Procrastinating

I really need to go clean the kitchen after dinner (Thomas made Salmon with quinoa and broccoli - very good), but it's more fun to finally get a new post under way! It's been a while - again - but now I'm finally back!

I had my birthday on Monday, but since I was going to work the entire day we decided to celebrate on Sunday instead. I got some good food and some nice presents, and I got to sit outside in the sun for a while too. We were planning to go to the cabin, but after doing some grocery shopping and realizing that I had a ton of laundry to take care of (and don't give me any feminist remarks saying that Thomas could have done it. We do equal stuff around the house, I think he even does a bit more than me, and laundry is my chore. Plus, that way I get it done the way I want to!), we decided against it. Thomas put some meat on the grill here at home instead, and we had a very nice dinner, with rhubarb pie for desert.

Thomas got me a bunch of comics, which was an awesome present!

And my sister had made me a new needle roll, that I had been asking her for for a while:

I love it! And she made me a matching project bag too:

Also, the project bag was filled with this:

Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate! I got seriously addicted to this stuff when we were in the States, but there are only a few stores that sell them in Sweden so it's kind of hard to get. Sanna got her hands on some of it when she was in Gothenburg the other weekend, and I'm so pleased! It won't last long, I tell you!

My parents were talking about coming to visit, but we finally agreed that this weekend wasn't very good for either of us. I'll see them later this summer, so it's ok. I turned 31, so it's not that it's a huge day to celebrate! I was just happy to get to spend the day with Thomas and just relax (even though the laundry did get done too).

Oh, this week we're having one of our bathrooms re-done! Finally! When we moved in three years ago we noticed that the floor in the downstairs shower had sort of sunken around the shower drain. The plastic mat was whole, so there wasn't any leakage, but it was pretty uncomfortable to stand on, plus it meant that the concrete underneath was crumbling. Now, finally, we convinced the landlord that there was a lot of water damage under the shower, as it has only gotten worse with time, so we get a whole new bathroom. Yay! Unfortunately, this means that I'm without a washer and dryer for about a month, but we'll just have to use the neighbourhood common laundry room. We'll survive. We have a smaller bathroom with a bath tub upstairs, so those things we won't have to go without. I of course forgot to take any before-photos, so you'll have to wait about a month to see the finished result.

Oh, and knitting? Actually, I've been slacking a bit the past few days. I've knitted mostly on the wedding shawl, and I'm done with five charts (out of 12) so almost half done. It's going faster and faster too, which is nice, and I've actually been able to knit a bit on it at work too. I  haven't gotten around to taking any new photos yet, so you'll have to wait. Hopefully the next time I get back to you I've finished the first half at least.

I've also knitted a bit on the St James top (I think it felt a bit neglected after I mentioned it the last time), and I'm almost half done with that one too:

I still haven't decided on the colour, if I like it or not, but it doesn't look as bad on me as I had feared. I'm pondering whether to put a black bow and black ribbing on it, to sort of mute it down a bit. I'll see what I decide. I think once this one is done I'l probably try and finish my Hokie socks, I really miss those!

Oh, that's right: I also got some birthday money from my grandmother, so I ordered myself some books! When we were visiting Sarah and Chris in the States, Chris bought us a book that he said we ought to read, and I've just finished it. It's Skystone, by Jack Whyte, and it's the first in a series of seven or eight books. I LOVED it! So I've ordered the rest of them (in paperback, I'm not made of money), along with some more knitting books. I think I'll wait to tell you about those until they actually arrive.

Oh, and Sarah: We finally tried the Astronaut Ice Cream. And we both loved it! So you can tell Chris we can still be friends :)

/ Jenny

"Those socks look insane, maybe they would look even more crazy if you...

... Add toes to them?"

That's what Thomas suggested last weekend when he saw the crazy, ugly socks.  So I did.

They are actually so crazy looking that I kind of fancy them! I've decided to keep them myself, as I felt that only a mother could love them, but actually I've had requests at work for making more pairs for some of my coworkers. So apparently someone else than me could love them! I'm not sure if I'll make any more of them though, as I really didn't like the yarn (at least not the colour), but it was great fun making the toes. They are fairly comfortable, although a little bulky between the toes where I've picked up stitches, but I haven't washed them yet so they're still pretty stiff. I think I'll soak them tonight, so I can wear them to work on Thursday at least :)

I've also worked a lot on the wedding stole this weekend. Thomas has been in Borås visiting his parents, and as the weather wasn't very nice I've been inside knitting on the stole instead. I'm almost done with chart 4 (out of 12), so almost 30 % done!

It's looking really good so far, the colour is a little pale in the photo. The beads work fabulously too, they add just enough sparkle to make it a bit more festive. It will be so much fun to block it and see how big it gets!

My poor Hokie socks have been put a bit on the back burner the past week. I'm focusing mostly on the stole when I have the opportunity to work on a bit more complicated projects, and I've knitted a lot on the Cotonnettes socks at work as the pattern was so easy I memorized it pretty much at once. Now that the socks are done I guess I'll pick up the St James top as work knitting again.

