Spring is in the air ...

Today it definitely was :

spring was in the air.

(though there wasn't that much sunshine)

Our private bulb field !

These delicate crocuses fall over with a bit of rain or wind

but today they stood proud !

Sad to admit, but the snowdrops are already over.

Every late winter I long for them

and always too soon they are gone

So I picked a few

and made some drawings.

This is just a start :

I will work on them with water colour

and other techniques to keep them 

for a much longer time !

A new baby was born in my nephew's family

so I made my usual present

for that occasion

Welcome Fie !

There was more knitting these last two weeks :

the indigo blue shawl I made was a success

so I started another one

with homespun yarn daughter gave me

combined again with some fluffy

Rowan Kid Silk Haze Stripe.

(and while it was Stitch'nBitch-day today

I took it with me to Rotterdam)

Tadaaaah

(though it was a day late

it still was included in the good cause KAL donation !)

In my search for new knitting projects on Ravelry

I found something interesting.

Though I don't have the pattern for this Norwegian jacket (yet)

I had to give it a go

(on some smaller scale : mittens)

I frogged it already three times

and even now the size is too big ...

(must do some more tests)

And finally I received the (very) last felted piece

of the felting-exchange

(with one extra for the delay, ha, ha)

We hope to set a date for a meeting 

of all the felting-exchange members this summer.

It will be fun to see each other

ánd to see all the work.

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 !

wishing you ...

... a lot of

happiness,

peace,

(desperately needed in some places)

good health,

and of course

creativity

!

To all my friends out there in blog-land

a very good 

2017

Just before the end

I received my last felting-exchange piece

(at least I think it is) 

Another lovely creation to wear

with a sweet christmas card

Thank you so much Helma !!!

And on the same day another sweet envelope arrived :

from my dearest friend Birgit

she dyed some things in her indigo vat

and sent it back to me

(we split the wonderful dragon-embroidered piece !)

A dragon and some lovely threads

(bamboo, silk and cotton  f.l.t.r.) 

My zigzag socks are finished

and because it is such fun knitting

and daughter had sock yarn leftovers too

I started right away with another pair

reds and purples this time ...

See you all next year !

december .....

Ahhhhhh

first day of the last month of this year

.....

a bit of winter

As I could have predicted in advance :

November was a quiet month

after the frantic activities of October.

I made some more textile jewels

(just because it was fun)

but couldn't get myself

into starting something new.

But, I had to make my last two (!) pieces

for the felting exchange.

I made the one for October first :

a (big) fish

of which I totally forgot to take pictures

before I sent him off.

Then, in the last days of November

I fi-nal-ly had the idea

for the Zodiac sign Virgo
(the September piece !)

shrunk to the right size !

It was quickly dry on the radiator
and then came the fun :
embroidery

Finished,

... and it arrived safely, I heard !

I also received one of my
last "jewels" (corsages) I asked for

Ha, it's almost like Medusa's head ...
but I like it !
Thanks Paulien !

There was more interest in it  :

Ha, ha, ha !

*
And in a few days
we have the children's feast
"St Nicolaas"

(dress rehearsal)

little star

Today I finished the

"little star"

It will end up on a canvas

with the thin dark blue fabric folded under.

(you can see the stones through the dark blue edge now : that thin !)

It was good sitting in the garden,

stitching.

Plan to do more !

*

Felting Exchange !

Yeeeeeah ! I received a new felted piece yesterday !

Sorry : it is much more purple in real life !!!

The envelope was a piece of art too !

Thanks Jolan, I love it !

*

And since both of my own pieces are in their new homes

I can show the pictures now

before the final bits

"Flower meadow"

"People"

(or perhaps : Blah blah, blah ?)

(no more felting exchange for me till September !)