out of the box and eh presto...this seems to work so far.

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

Vogue Knitting - Early Fall 2012

Oh I am so glad I have subscribed to {Vogue Knitting} (Designer Knitting in the UK), because I just received an email with the preview and by golly, I am in love once again

If I had the time (and money)  I would love to knit almost every single item in the magazine....swoon.

Over the past two months I have paced myself with buying new yarns, so I have probably a good reason to treat myself to some scrumptious yarns to knit at least two of the items in {the mag}.

Currently my two favourites are these:

Image source for both

The coat is just so deliciously feminine and would work in any yarn/colour I think. Plus I love working lace patterns as they are less boring that just stockinette.

Here is it JUST the cardigan I like, the pants are a total no-go for me. Knitted pants were wrong in the 70s and they are still wrong today....but the cardi looks fab. Love the pattern and the colour.

The Movies we watched in June

Here is June's run down of the movies we enjoyed

The Warriors 

Image Source

This is most probably my most favourite movie of.all.times.ever.
And. Ever.
Why? I just think it works and even 33 years after it first came out it does not seem dated. At least to me it doesn't. When Mr P and I are going to NY in two years we are taking the Warriors route and go to all the places that featured in the movie. There has been talk for some years that they are planning a remake - but get this: it is set in LA instead of NY and we are looking at drive-by shootings rather than the man on man action. Rubbish! If you do a remake stick to the original or call it something else.
I have seen the Warriors probably about 200 times and I to be honest, I am sure I will watch this many times more within my lifetime.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

Image Source

The mother of all buddy movies...Eastwood and Bridges are a perfect team. What makes the movie for me is the fact that there is perfectly placed humour in it without turning it into a comedy - and the end is the kicker, sad yet exactly what the movie needed to make it believable.
Mr P and I are also certain that there is definitely some ad-libbing going on in some parts of the movie

The Skulls

Image Source

This is one of the movies which were suggested to me by Netflix and I thought - heck, why not. I was surprised at how much I did enjoy the movie. Secret fraternities always have some kind of mysterious air about them and The Skulls seem to be the crème of the crop :). Nicely played by {Joshua Jackson}, who is probably best known for playing in Dawson's Creek

Fargo

Image Source

I remember the first time we saw this movie we thought "WTH?"  - critics were raving on about how brilliant this piece was, but we just didn't get it. So, I gave it another try on Netflix and I really loved it! Strange but quirky and very gory, similar to a Tarrantino movie. It is actually kind funny in a weird way and one can't help but feel sorry for William H. Macy when everything that can go wrong does go apeshit.

The Usual Suspects

Image Source

This movie is about 45 minutes too long and flicks too much back and forth. The story behind it is not half bad but I figured out who Keyser Soze was pretty soon and only continued to watch to find out if I was right. Good actors but too long winded

The Contract

Image Source

As I like both, Morgan Freeman and John Cusack I figured I cannot go wrong with this movie. I am used to see Mr Freeman as the Good guy so having him play a Killer was an interesting change. Even though I enjoyed it, the movie itself is very predictable and therefore not really THAT exciting or nail-biting. It's something I call a "Sunday Afternoon Movie"

The Eiger Sanction

Image Source

Mr P got the DVD for a couple of quid after we watched a documentary about the Eiger Northface the other day. You know what I really, REALLY hate? When I figure out who the bad guy is within the first part of the movie....that bugs me to no end. I really want to sit through a movie going: "it's him...I am sure it is" only to then declare five minutes later: "it's got to be her, it's bleedin' obvious" and then in the end to find out it was neither of my suspects.
But that fact aside, I thought the movie was cool. Guess, there are not many Eatswood movies that are boring anyway but sometimes his older ones can appear somewhat dated. Considering this one was released in 1975 it could have just as well been done a few years back.

Harry Potter 1 - 4

Image Source

This month, seeing that I am laid up recovering, I enjoyed a Harry Potter movie day and watched the first three movies in one session, plus one more the day after. I really like them even after I read all the books - usually I never feel that movies are cast well but in this case they have nailed it. My favourites are{Rupert Grint} who plays Ron Weasley and {Alan Rickman} who play Severus Snape as their acting is outstanding. I am totally  looking forward to another HP session next month.

