Well, so I finished my cabled glove last night and I know now it's going to be my husbands'. It fitted him perfectly. I started to knit the one for me with some thinner maroon yarn found in my stash, but it didn't look nice so I'll look for another yarn or modify the pattern - I thought about casting on less stitches to make it smaller.
I was also commissioned by my husband to a very long (2 metres) white scarf, but he wants it to be very delicate so I thought about needles 2 or 3 and appropriately thin yarn. I'll update this project next week, because...
... as you know, I'm leaving for Sweden tomorrow morning, and I'll be away till Saturday evening. ^^
I found two yarn shops in Karlskrona, namely:
BLEKINGE HEMSLÖJD (they sell Garnstudio Drops Design products)
Borgmästarekajen 10
371 34 Karlskrona
Tel: 0455-102 37 Fax: 0455-174 64
and
Cikoria (they sell Rowan products)
Borgmastaregatan 4,
371 31. Karlskrona
Tel: (0455) 84260
Have you ever used their yarns?
I'm going to visit them and look for interesting pattern books and maybe knitting accessories, like eg.: markers (I can't find them in Poland...)
I'm taking my checkered scarf with me, I hope it will grow considerably (I'll travel by train for 5 hours from Warsaw where I live to Gdynia, where we get the ferry.) ^^
Last night I had my third Hindu dancing class and, regardless of what I said before, I'm thinking about continuing to go (it also depends on my budget, I'm afraid...) I started to think about it as a challenge - I am such a couch potato and suddenly I surprised my body with not one, but two difficult dance classes (Hindu and belly dance), so maybe it's worth to try harder and keep practicing, it can only get better, ne? ^^ But to keep the pace I must find time to practice at home the mudras and combinations of feet and hand movements, because they have to be automatic. Well... Next week I'm taking my sari with me 'cause we were asked to have long skirts for a dance. ^^
I'm leaving you with my question about the three lace pieces I knitted:
advice, please!
Any ideas?
See you on Saturday!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Help me, I'm stupid!
Okay, totally not knitting-related, but blog-related...
Could someone enlighten me, how I can answer your comments left to my posts?
I went through Blogger's Help, but found nothing, so it must be sooo obvious that I cannot see it!... I found some e-mails to you girls on your profiles/blogs, but some of you have private profiles and there's no way I can reply to your lovely comments or answer your questions...
Please, help! #_@
Could someone enlighten me, how I can answer your comments left to my posts?
I went through Blogger's Help, but found nothing, so it must be sooo obvious that I cannot see it!... I found some e-mails to you girls on your profiles/blogs, but some of you have private profiles and there's no way I can reply to your lovely comments or answer your questions...
Please, help! #_@
I can knit gloves! (at least one...^^)
So, of course I didn't stick to the plan and started knitting something completely off my list, but, well... ^^
Let my proudly present my first knitted glove!
(According to the pattern by Kimberly)
Okay, it's not a proper glove, because it has no fingers - or rather half a thumb, so you should call it a wrist-and-thumb-and-half-of-the-fingers-warmer ^^, but anyway... It IS my FIRST glove!
Desi asked about the yarn - I don't know whether you ever used this one, but it's a Turkish yarn calles Jasmin, 50% wool/50% acrylic, 100m/50g, very soft one. I bought it at my local supplier (very small yarn shop at my local market place, filled with different yarns in EVERY possible space!... ^^).
I know, it's black so you can't see much (it's so difficult to take a good photo of a black thing), but it's a perfect fingerless cabled glove! ^^ Well, it still needs a thumb (you can see the pink yarn where it goes - let it be the March contribution for Project Spectrum... ;-> ), and frankly speaking I had a moment of hesitation when I was just about to knit the thumb gusset... I had to figure out the description in the pattern, but when I started it all went very smoothly.
Now, the problem is... it's a bit too big for me!... And I even used needles 3,5 mm, and in the pattern Kimberly suggested 4 mm. I'm going to knit another pair but using thinner yarn and we'll see. So, either they will go to my husband (when they are both finished), or I have my first Christmas gift ready - am I an early bird or what?!... ^^
I took photos of things around my house that match the March red and pink theme for Project Spectrum, enjoy!
Let my proudly present my first knitted glove!
(According to the pattern by Kimberly)
Okay, it's not a proper glove, because it has no fingers - or rather half a thumb, so you should call it a wrist-and-thumb-and-half-of-the-fingers-warmer ^^, but anyway... It IS my FIRST glove!
Desi asked about the yarn - I don't know whether you ever used this one, but it's a Turkish yarn calles Jasmin, 50% wool/50% acrylic, 100m/50g, very soft one. I bought it at my local supplier (very small yarn shop at my local market place, filled with different yarns in EVERY possible space!... ^^).
I know, it's black so you can't see much (it's so difficult to take a good photo of a black thing), but it's a perfect fingerless cabled glove! ^^ Well, it still needs a thumb (you can see the pink yarn where it goes - let it be the March contribution for Project Spectrum... ;-> ), and frankly speaking I had a moment of hesitation when I was just about to knit the thumb gusset... I had to figure out the description in the pattern, but when I started it all went very smoothly.
Now, the problem is... it's a bit too big for me!... And I even used needles 3,5 mm, and in the pattern Kimberly suggested 4 mm. I'm going to knit another pair but using thinner yarn and we'll see. So, either they will go to my husband (when they are both finished), or I have my first Christmas gift ready - am I an early bird or what?!... ^^
I took photos of things around my house that match the March red and pink theme for Project Spectrum, enjoy!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
What to knit?
I feel tempted to knit something more "serious" than scarves and capes, so I bought April issue of some Polish knitting magazine and found there four very nice designs:
I love the green one and the chocolate brown one, white one is interesting, and the red one - I had in mind a design similar to this one, so I probably try to alter the pattern and base my desired jumper on it.
Which one would you knit? ^^
And do you remember my question about the three lace pieces I knitted?
advice, please!
I'm blocking them now and I want to transform them into something.
Thank you, Lobstah and Desi for your suggestions. Any more ideas?
I love the green one and the chocolate brown one, white one is interesting, and the red one - I had in mind a design similar to this one, so I probably try to alter the pattern and base my desired jumper on it.
