+3

No, it is not the temperature outside, because that is -18C, so at last, winter finally arrived. We have some snow as well.

This is how winter should look like. Cold and white.
The +3 refers to another 3 finished projects for this year. In fact there are only 2, because the hat was finished when I wrote the last post, but I did not have pictures of it.
Let's start with the hat. It is a slightly belated Christmas gift for husband.
This one was a quick project, even if I had to knit more repeats than the pattern asks for, men have huge heads, that's why.

The yarn is Drops merino Extra Fine, on 4 mm circulars (yes, I love magic loop).
The pattern is Lina, by Joko Knits.
I plan to knit one for myself also.
Some day.
I felt like I would knit, but had no inspiration. So I said to myself, that I should finish the socks I started back in November. Said and done.

It was two-at-a-time toe-up. I had it knitted for about half of the sole. The first evening I knitted to reach the heels, the next day I made the heels (it is Fish Lips Kiss again) and some of the leg and yesterday evening I made the BO.

I do not like the result on my feet. It is too loose for myself (66 sts on 2.5 mm needles).
But I like the color.
I might use them as bed-socks or give them away.
And one more thing: knitting socks with solid color yarn is BORING.
So, I finished the sock and it was still early evening (like 22:40, or so), and I remembered that I have a baby-cardigan almost finished. It needed only the button-bands and weaving in the ends.
First: I could not find my 6 mm needles. But I found some bamboo 6 mm-s and made one band.
Then I realized the red yarn will be not enough, and I had to search for the white and beige remnants.

It was around midnight when I found them, and quickly picked up the stitches, so that by 1 o'clock I had the cardigan finished, with ends weaved in. It only needs buttons and it is ready to use.
Not for myself, but for a colleague, who is going to have a baby in April.
Now I should figure out what to knit today. We will celebrate the New Year at home, with a good friend who will join us and who is used with me working with yarn, so that is what I will do.

Happy New Year!

(last photo from the internet)

At the end of year

So many things happened in 2014. There were good and bad things as well. There was yarn-related and other things as well.
The beginning of the year seems to be so far away, although if I try to remember I kind of feel the texture of the blanket I was crocheting on New Year's Eve and at the beginning of the year.

At that time I was still at home with Klárika,oh that was sooo good.... The summer was hard, because, as she was from time to time at her grandmother we were separated, and it was hard when we were at the hospital. It was hard to get used to the kindergarted. But it is so good to watch her grow and getting wise. 

About yarn-related stuff: excepting the blanket, 2014 was the year of the small projects.
Mainly socks,

 

 

hats (i finished another one yesterday, but I do not think that DH will play the role of the the mannequin),

 

crocheted animals,

fingerless mittens,

some sweaters, both for children and adults.

I did some spinning.

I even sew some, but it does not worth showing it. 
I lost 8 kilos.
We renewed the house on the countryside, and we hope to spend much more time there the next year. Unfortunately, the gardening did not happen this year due to health-issues, but I hope next year we can this also will be different.

It is hard when one has to divide between the child, the home, a job, the country-house and the hobby.
Plans for next year? Yes, I have, but I would rather call them dreams.
I am more and more decided to learn to sew. I am gathering the courage and the Burda-s...

Christmas

This is how it looked like today:

not too christmassy, but still the colors were great...
The best part is that we are together, at home, with no fixed schedule.
Klárika was very happy with the tree and her new bike

and her coloring books - so happy in fact that she did not want to go to bed. And this happiness continued today, but at least we put her in bed where she is still awake, but at least we can enjoy a drink now.
Today we were at mother-in-law for lunch, I had my new pullover and DH took some pictures in her garden, but there are two problems:
a)  he is not a great photographer
b) I am not photogenic

well, there is the third
c) I look like a cow in a blue sweater, starring at the setting sun
This is somewhat better, but the color does not show.

The yarn is Merino Extra Fine from Garnstudio, on 4.5 mm needles.
It is knitted in one piece, top-down, with darts for better fitting. The edgings are crocheted on, with 3.5 mm hook.
Now I am knitting (of course) a hat, for husband. It should have been a gift, but this year Santa did not do his job well. Again I am knitting with Merino Extra Fine, but this time in black and on 4 mm needles.
Well, back to work, they say winter is approaching, DH Must have his hat done...

