baking days // feeling blue

I was asked to make blue muffins for our model united nations society info meeting tonight. First I wanted to make blueberry muffins and dye the dough blue but then I decided to make rocher-chocolate muffins topped with dyed coconut flakes.

A friend came over to help me bake them and we've had a great time. Whenever I use food dyes it reminds me of a kid's birthday party. Dying the coconut flakes was super easy; first we tried to put them in a ziplock bag and shake it well but that didn't work at all. Thankfully my rookie Julia is a paramedic so we always have a big box of disposable gloves. We ended up mixing the coconut flakes and the food dye in a small mixing bowl. It worked great and thanks to the gloves out hands don't look like we're auditioning for the Blue Man Group ;)

We added tiny flags with our club's name (MUNSG = model united nations society Göttingen) to add a fun little detail. Beside the blue coconut flakes, of course…

This was a fun little project (it took us about an hour, including cleaning up our colorful mess) and hopefully our new(& current!) members will like them. Next challenge will be transporting them to campus… on my bike. We'll see how many coconut flakes will be left by the time I get there ;)

busy but good

The first week of the new semester is over and I feel like I could use a vacation already. There's so much going on: catching up with friends I haven't seen all summer, making lots of new friends, founding a knitting club at uni, preparing for a craft fair and trying to manage to fit double the course load any sane person would consider taking into a timetable. Life is busy but good. I'm really thankful to have this cute lady to come home to every day. Coming home to a cat makes all the stress and worries from a long day go away.
Have a great week!

52 craft projects // Bedford sweater

I'm happy to share my latest 'big project' with you - the Bedford sweater by Michele Wang for Brooklyn Tweed. It was a joy to knit once I got past row 20; I frogged the beginning 6 (!!!) times because either my gauge was off, I knitted the wrong size, I managed to twist the whole thing... It was pretty frustrating at first but once I figured out which size to make and which needles to use it was a fun knit.
I love the stitch pattern - isn't it pretty?

When I first saw the pattern in the BT fall '11 collection I knew that I'd knit it... one day. I found the perfect wool for this project in Denmark during our summer vacation and I got started right away before I could change my mind and bury the yarn in my stash. So after just six weeks (three of which were completely knit-free) I've got a new favorite sweater.

The fit couldn't be better - a relaxed body and tight sleeves; just the way I love it!
Yarn information, mods, etc. can be found here.

I've already cast on my next sweater - also a BT design, but this time it's a man's cardigan for my dad for Christmas. Let's hope that I'll finish it before Christmas... along with the 15 or so other Christmas presents I still have to knit.
This is project #29 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013. You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

52 craft projects // camera strap cover

So my camera strap has been 'naked' for the past months because my old one shrunk quite a bit in the washing machine. Don't worry, my mom's camera strap is smaller than mine so it still fits hers and it didn't go to waste. But I was left with a bare camera strap for months and although I love my Nikon, I have to admit that the color combo black/yellow is not my favorite.

So today I decided to finally make a new camera strap cover. I got out some of my current favorite fabrics and started following this tutorial. I don't need the lens cap pocket because I use this pouch but I wanted a quick project and it looked rather easy and quick to make.

The fabrics I chose are all linen or linen/cotton blends. I LOVE the texture of linen.The two fabrics I used for the ends are kokka fabrics that I bought in Munich last summer. I only bought 20cm of each fabric because it was ridiculously expensive (24€ for one meter of fabric - crazy!?!) but I love them so so much I couldn't walk away from them. They are from Ellen Luckett Baker's 'Stamped' Collection - I love the entire collection. Thankfully they only had three fabrics from the collection, otherwise I would've spent much more...

The inside is just a coordinating, plain, thick cotton fabric. The cover is rather large so I hope it will still fit after the first washing - if not I don't mind making a couple more covers to have an excuse to use some of my favorite fabrics!

ps: sorry I was too lazy to take the camera strap off the camera to take a picture of the entire strap. But you've seen the most exciting parts ;)
This is project #28 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013. You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

52 craft projects // hedera socks

I started these socks a while ago (sometime this summer...) but I didn't work on them for a couple of weeks and then I was too lazy to look up the lace pattern again so they ended up being a wip for way too long. I finally finished them yesterday when I had 8 hours of undisturbed knitting time on my way to Hamburg and back. Yay for awfully long train rides!