Which one would you knit? ^^
And do you remember my question about the three lace pieces I knitted?
advice, please!
I'm blocking them now and I want to transform them into something.
Thank you, Lobstah and Desi for your suggestions. Any more ideas?
Friday, March 24, 2006
Project Spectrum - life in colours
I love those first days of Spring when you can see first shy attempts at wearing shorter jackets, lighter coats... The air is already different, the sun warmer... ^^
Finally, Project Spectrum page was up and I joined celebration of colours! ^^ I also enlisted for a Postcard Swap, and today I received an e-mail of my first PS pal Evelyn (Hi, Evelyn! - in case you read this... ^^). You can find her blog here --> brnwebgrrl
I will write to her today to introduce myself and exchange our snail mail addresses, and I must say I already have an idea of a nice April yellow and orange postcard, which I hope Evelyn likes! ^^
Last evening I had my belly dancing class and we were shown the most difficult move so far - the magical shimmy!... You do that by extremely quick moves of the alternating knees (or one knee, if it's neccessary for a dance move), and because of that your thighs, bum and belly just shiver like crazy. Of course, at first we couldn't repeat this movement AT ALL!... But then our wonderful teacher said she was practicing this for six months before she grasped the idea, so we were relieved and tried to do our best.
Last night I didn't know how to even initiate the movement, but this morning I accidentally started to sway my knees and it seems this is it! ^^ Now I have to practice the speed, well...
I found a bright pink yarn in my stash and last night I started the next coif. This one may be counted as my contribution to Project Spectrum's March colour scheme - PINK. But I must finish it first (it'll happen soon, because it's a very quick project), and I'm planning to add some red flowers along the edge. Photos soon!
And last, but not least, let me show you my brand new Spring leather gloves! ^^
Oh, I sooooo love this colour!...
Finally, Project Spectrum page was up and I joined celebration of colours! ^^ I also enlisted for a Postcard Swap, and today I received an e-mail of my first PS pal Evelyn (Hi, Evelyn! - in case you read this... ^^). You can find her blog here --> brnwebgrrl
I will write to her today to introduce myself and exchange our snail mail addresses, and I must say I already have an idea of a nice April yellow and orange postcard, which I hope Evelyn likes! ^^
Last evening I had my belly dancing class and we were shown the most difficult move so far - the magical shimmy!... You do that by extremely quick moves of the alternating knees (or one knee, if it's neccessary for a dance move), and because of that your thighs, bum and belly just shiver like crazy. Of course, at first we couldn't repeat this movement AT ALL!... But then our wonderful teacher said she was practicing this for six months before she grasped the idea, so we were relieved and tried to do our best.
Last night I didn't know how to even initiate the movement, but this morning I accidentally started to sway my knees and it seems this is it! ^^ Now I have to practice the speed, well...
I found a bright pink yarn in my stash and last night I started the next coif. This one may be counted as my contribution to Project Spectrum's March colour scheme - PINK. But I must finish it first (it'll happen soon, because it's a very quick project), and I'm planning to add some red flowers along the edge. Photos soon!
And last, but not least, let me show you my brand new Spring leather gloves! ^^
Oh, I sooooo love this colour!...
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Black and other shades of green
As promised, I finished the coif last night and here is me in my new headdress! ^^
Although it was only a swatch, because this was the only colour in the required weight I had at home, so I'm going to buy some pinky yarn (maybe today?...^^), and knit another one. And this one is going to go under further development, because I want to add some white lace and maybe flowers to it to make it look more like Gothic Lolita style.
I also took a picture of the black cape I made as a commission (still no button, must get it today).
And inspired by the beautiful green yarn of Terhi's, I decided to find some similar shade of green and knit a green cape for me. BTW, I decided to alter the pattern a bit, because I don't like the idea having decreases lines not on my shoulders but on my back (that's what you come up with according to the pattern). So I changed it a bit and I'm going to try the new version to see if it works.
I've been trying to apply for Project Spectrum for several days now, but their webpage doesn't work... Does anybody know what's going on? I came across this site and looked briefly through the rules of Postcard Swap, and I'd love to join but I cannot access them now. Well...
Although it was only a swatch, because this was the only colour in the required weight I had at home, so I'm going to buy some pinky yarn (maybe today?...^^), and knit another one. And this one is going to go under further development, because I want to add some white lace and maybe flowers to it to make it look more like Gothic Lolita style.
I also took a picture of the black cape I made as a commission (still no button, must get it today).
And inspired by the beautiful green yarn of Terhi's, I decided to find some similar shade of green and knit a green cape for me. BTW, I decided to alter the pattern a bit, because I don't like the idea having decreases lines not on my shoulders but on my back (that's what you come up with according to the pattern). So I changed it a bit and I'm going to try the new version to see if it works.
I've been trying to apply for Project Spectrum for several days now, but their webpage doesn't work... Does anybody know what's going on? I came across this site and looked briefly through the rules of Postcard Swap, and I'd love to join but I cannot access them now. Well...
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Wheat, mudras, coif and liquorice
Oh, my hair smell of honey and wheat, yummy... ^^ I've just started my intensive hair treatment with a proffessional hairdressers' conditioner that you keep for 15-30 minutes on your hair and then rinse off. I hope that'll help to improve my hair, application is a nice experience in the first place! ^-^
I had my second Hindu dance class this evening and... I still don't like it!...
I mean, I like the dance itself, it's beautiful, and graceful, and women dancing look like goddesses, but I don't like the way the girl teaches us. She shows us a set of steps, and when I say "a set of steps", I mean complicated feet moves accompanied by mudras changes and hand waves at the same time!... OMG! She shows us the moves, then we repeat four times in a normal beginner pace one-two-one-two, and then suddenly the teacher starts ti-ti-ti-ti-ta-ta-ta-ta... and we are supposed to follow!... And then she says that during the class we should only see the steps and remeber them, and then practice them at home to master the moves! Well...
I paid for three classes, so I'll go one more time and then I'll give it a serious thought, because it was supposed to be fun and it isn't. It's just desperately trying to keep pace with the teacher, and I don't want to do like other girls who attend the class - they are so tired and confused that they just sit against the wall and watch the rest. I'l keep you posted on this topic.
My checkered scarf is doing fine, I added three rows last night, but it's still a long way to go!...
