d.knit

Hello everyone,

2009-09-17T13:00:00.003+02:00

Yes, it's been a while since my last post... again. Lots of things have been going on chez d.knit, like the search for the perfect new full-time job and working two other jobs at the same time, then I had an operation on my tailbone (don't worry, it was nothing serious, it just needed to be done and I'm almost back to normal again), lots of thinking about the future, and other stuff. There was knitting, too, but so far I didn't feel like taking pictures. Just like I didn't feel like blogging over the past months, but I think (hope) both is going to change soon. Oh, and I still haven't heard back from my ravelry yarn-exchange partner. Seems like my first thought about her wasn't so wrong at all.

Anyways, right now I'm working on knee stockings for K, originally intended for the Oktoberfest which starts this Saturday. I promised him last year I would make traditional stockings for him, but I started them too late this year so he probably will have to put on normal socks when he goes.

Gotta go... I promise pictures soon!

Update to last post

2009-05-06T00:46:00.000+02:00

Knitter #1 messaged me today, explaining why I hadn't heard from her in a while. Apparently, she was snowed under with work and other stuff. Seems like I jumped to a conclusion a little too early.

Ravelry = Schmavelry?

2009-05-04T00:07:00.002+02:00

I'm a bit upset right now, and it's all Ravelry's fault. Well, not really Ravelry's fault, but it's sort of the cause for my anger. I had some yarn in the "trade/sell" section of my stash, and was contacted by another knitter who was interested in that particular yarn. I agreed to swap the yarn because I thought this would be easier than selling. Just before we exchanged postal addresses, another knitter wrote to me, willing to buy the very same yarn. But as I had promised it to the first knitter, I had to say no.

Anyways, knitter #1 and I exchanged addresses, and she said she'd mail the yarn she wanted to swap with me in the next couple of days. I myself, on the other hand, didn't get to mail the yarn she wanted only before Easter (even though I hadn't received anything in return yet). Because I had mailed a few things before that did not arrive at the addressee, I decided to go with a registered letter. The mail person gave me a receipt with a tracking number, so I could check where letter was. So, that's how I know that the yarn landed at the address I was given. However, I haven't heard a thing from knitter #1 since. Not even after I messaged her to ask if she had received the yarn she had wanted to swap. (Needless to say that my letter box remains pretty empty - no yarn)

I guess it's quite logic that I'm pretty pissed off right now. So far, I learned that knitters and the knitting community are very nice and generous; but now, knitters rip off other knitters. I'm not sure if I'm more upset or more disappointed.

Update

2009-03-19T14:50:00.002+01:00

I found the article! (I knew I could do it!) It's in the Winter 2008 issue of Interweave Knits, and it's called "The Historian: (D)evolving Traditions In Faroe", written by Robin Hansen. Sadly, there are no book recommendations. But I think I'll do some research with the help of the article; let's see what I can find out about Faroese knitting!

Book(s) Wanted!

2009-03-17T16:03:00.000+01:00

Friends from Australia are coming for a visit in summer. But before they are coming to Munich, they'll be stopping over at the Faroe Islands. Faroe Islands? Exactly - Knitter's Paradise! That's what I was thinking. I recall reading an article or blog post or something about Faroese Knitting, I just don't remember where I saw it.

Anyways, I asked my friends if they could bring some knitting books from the Faroe Islands with them. But then I thought I should make a preselection of books because my friends aren't knitters. Picking the right book for a knitter would be really unfair, wouldn't it? But, are there any knitting books from Faroe that would make a good souvenir? Or yarns or knitting accessories, are there any recommendations? And I'm going to think really hard about that article that I read... I think it was about the pros and cons of modern (aka machine) knitting on Faroe. If only I could remember where it was...

Sign of life

2009-01-03T17:51:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year everybody!
I'm still here, doing fine. I just don't feel like blogging. Anyways, I want to share a post with you that I prepared in July... 2008. I can't believe how time flies!

Wow, I didn't realize it's been so long since my last post! The sale went quite well, most of the stuff is gone but there's some left. If you're interested, have a look at my last post and let me know.

There hasn't been too much knitting chez d.knit lately because I started a new job in June. It's a new challenge for me because it's in an area that I haven't worked before, but so far it's really great. I like the team, the environment (free café lattes!), and, of course, the work. Even the boring parts.
Well, back to knitting: I started Froot Loop socks and almost finished a secret project that I can't talk about on the blog yet. Other than that... I didn't do much. I packed up my glam cardigan in a plastic bag and put it in a box because I just couldn't bring myself to sewing and finishing it up. It's too warm to work with alpaca right now anyway, I think I'll postpone that until late summer or early fall. Sock knitting is perfect right now because we're in some sort of heat wave and socks are small enough.

P.S.: In the meantime, I haven't only finished Froot Loop socks, but also a pair of Nutkins and I almost finished Stefanie Japel's Back to School U-Neck Vest. There's more to see in my Ravelry profile... well, apart from photos. Didn't get around to take any.

Yarn Sale!

2008-05-26T12:05:00.011+02:00

Just recently I took stock of my yarn stash, and it really has grown out of proportion. I have quite a few yarns that I don't like any more (there's nothing wrong with them, I just realized that the colors aren't "me" anymore). That's why I'm putting them up for sale, together with a few books that I have hardly looked at since I bought them, so I figured I should get rid of them as well.

I will only charge pretty much what I paid for the stuff, or even less (because I don't remember how much a few things were). Prices exclude shipping! Please contact me (knitfreak[@]web[.]de), and I'll find out what the shipping will cost.

Schachenmayr Extra Merino, originally uploaded by d.knit.

14 balls of Schachenmayr Nomotta Extra Merino
40 Euros
Color: 56 (dark petrol)
Yardage: approx. 138 yards / 50gr
100% Merino
SOLD!

GGH Solitaire, originally uploaded by d.knit.

9 balls of GGH Solitaire (I knit a gauge swatch with one of the balls - the swatch is included)
25 Euros
Color: 34 (please also look at the color card on the GGH-website as this color is really hard to photograph!)
Yardage: approx. 143 yards / 50gr
44% wool, 43% acrylic, 13% Elité

Baby Soft, originally uploaded by d.knit.

2 skeins of Baby Soft by Wolle Rödel, a store brand of my LYS
4 Euros
Color: pale yellow
Yardage: approx. 115 yards / 50gr
50% rayon, 50% acrylic

Funny sock yarn, originally uploaded by d.knit.

2 balls of Funny Strumpf Color by Coats
5 Euros
Yardage: 409 yards / 100gr
75% superwash wool, 25% nylon
These balls came from a factory outlet, so there's only one ball band for all of them.
SOLD!

Regia Nation Colors, originally uploaded by d.knit.

3 balls of Regia Nation Color
7 Euros
Color: red/white or white/red
Yardage: 230 yards / 50gr
75% superwash wool, 25% nylon
These balls came from a factory outlet, so there's only one ball band for all of them.

rainbow sock yarn, originally uploaded by d.knit.

1 ball of Sport&Strumpfwolle Color Extrastark sock yarn by Wolle Rödel, a store brand of my LYS - I knitted a gauge swatch already which is included
2 Euros
Yardage: 328 yards / 100gr
75% wool, 25% polyamide
SOLD!

The following sock yarns are a bit like "mystery" yarns. They all came from a small online yarn shop which produces only small amounts of colors at a time. Some of the yarns had all their information on the website only; I did write the details down but last year, my old laptop crashed and all the information got lost. So, I'll write down as much as I can remember. All skeins are enough for a decent pair of socks though (well, maybe not if you're Bigfoot). The yarns aren't plied, they knit up beautifully though - examples here and here.

Lotusblüte, originally uploaded by d.knit.

1 skein of Lotusblüte (lotus blossom) by Ewas Sockenwolle
3,50 Euros
Yardage: 430 yards / 100gr
wool, polyamide, spandex
SOLD!

Godetia, originally uploaded by d.knit.

1 skein of Godetia by Ewas Sockenwolle
3,50 Euros
unknown yardage, approx. 100gr
contains wool, polyamide
SOLD!

Park Princess, originally uploaded by d.knit.

1 big skein of Park Princess by Ewas Sockenwolle
4,50 Euros
unknown yardage, skein weighs about 140gr
contains several strands of cotton/polyamide and one strand of viscose/cotton
SOLD!

Ringelblume, originally uploaded by d.knit.

1 skein of Ringelblume (Calendula) by Ewas Sockenwolle
3,50 Euros
unknown yardage
contains mainly cotton
SOLD!

Doro, originally uploaded by d.knit.

1 skein of Doro (that's my name!) by Ewas Sockenwolle
3,50 Euros
Yardage: 394 yards / 100gr
wool, polyamide

Baeuerliches Stricken I, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Part I of the Bäuerliches Stricken-Trilogy by Lisl Fanderl, as reviewed in the Spring 08-issue of Interweave Knits. This is a used edition of 1976; it has a name written on the first page, the symbol explanation taped inside and a plastic jacket. Apart from that it is in a very good shape.
Hard cover
13,50 Euros
SOLD!

Hollywood Knits, originally uploaded by d.knit.

"Hollywood Knits" by Suss Cousins
2002 hard cover edition
7 Euros
-Reserved-

Modern Lace Knitting, originally uploaded by d.knit.

"Modern Lace Knitting" by Marianne Kinzel
1972 soft cover edition, has some sticker marks on front and back cover bottom
6 Euros
SOLD!

Shadow Knitting, originally uploaded by d.knit.

"Shadow Knitting" by Vivian Hoxbro
2004 soft cover edition - as new! I flicked through it about twice
10 Euros
SOLD!

Stitch'n Bitch Nation, originally uploaded by d.knit.

"Stitch'n Bitch Nation" by Debbie Stoller
2004 soft cover edition - as new! I flicked through it once
9 Euros
SOLD!

And, without a photo, "Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced, and Covered in Cat Hair" by Laurie Perry
2007 soft cover edition
6 Euros

And finally, I'd like to put my yarn swift for sale. I just bought it on ebay, and when I wanted to use it for the first time I found out that it was too small for the hank of yarn I wanted to use (Wollmeise sock yarn). The swift is old but works fine as far as I can tell; it can be fastened to a table and it is very easy to handle.

Yarn swift, originally uploaded by d.knit.

It comes in a small box, along with instructions in German. The instruction includes a picture of how the swift should look like when it's all set up, so you don't really need to speak the language. The swift is so simple, it's pretty much self-explanatory.

Yarn swift box, originally uploaded by d.knit.

8 Euros
SOLD!

Everything comes from a loving, smoke and pet free home.

Published

2008-05-18T18:06:00.001+02:00

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a journalist from a women's magazine, asking if I'd like to make an interview with her. The topic was hobbies in general and why it's important to have a hobby. The article would also feature a couple of women and their "unusual" hobbies, like playing bagpipes, flying a small plane or fly-fishing. Or knitting.

I didn't jump at this interview right away because I was a bit skeptical. A camera team from a big TV station came to our knitting group once, and I didn't like what they made out of the material they got (let alone they cut out my part) because they pretty much let hand knitters look like freaks. So, I inquired about the article's content before I said yes. The journalist, however, seemed like a really nice person and I liked the idea she had in mind for the article, so I did it. And it was fun! We did the interview part on the phone, and then there was even a photo shoot! That one was really interesting - we went to a museum, but they would only let us take photos in the cafeteria after they learned that we brought knitting needles. Like I would have run wild in the museum and attacked the exhibits with 2mm bamboo needles... yeah, right.
The photographer had brought a machine-knit scarf in signal-red and 5 meters (that's about 5.5 yards!) in length, and I was "knitting" on it. There's a photo on the magazine's website, and whoever speaks German can have a look at the June-issue of "healthy living" on page 124. Have fun reading!

Melbourne, Part II

2008-04-24T14:25:00.000+02:00

I love walking through China town in Melbourne, especially because there's no such thing here in Munich. So, on our holiday, K and I had lots of Asian food - we really miss it here. There are Asian restaurants in Munich, some good (there's a lovely Thai place near our house, but it's quite pricey), but most of them are tacky take-away places.

Anyways, Melbourne - China town. It's a cool place to be, there's always something to discover like the bar next to the Asian dumpling place where there used to be a parking lot, and there was a game of bingo going on when we stopped by. (One guy had called out a false bingo and then was presented 3 options: 1. buy drinks for everyone, 2. strip naked in front of everyone, or 3. have a glass of ice cubes put in his underpants for 10 seconds. He chose the ice, in case you wondered.) On the way to the car, we walked past this place:

MaoTheRestaurant, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Mao Please!

Federation Square wasn't fully finished when I left almost 5 years ago, so it was really interesting to be there and see how it had changed. There's a bar there, Transport, where we met up with friends a couple of nights.

DowntownMelbourne, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I love the view of Flinders Street Station, the old building tucked in between well, not really skyscrapers, but tall, modern buildings is just the mix of times and cultures that represents Melbourne to me.

One day K and I hit the road to Torquay, to go to the surf shops (this is where pretty much all the big companies come from) and to go to Bells Beach, where there's a surf competition every year. This year, it was on the Easter weekend, so we missed it. When we were at Bells Beach, there was only one surfer in the water, and he didn't surf much. Tough luck.

BellsBeach1, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I like this beach anyway, there's always a chance to see some good surfing action and even though I'm not much of a beach person, I like coming here.

On the way home, we saw this:

HomeOfVegemite, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Did you ever try Vegemite? (Or Marmite if you're in Britain) It is very typical for Australia; my theory is that you have to grow up with it in order to like it.