Traditions

Here in Transylvania we use to prepare the traditional menu for Christmas.
We will have meat-soup with lots of vegetables, stuffed cabbage prepared using pickled cabbage and smoked pork-ribs. For dessert we will have sweet bread with sultanas.
How I am waiting for that calm evening...
But until then preparations are going on. This morning I made the pasta for the soup. This is something I did for the last many years.

But for the first time in my life I had help. My daughter is at the age when she is very curious, so she had to try every stage. And it was much more difficult than I thought because of the frequent stops.
And I thought about my Grandmother. She was the chef of the family (my mother was not a great cook). She used to prepare all these with my sister and I around, both having ideas and important things Mama should do for us....
I am so happy I learned. Now, as Mama is gone I have her traditions in my hands.
I have a long way to go, because her pasta was much thinner and she could cut it in even pieces, which I cannot, but from now on there is only practice...
She always prepared everything with no recipe and all the time she had the same results, both in taste and texture.
I miss her. But she is here, in the way I make certain things, and this is good.

Winter holiday

If I want to be correct, it is only holiday. We have no winter. It is so strange, usually at this time of the year we had snow, even if it melted for Christmas. But now --- nothing.
It is raining instead.
But anyhow, I will enjoy this time of the year.
I never ever in my life had such a difficult time as I had now. Until the beginning of December I thought, that it cannot be worse. Well, it could. Actually, at the office we had a shock, which, for the last two weeks kept us in a zombie-state.
I was so badly affected that I could not concentrate on anything. Not even knitting - more "complicated" stitches than stockinette were impossible for me to do.
On Friday afternoon I finally turned off my job-phone and put it away (I mean: away, so that I cannot see it) and since I feel a liberated.
Starting with tomorrow I will be at home with the baby. Just us, ladies, like in good old times.

I like to be with her at home.
It is so good to spend the morning with her cuddling under the blanket and discussing important stuff, like why don't we go to the kindergarten or how the wheels of her wooden car are turning around.
The happenings of the last weeks made me realize how blessed I am, that I can hug her when I want to and every evening I can kiss her good night. 
In a few days there will be Christmas. And then we will be at home all three of us, all our family.
I plan to knit some and hope to get out my sewing machine again.
About knitting: during the past days stockinette helped me though.
I have a new sweater. Almost plain stockinette, other stitches than that are made yesterday and today (after Husband's Christmas party on Friday evening, oh, that also helped me a lot).
And finally, today I bought batteries for my camera (that also created problems), and if the weather and the lights will allow me, tomorrow I will take photos of the pullover.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Life is a beautiful gift.
Freedom is fantastic.
Christmas season is the best time of the year.
Knitting is the best therapy in bad times.

Thrums

the ultimate softness.

It might not become my most favorite technique, but the result worth it.

At last

sunshine!

I enjoy it from inside as we are a bit ill, both, the baby and I. Fortunately, we are getting well...
And at last a finished project.

Socks again. This time for husband. This pair is really big, although it does not appears so on the photos. Or maybe it does...
The stitch pattern is based on the basketweave socks, I like this texture.

The yarn is nameless, but I really like it. It is a bit thicker than the usual sock-yarn. Its color is very masculine.

The heel is Fish Lips Kiss again. It looks better each time I work it..

I have one more pair on needles, but I should try my new yarns also.
But there are other projects on the list...

Upcycling

Ugly sweater.

But 100% cashmere. And not too thin. And gorgeous natural color.

Colors of fall

We had a great time here, finally we might become a normal society.
I watched TV and followed the news on Internet much more than in the last 2 years.
And I was knitting and spinning.
Now I have two pairs of socks on needles, far from finishing them, but I have a new yarn.
The fiber is 50% merino, 50% silk. I had some troubles with it, I suppose due to the silk. But I love the result.
The roving was handdyed by my friend, Bucilla (of course).

It was pure autumn.
I made two singles, just by spinning until I got to the half of the roving, and then spinning the other half. It was almost perfect, one of the singles being just about 2 meters longer than the other.
And then the plying. I think plying is the best part in spinning.

This is when the yarn is finished. It is a pleasure to watch how the colors are embracing each other.

The result of these days is 110 grams/425 meters of fingering weight yarn.

It has greens and browns,

but also grays and yellows

- cold and warm colors in a great balance. 
(the light is just awful here, it is foggy and dark and gray...)