Work has finally slowed down a bit for me too! I don't know if I told you, but one of the girls at one of the units I'm working at sometimes broke her arm a couple of weeks ago. She really couldn't work at the lab with a cast, so she got on extended sick leave. That meant that I got to work at her place instead, and that unit is the second biggest in the whole county! There is always so much to do there, much more than at the other places I'm usually working at, so I've been pretty beat. But now the other girl is back, meaning I can get back to my regular schedule. More knitting time at work!

Oh, this weekend while Thomas was away I got to visit with Anna! I went to her place for tea and cookies, and it was so nice! I can't even remember when I saw her last, it's been ages! I guess we live too close to each other, plus we chat online pretty often. But it's so much nicer to get to meet in person. We knitted, chatted and had a generally good time. Of course I forgot my camera at home. Don't I always?

Next weekend my parents might visit, as it is my birthday on Monday, and we're thinking of visiting the cabin if the weather allows. I'll be sure to bring my camera then! We need to mow the lawn and probably clean up in the flower beds as well, but I doubt we'll do that this weekend with my parents there. If they decide not to come, I think me and Thomas wil go there alone, do some fixing and just have some relaxation and barbecue.

Ok, now I think I need to get some food in me before I fall asleep. I'll see you next weekend!

/ Jenny

Knitting in the Sun!

This weekend has had some amazing weather! I'm so happy that spring has finally seemed to arrive (even though the pollen is kind of a bummer right now), and I've spent a lot of time this weekend in a chair outside in the sun, knitting and just having a relaxing time. 

Hobbe has spent a lot of time in the yard as well, and he really loves to be outside when it's warm enough. He only gets to go outside when we're with him, as he's really an indoors cat. And he's the most chicken cat there is, so he very rarely ventures outside of our tiny yard. Although, he's getting more and more courageous! On Friday Thomas was outside with him, and a strange black cat wandered through the hedge. Thomas bent to pet the newcomer, who then promptly attacked Thomas' arm! But Hobbe got into full protection mode, and flew on the intruder and chased him away! Thomas was so proud of the little guy, he's apparently a real guard cat :) (Thomas got some scratches on his arm, and we think that Hobbe got at least one good jab at the black cat as Thomas found some black hair puffs on the walk outside our yard later on, but no one got really hurt)

Ok, on with the knitting! I'm done with the two first charts (of twelve!) on the Scheherazade wedding stole I'm making for my friend. It's turning out really pretty!

At the edges it's supposed to be a lace pattern that makes the triangles, but I've substituted that for beads to make it a bit more sparkly. I just sent some photos off to Christine, so I really hope she likes it! I'm also going to knit her a matching bridal pouch/bag in my Palette yarn in the same colourway, but we haven't decided on a pattern yet.

Yesterday though, I wanted to sit in the sun and knit, and as I need the pattern for the stole, and the same for the Wrought Iron socks, I decided to cast on something new (did anyone say St James top? All stockinette? I have no idea what you're talking about. Am I knitting that one...?). I chose the Cotonnette socks from my 10 patterns collection (I really want to make all of these patterns!), and I picked my insanely multi-coloured skein of Opal sock yarn. Let's just say that the result is... interesting...

I can honestly say that the yarn is but ugly! The colours don't match each other at all, and the striping is weird and the flecks of orange is really wrong somehow. I've used this yarn (in other colours!) for socks for Thomas and his brother, and they are insanely soft after a couple of washes, so I know these will be great to wear. I guess I'll just wear them at home where no-one can see them! Or I'll give them to my sick uncle, who rarely leaves the bed. He has issues with bad circulation, so he often gets cold hands and feet, so I know that they'll be appreciated there no matter what they look like. I'm just glad to knit the yarn up and get it out of my stash! More room for new yarn!

And speaking of new yarn... Yes, I know. My name is Jenny and I'm addicted to yarn. Apparently I can't go more than a month without buying yarn! But in all fairness, this purchase is one that I've been waiting for since early february or something like that. Drops Garnstudio has finally made a lace yarn! It's been announced since forever, and the release has been delayed more than once, but now it's finally out in stores! The colour selection isn't great (yet - I bet that'll change in the future), but the yarn is awesome! This is my Drops Lace in a pale teal colour (colour 7120).

It's 70 % baby alpaca/30 % mulberry silk. Can you believe how awesome it is! 800 m/100 g, and it was only about $13 for one skein! Really cheap, I think. Especially since it has silk in it. I bought three skeins, and I'm planning on using it for an Urdr shawl. It's designed by Anna Dalvi, of Knit & Knag, and boy do I love her patterns! I've bought most of them, and this June she is coming out with her first book, Shaping Shawls! I'm buying it as soon as it comes out, as a pdf download. I think that the Urdr will be the next shawl I'm going to knit, after the two I have on the needles right now are done (remember, I'm also knitting a Panama shawl in purple, which is on the backburner until I finish the Scheherazade).

Now I really think I need to stop buying yarn! I really don't have any room for it as it is, and I really want to knit with the ones I have in stash too. Sometimes it's almost difficult to look at the stash page on Ravelry and see all of the gorgeous yarn I have, and know that I won't get to it any time soon.

Now I'm going to have dinner and watch another episode of Borgias. If you like historic drama, you should really watch this show! It's about the Borgia family that ruled Rome in the 15th century. Lots of them became popes, and it's really political and interesting. Love it!

/ Jenny