a tiny bit of flu ...

No, it's not very bad

but no appetite at all

and lots of sleep

...

so only a little of January

that was left

We had ice !!!

Though not very thick

so NO big tours

(that's what a LOT of Dutch people LOVE)

And of course we had our bird guests :

*

Made just a few stitches for

"a year of stitches : 2017"

*

Some new zig-zag socks

And you might have problems transporting your

W.I.P socks when you use small sock needles :

this solves that problem !

(so I made a few more of these pouches)

(hmmmm making it an early night again)

so sad

BAGHEERA

I must say we saw it coming

since last Sunday :

our big brown Burmese cat Bagheera 

(in fact daughter's cat, but our long-term guest)

was getting very thin all of a sudden.

Stumbling sometimes,

didn't have much appetite,

plaintive meowing.

(yes, when we think back now,

there were some signs, days earlier ...

but he had his little ups and downs before)

We really didn't expect it to go worse that quick

His little blue sister Bella stood by him

all the time.

But tonight

we had to say goodbye

and let him go

Thanks, dear sweet-natured friend !

We all,

and especially your little sister,

will dearly miss you !

here again

It took some time,

but I'm here again ...

nothing much happened in between.

I think January is 

(for most people)

a month to be calm again

after all the busy things of December.

After I finished the blue zig-zag socks

I made the red ones for daughter.

(first try and change for the better pattern)

And because I loved the result of that second pair

...

I started similar ones for me again

(yes, I know, it's addictive ...)

A bit more purple and less orange / red.

*

In the first week of January arrived another

felting exchange piece

(and I thought I had them all ...)

 Thanks Geurdie !

(and there seems to come another one ...

I didn't count very well !)

*

When I saw on FB that my felting exchange friend Jolan

was participating in 1 year of stitches.

I thought to give it a go too ...

(though I really don't know IF I will keep it up)

But, it will be fun to be part of another stitching community.

Some thin dark blue noil silk

(with some thin white cotton under it)

in my big quilting hoop (40 cm)

I started with my "personal magic thread"

and will use the lovely indigo hand dyed embroidery thread

So far.

*

In the kitchen we discovered two days ago

a very strange guest

He or she probably slipped into our house

in a pot of fresh basil ...

(and now discovers that there's nothing to eat here at all !)

No spring in sight here :

just more winter !