The coffee K had at Macro:

Coffee!, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I once read that Melbourne had the best coffee outside Italy, a coffee loving nation par excellence. I have to agree - I never had a coffee in Melbourne that I didn't like (and I'm fussy about my coffee!).

Last but not least, some knitting content. Before the holiday I started knitting Stefanie Japel's Orangina with Rowan 4ply cotton.

OranginaPattern, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I like the yarn, I've made the Victoria Tank with it before and the pattern repeat is actually exactly the same. Because the Victoria Tank is a bit tight (especially under the arms) I really want Orangina to fit but I have a very hard time measuring the gauge. Actually, the measuring part is the easy part, I just can't seem to count the stitches. I started knitting with the recommended needles but it looked like I didn't have enough stitches. So, I ripped it and went up a needle size, but I'm already dreading the moment when I have to count the stitches again. Is there a trick to count stitches in a lace pattern? How do you do that? Oh well... I'm not looking forward to that one.

Holiday... celebrate...

2008-03-26T15:51:00.014+01:00

Warning: picture-heavy post ahead, the photos might take a while to load!

The vacation was perfect. It was the first time in 2.5 years that I got to get away from home and relax (going to my parents' place for a weekend - while it's nice - doesn't really count). I got to breathe through, leave everything behind me and relax. We actually stayed all the time - 3 weeks - in Melbourne, despite having planned on going to Byron Bay for a couple of days. But in the end we scraped that, as there were too many friends to catch up with and too much to see; and we really didn't want a completely planned out holiday where we had to stick to a schedule.

We had to leave Munich early in the morning, the plane left at 7am so we got a taxi at 4.15am. On the way to the airport, I turned on my mobile phone and received a message that our flight to London (our route was London-Hong Kong-Melbourne) had been cancelled and that I should either go online or call the service number. Okay, online I couldn't do, and I knew that calling the service number wouldn't help because no one was working there until 8am. So we went to the airline's service counter at the airport and waited there with a bunch of soccer fans - Bayern Munich had played Aberdeen FC the night before, and Aberdeen had lost. Many of the fans seemed to have stayed the night at the airport, and now they were told that their flight was cancelled... you can imagine how pissed off they were. Fortunately, an airline employee found a batch of like 30 seats on a different plane for them, so most of them left and the line got visibly shorter. Then, however, travelers to the US got taken care of first (apparently, it didn't matter much to the airline that we had a plane to catch as well), so we had to wait in line until we got to the counter. They ended up putting us on a plane to Cologne, and then from Cologne to London, cutting our stay in London just about 1 hour short (we should have had 4 hours, so it wasn't too bad).

Sunrise_on_a_plane, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I took this picture on the flight to Cologne because the sight was so beautiful... it really marks the start of our holiday!! Then in Cologne we had to rush because we had to get our boarding passes and only about 1 hour time. The lady at the airline counter was really sweet to us, and while we waited we saw 2 TV-celebrities (we only waited about 20 minutes)! This can only happen in Cologne as quite a few TV channels are headquartered here. Then, after security (the guy there even made me take off my hooded cardigan! I was about to ask him if he wanted me to take off more of my clothes), off we went to London Heathrow and caught our plane to Melbourne without any problems. Even our luggage arrived in Melbourne with us, I was really happy about that because I feared that our stuff would get lost somewhere in transit.

And before you might wonder, no, I did not knit on the various flights; I didn't even pack any knitting! Now stop looking at me like this, I knew I wasn't allowed to take knitting needles on board and I didn't feel like trying to bring wooden needles. Plus I knew that I probably wouldn't feel like knitting because the flight was so long (about 12 hours to Hong Kong, 2 hours at the airport there, then about 8 hours to Melbourne), and I was right about it. After about 2 hours on the way to Melbourne I just wanted to get off the plane and lie in a real bed. So, no knitting on the plane, and no knitting for me in 3 weeks. To be honest, I didn't even miss it. But then again, we were so busy and hardly stayed a night in; over here, I usually knit in front of the TV (which I didn't watch in Melbourne). And I only went to a yarn shop once, but only because K took the initiative and made me go. It was the same shop he took me to when I lived with him 5 years ago, so it was kind of a nostalgic visit.

It was so good to be back in Melbourne! I hadn't been back in 4.5 years, and it was a bit weird because it felt so normal. So... right, like I was meant to be back. Anyways, even though we were there for 3 weeks, time was too short to see everything we wanted to, but we did get to see lots of new places. I noticed a lot of graffiti (like the one below), probably because there's hardly any in Munich.

StKildaGraffiti, originally uploaded by d.knit.

The graffiti is in a side street in St. Kilda, an inner city suburb of Melbourne at the beach. Not too far from the graffiti is Luna Park, an amusement park with roller coasters and stuff. The entrance is just beautiful:

LunaPark2, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Right next to Luna Park is the Palais Theatre, (sorry, no link!) a very beautiful building but I think it's empty now after the neighboring Palace nightclub burned down just a few years ago. I hope they renovate the place and reopen it, it's just a very nice place.

PalaisTheatre, originally uploaded by d.knit.

And finally, a photo with knitting content! It's a close up of the cardigan I've been making all fall and winter, and it won't be finished until spring is in full bloom. Talk about perfect timing... I really like the pattern and the yarn (100% alpaca...), but I'm starting to hate the cardigan. I had to rip the first sleeve to the cuff because all of a sudden, the tension wasn't right any more and the sleeve would have fit an orang-utan; I made a mistake with the cabling of the second front-half, so I had to rip most of that too; I didn't get the waist shaping right of the first front-half and some of the back, so I had to rip some there as well. I'm now knitting the second sleeve, and I can't wait when I'm done with that! Hopefully without ripping it. Then, there's "just" the button band left and sewing it together and all that stuff. And hopefully, it'll fit after all that!

GlamCardiganPattern, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Coming up soon: more vacation photos, and a stash sale including a couple of books! My stash is just too big for my apartment and I have quite a few mispurchases that I'd like to get rid of. There's nothing wrong with those yarns, I just don't like them any more or wouldn't knit with them... you know how it goes, sometimes you just have to have a certain yarn, then it sits in your stash and when you look at it again it's suddenly not as nice any more. So, stay tuned for more!

Can't wait! - Update

2008-02-13T01:08:00.000+01:00

Oh my God, the vacation is only 9 more days away! And my graduation is this Friday. My parents are coming to town for that, they'll be here for the whole weekend. My sister is coming with her family as well, but not for my graduation or for visiting me, actually. We might catch up for a coffee though, I really want to meet my new nephew! He was born on New Year's Eve but I haven't met him yet. My exams were in the way, and afterwards I just wanted to sit back and relax. I took up knitting again (even knitting was too exhausting during exam time!) after reading "The Friday Night Knitting Club", but so far I was too exhausted/lazy to look for my camera software, so I didn't bother taking pictures. Plus, I had to knit, frog and re-knit quite a few times, so it wouldn't have been too interesting anyway.

Anyways, as I'm going to Melbourne soon, I was wondering if there are any yarn shops in the area that you think I just HAVE to visit... let me know! When I lived in Melbourne I used to go to a shop near Tooronga Station (because I could just get off at that stop on my way back to Glen Waverley), I think the shop was called Wondoflex. Is it still worth a visit?
Off to bed now... I'm almost falling asleep while I'm typing this... Good night!

Yehaw!

2008-01-25T13:12:00.000+01:00

I passed all my oral exams at uni! That means that I now have my degree, Magister Artium (pretty much the same as Master of Arts), and that I never have to go back to University! And now I'm looking forward to a real free weekend.

Thanks to everybody who had their fingers crossed for me! Your support meant a lot to me.

My condolences...

2008-01-23T12:28:00.000+01:00

... go out to Heath Ledger's family and friends.

Heath, you were too young to die. You will be greatly missed.

Braaaaains...

2007-12-10T14:38:00.000+01:00

Your Brain is Purple

Of all the brain types, yours is the most idealistic.
You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.
Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.

You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.

What Color Is Your Brain?

Pictureless,

2007-11-30T20:14:00.000+01:00

unvoluntarily. Seriously. The other day I really wanted to install my camera software on K's computer, so I went to the drawer where all the software disks are and... couldn't find the one for the camera. Nowhere. (But I did find two other things I've been looking for a while) Now, I know that I'm somewhat chaotic and not too orderly, but I always know where all my important stuff is, so I can't explain why I can't find this particular CD. A couple of months ago I took it to my parents' place to install it on their computer, and I thought I brought it back with me. Maybe it's still there... I hope to find it out when I'm there for Christmas. All this computer stuff really sucks! *grrrrrrrrrrr*

Winding balls

2007-11-26T17:27:00.000+01:00

...must hurt. (Okay, that's my really bad joke for today. I'll be more serious now)
I have more and more yarn in hanks, and recently, I received a hell lot of cashmere yarn on cones (and I'm talking serious hell... like almost a kilo (that's more than 2 pounds!) per cone on 3 cones and more than half a kilo on 2 more cones. So, I reckon it's time to get a ball winder (or to have K give me one for Christmas). Now this is where YOU guys come in - can you recommend any brand? Anything that I (or K) should pay attention to when buying? Do you know any good places to buy them (well, obviously this would be done over the internet, as the local yarn shops don't sell anything like a ball winder because they don't sell yarn in hanks), or is amazon.com sufficient enough? Is a swift absolutely necessary, or can I do without, at least for a while? Any comment is appreciated, thanks! (well, unless it's spam)

Coffee packet arrived!

2007-11-23T15:26:00.000+01:00

Ever since my Coffee Swap 3 packet arrived I thought I'd really install the camera software and upload some photos... but as my written exam is only 2 weeks away and the workload is killing me... well, some other time.

Anyways, my pal Tigerduck spoiled me rotten! She sent me

2 packets of gorgeous coffee beans from Whole Foods (Espresso Sierra and French Roast) - those beans are almost too perfect and beautiful to grind
2 hanks of wonderful Blue Skyes Alpaca in a 50% alpaca, 50% silk mix which is incredibly soft, in a rich emerald green
beautiful stitch markers in a matching green
2 little packets of white beads (after all, I'm planning on making Grumperina's Odessa some time)
a coffee mug
shortbread cookies
chocolate chunks
scented candles
a postcard with a sheep

Thank you so much Tigerduck, you're the bestest pal ever! I hope to post pictures some time, you might have to wait till my (next) exam is over. Hope you received my packet by now!

On the knitting front, I started the left front of my alpaca cardigan (the one that I didn't show you yet... like so many other things) and I just turned the heel on the first sock for my Dad for Christmas (I started that last week or so). I probably won't get much knitting done over the next few weeks (due to the e-word) and definitely none or not much tonight as K and I are going out to a fancy restaurant (Thai) for dinner because today's my birthday. Happy birthday me!

Going...

2007-11-08T00:52:00.000+01:00

to a land Down Under! The tickets are booked for the last week of Feb until mid-March. Yay! I had wanted to take a picture of the tickets and post it here, but the tickets are E-tickets and the travel agent is going to mail them three weeks before we go. Plus, the camera software is still not taken care of on K's computer, so you have to be patient with me.
Today it turned out that my laptop's hard drive is pretty much bu**ered and that I have probably lost all data of the past 4 years. I knew that I would have to buy a new computer, but to lose all that data... I hope I can find a solution to recover at least some of it.

I hope to post again soon, but right now I'm burried in books (again).

I like coffee!

2007-10-09T18:56:00.000+02:00

I'm in Knitters' Coffeeswap Three (sorry, sign ups are closed!), and I'm answering some swap questions for my pal to be. So, here they are:

1. Whole bean or ground?
Whole bean! I have a grinder at home. And it should be espresso beans, I only have a little espresso machine (like the ones in this photo)

2. Fully-loaded or decaf?
Even if I drink my milk with a little espresso inside, only fully-loaded is the real deal.

3. Regular or flavored?
Regular.

4. How do you drink your coffee?
I usually drink a very milky coffee, like a latté.

5. Favorite coffee ever?
Latté macchiato! (That's like a latté for those outside Germany)

6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do?
I'm not very fussy. As long as it's good beans. ;-)

7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee?
Sometimes I put syrup in the coffee, like caramel or chocolate. Any kind of cookie is good, too!

8. Anything else about your coffee preferences?
I like my coffee hot... but that's not really something my pal could influence.

9. Yarn/fiber you love?
Anything that feels nice!

10. Yarn/fiber you hate?
Acrylic and any other yarn that feels cheap. (Sorry, I'm somewhat of a yarn snob!)

11. What's on your needles?
An alpaca cardigan for myself, and I'm just finishing a baby hat and a sweater for my boyfriend.

12. Favorite colors?
Oh... this is a though one. I love bright colors (as opposed to muddy colors)... maybe it's best if you check out my pictures on Flickr (there's a link in the sidebar).

13. Allergies?
No yarn or food related allergies.

14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
'Nuff said!

I'm still working on the computer/posting-pictures problem... I hope to find a solution soon!

Getting there...

2007-10-03T20:41:00.001+02:00

Finally, the finish line is getting closer: I handed in my thesis yesterday!

Now, there's "only" a 4-hour written exam in early December and 3 oral exams some time in January. But then I'm finished for good, have a full-time job (most likely) waiting for me and I'll be going on holiday to Melbourne (the one in Australia) in late Feb! Which will be my first holiday in 2.5 years by then... so I'm really going to need it!

Who needs a life if there are movies?

2007-09-14T11:46:00.000+02:00

I stole this list over at s-knitting's... seems like I don't have a life!

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up.Have fun!

