KnitFreak

I would like to share a few pictures with you that I took on the weekend when I visited my parents.

This one is a monastery in a town called Lorch, near where my parents live.

I love the tower! The shape is so simple and yet... somehow dynamic. Parts of the tower are 1000 years old. I think it houses a residential home for elderly now.

 

This one is the "Marktplatz", the market place of Schwäbisch Gmünd (where I'm from). They started building the little huts for the Christmas market which starts on Friday.

 

This is a picture of the oldest church (I think it is the oldest one) of the town. It is a romanic church from the 12th/13th century.

 

 

Last but not least, some knitting content!

My little nephew with his booties! The picture was taken when he was about 10 days old, he has grown quite a bit since and has put on weight. And he has learnt so much! Especially how to keep his parents busy.

 

Thanks for the birthday wishes y'all!

I went to my parents' place for my birthday, because K has the week off and spends it travelling with his friends. They went to Prague on Monday, spent there 3 nights and went to another place in the Czech Republic. So I decided to come here. My parents picked me up from the train station, and then we went to the Regia factory outlet (they also have Gedifra yarns there). Sorry, no pics, I guess my parents wouldn't have understood such a blogger's urge, and frankly, I wasn't in the mood of explaining. I mean, I did tell them about this blog, but they didn't ask if they could have a look at it or whatever, but I don't mind.

Anyways, the outlet was interesting. They didn't seem to have any yarns from the current collections, and you could only buy large packets of half a kilo. No single balls, only big packets. I bought a pack of sock yarn in dark blue, a bit variegated, and some more yarn which has to be kept secret until I decide what exactly to do with it. I can't post pictures from here because I don't have the cable of my camera with me, so you have to be a bit patient.

Strangely enough, I'm not much in a knitting mood lately. I mean, I would like to do some, but I don't want to figure out patterns, or decide on what I want to do next, or anything. I do have yarn for two large projects (one is Josephine from knitty, I have more than enough yarn for it, and the other one is a sweater from a Rebecca-magazine, but with different yarn, just like this), and I'm right into a golf club cover from knitty (I won't do the fairisle-thing though, I'm planning on doing a name or maybe the name of the club), and I guess I'm going to make some socks for Christmas-pressies, but I'm kinda tired of the planning-and-yarn-choosing-and-looking-at-patterns-thing. I knit so much since I have this blog... more than I knit in 2004! Especially lately, I pressured myself a bit to finish all the baby stuff, and then there was the short-term scarf I made for my sister as an early Chrissie-present, and the socktoberfest-socks, and and and. I'd like to make a scarf for myself, but I'm dreading the looking for yarn and pattern... I'm really tired of it. Did anybody experience anything like this before? Does it go away again? Or are my projects for the near future just so boring that I don't want to plan them? I mean, the knitting part is not the problem... only the planning and such.

But, alas, I better stop complaining. I heard that it's Thanksgiving in the US, and Germans tend to complain a lot anyway (or so the cliché says). I guess I just need a little break to save my sanity... the paper was exhausting and I stressed myself to finish it, and I tried to hurry with the projects I had on the needles. I started knitting with the blue yarn I bought from the outlet with a person in mind, but I'm not sure if I'm going to give it to them or to somebody else. It's pretty much open and undecided right now... I better wait with starting Josephine, or else I'll mess it up!

Anyways, there's lots of other stuff to do, now that the paper is done. In fact, I have to should start another paper right now (I'm not quite willing to, but I'm like that with all the papers I'm writing), I should prepare my masters-thesis, then I'm going to do the translation for Ewa's website, but I have to wait a bit with that until she knows what she wants to have translated - with which I'm very cool, then I'd like to make a few Christmas cookies (I usually do that every year... although K and I would like to shed some weight), and there's probably a few more things I didn't think of right now. You know what? I'm sooo really really looking forward to spending (probably the next) a weekend without feeling any guilt "I-better-do-some-work" doing what I want! I haven't been to my favorite cinema (they show movies in the original language, without subtitles. Good to practice my English!) for ages, and on the first weekend of December there's a big horse show in Munich, the Munich Indoors or so it's called. Maybe I'll go there... should be really interesting for me, I've been a horse fan all my life and I used to go riding (English-style) for about... 15 years? (Oh my, I'm getting old) I quit when I started going to Uni though, but I always planned on starting again (people either get hooked on the "horse-virus" or they don't. I did get hooked). Maybe some day...
Big post, no pictures - I better get out and take some! It's really cold here (50km east of Stuttgart (where they build Mercedes-Benz and Porsche), for those of you who are interested in maps), and it snowed last night, and the sun's out today... should make nice pics!