I also finished black cape, pictures soon, when I have a nice button to sew on it.
Just before I left for my dance class, I've started to knit something quick and funny - a coif.
I had only black yarn in the weight required, but if I like the result, I may buy some nice colour and knit another one. Just a short piece for now, but I'll be knitting this tonight so tomorrow I might as well show you the finished coif! ^^
The reason I'm doing this is I need something to keep my ears warm while being on a trip to... Sweden next weekend! ^^ I'm sooooo happy! We are going to travel by ferry from Gdynia to Karlskrona on Thursday evening, then we'll spend a whole day there (Friday), and then go back to be in Poland on Saturday morning. I love Sweden, I love kotbullars, and liquorice, and mooses everywhere, and sweets of million kinds sold per kilos, (and my husband loves cider! ^^). They have and incredible Marine Museum in Karlskrona which we've already seen once last Autumn, but we are definitely going to visit it once more, especially because we are going with two couples and one of them never went there.
I wonder if there are any good yarn shops in Karlskrona... ^^
Swedish knitters, please help! ^-^
I had my second Hindu dance class this evening and... I still don't like it!...
I mean, I like the dance itself, it's beautiful, and graceful, and women dancing look like goddesses, but I don't like the way the girl teaches us. She shows us a set of steps, and when I say "a set of steps", I mean complicated feet moves accompanied by mudras changes and hand waves at the same time!... OMG! She shows us the moves, then we repeat four times in a normal beginner pace one-two-one-two, and then suddenly the teacher starts ti-ti-ti-ti-ta-ta-ta-ta... and we are supposed to follow!... And then she says that during the class we should only see the steps and remeber them, and then practice them at home to master the moves! Well...
I paid for three classes, so I'll go one more time and then I'll give it a serious thought, because it was supposed to be fun and it isn't. It's just desperately trying to keep pace with the teacher, and I don't want to do like other girls who attend the class - they are so tired and confused that they just sit against the wall and watch the rest. I'l keep you posted on this topic.
My checkered scarf is doing fine, I added three rows last night, but it's still a long way to go!...
I also finished black cape, pictures soon, when I have a nice button to sew on it.
Just before I left for my dance class, I've started to knit something quick and funny - a coif.
I had only black yarn in the weight required, but if I like the result, I may buy some nice colour and knit another one. Just a short piece for now, but I'll be knitting this tonight so tomorrow I might as well show you the finished coif! ^^
The reason I'm doing this is I need something to keep my ears warm while being on a trip to... Sweden next weekend! ^^ I'm sooooo happy! We are going to travel by ferry from Gdynia to Karlskrona on Thursday evening, then we'll spend a whole day there (Friday), and then go back to be in Poland on Saturday morning. I love Sweden, I love kotbullars, and liquorice, and mooses everywhere, and sweets of million kinds sold per kilos, (and my husband loves cider! ^^). They have and incredible Marine Museum in Karlskrona which we've already seen once last Autumn, but we are definitely going to visit it once more, especially because we are going with two couples and one of them never went there.
I wonder if there are any good yarn shops in Karlskrona... ^^
Swedish knitters, please help! ^-^
Monday, March 20, 2006
ADVICE, PLEASE!!!
I desperately need your advice on the following project:
I knitted three panels in this beautiful lace pattern (they're now finished, the photo shows the previous stage), they are about 70 cm long and 20 cm wide each. They are so short, because I ran out of a yarn (I had several old skeins of each colour from somewhere and there is no way I could buy more of the same colours now!...).
I thought I would sew them together along the longer sides and make a kind of a shawl, but it'll be too short even to hang on my shoulders. Then I thought about sewing them together along the shorter sides and make a 2-metre scarf, but I think this lace pattern needs more exposure than just being wrapped titghly around the neck.
And now I'm completely lost...
Any ideas, anyone?
I knitted three panels in this beautiful lace pattern (they're now finished, the photo shows the previous stage), they are about 70 cm long and 20 cm wide each. They are so short, because I ran out of a yarn (I had several old skeins of each colour from somewhere and there is no way I could buy more of the same colours now!...).
I thought I would sew them together along the longer sides and make a kind of a shawl, but it'll be too short even to hang on my shoulders. Then I thought about sewing them together along the shorter sides and make a 2-metre scarf, but I think this lace pattern needs more exposure than just being wrapped titghly around the neck.
And now I'm completely lost...
Any ideas, anyone?
Scarf frenzy! ^^
First things first: last Saturday I started to knit a checkered scarf (my meant-to-be dpns project...) and here is the result so far (I know the squares are not as flat as they should be, but this is my first double-coloured project so I still don't have the "feeling" of how much tension I should use and how much yarn should be left on the wrong side of a fabric when I switch colors; well, it'll come with time, I guess...). When it's long enough (I still haven't decided about the length, but it should be long enough to wrap around my neck and hand on either sides reaching my thighs, maybe... so, 2 metres? ^-^), I'll sew it into a tube and add a fringe.
A also worked on a commisionned black cape, in fact it goes quicker than I expected - I already have half done! Yatta! ^^ And the yarn is incredibly soft!... It's a fifty-fifty mixture of wool and acrylic. In fact, I love the idea of knitting something like that on a circulars, it's very easy to handle.
And here is my finished red mohair cape:
Now, something completely different (or maybe not?... ^^)...
Here is a collection of my scarves and ties. I counted them today and I have 29... TWENTY NINE?!... Can you believe it?... And not that I'm going to stop buying them whenever there is a chance to get something nice...
Am I a scarf freak, or what?... ^^
Some of them, of course, are my favourites, like the Hindu patterns, but I wear them all more or less frequent. The last one is my latest knitted creation, to match my moss-green army coat.
Looks like I have a lot? My collection grows! ^^
A also worked on a commisionned black cape, in fact it goes quicker than I expected - I already have half done! Yatta! ^^ And the yarn is incredibly soft!... It's a fifty-fifty mixture of wool and acrylic. In fact, I love the idea of knitting something like that on a circulars, it's very easy to handle.
And here is my finished red mohair cape:
Now, something completely different (or maybe not?... ^^)...
Here is a collection of my scarves and ties. I counted them today and I have 29... TWENTY NINE?!... Can you believe it?... And not that I'm going to stop buying them whenever there is a chance to get something nice...