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
( ) Blazing Saddles
( ) AirplaneTotal: 7
( ) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 9

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
(x) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 15

(x) Harry Potter 1
( ) Harry Potter 2
( ) Harry Potter 3
( ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 18

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 23

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
( ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
( ) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
( ) KING KONG
Total so far: 25

( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving X-MAS
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 28

(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
( ) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
(x) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
(x)Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 31

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
(x) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 35

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
( ) Bourne Identity
( ) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 37

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 42

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
(x) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
( ) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 48

(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-3
(x) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
( ) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
( ) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 57

(x) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 60

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 66

(x) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
( ) Elf
(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
Total so Far: 70

(x) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
(x) Night Watch
( ) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 75

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
( ) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
( ) Chronicles Of Narnia The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 78

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
(x) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 82

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 88

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
(x) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
(x) Hannibal
Total: 94

No news is good news...

2007-09-10T16:29:00.000+02:00

...or so they say. My foot, or my feet and knees as I should rather say, are indeed getting better. My physiotherapist is very happy with and surprised by the progress I've made so far. Thanks for all your comments and well-wishes!

In knitting news, I (finally!) finished the Sockapaloooza socks for my pal. Now all I have left to do is weave in the ends, give the socks a wash and get some goodies for my pal as apology for the socks being late. I did start something new in between though... I saw a gorgeous cardigan in a German knitting magazine, and I just had to cast on! It's the same incredibly soft alpaca yarn as the K_sweater (ahem... the K_sweater is sitting on top of a box, waiting to be put together... but the turtle neck is too tight, so I'll have to reknit it), so knitting it will be a joy! And I will have to squeeze in some baby knitting, so many people I know are having babies this year and next year. Something must have been in the air somewhere...

I'm writing this post on K's laptop today because the screen of my own laptop died last week. Fortunately, my thesis is saved on a usb-stick, but the past 4 years of my life in files are on this laptop. This means I don't know when I'll be posting my next pictures, as the camera software is - you guessed it - on the other computer where I normally saved my photos. All of them. So I'll have to do some sweet-talking to K to let me install the software on his laptop and save my photos here...
Now, back to work. The deadline is approaching waaaay too fast!

Sale

2007-08-20T12:08:00.000+02:00

No, not here. HERE! Please go there and have a look, Christine wants to get rid of all her knitting stuff. If you don't find anything you like please check back again after a few days, as she puts on more stuff as she goes.

Hello again

2007-08-15T20:05:00.001+02:00

I didn't blog for quite a while, even missing my blogiversary. What should I say, life has got in between me and my blog, and honestly, after this post I don't know when the next post will follow. I feel I just can't do it right now. I'm still knitting, reading blogs, following the knitting scene, just not blogging. Some of the reasons for this I don't feel like talking about, and another major reason was that I was sick the past weeks. Basically from the end of June onwards.

One day my right heel started to hurt, just like a sore muscle. Two days later, the pain got stronger, and my ankle was swollen - so much that I could not see the ankle bones any more. Well, off to the doctor I went, and I was diagnosed with Achilles tendinitis. Ouch! Anyone who ever had this knows it is tedious and painful... and I learned that I'm not as patient as I thought I was.

Well, about a week or two into the tendinitis, my left heel started off like the right one. Only this time I went to the doctor straight away. Diagnosis: Achilles tendinitis. Fortunately, not as bad as the other one. Soon after this though, my left knee started hurting when I bent it (like you do when getting up from a chair, or sitting down, or when walking stairs - I live on the third floor (fourth floor for my American readers) without an elevator), followed by the right one. The good thing with my knees was that nothing major was affected. The bad thing: due to my tendinitis, I was moving my body differently which caused my knee pain - the knees were overexcited. I was, too. Especially as other joints like my shoulders, elbows and wrists, even one of my thumbs, were giving me trouble, too. On top of that, I couldn't walk a) fast and b) far. I pretty much spent July in the streets around my house, walking to the doctor was the furthest I'd go. I didn't work much either because of the pain I was in: sometimes, I'd wake in the middle of the night because my ankle or knee hurt so much. Getting up in the mornings wasn't much better either, because apparently what's typical for a tendinitis is that it hurts most in the morning and in the evening. Yay me. (And I didn't even tell you about the edema in my feet... they made my feet look like I weighed 200 kilos. Fortunately, the edema are gone, but now the skin is very stressed and wrinkly.)

So, why did I get an Achilles tendinitis in the first place, you might ask? Well, I don't do much sports, especially not lately. I didn't twist my ankle, I didn't wear shoes that were too tight for the Achilles tendon, I didn't suddenly do workout, nothing like that. In fact, I didn't do anything exceptional. Turns out that my pelvis is lopsided, or something like that (I have to ask my physiotherapist again, I didn't quite understand it yet), and it probably was for a long time, eventually causing all this crap. And while I'm better now (though still not back to normal, not even close), it's going to take me quite a while until it's going to be good. I reckon another few months until I can seriously think about starting to work out. Until then... wish me luck!

Guess what arrived..?

sock parcel, originally uploaded by d.knit.

My sock pal's parcel! Ruth did an amazing job:

sockpal_sock, originally uploaded by d.knit.

The pattern is called Dublin Bay, the yarn is Lorna's Laces Uptown, colorway No mods. The fit is just perfect! The picture doesn't do the color justice though, but I couldn't make a better one. Modeling socks is kinda hard right now, with all the tendinitis stuff going on... makes the feet pretty immobile.

Ruth didn't stop here though. She sent me this gorgeous yarn:

LL Swirl DK, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Lorna's Laces Swirl DK in Argyle. Swirl DK is 85% merino and 15% silk. Lucky me!

knit xmas ornament, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Then, Ruth sent me this cute little knitting Christmas ornament. She actually handmade it herself! It will definitely get a special spot on my Christmas fir branches (my place is way too small for an actual tree, but I buy some fir branches and decorate them for a seasonal feeling).
Ruth didn't stop here though: she sent me a cute little monkey purse and a local specialty: Jelly Beans! I can't believe I still have some left... I'm trying to eat less sweets, but the Jelly Beans are going to be savored this weekend!

Ruth, I was very lucky to be your pal. I couldn't have had a better one! Thank you so much!

My sock pal, on the other hand, (the one I'm knitting for) is slightly worse off. I still haven't finished her socks (I told her that they'll be late though) and I'm afraid they might be a little large for her. She's almost my foot size, only 0.5cm smaller (0.2in), and the sock fits me well. Oh well... I hope she likes the pattern!

sockapaloooza sock1, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Here's a detailed shot:

sock detail, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I'm approaching the heel of sock #2, and I hope not to take much longer.

In the meantime I did get to finish my Baudelaire socks, the larger version with larger cables:

BaudelaireSock, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Pic with my messy apartment in the background... don't know why the Baudelaire photos are so small; if I'm up to it, I might post larger ones, but don't set your hopes high.

Here's a detailed shot of the heel view:

Baudelaire_detail, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Alrightey, what else was on my "To-Blog" list..? Oh yeah, I received my Ravelry invite a while ago (you might have noticed the Ravelry button in the sidebar). My name there is dknit, pop in and say hello!
I wanted to thank Erica for sending me this gorgeous book (sorry, no pics, I was too eager to open the parcel!), some yummy Tofutsies yarn in color "Sweep you off your feet" and a sock blocker keychain sock. Or is it keychain sock blocker sock thingy? I guess you know what I mean. The packet arrived already on Tuesday, mea culpa for not thanking earlier! Thanks Erica! In case you are wondering how I deserved such a great parcel, I promised Erica to help her with the translation of these books.

I think that's it for today - see you next time! Whenever that may be...

Blog Break

2007-06-17T12:36:00.000+02:00

I'm taking a break from my blog. There's so much other stuff going on right now that I need to take care of. You can still reach me through the comment section or by email, but I don't guarantee that I'll have the time to get back to you quickly.

Anyways, wish me luck! I'll be back in a few weeks.

Knit Food

2007-06-09T16:10:00.000+02:00

Just found this on the interweb:

Isn't it hilarious? I don't know this cereal (I think it's sold in the UK), but I love the ad!

Now, back to work.

Yarn + Pattern = Socks

2007-06-08T11:19:00.000+02:00

Finally, finally, I received the yarn I wanted for my sock pal! Getting the yarn was quite an experience, because I wanted this specific bamboo yarn by Zitron as it has a very good reputation. Plus, it had to be a solid color, as I'm planning on knitting a pattern, and I think the more complicated the pattern, the better it gets with solid colors.

The only problem was... this yarn is not sold in Munich. Nowhere. And I found only 1 online-store that sells this yarn in solids. Shipping is 5€ (almost 7US$). I only needed 1 (one) skein, and didn't see why I should pay more than half of what the skein costs for shipping, on top of the yarn price. So I asked the company which shop in Munich sold this particular bamboo yarn. They sent me a few addresses, only one in Munich, and off I went. Turns out that this particular shop sells Zitron yarns, but not the sock range. Damn! But: the owner, a very nice lady, offered that if I know the color I want, she could make a few phone calls and try to get the yarn for me. (Did I mention I *heart* this store?) So, that's what we did. Granted, it took a little while, but I was in no hurry and 2 weeks after I ordered the yarn through this lady, I came to pick it up. Happy me! It was totally worth the wait.

My sock pal didn't leave me any (!) color preferences, so I just took a wild guess what colors she might like after looking at her blog. This is what I came up with:

pronatura_moss, originally uploaded by d.knit.

The colorway is moss. I quite like it, but I don't think I'd wear it. I don't mean this in a degrading way; there are just colors that I like, but they wouldn't suit me much (yeah, like this one here!) The yarn is really lovely, nice and soft and squishy. And it has a nice shimmer to it, not too shiny, just right. The bamboo part is 25% and is supposed to make the yarn lighter and a bit less warming; the wool share is 75% which guarantees elasticity and stuff, just like in other regular sock yarns.

As for the pattern, I chose this one:

It's called "Dancing into May", and it's a pattern of the Socken-Kreativ-Liste (Creative Socks List), a yahoo group that I recently joined. If you're interested in the group, don't let the language scare you off. There's tons of members (over 1,000), many of them are English speakers themselves, and most of the patterns are offered in English as well.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to how the socks turn out! I already started them the other day, but didn't get past a few rows on the cuff - I just turned the heel on my second Baudelaire sock, so I'm kinda into that right now. But the Sockapalooza Sock should take over soon!

Finally...

2007-06-01T11:24:00.000+02:00

...I get to pick up the yarn for my Sockapalooza pal! I wanted a certain yarn (Zitron Trekking Pro Natura, with 25% real bamboo fiber) which I couldn't find in any yarn shop in Munich. Plus, I didn't want the variegated stuff because I'm planning on knitting a (lace) pattern, and in my opinion many nice patterns suck if they are knitted with variegated yarn as they become almost invisible. And only one online shop seemed to have single-colored skeins of the Pro Natura stuff, but their shipping fees drove me away. After all, I just wanted ONE skein of yarn!

Anyways, a few weeks ago I found Munich's best yarn shop (love it! More about the shop later), and even though the owner didn't stock the Pro Natura yarn (not even Zitron's sock yarn, although she stocks other yarns of this company), she offered to try and order some from some other shop. If she had to order from the yarn company directly, she would have to get a whole kilo (aka 10 skeins), which would be too much for her. But, in the past she "swapped" yarn with some other shop owner if her customers wanted yarn she didn't have in stock. Lucky me!
So, I'm going to pick up my yarn later; unfortunately, I can't take any pictures until the weekend is over as the camera is with K on the way to a friend's wedding. I have to stay home and work on my thesis (bloody thing), even though I would have loved to go to the wedding. Oh well... maybe this gives me time for some Saturday Night blogging.

Again...

2007-05-28T17:07:00.001+02:00

instead of real content, another quiz/test/meme:

Which of Henry VIII's wives are you?
this quiz was made by Lori Fury

Another piece of information that I probably never wanted/needed to know. Real content (on a ton of books I bought recently - eBay, I love you!) should follow on the weekend, the latest.

Meme Time: 7 Random Facts

2007-05-21T13:54:00.000+02:00

I've been tagged by KC with the 7 Random Facts Meme... I think I saw an "8 Random Facts" meme somewhere... maybe the bloggosphere is getting meme'd out. Anyways, here are the rules:

Each person tagged gives 7 random facts about themselves. Those tagged need to write on their blog the 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you are tagging a note in their comments so they know they have been tagged and to read your blog. Have fun!

Okay, I will answer this meme but I won't tag anyone because I think everyone's been tagged with this one already. I'll try to keep it random because I think I did a weird-things-meme before. So, here are my 7 random facts:

When I drink hot drinks, I like them really hot. I get pissed off when I'm served lukewarm coffee and I'm very likely to return it.
I absolutely love dairy products: milk, cheese (couldn't live without it), yogurt (if it's with fruit, then only organic yogurt), just about anything.
A book I read fairly recently influenced me quite a bit.
I get a sunburn pretty easily because I have quite fair skin.
Despite this, I want to live in Australia for a while.
I wear glasses and wouldn't want to trade them for contact lenses.
I started wearing my glasses all day long only when I moved to Melbourne for a year. I didn't want to look like a tourist when I was trying to find my way around the city.

I hope this was random, but not too random!

Should I be worried about me?

2007-05-20T16:48:00.000+02:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Funny, the first time I took this test (with less questions), I was Platoon... hmmm... what does this say about me?

Knitting on TV

2007-05-19T16:27:00.000+02:00

I just found this video on YouTube - it's in German only though. It's a report on a local public TV station on a knitting group in Cologne, saying that knitting was en vogue again. I'm just wondering who was convinced by this statement...

More news some time soon, I'm trying to stay focused on my thesis (not that that would happen much). I'd have lots to post about, but not the time. Oh well... some day!

