| 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. |
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*
...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)
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
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'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!
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!
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
...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!
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.
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..?
My sock pal's parcel! Ruth did an amazing job:
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.
Lorna's Laces Swirl DK in Argyle. Swirl DK is 85% merino and 15% silk. Lucky me!
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).
I'm approaching the heel of sock #2, and I hope not to take much longer.
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.
Baudelaire_detail, originally uploaded by d.knit.
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.
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.
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:
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.
...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.
instead of real content, another quiz/test/meme:
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:
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!
...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?
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
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. Take this quiz!  Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I found it so amazing how it moves, and luckily I had my camera with me.
How huge the world must be for such a little guy!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
... 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!
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!
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.
...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!
