I have been a bad blogger. Haven’t blogged for weeks haven’t knitted much either. But I have a very sweet secret pal and two weeks ago I got her second parcel!
I loved the contents, here’s what was in it:

Colinette Jitterbug yarn of which I already started knitting a sock. The colour is great, shocking pink with red and purple flecks.

Some very beautiful stitch markers. I haven’t dared using them yet since they are so pretty. They don’t sell any stitch makers over here so getting a beautiful set is great.

A handmade needle roll in a very pretty pink fabric. My secret pal is also obviously a wizz with the sewing machine. It is perfect (also not so big which is good because it’s more handy than the one I made).

And another handmade, a lovely shrug from Rowan Damast. It fits perfectly (sorry for not taking a picture of me wearing it I am not looking my best this morning). Since I am going to Spain in the summer I’ll probably get some very good use out of this as a mini coverup!

Nothing left for me to say except: Thank you secret pal!!!

Well I haven’t posted for quite a while, I also haven’t knitted for quite a while. Anyway, the job hunt is going so-so. There is one job that I really want and I am one of the final two up for it, so I really hope that I am the one getting it this time. I have my second interview in about a week so I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Better news, my secret pal package arrived on friday, yay!! And this ia what was inside it:

A very cute (selfmade) bag with lots of goodies inside:

Vogue Knitting, chocolates (dark organic and after eight), a little box with massage oil and soap and ofcourse yarn and needles. The yarn is part of a kit for gloves and wristwarmers and is supersoft green alpaca. And a pair of 5,5 mm short bamboo needles (very handy for scarves) and a 60 cm 4,,5 mm circular.
So all I can say is, THANK YOU SECRET PAL!!!!

I also finished Carolyn a couple of weeks ago, here is the picture:

It is a very unflattering picture but I am too lazy to take another one. The problem with Carolyn is that she grew substantially after blocking. Before she was the perfect size and now she’s too big! I think I am going to throw her in the washing machine and hope that she shrinks a bit.

Okay so I haven’t actually blogged things I am knitting for a while, but today I will.
I have been quite busy still not actually knowing what to do with the work situation (or with life for that matter) I am still trying to figure out what I want and how to achieve it.
So what have I been working on? First of all on Carolyn a Spring Knitty pattern. It will probably always be known as the “rejection cardy” since I bought the yarn as a present to me when I came in second (which means nothing) for a job I wanted.
It is actually a very quick knit, I started it about two weeks ago.
Here sre the blobs that are the back and fronts:

The only thing I am still working on are the sleeves which I do hope I will finish today:

I have the time today and I have done over half the sleeves, but I also have a dinner party to prepare for so I’ll see how it goes. After the sleeves it is just finishing and making the front band.

The other project is also a Knitty pattern, albeit an old one Ivy :

That si the back, I am almost halfway. It is quite a slow knit, but after the cabling it is good to do some stockinette. While doing the cabling I almost frogged it, but after continuing on her I actually found ir getting easier (and it is very pretty). This is not something that I will finish anytime soon, but I think the end result will be quite rewarding.
And now for the gratuitous cat with knitting picture:

I’m off, I’ve got some sleeves to knit!

The fabulous Nederlass (congrats on the job!) posted this meme on her blog so I thought why not give it a go..

The rules:
If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool.
7. Don’t skip songs.

Ok, here we go:

1. Opening credits: “Can’t take my eyes of you” – (a cover of Frankie Valli) Muse
2. Waking up: “Not in it” – Gang of Four (actually pretty good. I actually don’t know this band it’s from the Marie Antoinette soundtrack).
3. First day of school: “Build me up Buttercup”- The Tempatations
4. Fight song: ” Don;t let him waste your time” – Jarvis (pretty good..pretty good.)
5. Breaking up: “Every Little thing she does (is magic)”- The Police
6. Happiness: ” Underneath it All” – No doubt
7. Life’s okay: “Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield (seriously I am not cheating!)
8. Mental breakdown: ” The times they are a-changing” – Bob Dylan ( not real mental breakdown music)
9. Driving: ” Great balls of Fire”- Jerry Lee Lewis
10. Flashback: ” Brandy (you’re a fine girl)” – Looking Glass
11. Getting back together:”Will you still love me tommorow” – Amy Whinehouse (Hell yeah)
12. Wedding song: “Boy’s don’t cry” – The Cure
13. Birth of first child: “Just like a woman” – Bob Dylan
14. Final battle scene: “Sinds een dag of twee” – Doe Maar
15. Death scene: “Santa Baby” – Eartha Kitt (I don’t know if adressing Santa is the best plan when dying, but hey, at least it’s original)
16. Funeral song: :”Doo Wop (that thing)”- Lauryn Hill
17. End credits: ” I will survive”- Gloria Gaynor (Good ending credits music after all we’ve been through in this movie).

I know, I know I have been ignoring my blog. I am still looking for a real job and it gets me distracted. It also eats up a lot of your time. Writing letters, going on interviews, waiting for the call (in which they say you are, too smart, ambitious, not experienced enough etc..)It’s tiring. I signed up for SP10, but never heard anything about it, until today with a mail from my Secret Pal (Hi there!) and my own match. So first of all, the questions (or actually the answers to the questions). And later this week the knitting, because I have been knitting.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I don’t really like manmade fibers, acrylics or stuff like that. I don’t mind blends that have acrylics or manmade. I am quality over quantity person I guess. If I buy acrilycs I usually end up not using it! I love alpaca since it is so soft and warm what I find most important however is the feel and the texture…let’s say I like soft. 

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I made a needlecase (which you can see a few posts back), but they are usually “stored” in the couch, my yarnbasket/trunk or in unfinished or barely started projects. I have also proven to be to lazy to make a double pointed needle case which I actually do need because you have five instead of two needles which means that there is more to lose.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting fo almost three years. I have treid a lot of techniques at least once. I think I am of intermediate level even though I am able to do advanced stuff and at the same time making beginners mistakes from time to time.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No.

5. What’s your favorite scent?
I like oriental scents like amber, sandalwood, patchouli the heavy stuff. I don’t like vanilla or very flowery scents.

 
6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I don’t really have a sweet tooth except for licorice and anything that combines the flavours chocolate and mint. I don’t like raisins or fruit in chocolate and If I eat chocolate it is always of the dark and bitter variety.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I sew…sort of… But I have to say I don’t like anything crafty as much as knitting. Tried crochet, did not like it. Sewing is o.k. but I need a better machine and some time to learn it.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like a lot of music and have a very eclectic taste. It varies from classical to rap and from jazz to pop. Lately I have been listening a lot to Amy Whinehouse whose nightconcert I went to about a month ago in paradiso (Amsterdam) and to Jarvis of former Pulp fame (also went to that concert). With classical music I prefer piano over violin, dislike anything with an organ and love opera. I also like very kitschy music of the Shirley bassey, Barry manilow variety (if you know what I mean). And I am a total song person. I usually don’t listen to albums, but like certain songs (I always put my iTunes on shuffle).

9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?
Nothing to unnatural, anything neon I dislike as I do really harsh colours. I do like bright colours, but not too bright, they have to be slightly muted. I also don’t particularly like purple. I always tend to buy pink yarn while I don’t even like wearing pink. favorites are green, raspberry red, royal blue, olive green and quite natural muted tones. I don’t like lightblue.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live with my boyfriend and my cat Lola in an appartment in Amsterdam.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes,yes, yes, no. I am a very good scarf wearer, but I’ve never knitted a nice one for myself. I think they are quite tedious to knit.I also like hats as long as they are a bit girly or retro (like a beret).