Surprise, surprise

2007-05-17T14:32:00.000+02:00

...the new Summer '07 Interweave Knits arrived yesterday! Wow, they're actually (almost) on time, I can't believe it. Seems like the nagging has finally paid off. I still have to take a closer look though. The patterns in the preview weren't so great, but who knows?

One thing that confused me a bit though were the two-color (or so) hats. They look really warm, and the models in the pictures wear warm jackets as well. So, why publish such a pattern in the summer issue?

Stolen List

2007-05-16T21:47:00.000+02:00

You've probably seen this list somewhere before, as it's doing its round on the interweb... but my last post was kinda meh and I don't really find the time to write a real, knitting-related post, so I thought I'd post this instead. As close to knitting as I can get these days! (I've been seaming the second sleeve on the K_sweater lately, and that doesn't really count as knitting). But I've decided to add comments to the list, I think that's a tad more interesting to read than just the list.

Anyways, I stole this list from the knitty professor; bold is for stuff you've done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you're not planning on doing and red underneath you'll find my two cents. Here we go!

Afghan/Blanket (baby)
I-cord
I-cord rocks!
Garter stitch
oh come on, who hasn't done this?
Knitting with metal wire
sounds painful to me...
Shawl (wrap?)
where's the difference anyway?
Stockinette stitch
yeah, and next you'll ask me if I ever made a knit and a purl stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
just doing so
Knitting with camel yarn
I once smoked a Camel, does this count?
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Baby you can leave your hat on...
Knitting with silk
mmh... silk!
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
I guess I did a few of those unintentionally when I learned to knit
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
I prefer eating bananas
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
I already forgot what this is, but it sounds interesting!
Charity knitting
I have to put it in the mail... should do that soon.
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
yeah right... and then it didn't fit me. Gauge matters!
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
I don't spin. My head does sometimes, though
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
this is how we do it here
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
love it... the more complicated, the better!
Lace patterns
see above
Publishing a knitting book
come on, who doesn't want to do this?!
Scarf
that's how I started
Teaching a child to knit
depends on the kid, I guess
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
nah... not really. (sorry guys!) Continental is way faster
Knitting to make money
sort of - I knitted some hats and got some money for it, but it wasn't much
Button holes
the cardigan had buttons
Knitting with alpaca
this is heaven! If I could afford it, I would always knit with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
I have to be careful with my tension
Norwegian knitting
the first things I made after scarves and hats were Norwegian mittens
Dying with plant colors
dying in general, yes; doesn't HAVE to be plant colors though
Knitting items for a wedding
maybe for my own... but as this is still a long time from now, I'll have plenty of time
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
I'd like to make a tea cozy, but I don't have a tea pot (yet)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
reminds me that I should get some more circulars
Olympic knitting
yes, I was one of the - how many people took part?
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
like Christmas-themed knitting???
Teaching a male how to knit
K was the lucky one... but I don't know how much he remembers
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
I'm not THAT crazy!
Knitting with cotton
That's nice in summer!
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
I already have the yarn for this, hehe!
Steeks
that would be too much for my nerves!
Knitting art
isn't all knitting art?
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
the basics
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
me likey!
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Yeah! Gauge matters!
Long Tail CO
... also called German CO...
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backward
tink, tink, tink...
Machine knitting
I've been told that my knitted stuff looks like from a machine... but I'm not sure if this is a compliment
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
who hasn't?
Stuffed toys
Baby items
instant gratification - they're so tiny!
Knitting with cashmere
does a cashmere mix count?
Darning
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
isn't this the same as designing knitted garments?
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
definitely!
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
pulse warmers rock for cold hands!
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
I love knitty!
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
...almost always...
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
???
Hair accessories
Knitting in public
Yep! Once or twice a week

I am Yarn

2007-05-11T00:29:00.000+02:00

What kind of yarn are you?

You are Merino Wool.You are very easygoing and sweet. People like to keep you close because you are so softhearted. You love to be comfortable and warm from your head to your toes.
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Film and Books

2007-05-05T12:11:00.000+02:00

K and I are going to see this film tonight... should be interesting. There's a documentary film festival going on in Munich right now until Thursday, maybe we'll find the time to see a few more. Even though we have lived here for a couple of years now, we never went to see a film of that festival. It's not that we don't like documentaries; I don't even know why we never went so far.

Yesterday, I spent half the afternoon hunting down a couple of knitting books on the internet. One is a series of 3 books called "Bäuerliches Stricken" (= rural knitting), and it shows patterns and socks and vests and and and of rural Bavaria and Austria. It's been out of print for a while now, since it had been first published in the 1970s. I heard a lot of great things about these books and almost bought them while they were still in regular bookshops (as opposed to second hand bookshops), as they were (actually, they still are) among the best knitting books in German.
The other book I've been searching is called "Omas Strickgeheimnisse" (= Nana's knitting secrets), and it's also out of print. But I found a bookshop (in Munich!) that apparently can order this one from the publisher. I'm going there on monday, so keep your fingers crossed they told me the truth! And if you can get hold on one of those books, grab one! They're supposed to be really really good; and even though there's rumors every now and then (like last summer) that a new edition is coming out, so far there isnt.

Baudelaire is coming along quite well, I pretty much finished the foot part and am into the heel now. Sorry, no pic, I'm knitting it on dpn's and it's getting harder to try it on.
Baudelaire is also something I might consider making for my sock pal. As for colors, I'm still not decided, but I gave contacting her another thought. I guess that she didn't give me much specifications so that I had some freedom regarding color and pattern, so that's what I'm doing. As for the yarn I still have no idea, but I've only been to one yarn shop (inside a department store) so far. I'll definitely take a look at wool/bamboo and wool/cotton mixes; if I can find a nice color, then I'll go for a mix. If not, then I'll take a look at a 3- or 4-ply wool yarn. Thanks for all your comments, they really helped me! And just in case I'm not making Baudelaire, it's definitely going to be a lace pattern.

Do you still remember this sweater? In this color?

I finally came to sense again and decided it's not a color for me. I like it because it's bright, but I have a pale complexion (sometimes in school, my teachers would ask me if I was sick because I was so pale. But I wasn't sick.) and blonde hair. So, there you go, and now I have 9 balls (I'm pretty sure it's 9) of GGH Solitaire in color #34 sitting around. One ball has been touched as I made a gauge swatch, but the others are just like when the shop mailed them to me. If there's anyone out there wanting to give the yarn a new home and take them off my hands in exchange for a few $$, then email me at knitfreak@web.de.

Sockthinking

2007-05-02T10:55:00.000+02:00

Finally, I have my sockapalooza pal's details... and now I'm as clever as I was before. Well, I have her size and everything, but no color preferences (nothing! nada!) and there's now way I can find that out on her blog. Grrr! The only thing I know is that the socks shouldn't be too warm as she lives somewhere warm. And now I'm thinking cotton yarn, even though I haven't knitted socks with cotton before. I only heard that it's not ideal as it wears out easily, and I don't want that to happen.

So, what to do? Knit woolen socks anyway, but in a lace pattern with lots of holes? Or try and find some microfibre-kinda yarn? What other materials are good for socks? I found some soy silk mix (with wool) yarn but didn't like the colors much...
Seems like I have some thinking to do.

hush!

2007-04-30T19:09:00.000+02:00

Summer IK

2007-04-26T16:09:00.000+02:00

I just found out that the preview for the Summer issue of Interweave Knits is online. And I have to say... meh. At the first glance, it doesn't strike me as that great; but then again, I sometimes need some time to let something grow on me. Maybe I'm still angry at IK for always arriving late in my post box; even the replacements they send take ages (there should be one on the way, supposedly mailed on March 10. Still not here.)

It's May next week, and I somehow doubt that the Summer issue is going to be here in time. Last time when I complained to IK Customer Services, the lady there told me to find out the postal service and ask them why it's taking so long. Hello? I'm used to bad customer service here in Germany, but not in the US!

Apparently, the mailing issue is not a single phenomenon restricted to Germany. I've heard from the same problems going on in Sweden, and in Australia (they seem to have sorted them out, though). So, why doesn't IK go and solve the problem with the postal service? After all, I'm a paying customer and I don't see the point in sorting out a problem for IK in my own time. But, what really bugs me is that IK is able to send out subscription renewal letters fairly quickly - however, if the magazine continues to arrive late I might unsubscribe. Being late combined with bad customer services is going to save me some money.

Spring is Summer

2007-04-25T21:23:00.001+02:00

blossoms1, originally uploaded by d.knit.

blossoms2, originally uploaded by d.knit.

sun through blossoms, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Near my therapist's place, there are those beautiful (cherry?) trees lining the street. Every spring, they are like an explosion of fluffy powdery pink. Unfortunately, this beauty doesn't last too long, and then the petals cover the ground like a pink carpet.
Spring is strange this year, it feels like summer actually. It's pretty warm these days, t-shirt weather during the day and warm enough to sit outside in the evenings. For me, that an early hay fever season...

The other day I started my first toe-up socks! I'm excited; the pattern is knitty.com's Baudelaire by Cookie A. The yarn was in my stash for quite a while; I think it's just been waiting for this pattern. It's called "Chinese New Year", and just like the yarn for K's socks it's from ewas sockenwolle. It was the last skein of this colorway, Ewa told me that it sold like hotcakes. It's a wool/polyamide/cashmere/strass mix. The cashmere part can't be too large as I can't really feel it, but I like it anyway. Can you see the dark red running in the basic red? It reminds me of the plushy, velvety red of an old (aka vintage) couch or chair.

baudelaire, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Restrict?

2007-04-18T14:18:00.000+02:00

On Monday morning (US time), the world stood still in Blacksburg, Virginia. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a beloved, who was injured, and might still be fighting for their life, and to the family of the shooter. They all must go through a horrific time now.

Such a tragic occurrence should never have happened, and I'm wondering what the guy's motives were. I know I'm probably touching a hot potatoe here; but then I read that someone said, "it would have been less bad if a student or lecturer had a gun and shot the killer" and I think, Hello??! Are you seriously suggesting that more guns would have been a solution, and are, for future incidents? Does this sound like a clever idea?
I know it's in the American constitution, that everyone should be able to defend themselves and carry arms, but the constitution was written a long time ago under different circumstances. Life has changed, quite a lot actually, in more than 200 years. For example, the Bible says a lot about how one should live their life, too, but does society always stick to it? (I know that there are people out there who take the Bible literally, but I'm not talking about them) An eye for an eye? Sounds like a vendetta to me, if we all did this.

Back to my point: Is it necessary in today's United States to keep fire arms at hand? What for anyway? Apart from the constitutional right - what does a regular dude need a gun for, given that they're not a hunter/police officer/ranger/soldier/etc.? I start thinking, what are they afraid of? Anarchy? That can't really be it, or otherwise there would be anarchy everywhere in countries where there aren't many guns (like in front of my doorstep - believe me, everything's in right order out there). Isn't it about time to restrict the possession of fire arms, in order to try and prevent massacres like in Blacksburg in the future? Wouldn't having less guns also mean less abuse of guns?

As tragic the shooting in Virginia was, I hope it galvanizes people as to rethink and hopefully restrict access to fire arms. Charlton Heston said, "From my cold, dead hands" - they had to take two guns from the cold, dead hands of the student who shot himself and 32 others. I'd rather they had taken those guns from the warm and living hands of this student, and 32 more people would still be alive.

Greens and Blues

2007-04-18T11:32:00.001+02:00

The other day K and I had lunch together and then went for a stroll in the Englischer Garten, as the weather was so beautiful. We sat on a bench, the sun shining into our faces, and I found this caterpillar, all tiny and green.

caterpillar_1, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I found it so amazing how it moves, and luckily I had my camera with me.

caterpillar_2, originally uploaded by d.knit.

How huge the world must be for such a little guy!

On Sunday I went to a monthly knit group that meets in Munich and Augsburg alternately. This time, they met in Munich.
I've only been to this group once before, so I don't know too many people, but they had nice yarns! A few of them brought their ball winders, and I took quite a few pictures of yarn being wound (there are more in my Flickr account).

redonwinder, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I love this picture, you can't really see the ball but the colors break through anyway. Unfortunately, I don't know what yarns they were winding.

blueonorangeswift_2, originally uploaded by d.knit.

The yarn above was wound on an orange umbrella swift which made such a nice contrast to the blue color... the yarn was really gorgeous.
I turned the heel on K's green sock on Sunday and am getting closer to the toe decreases now. I still have his sweater to seam, but that's of no hurry now as he'll only be able to wear it next fall anyways. I also want to knit more from my stash - I have some cotton yarns (I think it's cotton) from ewas sockenwolle left that I'm thinking of knitting into sneaker socks. Then there's the Victoria Tank that needs some armpit-unpinching, and some socks for me, and Sockapalooza 4 of course. I can't wait for that! But still: so much knitting, so little time...

"Whoa..."

2007-04-16T15:54:00.000+02:00

was what I thought when I looked at my blog just then, "it's been a week since I last posted!" I'm usually trying to post on a more or less regular basis at least once a week, but lately I didn't feel like blogging much. Not even like reading my blogroll much either. I'm still knitting and making plans for future knits, I also signed up for Sockapalooza 4 and can't wait till it starts, but blogging? Meh...

Oh, well, it'll come back to me. Plus, I want to post some pictures I took lately, like the ones where K models his green socks (I forced him to do so), or the ones I took yesterday at knit group (that's a group that I usually don't go to) when the ladies wound some balls, or the ones with a caterpillar crawling on my hand in K's lunch break in the Englischer Garten. And I'm thinking of reviving Video Day - I completely forgot about it last Thursday. On that day I went to my parents' place for my dad's birthday on Friday, and I returned to Munich on Saturday. And I'd like to talk about which hat I'm not going to make for my nephew's birthday (which isn't until November anyway) due to something my sister said, but I'm not sure if she reads this blog and I better not talk about it. I'll see.