Am I a scarf freak, or what?... ^^
Some of them, of course, are my favourites, like the Hindu patterns, but I wear them all more or less frequent. The last one is my latest knitted creation, to match my moss-green army coat.
Looks like I have a lot? My collection grows! ^^
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Knitting along...
Yesterday I had some time alone at home - only me and our kitty. So, I put the face mask on, put on some hindu raga music (I love Ravi Shankar playing!), meditated for some time and relaxed a lot! Highly recommended! ^^
Last night was St.Patrick's Day and although I'm not a big fan of Irish traditions it was a chance to meet with our friends and have a glass of green beer! ^^ I baked some bread and prepared hot supper, and we had a great time.
I've finished the cape but cannot show you the photo because my husband went for a battle reenactment this morning and took our camera with him (we are medieval reenactors ^^). But it's done and today I'm starting another one, in black this time, because I was commissioned by some friend.
Last night I also started the checkered scarf, and it's no longer a dpns project... I tried, but handling dpns and changing colours every five stitches was just too much for me! I switched to circulars, but 80 cm was too long for just 80 stitches cast-on, so finally I'm knitting on straight needles and I'm going to sew the tube after I've finished the whole scarf. Pattern soon! (for anyone interested ;->)
And I'm really seriously thinking about knitting a pair of socks (or, at least, one sock to see whether I can do it or not! ^^). I have several balls of colourful yarns (mixes) which can be used as a training material.
Hope to find some time today to practice bellydance steps and mudras for my hindu dancing classes! ^^
Last night was St.Patrick's Day and although I'm not a big fan of Irish traditions it was a chance to meet with our friends and have a glass of green beer! ^^ I baked some bread and prepared hot supper, and we had a great time.
I've finished the cape but cannot show you the photo because my husband went for a battle reenactment this morning and took our camera with him (we are medieval reenactors ^^). But it's done and today I'm starting another one, in black this time, because I was commissioned by some friend.
Last night I also started the checkered scarf, and it's no longer a dpns project... I tried, but handling dpns and changing colours every five stitches was just too much for me! I switched to circulars, but 80 cm was too long for just 80 stitches cast-on, so finally I'm knitting on straight needles and I'm going to sew the tube after I've finished the whole scarf. Pattern soon! (for anyone interested ;->)
And I'm really seriously thinking about knitting a pair of socks (or, at least, one sock to see whether I can do it or not! ^^). I have several balls of colourful yarns (mixes) which can be used as a training material.
Hope to find some time today to practice bellydance steps and mudras for my hindu dancing classes! ^^
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Belly dancing! ^^
I've just had my fourth bellydancing class and I'm still in love with it! ^^
I know several steps now, we were practicing hands accompanying the hip moves - it's rather difficult so I'm going to practice at home everyday in front of a mirror to observe whether I'm making the right gestures.
As far as knitting, mohair cape is growing, as you can see on the sidebar of my blog.
And I have a new idea! ^^ I want to try double-colour knitting so I want to make a checkered black and white scarf, on a dpns so it won't have the wrong side, it will be a kind of a tube, flattened at the ends. Winter is almost over but I'll make it for the next cold season! ^^
And I looked through my yarn supplies and decided to sell some of them because I'll never ever use some of the colours. In this way I'll make some space for some new wonderful yarns! ^^ Am I clever or what?... "->
Tomorrow I'm going to sew something at last (plans, plans...).
I know several steps now, we were practicing hands accompanying the hip moves - it's rather difficult so I'm going to practice at home everyday in front of a mirror to observe whether I'm making the right gestures.
As far as knitting, mohair cape is growing, as you can see on the sidebar of my blog.
And I have a new idea! ^^ I want to try double-colour knitting so I want to make a checkered black and white scarf, on a dpns so it won't have the wrong side, it will be a kind of a tube, flattened at the ends. Winter is almost over but I'll make it for the next cold season! ^^
And I looked through my yarn supplies and decided to sell some of them because I'll never ever use some of the colours. In this way I'll make some space for some new wonderful yarns! ^^ Am I clever or what?... "->
Tomorrow I'm going to sew something at last (plans, plans...).
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Hindu dancing?...
Last night I had my first Kalaripayattu dance class.
Surprise, surprise... I didn't like it! ><
First, it doesn't have much in common with this ancient martial art, because the teacher told us she will be teaching hindu folk dances with some elements of bollywood dances. So, I have no idea why they put the name Kalaripayattu in the description of the course.
Second, she started with a short but VERY strenuous warm-up, then she went quickly through several mudras (hand gestures), and started to teach us several dance step sets, each one practised maybe twice or three times. And then we had to create a circle and dance the whole choreography!... OMG! We were making milions mistakes, bumping at each other, trying to figure out the steps looking at her... It didn't make much sense to me apart from the fact, that I got SO EXTREMELY TIRED after only one hour that I thought I won't survive till the end of the class (another 30 minutes).
I know that for the teacher all those steps are obvious and well-known, and she is very fit so she can dance for a long time without a rest, but it's not the case for her students!... I payed for the next two classes (till the end of March), but for now I am seriously thinking about quitting this and sticking only to bellydancing classes, (which I love!!! and can manage a single class!...^^).
On to knitting now:
Last night I started to knit a beautiful shoulder-warmer designed by Christine . I made the first part, (you can see below), and now I have to make four markers (because I don't have them, I've only knitted once with a marker and only one was needed) and I'll start knitting the rest. I love the deep red colour of the yarn I found for this project! (My stash is enormous and it seems that I can always find some interesting yarn when I dig deep enough!... ^^)
And I got the message from my Aunt that she will give me 10 knitting needles and one set of dpns she doesn't need anymore! Yatta! ^^ Getting different size needles for free is always an advantage, ne?
Surprise, surprise... I didn't like it! ><
First, it doesn't have much in common with this ancient martial art, because the teacher told us she will be teaching hindu folk dances with some elements of bollywood dances. So, I have no idea why they put the name Kalaripayattu in the description of the course.