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Sweaters and cardigans without a doubt. I haven’t knitted much of either lately, but I love to have a large item that you can actually wear as finished object.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Carolyn a retro striped cardigan form Spring Knitty, Ivy a wrap cardigan from a previous Knitty (swallowtail…although I haven;t knitted on that for a loooooooong time), the boyfriend sweater that I am never ever finishing, a scarf for my dad and Teva Durhams Tutleneck shrug.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Prefer bamboo or other wood (Which I don’t own but would like to own) and prefer circular when they are Addi’s, otherwise straight is fine.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
A year and a half..the dreaded boyfriend sweater.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I am a city girl and city trips are my favorite. I’ve already been to a lot of European city’s and once in New York. This year I hope to go to the Biennale in Venice, otherwise Paris (again). Cities that I still want to visit are: St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Rome,  San Francisco and many more.
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Not really…yarn? (and books)

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don’t have any subscriptions but love Interweave Knits. Bookwise I am really looking forward to Stephanie Japel’s Fitted Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

23. When is your birthday?

Rachel is ofcourse the name of my wonderfull SP9 and I am am really ashamed for posting pictures and thank you’s so late (I received her final package a week and a half ago! Shame on me!) .I was however busy with starting my new temp job, the positive thing I am not a secretary any more and don’t plan on being one ever again.Back to my sweet secret pal. I want to thank her for being so thoughtfull and especially for accepting me flaking out from time to time. I’ve really enjoyed chatting with you over e-mail which was as fun as being spoiled. So thank you!
Back to my presents, this is what I got:

A box of very nice chocolates (which my boyfriend keeps ogling), some Brittanny birch needles (no she didn’t sent me one, the rest I am testing out on a sock that probably will never be finished). And some lovely Texere Tweed yarn 3 skeins. Beautiful colour by the way!

I think it might be perfect for a felted bag of some sorts (maybe I’ll design it myself).
i can actually ride my bike to my new job which I am very pleased about (saves money and is excercize!). But my last bike was stolen which is what you get for living in Amsterdam. So I decided to buy a brand spanking new one instead of spending my money on some second hand wreck. To deterre thieves I had my boyfriend customize it a bit with..

ARGYLES ofcourse, the boy just can’t stope spray painting argyles, I love it!
Haven’t you been knitting you might ask…..well,yes I have, on this:

Evelyn Clark’s Swallotail lace shawl from fall 2006 Interweave knits. I am really enjoying it and I am using lifelines instead of frogging the thing three times and throwing it in the corner. Sounds better right? I haven’t touched Sienna or finished swatching for Venezia. Sometimes you just have to wait for the right time.

I kind of f*cked up Sienna the back was too short and I made a mistake in the ribbing. I frogged the right front and ripped back part of the back to re knit (no pictures I can’t face that just now). So I had to knit something new, something fast, something satisfying, something I had wanted for a long time…a beret!

Of course it was as always extremely difficult to take a picture of me with the beret on and not looking like an idiot.

Here it is from the back:

And here am I trying to pose as a proper member of the “resistance”:

But ofcourse the most photogenic person in my house had to steal my thunder (no not my cat!).

My beret appears to be quite multifunctional, one moment it’s french the next it’s military!

Specs:

Pattern:Beret Pattern from the Purl Bee .

Yarn:Rowan’s discontinued Yorkshire Tweed 4 ply in Graze.

Needles: Addi turbo circ 3mm

This was such a quick knit, it took one evening of knitting and that was it! It was easy and straightforward. I really like the fact that it incorporates a stem as in a classic beret. It is really too bad that this yarn is discontinued since it is beautifully flecked with colour and looks really tweedy (and according to my colleagues very not knitted looking, which in the world of non-knitters is a good thing!). The only thing I would change is that I would make it a bit longer and I would knit the ribbed border on smaller needles.