Anyways, I hope you have a great day - the weather here is unbelievable! It's so nice and sunny outside, actually I should go and sit in the park as the forecast says rain and cool for Wednesday. I'd take my knitting, too.

Failure? No, I'm not

2007-04-09T19:37:00.000+02:00

I'm feeling relieved. Relieved that the pressure has gone, that I've gained more time and that I don't need to be afraid. Any more, or at all. What looked like a step backwards might in fact turn out as a leap forward.

To put you in the picture: No, the K_sweater isn't finished yet. It doesn't matter any more, the weather is too warm anyway. Instead, I have started socks for K, even though he might not wear them for a while; but they're still a nice little project, not too large so I can take it with me to knit groups or when I visit my parents next weekend. The baby hat project is postponed till some time later - my ex-coworker's baby is due in April, and I've decided to make him (it's going to be a boy) a hat large enough so he can wear it this fall.
My Masters thesis is not done, and I applied for an extension of 3 more months due to my anxiety. It was pretty much in the last minute that I realized it was too late, there was too much to do and I couldn't handle it. I freaked out, totally, as such a long extension also postpones my other exams (more written and oral), but hey, what's another 6 months? In the very end, this doesn't really matter; the main thing is, I feel good and I get to make my thesis good. If the regular amount of time is not enough for me, then hey, so what? I know that I have a problem, and even though I'm already in therapy because of this, psychoanalysis is not the kind of therapy that takes effect the next day. Plus, it doesn't address the symptoms but their reasons. My anxieties regarding exams and exam-like situations are a symptom for other fears, so I need to find another way to deal with them. Although, knowing that I'm already doing something that helps me in the long run is good to know.

It's now 2,5 weeks ago that I received a packet from Canada. Way back in February, Cynthia had decided to let go some of her stash (for free! how cool is that?), and I secured some of that. The yarn arrived on a really crappy day, and it helped me quite a lot then. Thank you Cynthia! I'll get those squares for Warming Grace in the mail real soon.
The contents of the packet were really yummy: a selection of Jo Sharp Cotton DK in various colors,

and some elann.com Pure Alpaca that I can't wait to try out!

The colors are quite different to the photo above: the blue is not a solid color but contains a lot of speckles,

and the brown has a strong red-ish undertone:

I'm hoping to combine both of those colors in a sweater or a cardigan, but I'll see where the yarn takes me.

K picked some yarn for socks quite a while ago, and just recently I decided to give it a go. I wanted to make manly socks, but with some sort of pattern to make them interesting enough to knit. I came up with a simple cable and rib pattern:

The main green is a rich emerald tone, combined with a lighter green (I'm glad there's not too much of that in the yarn, as I'm not so fond of this shade). The yarn is from Ewa's Sockenwolle, and she called it "Cameron Highlands". The Cameron Highlands are not in Scotland as one might think from the name, but in Malaysia. According to the greens in the picture, Ewa did choose the right name!
Here's a close-up of the cable:

I wanted to make small cables, and I like them a lot! The first sock is done already, and last night I started the second while watching some Twin Peaks. K bought the dvd and got me hooked. Tonight we'll watch the last 3 episodes, and I think the sock will grow a bit more.

Now, I'm off to eat some dinner, or else I'll faint onto my keyboard... which might not be such a good idea.

Video Day - The Manly Art of Knitting

2007-04-06T13:36:00.000+02:00

Spring has arrived in Munich... the sun is shining and it's beautiful, even though the wind and the shade are still pretty chilly.
My knitting is progressing, the K_sweater isn't finished yet, but should be soon. I also started some socks for K, the first is coming near the toe decrease already. Received some yarn, too. I'll post some pics soon, and tell you more about other stuff in my life, too.

But now to the video - a day late, but better late than never.
Knitting men, again.

Have you ever knitted a hammock before?

Video Day - Portuguese Knitting: Casting Off

2007-03-29T13:30:00.000+02:00

Long time no post... I'm very busy at the moment and don't have time to blog. I need to write too many thesis pages in too little time, so keep your fingers crossed I'll meet the deadline! More details on this and other topics as soon as I'm done.

In the meantime, for those of you who want to try knitting like the Portuguese do it, here's part 4 of the mini-series. This week's topic: Casting off.

Have fun watching!

Video Day - Portuguese Knitting: Cast On

2007-03-22T12:04:00.000+01:00

For all of you who ever wanted to know more about Portuguese Knitting... this is part 3 of the mini series: How to cast on in Portuguese knitting.

Watch out for part 4 next week!

Casting off, take #2

2007-03-17T22:24:00.000+01:00

Yesterday after finishing off the Italian cast-off, when I couldn't get the turtle neck over my head, I thought I knew what the problem was. I thought as I didn't have much yarn leftover that I had sewn the finish too tightly. To explain this a bit further, casting off this way requires you to knit the last 4 rows on a smaller needle size (0.5mm smaller, to be precise) and then to finish off by sewing the remaining stitches. This results in a smooth, rounded edge, unlike the usual cast-off.
Okay, so I un-sew the finish, tinked the last 4 rows and re-knitted them with the ball of yarn I had left (fortunately, there is plenty of yarn left of the ball as I didn't use this color much. For sewing, though, I had to cut the yarn). So far, so good. I was almost done with these 4 rows when I tried stretching the stitches on the needle and it was... not so good. Too tight. Damn! So, even more tinking last night, and hopefully some more relaxed re-knitting tonight. Stay tuned for more Italian adventures!

Italy I like, but casting off in Italian?

2007-03-16T20:48:00.000+01:00

Last night I finally finished knitting the K_sweater. Well, for now. I tried the sweater on - oh, why me? You have to know, I have quite a large head. So I thought that would qualify me to test the flexibility and endurance of the turtle neck as I used the Italian cast-off there. The instructions said the yarn I was knitting with should be at least 3 times as long as the piece I was casting off. Okay, that's what I did: 3 times and then some. Guess what!

It wasn't long enough. See the short bit of camel-colored yarn? That's how much I had left!
AND, what is more important, I could not get the turtle neck over my head. I must have sewn too tight... but as I was running out of yarn, this didn't really come as a surprise to me.

So, my plans for tonight are to redo the last bit of the neck, and hopefully get it all done tonight. I still don't feel too great due to my cold, so we're staying in tonight and K is cooking for me. (Yay for K! He's so sweet to me when I'm sick.)
I'll leave you into the weekend with a closeup of the cast-off edge of the turtle neck... hope you can see something!

Video Day - Portuguese Knitting: Purling

2007-03-15T09:29:00.000+01:00

Guess what: I still haven't finished the K_sweater! I didn't feel much like knitting, or seaming, or whatever, lately. I developed this cold that makes me feel weird, and today I pretty much lost my voice, forcing me to cancel a session today. It's weird, if I speak for a little it seems okay, but the longer I talk, the less voice I have. I guess I'm lucky I don't publish a podcast...

Anyways, here's this week's video. Last week I showed you one I found on knitting in Portuguese style, and this week we all can learn how the Portuguese knitters purl. Don't forget to turn your speakers on, and have fun!

Randoms

2007-03-11T15:18:00.000+01:00

Not much knitting has been going on here at d.knit. The K_sweater is almost finished; the turtle neck needs a few more rows and then there's the Italian cast-off. I haven't tried this one, I just hope it looks as good as the Italian cast-on! And then there's only about half a gazillion ends to weave in... I'm thinking if I should thread them into the seams which makes the seams go stiffer (or at least that's what I think happens) or if I should just weave them in, running the risk of ends of thread peeking through on the right side. Anyways, the sweater isn't so urgent any more as it's getting warmer each day. Sunshine is nice, but this time we've missed out on winter. It had snow for a couple of days which was good, but it wasn't cold for long at all. The seasons in 2006 were messed up anyways: half a meter of snow in March (which is very unusual for Munich), cold until June/July, a heat wave during the whole month of July, a rainy and chilly August, a very warm September and October, well, until Christmas actually. This winter was actually the warmest since they began tracking the temperatures - 400 years ago.

The new Knitty is out! As opposed to the Interweave Knits Spring 07 issue (that issue was a BIG disappointment... why on earth would I want to knit a thong? Or a strange capelet, that doesn't cover shoulders nor boobs?! Or that bandeau top, merely just a boob warmer? And don't get me started on the new layout!), I like quite a few of the patterns. Isabella for example (just not in that color); I think it uses the same yarn as the Victoria Tank (I still need to fix that!). Or Ester, even though I usually go for more classic knits. I think this one has a special something to it though; oh, and I found out that the knitty photos for this one don't show the actual color. The real yarn is a burgundy red, no hint of purple whatsoever. Morestripes is interesting too, even though I'm not too much into this color and I'd make it a bit more figure-hugging. And I wouldn't want to do the steeking. (I think this is the first time that I've seen a pattern and thought "I love you... now change!", like in Debbie Stoller's Stitch'n'Bitch Handbook) Vestee's cute too; I'd have to make it larger for my nephew to fit (he turns a year and a half in May) because I'd want to make it for his birthday in November. I'm picturing a short-sleeve version with a hoodie, so he can wear a longsleeved shirt underneath... would look cool! I'm also tempted to make Clessidra; they'd be "home stockings" though because it would be a shame hiding that pattern in pants. Or maybe I could bring that large cable pattern to the front as well and make a short version... I just noticed that this is actually the first time that I look at patterns (more than one!) and I change them in my mind, to my likings. Before (before what?), erm, earlier, some time ago, until now (I think that fits) I always either liked a pattern, or I didn't. And for the patterns I liked, some of them I just felt like knitting them because they were a challenge but I wouldn't have worn them; and the others I wanted to make for myself, but that was a minority. I'm picky when it comes to clothing. Shoes are even worse, that's why I didn't find winter shoes this winter. As it turned out, I didn't need them anyways, so I was lucky.

Alright... I should get back to work now (meaning I should get started working before it's officially too late). I know it's Sunday, and the weather is just gorgeous outside right now, but I'm running out of time for my thesis so I really must work. Thing is, the later it gets, the more I'm wondering if I'm still able to make it at all. I'm my biggest enemy in this situation, as my inner voice keeps telling me that whatever I do and whatever I want to write about just sucks. Also happens sometimes when I'm blogging. But I'm working hard on tracking down this bloody voice and quieting it! It's just annoying whenever I'm set back, and right now I'm set back a lot. Oh well.

Video Day - Knitting Portuguese Style

2007-03-08T09:57:00.000+01:00

... and I thought I knew all about how to knit!

I wonder how she holds the yarn, and where.
There's more to come on Portuguese Knitting next week!

Now I see you - now I don't

2007-03-05T21:16:00.000+01:00

The other day I seamed front and back of the K_sweater. I used mattress stitch to do so, because it always gives the smoothest results.
It's funny how the seam is quite visible on one side, like in this picture below,

but not so much in this one (below).

Weird... the "perfect" seam is the one I did first. I don't know what went wrong with the other one.

We had the most beautiful sunset tonight. I don't get to see the actual sunset as my lounge room window goes out west, but I always get the light reflections on the big ugly buildings (there's only one in the photos below) - that's the only time of day that makes these buildings worth looking at.
The light on the apartment building was so golden! It was really beautiful because the sky was dark from the rain in the afternoon... such a beautiful combination of dark blue purple-ish and gold!

Only a short time later it looked like this:

A sky for lovers... pink clouds, so diffuse!

Video Day - knittaplease

2007-03-01T11:50:00.000+01:00

I always knew that Texans were a bit crazy...

...not that Bavarians are any better!

Oh, Interweave Knits had let me know that my copy should be here by March 2nd the latest. I'll keep you updated...

ETA: It's March 2nd today, and my letterbox is empty. I'm slowly beginning to wonder if the mailman ate my IK copy.

Getting closer

2007-02-28T18:27:00.001+01:00

Can you guess what this is?

I'll give you a hint: it's 2 pieces that took 200 pins.

Too many pictureless posts

2007-02-24T13:30:00.000+01:00

...that's why you get 2 this time!
K is just on his way back to Munich, he's somewhere over Asia right now. He's also bringing the camera back, so I can start taking pictures real soon again. I'm cleaning out our place a bit today, so he won't be too shocked when he arrives tomorrow morning.

This first picture is from the first weekend of February (time is running, it's incredible how fast it is!) when the Security Conference was on. K and I stumbled in the middle of a rally, and I had the feeling (yet again) that there was more police than demonstrators. What was also striking was the number of young and firm police guys... as if they were fresh from the academy.

Apparently, the whole conference weekend when quite smoothly, no excesses whatsoever.

On the yarn front I have some sort of finished objects. Remember my pot holders made from recycled yarn? I think I had 4 small ones before, and ended up with 3 large ones (the pic shows the latest 2). The crocheting is all done, all I have left is to weave in the ends and I'm not really loving this part. I guess I'll do that when I can't work on the K_sweater any more.

The K_sweater is doing good, the sleeves are all done now! But before I begin putting it all together so I can knit on the turtle neck, I'm ripping out the top parts of both back and front. I'm making the bit between the armpit and the shoulder decreases a bit larger so it doesn't pinch or is too short. I'm sooo close to finishing this one! I can't tell you how excited I am... this would be the first sweater that fits, hopefully! Okay, it's the first sweater at all, if I don't count the baby jumper for my nephew. Stay tuned for more sweater news next week!