Carry On Camping

Image Source

This is definitely my favourite of the "Carry On..." movies - completely riddled with innuendo but it works and still is funny to this day. I really do not understand why the "Carry On..." movies get such a bad rap, they are as movies should be - politically incorrect and just there to make you chuckle.

WIP - Tappan Zee Cardigan

I was so excited that I managed to finish knitting a garment that actually fits me that I could not wait to cast on something else :)

The {Tappan Zee Cardigan} has been on my secret "to-do-list" for some time and now I feel confident enough that I will do the pattern justice.

I also wanted to get a start on one of my goals for this year to use a brighter colour so I went and bought red and orange as I think those two look awesome together.

To be honest, I am not so sure about my choice of yarn - {Adriafill Azzure}.

Can't put a finger on it but there is something about the yarn which  I don't like - I think it feels too "plasticy". It doesn't have a nice soft touch feel to it...but hey I carry on and I am sure once it's done I will love it anyway.

.

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

Good Day Sunshine!

What a lovely day this Monday morning promises to be. For the first time in what feels a lifetime, we are waking up to sunshine without gale force winds. In a few hours I will also have my stitches removed and I finished my Lace back Hoodie yesterday afternoon...woot woot!

To top it all off, the first email I opened this morning was from the lovely Tanya who surprised me with the Sunshine Award. If that isn’t the sweetest way to start your week then I don’t know what is!

The Award comes with the following rules: 

1: Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you.

2. Answer the 10 questions about your favourite things.

3. Nominate 10 blogs to receive the Sunshine Award and let them know they've been nominated. 

Favourite animal:

To be honest, all animals (even spiders and disgusting bugs and mites) are great. There is no malice in them and they do what they do to survive. There are many that are strikingly beautiful like the Tiger or some of the many exotic birds. I always had a soft spot for Foxes, Frogs and Hedge Hogs but if I really have to pin it down to my all time favourite it would be a tie between Wolf and Eagle (of each of them I have a tattoo on my body – shows how much I love them, I guess)

Favourite number:

There is none – but the number 2 sounds kinda cool. Because if you had two of everything you could give one away as a gift

Favourite non-alcoholic drink:

Water – nothing is more refreshing and better for you than our elixir of life.

Facebook or Twitter:

Used to be on Facebook but found this very interfering – people I never knew wanted to be “friends” and if you questioned why they wanted to be they got upset. It is just too high school for me (she/he with the most friends dies the winner, blah blah blah).

I am still on Twitter but that is more so for reading some of the funny tweets that celebrities leave

My passion:

Has always been something craft related – I am always busy with my hands. First it was watercolour painting, then scrapbooking/cardmaking and now it is crocheting and knitting.

Getting or Giving:

50/50 – I like both in equal measures.

Favourite Pattern:

From the ones I completed I would have to say Lace BackHoodie by Maria Tobita. Purely because this is the first EVER cardigan I have knitted which actually fits like a glove. And it doesn’t hurt that it looks good and is an easy knit.

Then there is one crochet shawl, which has been on my mind for quite some time but I am reluctant to buy the pattern as I am not sure my crochet skills are up to it: Kornblomst. One of these days I may try it though...

Favourite Day of the Week:

Hmm, I don’t have a favourite one but two that I dislike: Sunday (for being only one day away from Monday) and Monday (for being Monday)

Favourite Flower:

That’s easy: Lily all the way, baby. I love their elegant look and their scent. They are followed closely by the Orchid, which I find just as beautiful.

Favourite Country:

It has to be England, my chosen country of residency – otherwise I wouldn’t be here, right? But there are many other countries I like. Naturally I will always have some bond with Germany, haven been born and bred there. I left in 1998 and still believe it was the best move I ever made as my quality of life here in England is much better than it ever was in Germany. I love going back once a year to visit my folks up North plus Mr P and I love to take a holiday in the South of Germany every couple of years (coming up soon again...yay!).

And then there is Norway – oh my how I love that country. The scenery is stunning, people are so friendly and welcoming and I actually love the way in which they work WITH natural resources. If I ever had to turn my back on England I would try to relocate to Norway.

