It's been a while...

So, I've been MIA for a long time now - So many things have happened in my life, and I've had my hands full. A month ago, my boyfriend and I broke up, and since then I've been moving my stuff down to my new apartment little by little. We can keep the old apartment until the 30th of June, so I still have some time to finish moving - I don't want to take it all at once since my ex is living up there, and it will be rather empty for him, and also because it would mean carrying and lifting a lot in just a few days.

The new apartment is at the ground floor of my parents' house, but with it's own entry - it's completely seperate from their living area. My dad has been renovating the bathroom and he's almost done. Four days ago, the kitchen was finished and ready, with a new kitchen table and my brother's old frigde (works like a charm). I even have a dish washer, which is a luxury for me. The place is 64 square metres, two bedrooms (one of them is dungeonlike - through a hatch in the floor down to the basement - a very beautiful little room), big livingroom (with widescreen tv and panoramic view over the city) and a cosy little kitchen. At the moment it's all very empty, since most of my things aren't here yet, but I have my tea, my knitting and a comfortable arm chair to sit in, so I've been managing all right. It's weird being all on my own, but I am definitely not looking for something new. I am going to stay single for a long time, it will be good for me. Here's the goldfish-thingy that's hanging from the roof of my dungeon-bedroom, not sure what it's called in English. Anyway, it's all in glass, and my friend Eirin gave it to me back when we were 15-16 years old. I really like the way it looks against the white walls:




In other news, my new niece was born the 28th of May. She is the most beautiful little girl, and they're naming her Silja (a Scandinavian version of Cecile, meaning "blind (to the evils of this world)" from latin "caecus").



I've knitted her a Sheldon - or perhaps more fitting seeing as it's all pink - a Shelda. The turtle shell has a bag of lavender in it, which should have a calming effect on the little one - however, she's the most calm baby I've ever seen! - Sleeps all the time and rarely cries - my brother and his girlfriend are lucky parents. I'm also working on a baby blanket for her in matching colours. Here are some photos:




Oh, and Sophia, the parents LOVED the squeeky sheep-toy, it's now in her crib with her while she sleeps, and her plastic bracelet ID-thingy (the one that all newborns have around their arm at hospitals) is placed around it. I haven't gotten around to knitting something from the vintage booklet yet, mostly because I've had five exams, in addition to living in two places at once... Tomorrow is my last exam - An oral exam in Spanish. I'm nervous, and I'm not very well prepared, so naturally I'm procrastinating by blogging instead of reading... Hopefully I'll pass. After that I'm going to work as a guide all summer, spend a lot of time with friends and family and be creative with knitting, drawing and card making. I'm taking a break from my studies this autumn, with a bachelor degree in English and a One Year Program of French well placed on my resumé. When I've had a well-earned year of relaxation and work, I'll probably start my master's degree in English. We'll see.

Swap heaven!

Wow, these past days have gone by quickly! They have been stressful, crappy, tiresome and wonderful. I've finished five essays and started preparing for latin exams, I've had a headache that wouldn't go away no matter what I did (went on for three days), I've been watching a great deal of E.R and I've received packages three days in a row (monday, tuesday, wednesday).

First, I received my Yarn Snob Swap Package, from yarnnonni. The yarn is Malabrigo Silky Merino and it is Oh-so-soft! I love it! And I got three skeins of it, so I have enough for maybe two small projects. The tea is Purity from Tavalon Tea Bar, and I was so happy to receive it!! I was about to go into withdrawal since it's not available for international shipping from their site, and I am quite addicted ;) I got some lovely stitch markers as well, but unfortunately one of them was broken... They are made from shells from the beach where Patricia/yarnnonni lives and some beautiful green pieces of glass (I think). I'll use it next time I knit something big, like a blanket or a shawl.

On Tuesday, I received my order from The Loopy Ewe. I didn't take any pictures, but you can have a look at their site yourselves - they have so many nifty things! I bought a wpi-kit, with a stick to roll the yarn around to see how many wraps per inches it makes and then it gives weight and needle size :D I love it! I also got the small sock blocker-key chain, the green chibi from clover, the sock-it-to-me sock size overview and a lovely lavender lotion bee wax bar that makes my hands softer than soft! The fact that I can't really afford any of this at the moment is of course irrelevant... We might have to convieniently stop by at my parents' house for dinner a couple of time before the 12th of May...