Video Day - Knitted Ferrari

2007-02-22T01:19:00.000+01:00

This is only a short one, and I think it has been around a bit before... but enjoy it anyway!

Somebody seems to have just too much time on her hand!

ETA: Interweave Knits replied to my email that my copy of the new issue is late or missing. They said all subscribers should have the Spring Issue 07 by March, 2nd. I'll wait and see...

Needles for cheap

2007-02-19T14:00:00.000+01:00

You know what happens when you oversleep? You miss out on a chance of cheap knitting needles. That's what happened to me today. German discounter supermarket Lidl (there's one in the UK, too, different offers though) had knitting needles, yarn and crochet hooks as their special offer today. I went there, and, needless to say, the needles and hooks were all sold out. Damn! That was the only thing I really had wanted to buy, as the yarns were totally unsightly. I'm thinking right now if I should try going to another branch, but I'm not sure if they have any leftover. Is it a waste of time? I couldn't take a close look at the needles on their webpage; it did have the needle sizes listed, but not the lengths for the circular needles.
Oh well, I might just wait till they have such an offer again... which might not come before next year. But then I better get up real early!

To dye for

2007-02-18T14:40:00.000+01:00

There's some white sock yarn, 75% wool, 25% acrylic or whatever, in my stash that I bought ages ago. This yarn is longing to be dyed. Right now I happen to have a couple of beetroots leftover in my fridge, and as K is still on holiday I'm not likely to eat them; I'm just not a great fan of beetroots. However, as I know the color of beetroot (my family are beetroot-lovers. My mom always makes a salad, and I know what her lips look like after such a salad), I thought it might look nice on the yarn. I haven't dyed anything apart from easter eggs before (here, it didn't matter if the color didn't stay on long), and I don't want the color to wash out (too) easily. Is there a way I can make the natural color stick to the yarn without washing out? Do I have to add chemicals, or is there a natural way of dyeing? I heard that back in the olden days dyers would use urine to help make a good color, but I don't want to be this natural. Is there anything I have to pay attention to while dyeing? Or am I just insane, wanting to use natural dye (or dyeing in general)?

Oh IK, where art thou?

2007-02-17T17:50:00.000+01:00

They did it again... or actually, they didn't do anything, again. The Spring Issue of Interweave Knits is going to be published on Tuesday, and my subscription should have been here by now. I somehow doubt that the magazine will find its way into my mailbox on Monday. I wonder how they first manage to get the magazine here fine (that worked out for 2 issues), and then screw it up. So far, only 2 out of 5 issues got here before their release date. Am I just too demanding? I mean, when I subscribe to a magazine then I want to receive it early, before it's published. Why else would I subscribe? As much as I like IK, but dealing with it being late or going missing almost every time makes me rethink if I really want the magazine at all. I just hope so much that I don't have to wait another 3 weeks after the official sales date for my copy to arrive.

ETA: It's Monday today, and still no IK.

I have a problem... I think

2007-02-16T00:57:00.000+01:00

Um, I kinda have a problem with the K_sweater. At least I see the possibility of a problem. Now, the pattern - which I'm following, basically - of both front and back calls for a distance from armhole shaping to shoulder decrease of 20cm/7.9in. So far, so nice; that's what I knitted.

However, in order to make sure the sweater fits K in the end, I'm comparing the knit sweater's measurements with a store-bought sweater that fits K quite well. So far everything is going quite well - although there is a little discrepancy and I'm not sure if it will matter or not. The distance between armhole shaping and shoulder decrease on the store-bought sweater is a whopping 24cm/9.4in. Hmmm. Would that result in a great pinch? I don't really want to seam back and front and try it on the living model because that would mean I have to wait for K to come back from his holiday, and I really wanted to finish this sweater as a surprise or at least come as close to finishing as possible. I'm thinking now if I should just go with the pattern, after all the designer put some thought in it. And I really can't remember the exact fit of the store-bought sweater on K, if the armhole area was rather roomy or just normal.

The alternative would be to frog the top parts of front and back and add another 4cm/1.6in... which of course is an extra effort, and I'm not sure if it's necessary. Hmmm... I just had the idea of checking some more of K's sweaters and compare their measurements, to see if there's any difference. Sounds like I came up with a plan! I'll have to do that tomorrow though, as it's in the middle of the night all of a sudden and if I don't go to bed real soon I don't get enough of my beauty sleep (which is much needed). I just hope K didn't take too many of his sweaters with him!

Video Day - Knit Wits

2007-02-15T00:15:00.000+01:00

If you like The Godfather, or The Sopranos, you have to watch this one! Even if you don't like them... watch it anyway and turn your speakers on!

Sleeve #1 is almost done, but I won't finish it tonight any more. I'm off to bed now - sleep well y'all!

Sleevey-sleeves

2007-02-14T17:21:00.000+01:00

Yeah, I know it's boring, another meaningless progress shot, this time of a sleeve. I took this picture on Sunday already as K left for Melbourne early on Monday morning and he took the camera with him.

In the meantime I've been doing more sleeve-knitting and am almost done with sleeve #1. Right now I'm doing the shoulder shaping and should be done with the sleeve by tonight, or maybe tomorrow. My goal is to be done with sleeve #2 some time on the weekend, I hope I can do that! Then there's the usual blocking and seaming, and then I can knit on the turtle neck.

Okay, this closeup isn't too great, due to the stockinette stitch - you know what I mean. I wanted to do some fancy pictures, but all of a sudden it was Sunday afternoon and the lighting wasn't great any more, and I still hadn't taken my photos. So I thought, what the heck, I'll do it anyway.
On other news, K arrived safe and sound in Melbourne (the one in Australia, yep, that's the one on the other side of the globe. Unless you live there, because then pretty much anything else is on the other side of the world), it's stinking hot there right now (the forecast for the weekend is around 38° C/100°F), and they're on water restrictions - the water storage is 35% full. I so hope they're getting some serious rain real soon! Use your water wisely, folks - no matter where you live.

Fav!

2007-02-09T17:42:00.000+01:00

Wow! I made my own favicon! You should be able to see it in the address bar instead of the bright orange Blogger-b (unless you're using Internet Explorer; I heard that the favicon isn't working in IE); and you should be able to see the favicon when you bookmark my blog (I think this applies for new bookmarks only).
I'm so proud I did it!

I also have some knitting news for you: I'm well into the first sleeve of the K_sweater, it's maybe halfway done. I can't wait to finish the sleeve(s) so I can cast on for a baby hat for my ex-coworker; I'd like to make the bunny tail hat in a bear version with some leftover Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I have to take pictures of my progress on the K_sweater this weekend because K might take the camera to Melbourne. Tomorrow we're doing some souvenir shopping for his family, I hope the weather is nice enough for some decent photos. Munich is (supposedly) the safest place this weekend, as the Conference on Security Policy is in town. They do that every year, and every year it's a pain in the ass again - these "important" people reside at the Hotel Bayrischer Hof which is in the city center. Loads and loads of police in riot gear with machine guns (this is quite exceptional for Germany... most guns we get to see here are in American tv shows) bar the hotel and the area around it - nobody except for residents can get in or out. This leads to detours and delays in traffic, and it's just annoying.

Video Day - The Last Knit

2007-02-08T10:17:00.000+01:00

This one's a bit long, but well worth watching! Don't forget to turn your speakers on.

When knitting becomes an obsession...

Failed?

2007-02-07T13:33:00.000+01:00

"I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work"
-Benjamin Franklin

Now that is a very good motto.

Never enough?

2007-02-06T10:57:00.000+01:00

Last night I had an emotional low of quite some depth. I started thinking about how I always think that whatever I do, it's never enough, that I often think when I don't do something perfectly, I fail. I was writing a blog post in my mind, telling you rather open-heartedly about my dreams and fears (mostly about the fears). This is a bit paradoxical, as I don't open up to people for quite some time; but I guess internet communication makes this a bit different. I wanted to tell you that I would like to be a better blog writer, that I would write more frequently and in a better style. That I would like to knit more and faster, so I could present you more. That I would overcome my exam nerves and get my thesis done (if I don't want to extend, the next two months are going to be stressful. Very stressful), because I don't like Uni any more. I just want it to stop, even though I don't have a plan for afterwards. Which freaks me out even more.

I am so glad that K is here to support me, calm me down when I'm angst-ridden again and that he just listens to my never-ending problems. He's going on holiday to visit his friends and family in Melbourne, Australia, soon, and I'll be staying here, thanks to my thesis. I would love to go with him, but I know I have to get things done (and I hope I will); I understand perfectly that he wants to go, as he hasn't seen his folks in over 3 years now. As a surprise when he's back, I plan to finish the K_sweater in the meantime. I started with the sleeves on the weekend, but didn't get much done yet. (Can you see what I'm doing again? I really shouldn't say that; instead, I should say something like "even though I didn't have much knitting time on the weekend at all, I got lots of the sleeve done - almost the whole cuff" to cut out the "I failed"-message)

Why am I telling you this? I guess blogging does make me open up to (complete) strangers. Hey stranger! Say hello! (Or maybe I'm still stuck in the "6 weird things about me"-meme...) I think I should make an intention, not just for 2007, but for... maybe forever. Don't get scared so much. Don't scare myself so much. Start seeing the glass half-full instead of half-empty. Focus - on one thing at a time. Don't annoy people by telling them how you think you're one big failure.

I'd like to finish this post with a picture I took at Schloss Nymphenburg, back in September, so this post has a nice ending. It's a detailed shot of a lamp's foot outside the castle. I like this photo a lot, I had it as a background on my desktop for a while. Hope you like it too!

Germans don't like knitting

2007-02-04T22:05:00.000+01:00

Or so one could think when one goes into a bookshop in Germany and wants to look at knitting books. The same thing happened to me last week or so when I went to a major bookshop here in Munich. There were several handicraft books on display on a counter, and even a few on knitting - I was quite surprised, as this doesn't happen very often. However, it was just the usual sight: about 5 knitting books, and 4 of them were butt-ugly. The fifth one, the only one that looked good, was a translation of Last Minute Knitted Gifts - although I don't understand why the German version uses such a violent green in the cover shoot.

Despite that there are so many yarn and needle manufacturers here in this country, the range of knitting books and magazines is meagre, and disappointing, to be honest. The problem with the German books is that they look like they're straight out of the eighties, even when they're not. Lots of books are on sock knitting (unfortunately, there's no German Nancy Bush), because it's quick, or other smaller projects, or the instructions are for sweaters using voluminous, or fancy yarn, or fun fur. All this because they are quick knits. I have 2 German books in my knitting library; one I got from my mom, and the other I bought via Amazon marketplace. It's ugly, but I bought it because it was recommended on a blog, and it was a bargain - less than 2 Euros! The first book has some knitting basics, and the second is on lace. All the other books I have are in English, either from the UK or the US. So what makes these books more attractive? Debbie Stoller's Stitch'N Bitch Knitter's Handbook for example uses a fresh, up-to-date language, it explains everything in an easy way, and the projects have a modern approach.

What about other ways of knitting, Fair Isle, Scandinavian traditions, etc.? I did a search on amazon.de, but I couldn't find anything in the German book section. Not even a translation. However, it's not that German knitters aren't interested in modern, "fresh" books and/or magazines that are layouted nicely, that have photos which are well-done and display the knitted item well enough, not twisted or on a model that's striking a pose.
All this isn't a big problem for myself (although it's a bit annoying); from my German knitting group I know however that there are quite a few ladies who's faces light up when I show them a book, only to be sobered up by recognizing that the book is in English. Although there's a lot of people in Germany who speak or understand English well enough, reading knitting instructions in a foreign language is still a huge challenge for many. So, what do I have to do if I want a knitting book that's well done and in German? Write it myself?

I'm a regular reader of the blue blog, and Allison made me curious about a book she's been knitting from a lot lately. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting myself, but I have a nephew of 15 months, and every now and then I hear about someone I know having a baby. So I guess this book's an investment in the future!

It's spiral-bound which I usually don't like, but I understand that it makes perfectly sense for knitters. There's a rather large how-to-knit section in the beginning of the book, but don't they all have that? What I really like about this book are the photos and the colors - cute babies with colorful and very nice hats. I wouldn't go so far as to say the designs are simple; they aren't complicated for sure, but they have a twist which gives them their je ne sais quois. I only flicked through this book, but I don't want to miss it any more in my knitting library. It's there to stay!

FO! FO!

2007-02-03T12:21:00.001+01:00

Can you believe it? I finally have a finished object to announce!

finished baby booties, originally uploaded by d.knit.

These baby booties are for my now ex-colleague C. And yes, they are the same booties as in the instructional pictures. I translated the instruction while actually knitting, to minimize errors and to make sure it's easy to read.
Next thing on the needles, or things - plural - I should rather say, are the sleeves for the K_sweater, a baby hat for the same colleague, and everything else that I forgot.

The last day at the office came and went, and it didn't even feel weird. I was there only one day a week, so I guess I might feel a bit strange next week when I don't have to go there any more. The dips were great! I made hommus and baba ghanoush and served it with Turkish flat bread from a nearby Turkish bakery. Everybody liked it, but they complained a bit about the garlic in the dips... hmmm... I didn't put as much garlic in as I wanted because I ran out of it... and everybody knows that garlic's good for you.

Video Day - Real Men Knit

2007-02-01T11:46:00.000+01:00

Guys, grab your sticks!

Did I mention that I love YouTube?

A quick hello

2007-01-29T21:55:00.000+01:00

Just popping in today... I've been busy preparing some snacks for the office, because I have my last day of work tomorrow. No, I didn't poison the snacks.