Second, she started with a short but VERY strenuous warm-up, then she went quickly through several mudras (hand gestures), and started to teach us several dance step sets, each one practised maybe twice or three times. And then we had to create a circle and dance the whole choreography!... OMG! We were making milions mistakes, bumping at each other, trying to figure out the steps looking at her... It didn't make much sense to me apart from the fact, that I got SO EXTREMELY TIRED after only one hour that I thought I won't survive till the end of the class (another 30 minutes).
I know that for the teacher all those steps are obvious and well-known, and she is very fit so she can dance for a long time without a rest, but it's not the case for her students!... I payed for the next two classes (till the end of March), but for now I am seriously thinking about quitting this and sticking only to bellydancing classes, (which I love!!! and can manage a single class!...^^).
On to knitting now:
Last night I started to knit a beautiful shoulder-warmer designed by Christine . I made the first part, (you can see below), and now I have to make four markers (because I don't have them, I've only knitted once with a marker and only one was needed) and I'll start knitting the rest. I love the deep red colour of the yarn I found for this project! (My stash is enormous and it seems that I can always find some interesting yarn when I dig deep enough!... ^^)
And I got the message from my Aunt that she will give me 10 knitting needles and one set of dpns she doesn't need anymore! Yatta! ^^ Getting different size needles for free is always an advantage, ne?
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Free at last!
Free from workers redecorating our small 1 m per 1 m toilet!...
It took them 9 days, can you imagine?!... And we even had to cancel our Saturday party, because the place was almost impossible to use... But last night, (yes, it was 11:30!) they finally finished. I mean, we still have to paint the ceiling and the door ourselves (sic!), but at least major work is done.
Here are the photos of the work progress.
Day 1
Pink walls, arrrrghhh!...
Day 3
Glue on the walls, getting ready for tiles.
Day 5
Some tiles ready, still lots to be done!
Day 10 (today)
Fully functional at last! (Our kitty is happy, too. Her "toilet" went back where it belonged, she was a bit confused when she had to look for it in the kitchen... ^^).
I wanted to show you the Cleaves in progress, but... I managed to finish it last night! Yatta! ^^
I used different violets, as you can see the cowl has three mixtures of violet shades.
So, here are the photos showing three ways of wearing this unusual sweater (please disregard my not-too-perfect figure...)
Sleeves upside-down, cowl covering boobs (if you make the cowl longer, it can even cover the body till waistline or hips) :
Sleeves as shown on the original, but the cowl standing upwards (not folded) :
What I like about this sweater is the fact that it can be worn in many different ways. And I love long cuffs that almost cover my fingers. My first dpns project, I thought it would be more difficult, but it wasn't! (I am a knitter since November 2005 so I try many things for the FIRST time! ^^).
Already planning the next projects (soon to be seen on the sidebar), but I have one picture ready.
I started this turtleneck in December, then I had my hand injured and couldn't knit for two months, and now I'm thinking about continuing. But it's not something that can be knitted over the weekend, I tell you!...
This is the pattern from some Polish knitting magazine:
And this is my yarn and the first part (acrylic mohair, 520 m/100g, done on needles nr 2/US 0...):
I love the colour, but it takes soooo much time to make a row or two!...
We'll see about that because I have several other projects on my mind right now, so I might knit it from time to time till next Winter. ^^
It took them 9 days, can you imagine?!... And we even had to cancel our Saturday party, because the place was almost impossible to use... But last night, (yes, it was 11:30!) they finally finished. I mean, we still have to paint the ceiling and the door ourselves (sic!), but at least major work is done.
Here are the photos of the work progress.
Day 1
Pink walls, arrrrghhh!...
Day 3
Glue on the walls, getting ready for tiles.
Day 5
Some tiles ready, still lots to be done!
Day 10 (today)
Fully functional at last! (Our kitty is happy, too. Her "toilet" went back where it belonged, she was a bit confused when she had to look for it in the kitchen... ^^).
I wanted to show you the Cleaves in progress, but... I managed to finish it last night! Yatta! ^^
I used different violets, as you can see the cowl has three mixtures of violet shades.
So, here are the photos showing three ways of wearing this unusual sweater (please disregard my not-too-perfect figure...)
Sleeves upside-down, cowl covering boobs (if you make the cowl longer, it can even cover the body till waistline or hips) :
Sleeves as shown on the original, but the cowl standing upwards (not folded) :
What I like about this sweater is the fact that it can be worn in many different ways. And I love long cuffs that almost cover my fingers. My first dpns project, I thought it would be more difficult, but it wasn't! (I am a knitter since November 2005 so I try many things for the FIRST time! ^^).
Already planning the next projects (soon to be seen on the sidebar), but I have one picture ready.
I started this turtleneck in December, then I had my hand injured and couldn't knit for two months, and now I'm thinking about continuing. But it's not something that can be knitted over the weekend, I tell you!...
This is the pattern from some Polish knitting magazine:
And this is my yarn and the first part (acrylic mohair, 520 m/100g, done on needles nr 2/US 0...):
I love the colour, but it takes soooo much time to make a row or two!...
We'll see about that because I have several other projects on my mind right now, so I might knit it from time to time till next Winter. ^^
Monday, March 13, 2006
All the things great and small
Today I've finally closed my company I started in 2004 and had for about a year...
To cut the long story short, I decided to open a shop with my best friend, I registered a company, we chose the type of goods (gothic clothing and accessories), we found a place and opened a shop, we quarrelled over the way it should be handled/the stuff we were selling/the customer care, we closed in June last year.
We are still very good friends, lucky for us!
So, till now I had to wait for all the paper work to be finished, my VAT tax overpayment to be payed back by the State, and today I signed the last piece of paper saying that my company is no more...
It's all a bit sad, but at least I tried! (my Mom was saying I should change the profile, start selling sth else, but I didn't want to!) Good news is I kept my shop on the Web and still selling more or less successfully up till now! ^^ You can visit at www.AtelierBizarre.com
What's on my needles nowadays?
I'm sure you've seen beautiful Cleaves from knitty.com.
Because I'm having my toilet redecorated I have to sit at home with the workers, so I decided to start this unusual project and in fact I've almost finished it!
This was my first choice of yarns:
I wasn't too sure about the one in the middle because it looked too red in comparison to the rest, but in the end it turned out that I only used dark violets combined with thin lilac yarn. I have two sleeves ready and today I'm making the cowl - I think because I will run out of thin lilac soon, I'll combine dark violet with light violet to finish the cowl.