Then, on Wednesday, I was REALLY spoiled. Sophia and I decided to do a private tea and yarn-swap, and sent eachother requests and wishes - I got the most wonderful package!! As you can see by the photos, there were lots and lots of goodies. I'll start with what wow'ed me the most: the yarn. I got a skein of Manos del Uruguay's silky blend in the loveliest shades of purple, and I've already started a pair of knitty's Spirogyra which I think I just might keep for myself, since the yarn is so amazingly soft. I also got a 400yds skein of superwash merino yarn in fingering weight from Seacoast Handpainted - I can't wait to start some new sock projects - it's been a while since I last knitted socks and I miss it :) The last yarn addition was 10g of supersoft angora wool. I think I need to use it for some baby garment :)

I was happy to find not only the Interweave Knits issue from last fall (out of print and very popular), but also a vintage booklet from 1949 with baby patterns!! I love vintage knitting, and I am looking forward to trying out some of these lovely layette-patterns ("hentesett"). I also got a squishy baby toy (no close-ups in case my brother or his girlfriend are reading the blog), and two bunny buttons that I am going to use on a baby cardigan (I think).

I had to stop myself right away from eating the few pieces of chocolate in the package - but I had one of the green tea vanilla bean cookies :) Very good indeed! My boyfriend ate the milk chocolate, and I'm saving the dark chocolate for an occacion. I gained weight this week. I guess it's because I've been so stressed out and not able to control myself as well, but I have been exercising in my Redcord sling a bit, so I'm hoping the weight is more muscles than fat... Anyway, I feel much better today, and I rode my new bike (it's white, not red as the one in the photo) to work. It's sunny outside and it's finally starting to feel like spring (Please don't let me jinx it with those words...).

Back to the package (Yes, there is more!), the tea Sophia sent me was really yummy - I've had so many cups of the blueberry muffin tea that I've lost count! It really feels like you're having liquid muffins, only not as nauseating as that sounded. In a good way, I swear! Fresh nice blueberry taste with the addition of some caramel pieces that gives a round muffin-y taste. The almond tea was great too, especially with a dash of honey, but I have to be really careful with it so that I don't provoke my allergies too much (allergic to nuts and almonds, both of which are in the tea). I haven't gotten around to tasting the ginger oolong, the rooibos fennel or the pyramid bags, but I'm saving them for next time my mother or Anne stops by. The package also came with a really pretty card that is now on my cork-board .. uhm.. Don't fail me now, English vocabulary!! Daarn yooou!. Okay, it's like a blackboard, only it is made out of cork and you pin stuff to it. Like, to do-lists and photos and such. What's it called? Please comment, and relieve me of this terrible "I'm sure I know what it's called"-feeling... ;) Anyway, that's where it is, (Thanks, Sophia) right next to my desk :) Thank you so much for a lovely package, Sophia :) ETA: Oh. I forgot to mention the granola! I've been adding some to my cereals every morning and it's really good (but VERY sweet!!). Works so well with my morning routine and takes the edge off my sugar cravings ;)

Close-ups of yarn from Patricia and Sophia:


I've mangaged to do some knitting (while procrastinating) these past days as well. I've finally picked up my too short Ravenclaw scarf and started knitting on that, but it's not very challenging since it's just back and forth and not much of a pattern. I've knitted some more squares for my Mindless Knitting Blanket, and I've managed to finish up my beaded wristwarmers. I will post a pattern soon for the wristwarmers, which were inspired by a pattern from Du Store Alpakka that didn't work out too well for me. I've made so many changes in it, that it turned into a whole new pattern, so I just have to dechipher my notes and write it out, and then I'll post a pattern. Anyways, here are some photos:

Baby knitting

Today is my birthday, and I've had such a wonderful day!! I spent the first half of it cleaning the kitchen and baking while listening to an audiobook, and it was so much fun - feels great to finally take a breather from exams and work. I made almond-biscotti and Jasmine Tea Cookies, and both turned out great. After having had one too many of the cookies, I spent an hour working out so that I didn't have to have a guilty conscience ;)

After that, my brother and his girlfriend came to pick me up, and we went to my parents' for a birthday dinner - turkey and chicken with rice, salad and baked potatoes... So good! And healthy! My mother had bought me 24 roses (one for each year), and I got a necklace and a nice fruit tea from my brother and his gf. And then they asked me to be a god parent to the girl they're expecting in June!!! I'm so happy, it was totally unexpected, and I feel so honored. My brother said he knew I cared so much for my nephews and nieces, so they wanted me as god mother if I wanted to.

On that note, here's a baby bonnet I've made for the little one:




The pattern is Little Shell Lace Baby Bonnet by Dawn Adcock. I hope to get a lot more knitted for my little baby niece before she arrives in June :-)