I'm not sure whether the socks just need blocking or whether the yarn wasn't the perfect choice for the pattern yet; they look kind of 'blah'?

The next socks I'm gonna knit will be with cables rather than a lace pattern - I think that's more my style. Also winter is coming so a pair of cabled socks can't hurt :)

Any pattern recommendations?

As always, check the ravelry project page for yarn information etc.

This is project #27 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013.

You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

long-term annoyances

Ever since I moved in over a year ago I had some things that annoyed me but they weren't actual 'problems' and didn't need immediate fixing. Of course I tackled all the high priority items on my to do list first, like installing a kitchen etc.
But 14 months after moving in I finally checked off two of those 'long-term annoyances' from my mental check list:
1) finding a place to put all my school stuff, like binders, books, etc.
and
2) organize & clean the basement.


I got a billy bookshelf at ikea that I put next to my closet. Our vacuum cleaner used to be there but for the time being I put it behind my door; it's less visible but still not perfect.
I dedicated the two lowest shelfs to all my binders. Once classes start these two shelves will be packed, I'm sure!
I used the remaining shelfs to put my books somewhere visible. They used to be all stacked in/on the little tv stand thingy next to it. It was neither pretty nor practical. I'm not sure what to do with the tv stand yet - my dad found it in the trash I 'borrowed' it from him; all my makeup and cosmetics are in the little drawer unit on top so I'll just leave it like that for now.

The basement project took a little bit longer; when we moved in, we just threw all the stuff in there that we didn't have a place for upstairs in the apartment; it was fine for a while but lately it's been hard to even enter it so I decided to finally get it off my list.
We're fortunate to have all the main fuse box and all the cable tv cords in our basement 'room' so we have electricians/cable tv guys having to access our basement from time to time. It doesn't hurt to give them easy access instead of having them crawl over boxes and boots, right?

We're lucky to have some built in shelfs on the one wall. At the other wall we have a small shelf that a previous tenant left here, a drawer unit that I used to have when I was a kid and a large ikea shelf to store moving boxes, etc.
The tiny shelf is filled with Christmas decorations & mugs. The drawers are filled with our shoes(two girls... what can I say?) and the big shelf holds outdoor gear, our smokey joe and moving boxes filled with tools.

We also have a wall cabinet that didn't fit into our kitchen that we use to store groceries like flour, sugar, tea, etc. that we buy in bulks but don't wanna store in our kitchen.

There are still many things on my 'long-term annoyances' list, like

• hang art/photos
• get a wall shelf for the bathroom
• install plinths in the kitchen

but I probably won't worry about them until next year :)

one hell of an apple pie

I love having friends over for coffee and cake. It's always nice to have an excuse to bake something and it's not too much of a time commitment. Another bonus is that I get a clean apartment out of it.
Yesterday, I've had some friends over for some relaxed knitting time and I made an apple pie. I think I pretty much figured out the perfect apple pie. Next time I make it I'll take some notes and post the recipe here. Want a little hint? Rum raisins! Yum!

I'm enjoying the last couple of lazy days before classes start next week. I can't wait! So far I have about 13 classes that I really, really wanna take. Getting this number down to a reasonable 5-6 will be tough. I'm really thankful that I have two more years of uni so I can hopefully take all the classes I'm passionate about.

52 craft projects // Christmas knitting project bags

Yesterday I made these two project bags to hide the Christmas presents that I'll be knitting this year. I have a list of about 8 projects for the next two months; including a cardigan for my dad! Wish me luck finishing all Christmas gifts in time this year... and maaaybe even squeeze in another warm winter sweater for myself :)
Anyways, my mom and I both got the red sock monkey fabric in the summer at a bargain price. When we bought it we decided to make cute project bags to hide our wip Christmas presents. Yesterday we finally found the time and energy to make these and I love them!

The small green bag is perfect for hats, small shawls, mittens, etc. It has many interior pockets because I'm a pocket addict the red was too dark as a lining fabric; I had to add a white dotted fabric to brighten things up, right?
I used a linen fabric for the bottom and a heavy interfacing to get a sturdy bag. My mom kindly offered to quilt some straight lines in between the sock monkeys because I would've been too lazy to do it. She's the best, I know!