K and I had guests from Melbourne, Australia over the weekend. Lots of fun, been busy walking in the city and finishing my paper (cheerio for me!!!) Didn't knit a thing on the weekend. Bought some yarn on Saturday though, for a golf club cover from knitty. Had a large yarn delivery on Saturday as well, for Josephine, also from knitty. Now my brain is empty, it feels like throwing up. I'm tired but wide awake at the same time. I'm sooo looking forward to sitting down on the couch tonight, for some relaxing and the season (1) finale of Lost!

when I looked out of the window, I saw this:

The first snow in Munich this winter!

Your Birthdate: November 23

http://images.blogthings.com/whatdoesyourbirthdatemeanquiz/birthday.jpg" height="100" width="100"> You're not good at any one thing, and that's the problem. You're good at so much - you never know what to do. Change is in your blood, and you don't stick to much for long. You are destined for a life of travel and fun.   Your strength: Your likeability Your weakness: You never feel satisfied Your power color: Bright yellow Your power symbol: Asterisk Your power month: May

 

Now I know. Maybe that's why I like the yellow Socktoberfest socks so much.

 

Can somebody please tell me how inserting this crap works? It really upsets me when it doesn't work properly.

I haven't posted about a packet Christine sent me some time ago already (sorry Christine!), but I was too busy to take pictures. But today is the day!

I sent her some yarn and some Haribo-sweets for her birthday in summer, and now she sent me two Debbie Bliss-yarns for swatching, one cathay and one cotton angora. I'm glad she did that, because now I doubt I'll ever order the cotton angora. I'm not too much into the cotton-feel of yarn, I prefer it when it's more fluffy and soft... I'll see how it knits up and how it turns out after washing.

And she sent me these cute buttons too!

Aren't they cute? They're handmade. It's five buttons altogether, and I can picture them on a baby cardigan. Now all I have to do is to wait until someone I know gets pregnant and has a baby girl ;-)

 

More news: I finished my socktoberfest socks! Actually, that's no news to you, I told you yesterday already. But I can show you a picture:

I like them! I'm tempted to keep them for myself... but they're meant for my godmother. I hope she likes them!

Actually, it doesn't bother me too much that I've been detected. Ok, that I told people about my blog (people is actually my parents, but they didn't see the blog yet, and my brother-in-law M and my sis.) M said he would keep reading my blog from now on (until eternity??), but I guess it will get boring for him soon. After all, this is a knitblog (at least it's supposed to be one), and I doubt knitting is interesting for a non-knitter.
What do you think? Can knitting be exciting for non-knitters? Or is it just plain and dull?

I finished the baby hat just in time! It's still a bit big, but that's quite perfect actually, so L can grow into it. He's only two weeks old as of today.

Here he is, sporting his new hat, on the arm of his mama. The pattern for the hat was the Mock Cable Baby Hat, a fun knit, and a very quick one too! Baby knits are very instant-gratification-y anyway.
Yes, he does wear knit socks in the picture, but I wasn't responsible for these! Although I like them very much, and they look good on L, don't they? I think he can still grow into them a bit.

 

Last night, I finished my Socktoberfest Socks! All that's left to do now is to wash, block and dry, and then they can either be wrapped in gift wrap paper and go into my knitting box until it's about Christmas time or they can go into my knitting box straight away. Hm. What a choice! Pictures will follow in the next post.

I've come pretty far with my Socktoberfest socks. The first one is finished, and I turned the heel on the second one and am now knitting straight towards the toes - pictures soon! This will be a no-picture-post anyway...