Today I've read a very interesting blog post over at Crazy Aunt Purl's that touched my heart. Laurie wrote about fellow blogger Allison and her son Evan who's 3 months old and who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is such a cutie!
Allison happens to own an online yarn shop, so whoever isn't on a yarn diet right now might want to go over and have a look at her range. I can tell you, if I had some extra ca$h for yarn right now, I'd be all over the place!

Munich musings

2007-01-26T21:18:00.001+01:00

My parents came over for a visit today. Despite that it was freezing, we took a walk in the city. The New Synagogue had opened in November 2006 with a lot of media attention, but I hadn't been there before. My parents were interested too, so off we went.

synagogue, originally uploaded by d.knit.

The weather was quite dull, but the building was impressive anyway. When I saw the first pictures of it I didn't like the architecture at all. It's so... cubic. Plus, it seemed so huge in all the photos. But when we were actually standing in front of it, it wasn't gigantic at all. And I really like the colors.

synagogue_door, originally uploaded by d.knit.

We wanted to go inside, but unfortunately the portal was locked. I guess that when the Jewish Museum - which is next door - opens in March this year, the Synagogue will be open too.

synagogue_door close, originally uploaded by d.knit.

The portal was made in Budapest, Hungary, and the signs are the initials of the Ten Commandments in Hebrew Letters, all according to German Wikipedia. It looks quite impressive!

Crochet Dude

2007-01-25T10:45:00.000+01:00

I just found this one on the internets, on gringa's blog.

Knitters and crocheters should have a lobby.

ETA: Just decided that thursdays are going to be Video Day. Enjoy!

Snow

2007-01-24T10:19:00.000+01:00

Remember yesterday?
Well, this is what it looks like today:

The Weather Gods must have heard my prayers.

Outside

2007-01-23T23:55:00.000+01:00

Remember last year?
Well, this year winter took some time (yeah, like when we were having coffee outside in the sun around Christmas), but it finally has arrived!

This is the first snow in 2007 for Munich and the forecast says more snow tonight and tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they're right, we've had a spring-like winter for way too long now. Yay for snow! And it's finally cold, so time to wear some nice knitwear! This season I've bought quite a few nice woolen sweaters, and for the first time in my life I've ruined one of them. Yes, I know, I'm a knitter, I should have known better... but I was using wool detergent! To tell you the whole story: I washed a pillow (not the case, the whole thing) the other day and as there was some room left in the machine I put a few more things in. One of them was my favorite sweater, a perfect blueish-greenish-turquoise 100% woolen v-neck, and I thought the easy-to-clean-cycle wouldn't hurt. Well, I changed my mind when I took everything out of the machine.

The sweater had shrunk (and no pulling into shape would help) AND felted even though the temperature had only been 30°C! (that's 86°F) That's not even body temperature, so I thought it was safe as I had washed other woolen items at that temperature before (in the wool wash cycle though - where everything came out just fine). I guess that's my piece of advice for today: always wash woolen stuff in the wool wash cycle, just wool detergent on another cycle isn't doing the job. Unless you have a giant sweater at home that you'd like to felt, or you want to shrink some jumpers so your kids can wear them. Those kids would have to be quite skinny though.

Something else, for a change

2007-01-22T18:12:00.000+01:00

The back and front of the K_sweater are done! I didn't take pictures though, because the sides roll up so much, and I didn't have the time to look for my fixing pins yet.
Before I start the sleeves I wanted to do something else in between though; I promised a colleague of mine who's having a baby in spring that I would make some baby booties and a little hat for her. That's what I wanted to knit in my "sweater break", but then I remembered something that was buried deep down in my stash:

Crochet pot holders! Simple yet efficient, and essential for everybody. Well, if they have a kitchen, or a stove.
When I moved to Munich three and a half years ago, it was K's and my first apartment and although I had collected a few kitchen things, I didn't have pot holders. I didn't see the point of buying some, as I had learned to crochet about a zillion years ago and I thought it couldn't be so hard. I made a few pot holders and an oven glove. However, some of the pot holders turned out to be too small so I frogged them a few months ago and put the yarn in my stash box and closed it. Well, until Saturday. Friends of mine just moved house and I thought an oven glove and some pot holders were quite a nice (and practical) present. Plus, I only have two pot holders left and one of them is in our wok when it's not in use (this place is very small and for the last 3 years I've been the queen of piling things) to keep it from being scratched by the glass baking dish.
I've got some more yellow and orange cotton yarn, leftover from some more frogged pot holders... looks like I'm gonna crochet for a bit.

Knit&Dish

2007-01-18T16:44:00.000+01:00

Yay, Knit&Dish is back! I missed the first round, so I hope to be in the second one. There's a traditional Austrian dish that I had a craving for lately, so I might hand in the recipe for it... might make it for myself tonight (it's a sweet dish and K doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, so I can have it all to myself). Mmmmh!

Weirdo...

2007-01-14T13:37:00.000+01:00

Elemmaciltur tagged me.

Six weird things about me

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the ‘6 weird things about you.’ People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says ‘you are tagged’ in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

When I drink coffee or tea from my favorite (giant) mug at home, I always leave the spoon in the mug. I don't do this when I'm going out though.
When I started to knit, I made knit stitches a bit different. I always inserted the needle through the back of a stitch, instead of the front. (And I did know that I wasn't doing it "properly") I knit like this for a few years, until I changed it.
At the age of 17, I began modelling. Now, this wasn't runway modelling but modelling for a sculptor, and it was in the nude. Before I did it I thought I couldn't possibly stand naked in front of a man I don't know well, but in the end it was easy-peasy. (It wasn't sexual, that's why)
Through modelling, I learned to be self-confident about my body. Plus, it was only then that I found out that my ears aren't sitting at the same height. One ear is sitting one finger's breadth lower than the other.
In primary school, I once kissed a grapevine snail. (Oh come on, my best friend did it too, and there's people who eat those snails. THAT'S gross!)
Twice a week, I lie on a couch and talk to someone I don't know well about intimate details of my life, and I've been doing this for a year and a half now. (They call it Psychoanalysis. Does this make it weird or normal?)

Let's see, who am I tagging... amanda cathleen, Carola, Julia, Christine, Karlie, and whoever wants to do this meme.

Thank you Deepa

2007-01-12T18:15:00.000+01:00

Over the past few days, I've worked on the "new" layout of my blog to make it look like the "old" layout, before I switched to the post-beta Blogger design. It was quite a bit of work, and I'm still not where I want to be, but at least my blog looks alright at the moment.

I'd like to thank a lady from India who helped me quite a bit. Thank you Deepa! When it comes to hacking the new Blogger in order to customize the designs, she absolutely rocks!

Many thanks Deepa.

Aw crap!

2007-01-08T23:45:00.001+01:00

This is what happens when you upgrade your layout on Blogger, after you switched to the new Blogger... you basically have to start again.

So please excuse this blog building site, I hope to get everything fixed soon!

Raging for nothing

2007-01-08T10:22:00.000+01:00

Just before, I talked to my work colleague who's email was cause for all my rage and anger on the weekend. It turns out that everything was just a misunderstanding; she was informed that the babybreak-lady would be coming into the office on Tuesdays, but apparently, she wasn't up to date. Information does not flow freely in this company at all (hence my out-of-the-blue sacking), so this makes perfect sense to me. This means that I can finish my job on the already set dates and don't have to look for a new weekday. It would have been ridiculous anyway, because you can count the remaining Tuesdays I have left in the office on 3 fingers. I really am a patient person, maybe too patient sometimes, but there's a point where my patience ends.

Yesterday, I took pictures of the K_sweater in the bedroom, double-checking with a store-bought sweater that fits him well. The light wasn't so good anymore, but I think you can see enough. Due to the stockinette stitch the sides of the sweater roll in, but the width of the bought sweater and the knitted one are the same. The only difference I noticed was at the arm decrease; here, the knitted sweater is smaller. I need to double-check this with the instruction but I couldn't find my pins and I didn't feel like a long search, so I'll have to do this some other time. Preferrably before I start the arm decreases at the front.

who cares for titles?

2007-01-06T21:43:00.000+01:00

It's been a while since I last posted a picture. The one above is the Christmas tree at my parents' place, always decorated in the same style with real candles (my parents even used real candles when they lived in the US).
We didn't have any snow this year, but in the mornings there was lots of hoar frost, like on the apple below (when K and I took a walk, we passed the same apple tree as last time).

K's sweater is growing, I'm well into the front now. It's funny, knitting the back felt so slow, but the front feels much quicker.

The office is troubling me again, I got so angry before. To give you the background: After they fired me, I made appointments for my last few work days. My usual day in the office is on a Tuesday, and it's been tuesdays for about a year and a half, or even two years now. Every now and then I came in the office on a day other than Tuesday, depending on my schedule or if the company asked me to - just like this coming week, when I'm scheduled to work on Thursday as I need to go to Uni on Tuesday. Well, today I checked my office mails; there was one from my colleague asking when I was coming in the office next week (although I had told her personally, emailed her, and made her mark it in the calendar) and telling me that I needed to find another work day different from Tuesday, as the lady returning from baby break would be coming then. They hadn't told me this earlier, I only learned it from this email. Maybe you can imagine my anger... I was totally mad. Who do they think they are? I know my colleague didn't come up with this by herself but that our boss probably told her to tell me (this is his usual way. I'm probably too low for him to talk to me directly).
I'm wondering, why do they do this after we set my remaining work dates in early December?? Do they think I'm so stupid that I let them do everything what they want? Well, I basically let my colleague know that it's either the dates we set, or not. Which would mean that my last day is Thursday. Well, I'll know for sure on Monday, I guess.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T16:20:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year to everybody!

Over here in Germany it's legal for everybody older than 16 or 18 to buy fireworks, so you can imagine people going all crazy and having their own private firework display... multiply that with a few hundred thousand households in Munich, and you get one giant explosion that starts well before midnight and doesn't stop till 1 am.

Do I have good intentions for the new year? Well, sort of, I guess, but I don't sit down and write a list or something. It's too easy to break them, plus, I'd rather start doing something or quit doing something (or at least try to) when it comes to my mind, instead at a certain date.

In 2006, I promised you that instruction for baby booties, remember? I always had lots of other things to do, but last week I finally managed to finish the translation, the pictures, and the whole thing. So, I thought I'd start the new year with making you a present. Please only use it non-commercially! The instruction was handed to me in German by my friend Christine; all I did was translate it, and I added a little part because it seemed to make sense to me. You're invited to do the same, this instruction isn't engraved in stone, you know.
It would be lovely to get some feedback from you, if you liked the instruction (it's my first, you know!), if you found any mistakes, if it worked for you, how your booties turned out. You're invited to send me pictures of your booties! I could make a gallery of them, and start a bootee count.
The instruction is in pdf form, so you'll need the Acrobat Reader or the Adobe Acrobat in order to open it.

Here you go:

Download PDF here

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-24T15:11:00.000+01:00

Merry Christmas to all of you!

K and I are at my parents' place to celebrate with my family. We are traditionally having our Christmas Dinner tonight, on Holy Eve (as pretty much everybody is doing in Germany), and then later on we are going to unpack our presents. My sister, her husband and my nephew will be here as well, plus my parents, K and me; so we'll have a full house.

There are two Christmas holidays in Germany; well, two and a half to be precise. The day of Holy Eve is half a holiday, starting at 2 p.m., and then the 25th and the 26th are holidays as well. Shops and offices are closed, restaurants, pubs and cafés are open though. The first Christmas holiday (25th) is - in my family - traditional more of a family day. We are having Wiener Schnitzel for dinner, and in the last few years I was the dessert maker. Last year we had a Lebkuchen-Tiramisu, and this year it's going to be Panna Cotta with Passionfruit sauce. The second holiday is less of a family day, and there's no big meal. Usually, my dad buys some Irish smoked salmon shortly before Christmas (he knows a guy in Ireland who sends him the salmon), so we're having that on the 26th.

I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas time! Enjoy the holidays, and in case I'm not back before New Year's, have a Happy 2007!

Yours,
Dorothee

Yay!

2006-12-20T20:04:00.000+01:00

Finally! The meeting at university came and went, and I went quite well! I had my usual nervousness, but it wasn't as bad as it was before (that was what I was afraid of), and after the meeting I felt that I'm not as dumb that I thought I was. (We had to present the outlines for our papers, which is supposed to be 80-100 pages.) That was the reason why I didn't go to knitting group last night, because I wanted to talk my outline over with K. I couldn't have stayed there with a good feeling, it would have felt like being on tenterhooks. Originally, I had really wanted to go there because it was the last time this year that they were meeting; but this was worth it, as the university meeting was absolutely necessary.

So, that means I can relax a bit now! Although tomorrow is going to be stressful... K and I want to do a bit of relaxing, coffee drinking and freshly squeezed orange juice-drinking in the morning (as well as sleeping in a bit), then we have to go get some Christmas presents (at least we know what we want to get), clean the apartment before we go to my parents' place Friday morning. Plus, I need to wrap some presents (I bought this nice wrapping from Ikea) and make some more cookies. I had prepared the dough already, and I'd like to have them done before Christmas. K might help me, if I get lucky. And the real holiday stress starts on Friday...

Cookie Monster

2006-12-16T00:40:00.000+01:00

First of all, thank you all for your comments on my last post! I meant to answer each one individually, and I'm trying to still do that. Please be patient!

I know, I haven't been around much lately. There were lots of things to do... first of all, I really needed to (and I still need to) work on my thesis, because I have a meeting with my professor next week. I know it's a necessary appointment, but I'm not so looking forward to it.
Then I looked into job offers, although I don't really have the time for that. The problem is, that I only want to work one day per week because my thesis claims the rest of my time. The next problem is, the deadline for the thesis is in early April, and then there are more written and oral exams following in June. So, I'll be pretty busy in the first half of 2007... and that's not the best condition when looking for a new job, especially as I'll be having the student status until the end of September only, if everything works according to my plan.

