Winter wonderland coffee swap topic of the week

What is the ideal setting for enjoying the perfect cup of coffee? Who would be there - or would you be alone? Inside or out? Morning or night? With food or just the steaming cup of joe?

The perfect setting for a cup of coffee is an early Saturday morning in November. Misty and cold. I sit on my sofa look out of the window, listen to an audio book, drink the first cup of coffee of the day and knit. This is the most relaxing and most peaceful time of my week. Time to forget work and expect a nice and unstressfulo weekend.

On my free day....

...before I sat down at my desk and graded papers, I finished my pink tomato. I am sorry for the picture but it seems I am unable to take a sharp photo with just one hand. I used my fav yarn for it that I got from my secret pal (huge thanks again!). I think the colour suits me quite well. The pattern is straightforward as always and posed no problem.



Two days ago I did some Kool-Aid dyeing again. This time I used beige sock yarn (the one I also used for the mittens) and as a result the colours got more muted. The effect is really nice i think:




Why don't I get photos like that when I take pictures of myself- it is a mystery!

100th post and gifts

This is my 100th blogpost. I can't belive that I have written so much already!!! No knitting content this time, just some crafting. These are all gifts that I made for my Mum whose birthday it was last Monday. First of all I made this using the napkin technique:



Then I made her the sleeping mask from Amy Butler's "In stitches" that I got from my secret pal. I also used original Amy Butler fabric. It was my first attempt at quilting and I think it turned out ok. This is the front:



This is the back and the bag that I "designed" (too grand a word) to go with it:



Just a short one as I have to head back to school this afternoon. More knitting coming up soon!

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap Topic of the week

The Thursday upcoming is Thanksgiving in the U.S., so let's all - American and not alike! - just share a post with what it is we're thankful for. A wonderful thing to do any time of year, I thought it'd be a nice thing to share for this week with the group!

I am thankful for a lot of things in my life:

• my family who support me in everything I do and drive me everywhere!!
• my best friends (Tanja, Birgit, Ulf) whom I can call with any need at any time of the day and who listen to me patiently for hours
• my American sweetheart who changed my life a great deal and who made me into the person I am today (even though he is - again and alas - absent from my life at the moment)
• my stitch'n'bitch group for sharing a beautiful hobby
• Mr D who likes to eat the christmas cookie from last year and who pays me the most beautiful compliments at the right moment when I need them
• the internet that enables me to be in contact with the most amazing people all over the world

eye candy

I love this and am going to make tons more!!!


I got my last SP 11 package - again it is amazing!!! I want to get to my sewing machine asap!

WIPs

It seems like I'm too stupid to count until 28. I missed 8 rows on the second mitten by Bente B.



Anyhow, I am very pleased how the first one turned out! It fits perfectly. Well, the second one just has to be frogged for a couple of rows. I used plain sock yarn from Butinette and 2.5 mm needles for this project.



Obviously, I am into smocking right know!



And this is what I finished this weekend. A plain stockinette sock in Butinette "Toskana grün". I am not up to big and exciting projects at the moment, as I have a lot to do at school and this week was as crazy as the week before the holidays. I hope for a quieter next week.

back to work

First day of school after one week off - and I had a new pullover to show off. Everyone assked me if I made it myself, and I was proud to say "yes". This one is from this pattern and I used ggh Bel Air for it. I think it fits me better than the model :-)

Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap topic of the week

When did you first start drinking coffee? What age were you? Was it about the caffeine, or do you love the taste and smell? Tell us how your passion began!

I started to drink coffee at my first job. From the age of about 16 I worked as a temp (for 10 years on and off) in an office. I did all the jobs whre they needed help. From the second year on I replaced the personal secretary during her summer vacation. Of course, I had to make coffee as well. And as there were no other free beverages around, I started drinking the stuff and have since that day! I love everything about coffe, the smell, the taste, having a mug in your hand....

An anecdote connected with this:
Every time I went to get some coffee at this office there was only a little bit left at the bottom of the pot. After several times of brewing fresh one I came into the kitchen again - hardly any coffee left. My boss was there as well and I said very angrily as I had alot to do that day and already was on the edge: "Who the hell is too lazy to make fresh coffe and just leaves these drops of excuse in the pot?" My boss said with a grin: "Actually, I do that..." Ooooops. Well, I was 17 and I have to admit my coffee was way better than his!

TGIF

Yesterday night was one of those nights. At 11 pm I go to bed, I read, I eat, I turn of the lights....and I stay awake until 4 am. Sometimes sleep isn't my friend. Usually, when I am alone and worked all day and couldn't talk to my friends on the phone. Thank God it happens less often than it did during my studies. It is not nice. At all. Anyways, I got a lot of things done. I cleaned the flat, I ate and read some more. And I made this tissue holder after this tutorial:



As much as I hate plain stockinette, I started another project which will probably drive me nuts sooner or later. It is this sleevless pullover and I use ggh "Bel Air" for it. The yarn has a really nice texture and it knits pretty fast. The pattern doesn't specify the size so I am not exactly sure how this will fit me. Well, we'll see.



Margaret sent me these key covers in my monkey swap package. Isn't it cute? Today I attached them to my keys - how did you know that I desperately needed something like this?

Monkeys and cardigans

I have finished my cardigan and I am sooo proud! I think it turned out very well. I was afraid that I would run out of yarn before I had finished the second arm but I have half a skein left for a belt. But after taking this picture I think don't I need it. This solution looks much better! What do you think? Now I hope for really cold weather to wear this beauty.



Yesterday I got my "Monkey Sock Swap 3" package from Margaret. She sent the most amazing monkey stuff! You can see the socks in all their beauty on her blog. I already wore them to S'n'B last night. Thank you so much Margaret!!