Apart from this I wanted to go to my favorite craftstore on saturday except it turned out I had no money due to a lot of bills to pay. So I postponed it to coming saturday. I decided to do something a lot more budget friendly. A friend told me abour a store where they sell cheap yarn, not expecting a lot I decided to go there instead. It turns out to be an old neighbourhood store run by three old ladies. They actually sell more haberdashery, but they seem to get shipments of yarn that is leftover. No fancy stuff but a lot of Phildar the great thing, it’s very cheap! I bought 10 skeins of:

Phildar Castel in Camel.Something like 30% wool and the rest is a bit of ‘ you know what’. It’s 144 yards a ball so it will make a nice sized cardy or sweater and it only cost me 10 euros. I am contemplating this .
Swatching for Venezia (I started a sleeve, hem is done, tonight finally the colourwork) pictures soon.

I feel a bit like Austin Powers, I felt like I lost my knitting mojo, but now it’s back. Remember the Endpaper mits I started over Christman. I finished the second one yesterday

They turned out perfect and I didn’t make any mistakes (well one tiny one, but I’m not telling). I tried to take a picture with my hands actually inside the mits which proved difficult.

Endpaper Mits
Pattern by Eunny Jang (click link)
Yarn: Drops Alpaca (one skein brown and one skein pink)
Needles: Addi bamboo DPN 2 mm and 3,5 mm

Overall this was a very good pattern. I really learned two stranded knitted and was amazed at my own hands and how they seemed to remember which strand belonged to what finger. I have also decided that in this being my second fair isle experience that it is something I really enjoy doing which is a good thing since I have 22 skeins of Alpaca waiting to be turned into the Venezia pullover. The yarn is lovely, very soft and very warm and in real life it has a little sheen. I would however combine one skein of alpaca and one skein of something else next time. Since it is so fuzzy the stitches aren’t that well defined which in this case would have been better looking. They do fit like a glove (well, like a mit).

I also started my next project yesterday

It’s the start of the Sienna Cardigan from fall 2006 Interweave knits. I didn’t even like it that much in the magazine, but I loved this one. I even like the yarn which is Phildar Partner and *shock%^&* horror! & GASP part acrylic. Oh well.

And just for fun

Aren’t we creative. My boyfriend started this painting yesterday and I think it’s really cool. Just imagine us cosily knitting and painting all day long…
Back to reality tommorow.

I was home with flue/ cold yesterday since I did not want to stay inside all day I decide to go outside to get some fabric to sew (yes, sew not knit) a case for my knitting needles. I’ve always liked the needle case pattern in the original Stitch and Bitch book. I just didn’t have a sewing machine or knew how to sew. Then I extorted this from my grandma (not like she’s using it)

Yes, it’s a sewing machine. A nice sturdy (and very retro looking) swedish made Husqvarna. Since this was my first sewing project I thought it turned out pretty good. I found some cool fabrics at my favorite fabric store that was sturdy enough.

This is a picture of it rolled.

Yes that is fabric with little bags printed on it. I thought it was very cute.

On the inside I used very ‘Dutch’ looking fabric (the blue and white) and some cute green squared fabric. For the top some simple plain white cotton.

On the white top flap I made a mistake. You can see it in the picture. I didn’t sew or cut straight and tried to correct it by cutting the fabric and re-sewing so that looks a bit strange. I might cover it up by sewing some other fabric over it, I don’t know yet.

I think it is very cute… hope you all like it too.

First of all Happy New Year, may it be a good one (and hopefully for me a better one than last)!

Since this is one of the first days I am at home during the day (light!!) I was able to take a picture of the (handspun!) yarn my Secret Pal sent me before Christmas:

It is actually a little pinker than it is in the picture. It’s also really soft! Here-s a closeup of the little hand written tag:

And while we are on the subject of yarn I might as well show you my christmas present that my dad gave me:

This is a big pile of Alpaca destined to become this:

Eunny Jang’s Venezia Pullover from the winter Interweave Knits . Needles to say I have to swatch before hand (I mean really swatcht!) I am not a big swatcher but on this one I guess I am going to knit a big swatch wash it, measure it etc.. before I start. I am also hoping that the colours will look good together.
I also shopped for my secret pal while I was in Bergen and ofcourse could not resist buying a little something for me as well:

I couldn’t resist the colour..Kermit anyone?