You might wonder why I was fired in the first place... a former employee is coming back from her baby break. The thing is here in Germany, if a female employee is going on baby break, she can set a date when she's coming back into the company, to work either full-time again, or part-time. And the employer has to guarantee her a workplace.
So far, so... well, not good, but fair enough. I know the lady who's coming back, she's really nice and I know it's not her fault. The one I'm really angry at is my boss. He's the head of our department, and usually he's really really busy. I usually don't see him very often, as he's out of the office quite often, and I'm only there once a week anyway. And when I'm at the office and he's there too, he doesn't even say hello to me. So, I haven't spoken to him in months now.

The day they fired me, he was out of the office too, and so my colleague (she's my direct "boss", I do the preliminary work for her) had to do his job and fire me. The thing is, she is really content with what I'm doing - as is the rest of our department, apparently including the boss of the dept. - and she doesn't want me to go. But she's not the one who makes the decisions.
Plus, the layoff came totally out of the blue. I had no idea that when my former colleague would come back, I had to go! If they had told me a few months earlier that it would come like this, I could have had the chance to look for another job. As it is now, with my deadlines and exams and tight schedule, and me being a student for not much longer any more, it will be extremely hard to find an equivalent job. And that's why I'm so angry, my boss fired me - wait! HE didn't fire me, to be exact. He had me fired; he didn't even have the decency to talk to me himself. He was back in the office last week when I was there too, but he was too busy with other stuff. So, no talk. I wonder if he considers student work as work at all.
I guess he doesn't even know that I'm working on my thesis right now; how can he when he's too busy to talk to me? He's even too busy to talk to the full-time employees of the department. Whenever they need him, they're on the edge of their seats to jump up quick enough when he ever hangs up the phone, or the door of his office opens. My colleague even said, maybe he would also talk to me about it... some time. But she said she doesn't believe it. Neither do I. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!! What a bugger!
Oh, and I did send out two applications this week: one's for an internet research job, but they had so many applications so I have to do a test (=free work for them), and the other was for a job that doesn't exist (yet). A lady from the German knitting group opened this opportunity for me, but I didn't get a response so far.

Up to more pleasant news: Wavy is done! The day after I finished it, the weather got cold: perfect timing! So, I didn't have the time to wash it, or block it, and I don't think I will. I like it the way it is! I don't know how long Wavy is, but it's almost twice as tall as I am; I used almost 5 balls of my LYS's home brand yarn.

modelling_the_wavy, originally uploaded by d.knit.

I'm my new model. And I do like my new winter coat!

In between working for university, office anger, the usual house work and trying to come up with Christmas present ideas, going to therapy and baking Christmas cookies are the things that are positive and relaxing. Well, okay, therapy is somehow relaxing as I get to lie down for almost an hour, and baking cookies is kinda relaxing even though it's quite stressful as well. Here's what I did last:

cookie_tray, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Snowflake shaped chocolate Christmas cookies with pink lemon icing. I know, I'm a cookie monster.

cookie_closeup, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Yummy! A cookie! With a silver sugar pearl.

K and I went to visit my parents in early December, to have a late birthday celebration for me. On our last day we went out for a walk in beautiful and pretty warm weather. We even picked some apples!

redapples_bluesky, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Nice red apples, aren't they? They tasted quite delicious.

K's sweater is growing, the back part is at the sleeve decreases. It might even get done this winter! And I haven't forgotten about the baby bootie instruction, I just don't get to it right now. I will post it eventually. Promised!

News

2006-12-06T23:02:00.000+01:00

...but no pictures yet.

On Monday, I picked up a packet at the post office (because K and I went to my parents' place over the weekend), and it was a birthday present from my friend Andreas. Inside was "Last-minute knitted gifts", from my amazon wishlist. Thanks, Andreas!

I finished my Wavy scarf last night, at knitting group.

And I got fired yesterday.

I didn't know THAT

2006-11-29T12:58:00.000+01:00

They say "still waters run deep", but not even I knew this...

Munich musings

2006-11-26T21:20:00.000+01:00

K and I went for a walk today, as the weather was beautiful and quite warm. Too warm actually for late November; I'm glad that it was cold at my birthday.
The picture shows the river Isar, at the Deutsches Museum (German Museum). It's a really cool technical museum, so if you happen to come to Munich, do go there for a visit!

Bad weather

2006-11-22T10:56:00.000+01:00

Finally, the weather is bad. It's raining and it's cold.
Why this is good news to me? Well, it's November, and the weather is supposed to be bad. Plus, we had a very warm October (it was more like a mild version of summer than a proper fall), then we had about 3 days in early November when it was like winter, even with snow, and then it got warm again as if it was spring. And I really couldn't cope with the warmth, for my inner season sensor was set on fall/winter.

However, the bad weather brings the disadvantage of not being able to take proper pictures during the day, as the sky is completely overcast and gray. So you'll have to believe me when I tell you that the Wavy scarf grew quite a bit; I can wrap it around my neck twice now, and the ends are somewhere between boob height and belly button height. I was pretty surprised by this, when I tried the scarf on last night because I expected it to be shorter; but I think I might want it even longer. I'm at the end of the 4th ball of yarn now, and I have 2 more left. Originally, I had planned to make matching mittens with the leftover yarn, but I think if I keep on knitting, then there's not enough yarn left. And I'm not sure if I can find the same dye lot again. (Serious problems, I know)

Last night, I finally knit a few more rows on K's sweater. I don't know what I'm doing these days, but I hardly get to knit. My usual evening schedule looks like this: Either K or I make dinner, then we eat; I sometimes do dishes either before or after dinner, then we sit on the couch and watch TV. K usually is on the computer, me sometimes too (we have our own laptops each), because I try not to read blogs during the day. Then, all of a sudden, it's almost 10 o'clock, and I have hardly started knitting. No wonder I only get a few rows done! (Except for K's sweater where I have 128 stitches on the needles, that does take ages just to finish one row) Maybe I should keep track of what I'm doing at night, what keeps me from knitting... it's not that I have to or that I want to knit every night, but that's the only time of the day when I have time to do it, and I'd like to actually finish some of the things I've started.

Oh, and Heather, if you're on the blog, please email me!

Progress?

2006-11-16T21:19:00.000+01:00

Is it progress I'm making? On the scarf front, yes; Wavy is growing (although I don't necessarily notice it straight away), but I'm sparing you another picture of the same thing over and over again. The only difference is its length, but it's still a bit to go till it's finished.

On the baby bootie translation front? The translation itself is done, I only need to actually knit a bootie and take pictures - the problem here is the timing. Taking pictures when it's dark outside isn't so great, due to the artificial light (and it's getting dark here at 4.30 pm these days). That's why I prefer taking photos during the day, but I don't get to knit during the day unless it's a weekend. So, either I need to take some time during a weekday, or I need to take time on a weekend which isn't so great either, which leads me to the next point:
The thesis front. I'm a bit behind, so in theory I'm working every day of the week (apart from once a week, when I'm at the office, earning money). And why am I not as far as I want to be? Well, here the usual thing kicks in, somehow, you know, the thing why I'm in therapy. And I thought it got a bit better... but I guess I've still got some way to go. Oh well.
That's it, I'm back at the scarf, so the damn thing is going to be finished hopefully soon!

Oh, has anyone outside the US received their Interweave Knits Winter 2006 issue yet?

Flying

2006-11-10T21:17:00.000+01:00

This is a progress pic on my Wavy scarf, taken on Sunday already - where did the time go?!

By now, Wavy is even longer. I can wrap it around my neck once already, but then it's still a bit short. Besides, I want it to wrap around twice anyways, so I still have some way to go.

What I'm wearing underneath the scarf is Josephine, indeed! I haven't worn her much outside the house though; I think I wore her once when I went to the local knitting group . But ever since the weather got cold enough to turn the heating on, I've been wearing her a lot inside. It's so nice to snuggle up on the couch, and to bury my neck and chin in the big collar! She's a perfect comfy-snuggly cardigan - but more of a jacket-type (I usually wear her on top of my sweater, and then I wrap myself - or K and myself - in a blanket. I know, I'm such an icicle!). Maybe I make a "wear-it-instead-of-a-sweater" cardigan-thing (I'm thinking of Starsky here) some time (I wish I had more time to JUST KNIT. Pure knitting time)... more likely to be some day, in the future... whenever that may be.

A Sale is on

2006-11-05T15:04:00.000+01:00

My girl Christine is selling her stash! Her complete stash, that is. So, if you're interested in some nice yarn (I took a look myself, it really is very nice yarn) for a reasonable price (less than the suggested retail price, as far as I could see), then go and pay her a visit!

First Snow

2006-11-03T09:32:00.000+01:00

The first snow this winter. Hey, if I'm lucky, I'll get snow for my birthday in three weeks!

The weather gods

2006-11-02T22:24:00.000+01:00

... are in a crazy mood: it was about 20 degrees Celcius (that's about 68 F) only on Monday, and today it was freezing (literally!). It even snowed on my way home before! If that isn't crazy, well, then I don't know.

I haven't done much knitting lately; the ladies from the Tuesday's knitting group wanted a shared knit blog (in German), and asked me to set it up for them. So, back to blogging and some html! But now I really need to get back to knitting, I need to finish my scarf as it's so cold outside!

Oh, and I'm making progress on that baby bootee-translation! All I have left to do now is to brush up the language a little bit so you can read it fluently and it makes sense, and then knit a bootie and take pictures of the progress, so I can include them in the instructions. And that should be done soon too; hopefully I can make that bootee on the weekend and then finish off the instruction at work next week.

That's it for tonight, I'm out!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T21:58:00.000+01:00

My dessert tonight... Happy Halloween!

For Santaram

2006-10-30T10:36:00.000+01:00

Hi Santaram,

I think I can help you with a bit of what you were asking for... however, I'd need you to give me your email address, so I can explain it to you. Just leave your email in the comments, and I'll get back to you.

Cheers,
Dorothee

Fair Trade

2006-10-24T21:53:00.000+02:00

Today, I've been working for the company at a trade fair, and although it wasn't as busy as it could have been (I was quite bored a few times), I'm still pretty stuffed tonight (my feet are killing me! K gave me a really good foot massage though, he totally made my day).

When I responded to comments in the last post, I unintentionally left one out. I meant to answer Beta on one of my Oktoberfest posts. First of all, thank you for your comment! I'm glad you enjoyed my posts; and I don't think that keeping a Lebkuchenherz (gingerbread heart) for a couple of years is gross (unless you still plan on eating it). I think that a lot of people are doing this, because after a while (or already from the start?), the Lebkuchenherz goes hard like a brick. I actually never thought about eating a Lebkuchenherz, only a Lebkuchen (which is a type of Christmas cookie).
And it's definitely nice that I made you smile, nice to hear that!

Wavy

2006-10-20T20:01:00.000+02:00

Guys, where did the time go? It seems to be flying lately, and there's so much I want / have to do!

I took a little break of K's sweater and started my Wavy scarf, so I can wear it once the weather turns nasty. The yarn turned out to be quite good, definitely not too flat.

wavy2, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Too bad the light wasn't good. I like the picture though.

wavy1, originally uploaded by d.knit.

Wavy, in its full beauty. It was actually too dark to take pictures, but I wanted to photograph the progress anyway. The scarf's growing, but I'm not sure if I want to make it wider than it is. It's now about 10 cm (4 in), unstretched though; but the more I knit, the less likely I'm going to frog it and cast on with more stitches. Maybe I can make it wider when I block it.

And before I finish up today, thanks again for all the comments on my Victoria Tank! Yes, I did make it myself. No, I don't mind some midriff-baring, as long as it doesn't show too much (the show-off-my-belly days are over); plus, once the straps are longer, the whole tank will reach further down. The pattern was in the Interweave Knits Summer 2004 issue, and I didn't use the recommended yarn. I bought some Rowan 4ply cotton instead, 5 balls to be exact, but only used 4 for the second-smallest size and two gigantic gauge swatches. I have seen a picture of Glampyre's Orangina, and I think that the stitches are the same, too. I think I got the idea for the Rowan yarn from that pattern.
I liked knitting the tank; it's knit in the round, so no seaming - a yay for that! The pattern may look complicated at first sight, but as it's repeated over and over again, it gets easy after a while.

And this is for Heather: I haven't forgotten the translation for the baby booties, so please be (even more) patient with me! If you need the pattern urgently, contact me, and I can email you the pattern in German.

The famous

2006-10-11T23:58:00.000+02:00

Last weekend, I went to visit my parents and my sister and her family. We had great weather, and the usual family tiffs. Then, on Monday, my sister packed my nephew in her car, and we drove back to Munich. She stayed till Tuesday night; we did some shopping in the city (no yarn shopping though! My sister is not a knitter... when she talks about knitting something, she says "we can knit this or that", referring to me knitting and her receiving what I knit. I keep telling her that I could show her how to knit, but she doesn't really want to. Oh well.), and do you know who we ran into? In a posh baby shop? (Not that the lady looked any pregnant, she was far from that.) Lucy Liu. And my sis and I were too surprised to take photos. Dammit! (K just said, if we had listened to him, we would now own a hell lot of money - by selling the pictures) It was weird, because we didn't expect to see her, or anyone like her, on our shopping spree. But then again, I wouldn't have wanted to come up to her and ask her for a picture, because she was there in private, with her boyfriend, enjoying the sunny afternoon.