Adventure

This is a small card, 10 x 10 cm. I like the format very much! It's a great chance to use scraps, keep the designs simple, and play around with splashes of shimmering colour sprays without risking too much damage to a large card. Simple concept, this one, and I like that. :)

Play!

I can't for the life of me remember who this was supposed to be for, but I think it was probably a man? Possibly a man. I think. I should probably start writing these things down.
That blotchy red-green tag was made by splashing two colours of Distress Stain on a non-stick baking sheet and patting the white tag into it. Adding some metallic stain, in this case silver, gives you a nice shine. I've made several tags, and it's a fun process. You haven't got much control over the result, so it's a case of getting messy and just experiment away.

Pink summer tunic

My niece usually gets a knitted garment for birthdays and Christmas - I'm going to do it before she doesn't want to wear hand knits any more! We all know that time comes, sooner or later. This was her birthday gift, a fairly short tunic in DROPS Lace held double. I have so much of that yarn I can never knit it all into shawls, so clothes it is. The result is an impossibly soft and light summer tunic.

The pattern is simple and easy-going, which of course means that I inevitably get bored before reaching the half-way point. On the other hand, stockinette in the round is incredibly fast knitting! The Instagram picture below shows ALL the yarn I had left of my 800 meter skein… Phew!! Ravelry link.

A little prince

This card isn't nearly as askew as it seems. It was just the photographer that couldn't aim. Three pictures, one more tilted than the other... These simple cards don't usually photograph well, even if I manage to align the card with the viewfinder. They look better in person, and you'll just have to trust me on that one! ;)

Purple Echo shawl

I've made an Echo shawl once before, and liked the pattern for its ease and look. The rounded flowers are a nice change from the more angled stuff you usually see. Being familiar with the pattern, I knitted this one up in no time. Because of an originally tight time table, I did 7-loop nupps instead of 9-loop, but they look good all the same. Blocking was done a bit more aggressively than the first time, because the yarn is springy, and during the first few days of wearing my first shawl shrunk back a bit. Ravelry link.

Welcome 2014!

 

 A new year, a new book. A new day, a new page. Welcome 2014, and may you be a good one.

(The book above is a small compilation of my Instagram pictures from 2012, printed at Blurb. Highly recommended!)

I've been away for a while, as you may have noticed. Real life and all that. Priorities must be made, but I have found myself missing this space a bit lately. So while I cannot promise five posts a week, I can at least say that there will be some activity here now and then. How's that for commitment? :) :)

While I write some words about some of the stuff I've made that never made it to the blog in 2013, you can take a look at some Instagram pictures showing what I've done instead of blogging the last six months. There should really be a photo of my TV in there. Really, there should be.

Anyway, I'm off to watch the new episode of Sherlock. Again. :) Here's the slide show:

 I've taken a few walks in the awesomeness of nature, not always on the safest paths...

 ...seen evidence that life may survive in rough places if it adapts to its surroundings...

 ...made my favourite summer desserts a few too many times...

 ...picked wild blueberries (the real thing!)...

 ...grown my own radishes, with somewhat varying results...

 ...taken my first flight in far too many years...

 ...had a proper staredown with a lioness...

 ...watched the days turn shorter and shorter...

...changed to brand new studded tires that so far have seen snow only on a single morning...

...played and relaxed with family...

...and last, but certainly not least, had more than a few geocaching adventures! I could have shown you so many pictures relating to this sport/adventure/game/mystery solving/treasure hunt, but settled for this one, which is one of my favourite shots from last year.

There will be some posts coming soon. Some cards, and a few knitting projects. If you're curious, there's always my Ravelry page and Instagram to keep you occupied while you wait.

See you soon!