Happy New Year, everybody! I hope that you all had a wonderful New Year's Eve. We had some friends over for dinner and board games, and it was a very nice evening. Thomas spent two days in the kitchen, and he really outdid himself on this one! We served spring rolls with shrimp and cilantro, and mini quiche with saffron for starters. Then for the main course he did rice noodles with sesame oil-fried salmon, and red-boiled side pork (we saw a show on Swedish TV about Chinese food, and apparently red-boiled pork was Mao Zedong's favourite dish). Finally for dessert we had berries and fruit with ice cream and home-made sesame crackers. It was all delicious! We toasted on the stroke of midnight, and I think all of the guests left around 2 in the morning. I was really tired the day after, but it was well worth it.
I got some money this Christmas from my grandparents, and I think I told you last time that I spent some of it on Etsy. Some of it has arrived, and I figured I could tell you about it. Beware though, as there is a lot! Oh, and I totally swiped the photos of stuff from the respective Etsy shops.
First, yesterday I got a package from CackleBerryCreations, which contained a new project bag:
It is gorgeous, and I have already put a project in it! I started a new pair of socks yesterday, for the Self Striping Addicts KAL that the Stockinette Zombies are hosting (one each month all year long). I chose the Aquaphobia socks by Chrystal Flanagan, and I'm making mine in Regia Design Line by Kristin Nicholas Garden Effects, colourway Spring.
I very quickly realized that the yarn is not striping but variegated, so I'm not sure if they will count for the KAL, but I'll make them anyway. I love them! The colour of the yarn is so much fun to work with, and I think they are turning out great. You can't really tell that there are cables on each side of the leg though, as the colours kind of eat them up!
Today I woke up with a fever and a really achy body, so I've been home from work all day. This winter has not been good to me! I've had several times where I had to stay home with my stomach, plus several colds and stuff. Let's hope this spring will be better! Anyway, I actually had three packages arrive in the mail today too. The first one contained a set of interchangeable ChiaoGoo bamboo needles for my Spin set, which I ordered from Grandma's Knit and Crochet. This is really my go-to shop for the ChiaoGoo needles, and the shipping is always fast. I got a pair of size 3 mm needles, as this was the one size that didn't come in my set.
The second package was a second project bag, this one from MissFiberFox:
It is super cute, and also very well made. It is perfectly sized for a smaller project, like a pair of socks, but I haven't put anything in it yet. It sits on the couch looking pretty, so far.
The last package was a small envelope from BerryNiceCrafts, and oh my God does she have lots and lots of buttons! I got a set of 10 small ones that I planned to use on my Morning Echo cardigan that I'm making with my Wollmeise DK. Well, I say I'm making, but I've actually frogged it. I just couldn't get gauge! The DK knits up more like a worsted, so I've decided to make something else with it. I think it will be the Julissa scooped neck sweater instead. Anyway, the buttons:
I love the little pale teal paisley! They are just so cute! Right now I don't know what I'll use them for, as I frogged the cardigan, but I'm sure I'll find something. They cost barely nothing, so it was well worth it anyway.
Ok, that was the stuff that did arrive already. I figured I could as well tell you about the stuff on the way too, and get it all out of the way. I'm waiting for a small bag from ElizabethQuintan, with owls on it:
I am waiting for a large box bag as well, with Russian dolls on it, from A Needle Runs Through It:
This will probably hold my Grey Havens sweater once it arrives, as that one will soon be too big for the RoseKnits bag it's currently residing in (RoseKnits doesn't exist any more, it was an Etsy shop that I got two bags from a couple of years ago). The Grey Havens sweater is coming along very nicely, now that I've changed needle size. I've been working on it for most of the day today while sitting on the couch (when I've not been sleeping), and the pashmina is working out really well with the cables. Unfortunately, you can barely see them in the photo:
But they are there, and in real life they are very clear. The yarn is a dream to work with, and I'm really glad I got a sweater quantity of it. I think I might actually rip out the cast on though, as that is a bit too loose for my taste. I have to wait until I try it on though, to see how it will look stretched. I bought some buttons for this one too, from a shop called FeiYa (that's the next package I'm waiting on). Aren't they cute! I bought a set of 10.
While searching for suitable buttons I also found these super cool, steam punk cogwheel buttons:
They are from the shop TimberGreenWoods, and of course they had to come home to me too (they are also in transit). I got 12 of them.
I also got 3 buttons from Oritdotan, that I'm going to put on my For Good hat. I will probably only use one or two of them, but they were a set of three and I loved them!
Soooo, obviously I went a little over board... But it was so much fun! I also found some yarn clubs that I've joined, so I'll also be getting some yarn this year. I know I told you about the Sheepy Time Knits Time Traveller yarn club, which I joined last year. That one is three shipments, the first in December, the second in February and the last in April. A couple of days ago I also found Mad Colour Fiber Artist's Mad Geek yarn club, that also feature Doctor Who! This one will ship in January, February and March, and in the last shipment you also get a project bag from JessaLu! I've been raving one of her bags for ages, so I might actually buy one more later on. She has so many cool fabrics with geeky themes!
I told you about the Cookie A sock club a while ago, where I'll get yarn and patterns every other month for all of 2013. It will be awesome! I also joined the Knitting Godess' yarn club for 2013, which is called 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Instead of starting and ending with Kevin Bacon, she'll start with Helena Bonham Carter, and you'll get yarn and a sock pattern each month. The best thing is that this one can be paid for monthly, so I didn't have to fork out hundreds of dollars at once.
I'm so excited about getting all of this mail during the year! As I don't knit a lot of lace any longer (I haven't stopped all together though, just slowed down on the lace knitting bit), I don't think I'll buy very much lace yarn during 2013 (don't hold me to that though!). And with all the clubs, I should be set for sock yarn too (and don't hold me to that either). So hopefully I'll only buy sweater yarn this year (and we all know how that's going to go, but I can have intentions, right?!).
Ok, this turned into a very long post, and my head is pounding! I had planned to do a podcast episode today too, but as I'm sick and in my PJ's you'll have to wait until I feel batter. I think I'll go turn in, and see if the fever is down tomorrow when I wake up. Let's hope!
/ Jenny
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