By the way, I've been detected! Well, I detected myself actually, as on the weekend when I visited my nephew (he's so tiny!) I told the proud father about the picture of the baby in split pants that's on the weblog of my Sockpal Rebecca's husband's blog. So he asked, "do you read blogs?", and I said, "well, I have one of my own." So here we are, and now say hello to my brother-in-law Marco! (Marco, if you read this... feel free to comment ;-) and don't forget to email me the photos of Lenn with the baby shoes and the hat).
Because I made a very cute baby hat for the little one, and they took pictures of him wearing it already. He's really cute... last night I was thinking what a great life he has right now... either he sleeps or he eats, gaining weight is desired and he is loved, no matter if he doesn't let his parents get to sleep, if he poops (you can actually hear that - that's probably the only time when you think that's cute (you're right, I didn't have to diaper him yet)), or if he throws up on his parents. And it's incredible how my dad is absolutely in love with him... it's fun to watch that!

Oh, and my sis liked her scarf! And I forgot to take pictures... doh! It's a really long scarf now, longer than 2m plus fringe which makes it look even longer. The design was my own, I have to see that I find a decent pic of it somewhere.

The next post hopefully contains some nice photos!

Christine tagged me:

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?
Erm... there is no real favorite yarn (because I guess there are many great yarns still to come), but I really enjoy knitting with Lana Grossa Merino 2000. It's so incredibly soft... heaven on your hands! I could knit with that all the time (until I get bored, that is).

Your favorite needles?
I really think I don't have any particular ones. I only have preferences. For socks, I like bamboo needles. For projects with thick yarn, I like plastic needles because they're not as heavy. I do knit with metal needles because I still have quite a few, but I try not to buy them anymore. If I have to buy new ones, I'm buying bamboo needles. Or maybe wooden ones, some time in the future.

The worst thing you've ever knit/crocheted?
Maybe a neckholder top I never wore? It was actually fun to knit and didn't look too bad, but it wasn't the kind of thing I'd wear. I only didn't realize it then.

Your most favorite knit pattern? (Maybe you don't like wearing it... but it was the most fun to knit)
Hmmmm... basically all new patterns. I mean, after a little while they all become boring; knitting isn't that thrilling, or is it? I really enjoy doing it, but once you know how to do a pattern, it's not exciting any more.
Oh, maybe the baby booties I knit for my nephew. They were cute, and they were fast to knit.

Most valuable knitting technique?
All of them? No, seriously, realizing when you've made a mistake and deciding if it's worth fixing it. Having the guts (and the nerves!) to frog something.

Best knit book or magazine?
I bought quite a few books over the past few months, but the most important's were "Stitch'n'Bitch Handbook" by Debbie Stoller, and (probably most important in my knitting library) "The Harmony Guides Knitting Techniques" (although the cross references within the book are messed up).
Oh, and the Rebecca-magazines are quite nice.

Your favorite knitalong?
Sockapal2za. It was fun to take part and watch all the socks that were knit (and not only because it was my only knitalong so far).

Your favorite knitblogs?
There are so many... see my sidebar. I check them pretty much daily.

Your favorite knitwear designer?
Sorry, I can't come up with a name here. Any designer who makes something I like.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
I don't have pictures of them, but what I wear the most of hand-knitted stuff is the socks my godmother made for me. She gives me a pair for my birthday and/or Christmas almost every year. The thing I wear the second most is the beanie I made for myself (I made some for everyone in my family), and the scarf I made. This scarf was the first project I made voluntarily (I learned how to knit when I was a kid, but I hated it. Then I picked it up again as a teenager), but I don't wear it anymore because I don't like it anymore. I can see all the mistakes I made in that scarf now.

Who do I tag now..? How about Carola, Julia, Jacqueline, Amanda and Jo!

Update: I just noticed that you've been tagged already, Jo! So just ignore this. ;-)

...to this world! My nephew Lenn was born yesterday, on November 2nd, around 12.30 pm. He is 49 cm and weighs about 3000 grams. My sister and he are all healthy, and the new father is proud as can be I guess. So are the godparents (that's me and a very good friend of my sister, my brother-in-law and me), all the grandparents, the aunt (that's me) and the uncle (my brother-in-law's half-brother).
There was a little excitement because it was an emergency caesarian section, but apparently it went really quick, about 30 minutes only.

As for knitting, I have started a baby hat in firstborn-size, so he can wear it as soon as I get there, which might be this weekend for a short visit or the next one for a bit longer visit. I'll see. Oh, and I almost finished my sister's scarf; I told her it would be an early Christmas present.

Pictures soon!