Picture soon!
BTW, it was my first time using dpns and... I like them very much! Even better than circulars. No seam is a great plus! ^^
Another good news today - I just got a message that my Kalaripayattu dance classes start tomorrow evening! Im soooo excited, I have no idea how you can dance Kalaripayattu moves, it's an martial art, for goodness sake!... But anyway, I'm sooo looking forward to this, together with my bellydancing classes I have on Thursdays they will introduce some movement into my on-a-coach-with-needles life! ^^
To cut the long story short, I decided to open a shop with my best friend, I registered a company, we chose the type of goods (gothic clothing and accessories), we found a place and opened a shop, we quarrelled over the way it should be handled/the stuff we were selling/the customer care, we closed in June last year.
We are still very good friends, lucky for us!
So, till now I had to wait for all the paper work to be finished, my VAT tax overpayment to be payed back by the State, and today I signed the last piece of paper saying that my company is no more...
It's all a bit sad, but at least I tried! (my Mom was saying I should change the profile, start selling sth else, but I didn't want to!) Good news is I kept my shop on the Web and still selling more or less successfully up till now! ^^ You can visit at www.AtelierBizarre.com
What's on my needles nowadays?
I'm sure you've seen beautiful Cleaves from knitty.com.
Because I'm having my toilet redecorated I have to sit at home with the workers, so I decided to start this unusual project and in fact I've almost finished it!
This was my first choice of yarns:
I wasn't too sure about the one in the middle because it looked too red in comparison to the rest, but in the end it turned out that I only used dark violets combined with thin lilac yarn. I have two sleeves ready and today I'm making the cowl - I think because I will run out of thin lilac soon, I'll combine dark violet with light violet to finish the cowl.
Picture soon!
BTW, it was my first time using dpns and... I like them very much! Even better than circulars. No seam is a great plus! ^^
Another good news today - I just got a message that my Kalaripayattu dance classes start tomorrow evening! Im soooo excited, I have no idea how you can dance Kalaripayattu moves, it's an martial art, for goodness sake!... But anyway, I'm sooo looking forward to this, together with my bellydancing classes I have on Thursdays they will introduce some movement into my on-a-coach-with-needles life! ^^
Books in 2006
I've decided to put down all the books I've read and I'm going to read throughout the year 2006 (just to see how my literary tastes change). I will also give them grades from 1 to 5.
(current readings are visible on my sidebar):
1. Lian Hearn "Across the Nightingale Floor" 4
2. Lian Hearn "On the Bed of Grass" 3
3. Zenkei Shibayama "A Flower Does Not Talk. Zen Essays" 4
4. Marcin Bruczkowski "Singapu, czwarta rano" (Singapore, 4 a.m.) 4
5. Yoshimoto Banana "Tsugumi" 5
6. Sondra Fraleigh "Dancing into Darkness:Butoh, Zen and Japan" 4
7. Amelie Nothomb "Stupeur et tremblemets" 3
8. Amelie Nothomb "Metaphysique des tubes" 3
9. Haruki Murakami "Suputoniku-no koibito" 4
10. Joanna Chmielewska "Kretka Blada" 3
11. Haruki Murakami "Dansu, dansu, dansu" 4
12. Yasunari Kawabata "Nemureru bijo. Senbazuru" 5
13. Joanna Chmielewska "Ksiazka poniekad kucharska" 4
14. Dan Brown "The Da Vinci Code" 2
15. Tobiasz W. Lipny "Barocco" 4
16. David Schickler "Kissing in Manhattan" 4
17. Haruki Murakami "Norwegian Wood" 5
18. Haruki Murakami "A Wild Sheep Chase" 5
19. Lian Hearn "In the Moonlight" 2
20. ed. M. Taniguchi, A. Watanuki "Swiat z papieru i stali. Okruchy Japonii" 3,5
21. Natsuo Kirino "Out" 6
22. Grigorij Szach "Nie bylo smutniejszej historii na swiecie" 4
23. ed. "Steps into the Unknown. Sci-fi Anthology" 3
24. Lisa See "Snow Flower and the secret fan" 6
25. Anna Brzezinska "Waters Deep as the Sky" 3
26. Wit Szostak "Shattered Mountain Tops" 6
27. Olga Lipińska "My everyday diary" 5
28. Henryk Kurta "Day of the Red Giant" 3
29. A. Szarlat, E. Szymanska "Gods of Our Planet's" 3
30. Haruki Murakami "All the God's Children Dance" 5
31. Kenzaburo Oe "It's Personal" 4,5
32. Haruki Murakami "The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland" 5
33. Jacek Matela "Polish Feng Shui" 2
My husband's list:
1. Lian Hearn "Across the Nightingale Floor" 4
2. Lian Hearn "On the Bed of Grass" 4
3. Lian Hearn "In the Moonlight"2
4. Marcin Bruczkowski "Singapu, czwarta rano" ("Singapore, 4 a.m.") 5
5. Amelie Nothomb "Metaphysique des tubes" 4
6. Haruki Murakami "Suputoniku-no koibito" 3
7. Douglas Adams "Restaurant at the End of the World" 3
8. Feliks W. Kres "Tarcza Szerni" ("The Shield of Shernia's") 4
9. Thor Hayerdahl "Z kontynentu na kontynent" ("Early Man and the Ocean")
10. A&S Strugaccy "Pora Deszczów" ("The Rainy Season") 5
11. Phillip K. Dick "Paszcza Wieloryba" 2
12. Robert Heinlein "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners" 4
13.
