dinsdag 23 april 2013

Ambachtendag

Last Saturday it was 'ambachtendag' at the mill close to where we live. They had lots of old agricultural machines on display, and it was also possible to watch all kinds of crafts (such as the making of wooden shoes and the making of ropes, and yes, there was also a spinning wheel and yarn!). The sun was shining and it was all very pleasant! We came home with 2 bottles of locally made wine, some flour (made in the mill) to make cookies, and some very nice handspun merino yarn that I bought from Margot Wittendorp. I started swatching with it right away and I have several projects in mind for this yarn. To be continued...

zaterdag 13 april 2013

April Accessories: Scarf, Hat and Mittens







Up until very recently it has been very cold for the time of year here in the Netherlands. So I used the yarn that I ordered from Penelope Craft - about a week or two ago - to knit myself a scarf, a hat, and a pair of mittens, to go with my summer coat ( because I'd really like to start wearing my summer coat, but of course I don't want to be cold!)
For the scarf I used my own Steps pattern, for the mittens I used the Mittens 101 pattern by Kate Atherley, and for the hat I also used my own pattern (that's the hat pattern that I still haven't written down...)
The bag - which was ingeniously made using strips of magazine paper - comes all the way from Cambodia and it was kindly gifted to me by my former employer. I love this bag; I love the way that it is constructed and I also love how colourful it is, it makes me happy :)

zondag 7 april 2013

And another Finished Staccato Cardigan!








It took me a while to get the right zipper and sew it into the knitted garment, but yay!, I finally finished my 'Stained Glass Staccato' cardigan (based on the Staccato pattern by Kirsten Kapur). The border is based on a stained glass panel that I made a couple of years ago, and I really like how this was now re-used in this cardigan. It's still much too cold for the time of year, so I think I will be able to wear this cardigan for quite a while yet.

I have got a number of projects on the needles, but last week I realized that I didn't have any sock knitting project going on, and that felt weird. So I started this pair of socks made out of Noro Taiyo Sock yarn. I have no idea how this yarn will turn out in socks; I wonder if it will have enough elasticity and if it will be strong enough for socks, but there is only one way to find out! And I love the colours, that's for sure!
Last Friday afternoon my friend M. came to visit, and she brought her (first ever!) sock knitting project with her. So, as you may imagine, we spent most of the afternoon chatting away while knitting on our socks. What a fun way to spend an afternoon!