And here are the blogs that bring sunshine to my days – I am not sure if these have already received the award previously and I cannot give you ten as there are not that many which excite me with their new posts as much as these do:

Josiekitten

Pumpkin Spins

Autumn Geisha

ElephantJuice

Little Woolie

Have a stellar week everyone!

WIP - Lace vest

Shortly before I went for my operation and while I was in hospital I started on a new project. I needed something that did not require much thought  so I kept with the lace pattern of the {Lace Back Hoodie}, as that is so easy to remember.

I only had five balls of Rowan Bamboo Soft Classic, which I got in a sale so it had to be a smaller project.

I just cast on 100 stitches and knit until 1.5 balls were done, then I cast off and had my front piece for a vest completed.

unblocked - WIP status 14 June 2012

I am half way with the back piece now and hope to have it completed some time this week. Oh, and I have no ides if it is the right fit, I am just winging it this time.

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

Back home

Just a quick heads up that I am back from the hospital - pretty sore and tired but at least I am home.

Image source

The hysterectomy went well but I was not best pleased at how I was looked after (or rather not) at the hospital, but that is something between the NHS and I and they will certainly get to know my views. Seeing how complimentary I have always been about their Day Surgery Care I am very upset and angry at how my three day stint went down.

Anyway, I am back home now and Mr P is fussing over me, which is nice :)

WIP - Lace Back Hoodie Pt II

I am keeping it sweet and short this week as I am off to hospital tomorrow.

{The Lace Back Hoodie} from {Designer/Vogue Knitting} has been coming on nicely.

All pieces are blocked and just waiting for me to sew them together and add the hood. But I am leaving that for when I come back home as my recovery time is expected to be around six to eight weeks - needless to say I will be bored out of my mind and probably most happy to finish my WIP's:)

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

WIP - Lace Back Hoodie

Uhm.... against my better judgement I pulled {my jinxed yarn} out of the box and started another project.

{The Lace Back Hoodie} from {Designer/Vogue Knitting} was one of my favourites from the Spring/Summer 2012 issue and I have been oooooohing and aaaaaaahing over which yarn I should use for it.

Don'tcha love that lace detail?

Instead of spending more money on yarn to use on a project which will most probably be frogged again, I decided to give the green monster another try - let's see who wins this time.

So far, the back, the left front panel and more than two thirds of the right front panel are done. That leaves only the sleeves and hood.

I noticed when I blocked the back that I made a mistake with the pattern and I have no idea how it happened. As I forgot to include a "{lifeline}" (which one should always take the time to do when working on a lace pattern), I left the mistake and in all honestly, it doesn't even bother me.

Lacing upwards rather than down..oh well

So far, I am feeling confident but I am not counting my chickens just yet.

For more WIP's check out {Tami's Blog}

FP - The Scarf

I finished my Sojourn Falls Scarf a couple of days ago and I am very pleased how well the blocking turned out. For some strange reason I never believe that after blocking the piece will stay in form, but it does and I still get excited about that :)

Isn't the pattern just gorgeous? And I love that despite the multicoloured yarn, the pattern is still very much visible.

Now, all I need is the perfect occasion to wear the scarf - currently I am thinking my long summer dress would work. Naturally I will take pictures when this baby gets its first outing. In the meantime a poorly set up picture of Sojourn hangin' around has to do.

Before I go I have two more things to share though.

At work we are sometimes given little presents, like calenders, cuddly toys, plastic aeroplanes form the airlines we have contracts with. The other day Lufthansa brought us a handful of silver plastic pots with earth inside....uhm ya, we all looked kinda puzzled until we realised that there were also seeds in the pot and you could grow your own peppers.

You know what? I thought that was a great little gift and in the office we have line of little pepper plants growing all over the place. I took mine home though, because they are going to live in my kitchen and hopefully spawn me something to eat :)

Here is a picture of my seedlings right now - I think they will need rehousing soon

And last, but by no means least - I have found a new favourite drink.

It is sooooooooooo refreshing (dangerously so, as one tends to drink it like pop as it does not taste of alcohol) and the combination of orange with spice gives you a Christmas kind of feeling in Summer.

Love it!

Oh and before I forget - for some more finished crochet/knitting projects, head over to Tami's Blog