breispace

All around me people seem to be procreating lately, and it was time to supply the soon-to-be demand for baby garments. First there was the hat (from a free Drops pattern) for baby Fay, Maldwyn and Elizabeth’s v cute offspring.

Not in the traditional pink for  two reasons:

1. no cliche should be used without irony;
2. so she can support her daddy’s rugby team this winter.

Next were the caps for no less than four babies of colleagues and college classmates. I needed something fast, and so I decided to make simple umbilical cord caps from the first Stitch ‘n Bitch book, knitted with a double string of leftover sock yarn. Only 64 stitches in the round, rolled brim, finished off with i-cord. I had them all finished in ten days.

Another hat I had started on at last year’s winter banquet in Archeon will now be finished for the next one. I trimmed it with bear fur (or dog fur, I have no idea) from a muff I got from my dad’s girlfriend. It looks and feels quite spectacular, if I say so myself.

It’s going to be a toasty winter.

From day one (last Tuesday) I have been fully back in the rut, of course. Like me, both students and colleagues are displaying signs of end-of-year fatigue, not helped by the glorious weather we’ve had up ’till Friday last. This weekend I’m spending mostly on planning, prepping and writing, although I saw a chance to sow some very late broad beans (tuinbonen) this morning. They’re one of my favourite kinds of beans; the Ex used to refer to them as “old biddy’s toes”. Not surprising I didn’t get to eat a lot of them at the time. I love beans.
Last Sunday the BF, Marion and me went to the biannual ceramics market in Swalmen, Limburg. I bought a salt-glazed casserole made by Netty Janssens shaped somewhat like a knor, and a couple of rustic goblets and bowls made by Erik du Chatenier that were on sale. Marion got some nice stuff too. She also wrote lots more about the Whitsun Viking market in Eindhoven we visited, after stopping for a few kilos of asparagus and some strawberries on the way.

I got some cheap, undyed, coarse wool (3€ /100 grams) from Bjorn there; perfect for nalebinding bags, felting and such.

I’m going through my new sweater project like hot needles thru butter; already halfway there! I got some pink-&-purple Manos del Uruguay wool at Egg Mercantile for the contrast band, as soon as I got back from Ribe.

Right. back to work. Seeyis when I’ve done me next paper, I hope. Also check out Gerrit’s PussyCam next week: I’ll be taking care of the little darlings for the next two weeks.

.. from Ribe, where I spent an outrageous amount (totalling around 100 euros) on scrumptuous Scandinavian yarn…

The stuff on the left is meant for a pattern that won’t be translated from Danish before August (!). Justification: nobody in the Netherlands (that I know of) sells this stuff, and with the gorgeous colour nuances this brand offers and the prices they charge for the bigger hanks I just don’t want to risk getting the wrong kind when I buy online. The hanks on the right I got from a stand at the Viking Market; it’s probably Merino. It’s been dyed with logwood / Blauholz; not Authentic but then I intend to knit something completely non-Viking out of it (in fact, I’ve started already, got the right needle and achieved gauge yesterday), because I just fell in love with the colour. Somehow, with this warm weather,I seem to be knitting primarily pullovers; I’ve got three of them on the needles right now…

We were very lucky with the weather: it was sunny skies and around 20C for the entire weekend. Kees hadn’t gotten the results from his bloodtest back yet, so he was only allowed the occasional taste of other people’s ice creams…

The sunlight was so bright that it gave me a headache on Sun(!)day, so after the visitors had gone I had to sit down with some white beer, comfort food, Kees’ sunglasses and my knitting (the BF’s socks are now finished, yay!)

During visitors’ hours I’ve also been working on a nalebinded Thermos-cozy for events (forgot to take a pic, I’ll make one when it’s finished); it looks like a giant green-and-yellow coarse woollen condom (a.k.a. “old reliable”).

On the way back we (including Torsten VS) stopped at Haithabu, because Marion and Janneke hadn’t been to the museum yet. We also saw the village they’re reconstructing there, which had a small pallissade that made it look like the invincible Gauls’ village from the Asterix albums.

I took this pic of a small red bug that was exploring one of the new log cabins; there were also a few houses that were made with wattle-and-daub.

After dropping everybody off at or near their homes, I finally made it back home by 20.45, just in time to prevent the BF from going to the car-rental company to pick me up. Apparently he hadn’t understood that I had to bring back the car the next morning. When we had done so and were back relaxing with a cup of tea in the garden, I noticed that the warm spell had helped Marion’s flax seeds to germinate.

Something new to spin soon , perhaps?

Finally some news from the studies front: I passed my “literature and culture of the 20th century” test, if only just (a 6, but at least it’s off my back), but I still have a lot of writing to do on my POP (personal development plan), and new tests are already looming on the horizon…

My last piece of writing is out the digital door and waiting to be evaluated, so on the eve of our (Kees, Marion, Janneke, me) departure for Ribe, Denmark , I am granting myself a guilt-free evening of BF (he’s in the kitchen baking something for the Vikings), House, heroes and cable knitting.

Gerrit will be taking care of the poekies this weekend; if you want to see how his are faring, check out his Pussy Cam.

Here’s something I finished after meeting a previous deadline: it’s what I look at when I feel particularly sorry for myself for some reason, or when I am stressing out over exams, deadlines or work. It’s very motivating. I first embroidered it after a particularly nasty breakup, and finally got around to finishing it. Now all it needs is a frame.

Finally, something I crocheted to amuse tha poekies while I’m away for the weekend:

(sorry for the lack of focus there. Guess I’m not the only one who needs reading specs)

Seeyis after the weekend!