(current readings are visible on my sidebar):
1. Lian Hearn "Across the Nightingale Floor" 4
2. Lian Hearn "On the Bed of Grass" 3
3. Zenkei Shibayama "A Flower Does Not Talk. Zen Essays" 4
4. Marcin Bruczkowski "Singapu, czwarta rano" (Singapore, 4 a.m.) 4
5. Yoshimoto Banana "Tsugumi" 5
6. Sondra Fraleigh "Dancing into Darkness:Butoh, Zen and Japan" 4
7. Amelie Nothomb "Stupeur et tremblemets" 3
8. Amelie Nothomb "Metaphysique des tubes" 3
9. Haruki Murakami "Suputoniku-no koibito" 4
10. Joanna Chmielewska "Kretka Blada" 3
11. Haruki Murakami "Dansu, dansu, dansu" 4
12. Yasunari Kawabata "Nemureru bijo. Senbazuru" 5
13. Joanna Chmielewska "Ksiazka poniekad kucharska" 4
14. Dan Brown "The Da Vinci Code" 2
15. Tobiasz W. Lipny "Barocco" 4
16. David Schickler "Kissing in Manhattan" 4
17. Haruki Murakami "Norwegian Wood" 5
18. Haruki Murakami "A Wild Sheep Chase" 5
19. Lian Hearn "In the Moonlight" 2
20. ed. M. Taniguchi, A. Watanuki "Swiat z papieru i stali. Okruchy Japonii" 3,5
21. Natsuo Kirino "Out" 6
22. Grigorij Szach "Nie bylo smutniejszej historii na swiecie" 4
23. ed. "Steps into the Unknown. Sci-fi Anthology" 3
24. Lisa See "Snow Flower and the secret fan" 6
25. Anna Brzezinska "Waters Deep as the Sky" 3
26. Wit Szostak "Shattered Mountain Tops" 6
27. Olga Lipińska "My everyday diary" 5
28. Henryk Kurta "Day of the Red Giant" 3
29. A. Szarlat, E. Szymanska "Gods of Our Planet's" 3
30. Haruki Murakami "All the God's Children Dance" 5
31. Kenzaburo Oe "It's Personal" 4,5
32. Haruki Murakami "The End of the World and Hard-Boiled Wonderland" 5
33. Jacek Matela "Polish Feng Shui" 2
My husband's list:
1. Lian Hearn "Across the Nightingale Floor" 4
2. Lian Hearn "On the Bed of Grass" 4
3. Lian Hearn "In the Moonlight"2
4. Marcin Bruczkowski "Singapu, czwarta rano" ("Singapore, 4 a.m.") 5
5. Amelie Nothomb "Metaphysique des tubes" 4
6. Haruki Murakami "Suputoniku-no koibito" 3
7. Douglas Adams "Restaurant at the End of the World" 3
8. Feliks W. Kres "Tarcza Szerni" ("The Shield of Shernia's") 4
9. Thor Hayerdahl "Z kontynentu na kontynent" ("Early Man and the Ocean")
10. A&S Strugaccy "Pora Deszczów" ("The Rainy Season") 5
11. Phillip K. Dick "Paszcza Wieloryba" 2
12. Robert Heinlein "The Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners" 4
13.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Bloglines
- A Year In Stitches
- Another Woman's Treasure
- Cosmopolitan purls
- Crazy Aunt Purl
- Helenes side
- Hilde C.
- I Dream of the Sea
- Il Bloggo
- In A Minute Ago
- Kaisa
- Knitting on a Catbus
- Lana Knits
- Little Miss Meshell
- Lobstah's World
- Lolly Knitting Around
- Made by Myself
- Mossy Cottage Knits
- Mustaa Villaa
- Nasze Glenprosen
- Pie Knits
- Primrose Design
- Rho's Knitting Goes
- Rndnrnd we knit
- Ruby Crowned Kinglette
- Saartje Knits
- Sew Green
- Stitch Witch
- Stop The Ride
- Szpilka
- The Boy Who Knits
- The Giving Flower
- The Knitting Princess and the Pea
- The Mogs Blog
- Thread&Yarn Handing Days
- Tine Sparkles
- True Stitches
- Two Left Needles
- Yummy Yarn
Everybody's doing it...
... so I decided it's time I start my own real on-line blog!
I moved here from LiveJournal.com because I decided it doesn't offer me what I want (even the paid account). You can also find me on brahdelt.deviantart.com
I'll be posting my sewing creations, my knitting creations and any other things that will come to my mind! ^^
Comments are welcome. See you soon!
*some time passed*
I've decided to edit this post (as it is the first one on my blog) and put some facts about myself, so You could read them and get to know me better (or decide you don't want to waste your time on reading a blog of this crazy woman!... ^-^)
100 things about me
1. My name is Joanna Kostrzewa.
2. I live in Warsaw, Poland.
3. I'm currently 31-and-a-half.
4. I've never felt better about my age! ^^
5. I'm married to a wonderful guy whom I've known for 14 years now.
6. We have no children.
7. We don't even like children!...
8. We have a cat!
9. We live in a two-bedroom flat.
10. That is packed with bazillions of things!...
11. I have many hobbies, like knitting.
12. And sewing.
13. And embroiderying.
14. And weaving.
15. And cooking.
16. And calligraphy.
17. And being a member of historical reenactment group.
18. Not SCA one.
19. I love anything that is Japanese.
20. And Hindu.
21. And most of the Swedish things. ^^
22. I practice bellydancing.
23. I have driver's licence but I don't like driving.
24. And I'm scared while being a passenger in a car...
25. But in fact I'm quite a good driver. ^^
26. I don't like flying because planes crash.
27. I love travelling by a ferry.
28. I love all kinds of food, especially Polish "pierogi" with cottage cheese and potatoes.
29. And sushi.
30. And kotbullars! ^^
31. I drink lots of tea.
32. But hardly any coffee.
33. I don't smoke cigarettes.
34. But I do smoke shisha pipe or small cigars from time to time.
33. I like good wine.
34. And beer, but mostly with grilled meat.
35. I wear glasses.
36. And long hair.
37. With a fringe (since October 2005).
38. I'm not a feminist.
39. I hate ironing.
40. But I can do the dishes.
41. My dream is to live in my own house.
42. Without a neighbours peeking into my rooms!.. ><
43. (I live on the ground floor right now...)
