Happy birthday!

More Project Life supplies in action! In fact, all paper except the kraft base is Project Life. I cut two of the biggest ones down a bit to fit my format, inked the edges and stuck the whole thing together. Easy peasy, and really fast. Again, these cards look better in real life than on this flat picture...

Mini short-sleeved cardigan

I've had a go at making the 1-2 year size in a slightly thicker yarn than specified in the pattern, hoping it would be a nice fit for a girl that’s 2,5 years old. It's probably a bit big... But better too big than too small! Because the little lady who is to receive this thing tends to become very hot when wearing wool, I decided to ditch the sleeves and just did a few rows of garter stitch to finish the arm holes. I like the look. :) Ravelry link.

Love the look of this yarn! A simple pattern was definitely the way to go - the stockinette section really shows off the changes in colour and thickness.

Project Life supplies used in a different way

Now this card doesn't look like much in this picture, I know. These simple cards are so much nicer in real life! You'll have to take my word for it, I guess. Just trust me. :) I recently bought some Project Life stuff, not because I have any intention of doing a Project Life, but because I liked the designs and realised they would be lovely on cards and in my regular photo album! So now I try to use them every chance I get.

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!

A little baby girl

That leafy, vein-y, white thingy there was floating around my desk for weeks, trying to find its place on a card. It was failing miserably, until this card came together surprisingly quickly. It's for a colleague and her first baby. It's a girl! :)
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Footballer Frank turns Fifty

Frank likes football. Frank turns fifty. Footballer Frank must have a festive footballer's fiftieth birthday card!! Okay, enough now. :) Does football field corners even look remotely like this? I must admit I've skimped on the research. In fear of accidentally including colours from his team's worst enemy, thereby ruining his birthday all together (again neglecting that research), I restricted myself to grass green and neutral white. And aaaany minute now, someone will probably laugh maniacally and point out that there's at least five teams that wear green and white shirts. My apologies. Anyway. Happy birthday, Frank!

Flowery squares

I find that having a few general, non-spesific cards laying around is a great way to avoid that slightly stressful situation of having agreed to make a card for someone when there isn't really a lot of time available. They are usually simple, like this one, and feature a large flower or something, also like this one. And little to no text, again like this one. Very useful! Unlike this one, I sometimes leave some room for a little text stamp or sticker that can be quickly added when the occasion arises.
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I used one of my precious huge Bazzill flowers on this one. When I learned that they would be discontinued (several years ago) I bought nearly every remaining set my local paper crafting shop had left. It pains me a little every time I see one go. But hey, this is what they were made for! :)

Someone turned 40 a while ago, apparently

I've made a couple of cards lately and haven't shared. Too busy looking at other people's work, I suppose? Here's a card I made one late evening, just in time as usual. I can't even remember who the recipient was - someone who turned 40, obviously. I think it was made for a guy? Oh well. Here it is, anyway. I like the rough, grunge-y style lately, but enjoy mixing it up with bold colours. Teal is awesome. :)

A little math lesson

Just in case you've all forgotten most of your math knowledge, I'm here to remind you of the basics. Two people celebrate their 60th birthdays, how many years old are they combined? You might have guessed the answer by now (spoiler above). The party invitation had something related to this number, some point or joke or story, but I haven't seen it myself and have forgotten what it was all about... Oh well. I like the card anyway, the colours are fresh and spring-y, but not too neon bright. It came together surprisingly easy with materials I had lying around from a previous, unsuccessful, attempt. Love it when that happens. And lastly, if you'd like to add some mathemagic to your day, I highly recommend the always amazing ViHart! :)

Procrastination

When the to-do's become must-do-now's, which too often become should-have-done-last-week's, I usually go and grab some yarn and get knitting instead. This skein of DROPS Lace is a lovely mix of greys and the pattern is the Sunday mittens I've done once before. Using this thinner yarn, I'm hoping to make a pair that fits the tiny hands of my grandmother. My gauge is a whopping 50 stitches per 10 cm of stockinette stitch! That's a record. Also, that means I can procrastinate for a reeeeally long time with these mittens... Ravelry link.