haekelmonster

Saving my honor: at least I have tried. Only I never had the patience go beyond “1”. Hence, one little Julevotter has been sitting here for weeks now. A friendly reminder … But that does not change a thing. I unraveled the half-finished “2” in purple and gray nonetheless. It’s just not my thing. DPNs and FairIsle – too small, too fiddly, too many threads. Period.

No matter how much I wanted to knit and have this Advent calendar.

I am out. Thankfully, the teenager in my house is more interested in the “inside” of a calendar than in the “outside”, hence I will hang the calendar I bought ages ago and fill its 24 little pockets just like every year.

Thereafter, the Lettlopi yarn will become a colorful sweater for me. Honi soit, qui mal y pense 😬.

Of course, Kathi is displaying her 10^th calendar today on Instagram. At least, it feels like her 10^th calendar (actually, I might be her 4^th). Even more beautiful, more perfect (if possible) than its forerunners. Lovely colors, lovely picture. Another 18 mittens to go until the end of this month and I have no doubt she’ll make it in time.

Not that I care …

If you are like Kathi (24 mittens in a week) the pattern is here.

 

 

 

Do you remember the super beautiful hemp skein that my friend – a knitter herself, at least occasionally – brought me from Scandinavia? It has been sitting here for a while but finally I managed a first hemp project in mid-September.

Inspired by pictures I found online when looking for #RopeBaskets, I decided to make one myself. The hardware store had dark blue twisted cord and all else is improvisation. There is no pattern for the basket.

In fact, there is no pattern needed as “coating” a rope with single crochet is not rocket science. Only the ending was a bit tricky as you can’t hide it with the cord being that thick. Hence, I decided to make the inevitable obvious by forming a big loop. It should be fine (as long as no one pulls the loop or lifts the basket by holding on to the loop).

I can see this basket with bread or fruits, yarn or stuff.

When done, I gave it – together with beautiful red Edda – to the friend that had given me the skein. A win-win situation so to speak. For both of us. Especially, as there is still some hemp left.

I might turn it into another basket. Bigger, rounder, and with a lid. What do you think?

“It’s like a golden carpet in front of my house. So beautiful,” my aunt said the other day. Since then, I no longer think “leaves = work” when looking into my garden. They may stay as long as they are gold. Together with the blue sky that’s actually very pretty.

Besides, my aunt brought me 20 kilos (in words: twenty kilos) of quince from my mother’s garden. My mother added that there is more if I need more (no thanks) … That is to say, even without raking up the leaves, I am busy. Every day, I make quince jelly. Three liters, every day. It will be done tonight. Then, there will be about 50 glasses of jelly. Winter can come.

No wonder, I didn’t knit or crochet all that much lately. Nevertheless, little things get done. A little baby hat for example. Remember we went to Arcachon several times for summer vacation? This little hat is for our landladies first grandchild Milan.

I was so pleased with her message that I immediately cast on another baby cardigan, following the pattern that Kiki once introduced me to. The yarn is leftovers from my wonder woman wrap. Hence, the cardigan will be yellow, blue, and red. Some wonder woman will do no harm to a little boy, I guess – quite the opposite.

Leaves, quint, cardigan – many different shades of gold. However, the eMail I received Friday night was not gold at all:

„We’ve found that your account has been used to install and run malicious software on your server. This software was then used to attack third-party systems.”

Malicious software … attacking third-party systems … 😱. Luckily, Magdalena came to my rescue. Friday night, 10 pm? No problem! She was right there, grabbed two Russian attackers and kicked them out, then raised the firewall even higher, deleted and reinstalled the malicious software. (Through TeamViewer, so that I could watch. Maybe with the intention that I might learn something – however, I was way too anxious to even understand what she was doing …🙃). Shortly before midnight, everything was back to normal, neither haekelmonster nor you were harmed, the site is back online and yet my nerves still flutter a bit …

Hence, I needed to write a blog post (it was due anyway) – if only to prove to myself that really everything is under control again ….

It is a mystery to me how anyone can tolerate (or even like) what the son calls music in the volume he chooses. (If you do not believe me, I recommend “Meurtre par Strangulation” by Maître Gims. Death by strangulation, accompanied by the piano. For pure, authentic sound reproduction make sure the volume control is up …).

Makes me long for the days, when the boy was a little child. He had three CDs – no more, no less – that we would listen to day in, day out (occasionally interrupted by a Moomin audiobook): One was “The birds’ wedding,” a CD my sister had recommended and to this day the only one I ever heard by Ralf Zuckowsy (a singer who is very popular among children in Germany and released hundreds of CDs).

Then there was „Peter and the Wolf“ with Loriot narrating the story. My favorite CD of all times! Hard to explain to anyone not German. However, take my word: The brilliant storyteller, the orchestra, the conductor – all of it is glorious!

And finally there was „Noah’s Ark.” Unfortunately, that audio book too has never been translated into any other language. Hence, the not German speaking world misses out on listening to the story (only interrupted by classical music) of all these animal couples trying to make it to the ark on time, despite all obstacles, their standing in line (patiently or not), and the challenges they were facing.

Why am I writing this? Because one of the pieces of music on that last CD that the son particularly liked is the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” (originating from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker). No wonder, I immediately reacted when coming across the Fee Dragee socks on Ravelry. That very day, I cast on a pair of Sugar Plum Fairy socks, my third pair of socktober-socks.

I even managed to finish knitting them in October, however it took me until last night to close the toe with kitchener stitch and to take a midnight picture right there on the sofa.

Midnight … school started again this morning (after two weeks of fall vacation), hence the night was rather short, nerves were slightly on edge and Maître Gims sounded a wee bit louder than usual.

In short: I would have preferred the Sugar Plum Fairy in my ears rather than on my feet …

I was in the garden again today … necessary for both of us – the garden and me. Another late summer day: blue sky, sunny, 70-degree-weather.

Because, if the weathermen’s forecast is correct, tomorrow the weather will change. It will be cooler, more cloudy … Rain on Tuesday. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the rain, but the prospect of dark and grey gives me the blues.

No blues for you? Well, lucky you.

Like a lizard, I need warmth and light. Looks like I am pretty much alone with that right now. Everyone else on social media seems to be looking forward to wooly hats. They want cardigans and dream of being wrapped in shawls.

Really?

Socks – okay. But I knit (and wear) socks all year long. Hence, the second pair of socktober socks is done, and I am working on my third. All other knitting is still waitlisted …

The Birkin that may never be a Birkin. And the blue cashmere shawl. Finally, a new crochet WIP.

All in good time.

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Postscript:

The little vine I brought in France last summer, my Bordeaux from Bordeaux, has grown incredibly;

the fox / cat / squirrel (no, 😱 not the squirrel) killed (and ate) a dove. All gone but the feathers;

I am done with raking foliage.

It smells fall.