44. I have two mothers-in-law...
45. I love them both! ^^
46. I don't go to work everyday.
47. Which doesn't mean I don't work... ^^
48. I run an on-line shop with Gothic clothes an accessories from home.
49. Second hand and made by me.
50. I also knit and sew different stuff and try to sell them in galleries and on online auctions.
51. I get bored easily.
52. That's why I have many hobbies to switch between. ^^
53. I have the loudest purring cat in the world!
54. I don't follow vogue trends.
55. I like colours in my wardrobe.
56. Black is a colour after all. ^^
57. I don't wear clothes in the shades of poo (= fugly darkish greyish browns...).
58. I don't wear grey EVER!
59. I don't mind mixing colours and patterns in my clothing.
60. I love bags.
61. I love biiiig bags, because I always have lots of things to carry with me.
62. Like knitting. ^^
63. Or books, I always have a book on me.
64. My favourite writer is Joanna Chmielewska.
65. I read in bed before going to sleep.
66. And on public transport.
67. I hate sports...
68. Okay, I like to swim.
69. But I totally hate jogging, it makes me choke!
70. I can tell you about the incomming weather changes.
71. Not from a crystal ball (I don't have one).
72. From my reumatic knees, unfortunately...
73. I generally don't like people.
74. I mean, meeting many strangers at a time.
75. I'm not much into clubbing.
76. Prefer to stay at home with some good meal, wine and couple of friends.
77. I can't stand children crying...
78. I am a procrastinator.
79. I was taught how to embroider when I was 6.
80. I haven't stopped since then. ^^
81. I love to sleep!
82. I can sleep even with a loud music on.
83. I like ethnic music - Japanese, Hindu, Turkish, Arabic.
84. I also like a bit of gothic, rock, jazz.
85. I'm a modern witch.
86. I hate getting up early!
87. I love to stay up till really late in the evening.
88. I always wear my nails short.
89. I paint them in crazy colours. ^^
90. Sometimes I'm scared of people.
91. Sometimes I get so brave as to shout at people who make me angry.
92. Generally I'm very shy.
93. You will never leave my house hungry! ^^
94. I am a very loyal friend.
95. And I expect the same.
96. I know nothing about the accountancy or economics or marketing.
97. Although I love maths.
98. I like to play petanque.
99. I'm not very good with saving money or keeping and order at my house.
100. But I am happy anyway! ^^
I moved here from LiveJournal.com because I decided it doesn't offer me what I want (even the paid account). You can also find me on brahdelt.deviantart.com
I'll be posting my sewing creations, my knitting creations and any other things that will come to my mind! ^^
Comments are welcome. See you soon!
*some time passed*
I've decided to edit this post (as it is the first one on my blog) and put some facts about myself, so You could read them and get to know me better (or decide you don't want to waste your time on reading a blog of this crazy woman!... ^-^)
100 things about me
1. My name is Joanna Kostrzewa.
2. I live in Warsaw, Poland.
3. I'm currently 31-and-a-half.
4. I've never felt better about my age! ^^
5. I'm married to a wonderful guy whom I've known for 14 years now.
6. We have no children.
7. We don't even like children!...
8. We have a cat!
9. We live in a two-bedroom flat.
10. That is packed with bazillions of things!...
11. I have many hobbies, like knitting.
12. And sewing.
13. And embroiderying.
14. And weaving.
15. And cooking.
16. And calligraphy.
17. And being a member of historical reenactment group.
18. Not SCA one.
19. I love anything that is Japanese.
20. And Hindu.
21. And most of the Swedish things. ^^
22. I practice bellydancing.
23. I have driver's licence but I don't like driving.
24. And I'm scared while being a passenger in a car...
25. But in fact I'm quite a good driver. ^^
26. I don't like flying because planes crash.
27. I love travelling by a ferry.
28. I love all kinds of food, especially Polish "pierogi" with cottage cheese and potatoes.
29. And sushi.
30. And kotbullars! ^^
31. I drink lots of tea.
32. But hardly any coffee.
33. I don't smoke cigarettes.
34. But I do smoke shisha pipe or small cigars from time to time.
33. I like good wine.
34. And beer, but mostly with grilled meat.
35. I wear glasses.
36. And long hair.
37. With a fringe (since October 2005).
38. I'm not a feminist.
39. I hate ironing.
40. But I can do the dishes.
41. My dream is to live in my own house.
42. Without a neighbours peeking into my rooms!.. ><
43. (I live on the ground floor right now...)
44. I have two mothers-in-law...
45. I love them both! ^^
46. I don't go to work everyday.
47. Which doesn't mean I don't work... ^^
48. I run an on-line shop with Gothic clothes an accessories from home.
49. Second hand and made by me.
50. I also knit and sew different stuff and try to sell them in galleries and on online auctions.
51. I get bored easily.
52. That's why I have many hobbies to switch between. ^^
53. I have the loudest purring cat in the world!
54. I don't follow vogue trends.
55. I like colours in my wardrobe.
56. Black is a colour after all. ^^
57. I don't wear clothes in the shades of poo (= fugly darkish greyish browns...).
58. I don't wear grey EVER!
59. I don't mind mixing colours and patterns in my clothing.
60. I love bags.
61. I love biiiig bags, because I always have lots of things to carry with me.
62. Like knitting. ^^
63. Or books, I always have a book on me.
64. My favourite writer is Joanna Chmielewska.
65. I read in bed before going to sleep.
66. And on public transport.
67. I hate sports...
68. Okay, I like to swim.
69. But I totally hate jogging, it makes me choke!
70. I can tell you about the incomming weather changes.
71. Not from a crystal ball (I don't have one).
72. From my reumatic knees, unfortunately...
73. I generally don't like people.
74. I mean, meeting many strangers at a time.
75. I'm not much into clubbing.
76. Prefer to stay at home with some good meal, wine and couple of friends.
77. I can't stand children crying...
78. I am a procrastinator.
79. I was taught how to embroider when I was 6.
80. I haven't stopped since then. ^^
81. I love to sleep!
82. I can sleep even with a loud music on.
83. I like ethnic music - Japanese, Hindu, Turkish, Arabic.
84. I also like a bit of gothic, rock, jazz.
85. I'm a modern witch.
86. I hate getting up early!
87. I love to stay up till really late in the evening.
88. I always wear my nails short.
89. I paint them in crazy colours. ^^
90. Sometimes I'm scared of people.
91. Sometimes I get so brave as to shout at people who make me angry.
92. Generally I'm very shy.
93. You will never leave my house hungry! ^^
94. I am a very loyal friend.
95. And I expect the same.
96. I know nothing about the accountancy or economics or marketing.
97. Although I love maths.
98. I like to play petanque.
99. I'm not very good with saving money or keeping and order at my house.
100. But I am happy anyway! ^^
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