The red bag is slightly bigger - perfect for scarfs, shawls, etc.
I only added three interior pockets because that was all that was left from the fabric. I'm really glad I added a light fabric to the inside otherwise it would be too red for my taste ;)

These project bags will make it even more fun to knit Christmas presents this year - I can't wait to get started!

Where do you hide Christmas presents that are in the making?

resources
sock monkey fabric: Erin Michael's 'Santa's Little Helpfers' collection // Volksafaden, Berlin
green stripes fabric: Westfalenstoffe 'Junge Linie' collection // available here
red lining: ikea 'ditte'
all other fabrics: from my mom's stash :)
FD labels: namensbaender
This is project #26 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013.
You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.

my craft space

The picture above shows the usual state of my desk - a (creative?) mess. I usually clean my room/purge my school supplies before uni starts. My classes start in two weeks so I guess it's about time to get organized again...

This is an overview of my 'craft space'. You could also say that it's my entire room because the only two corners you can't see in the picture accomondate my bed and closet (which is also mainly filled with craft supplies... not to mention the bags full of old clothes for sewing projects underneath my bed...). So basically my craft stuff has taken over my entire room. Which I don't mind at all...

I love this shelf/desk combination from ikea. The table's leg broke off due to a little kitty incident so I got the alex drawer unit instead. I love it because it holds so much stuff, the quality is great (made in Germany - yay!) and it's much more convenient than the original leg.

The drawers hold all my craft supplies that have to be kitty safe like my knitting needles, my pin cushion, sharp scissors, glue, etc. It also holds all my craft books, my camera gear, cat food, paperwork, etc. On top there are my rulers, steam iron, yarn for wips and the white wooden box hosts the yarn for my upcoming projects. The desk is my sewing and cutting table, as well as one of Lina's favorite spots to hang out.

I got the two tealight holders at a thrift store in Denmarkt. I love them! I filled them with tiny scrap yarn balls :)

My second desk hosts laptop, printer, wips, school stuff, etc.

All the clear boxes underneath/next to my desk are samla boxes from ikea. They hold scrapbooking stuff, fabric scraps, Christmas gifts, and all kinds of little bits and pieces I collect. I use this desk for homework and studying, scrapbooking and everything I do at my laptop. This is also the corner where my current knitting projects are stored so I can knit while watching a movie/tv series online.
The calendar is from here. My printer is usually barely visible because I stack all my school stuff on it. I reeeeally need to get a shelf to put all my books and binders for uni.

This chair is my favorite 'reading corner'. Nowadays 90% of the things I read are for school but it's still a fun place to be. I usually turn the chair around so I can put my feet on the radiator and watch the birds and squirrels outside. Unfortunately Lina also thinks that it's a nice place to relax. She often occupies the chair so I have to sit on the window sill... spoiled kitty.

[This is her typical face when she's afraid I might be thinking about stealing her sleeping spot.]


That's the view Lina is enjoying right now. My mom had a couple of trees cut down(no worries, they were conifers that weren't native species and took lots of sunlight because they were huuuge. We're planning to plant more apple trees and a plum tree.) so that explains the big brown spot. It also revealed the rather unlovely patio of the apartment underneath. I'll probably yarn bomb the rain gutter so I have a more colorful view during the winter months.

It goes without saying that my craft space won't stay as clean as it is in the pictures above for more than half an hour; as soon as I make something the creative chaos will be back... ;)

Have you shared pictures of your studio/craft space? Please share a link - I'd love to see them!

my first quilt. ever.

The other day, my mom and I were searching for something in my parents' attic and we found the very first quilt I ever made. I don't remember how old exactly I was when I made it but I was probably 5-6 years old. I asked my mom why it didn't look all wonky and badly sewn and she claims she pinned everything in place and let me sew it with her sewing machine.

The pattern is pretty simple (duh!) and I wouldn't choose the same fabrics again but it looks like I've always had a thing for pink :)

The finished size is about 25 x 25 inches which makes it more like a wall hanging than anything else.

I remember using a quilt stencil to draw the lines for the border quilting. It was so much fun and probably my favorite part of making this little quilt!

It was hand quilted but I can't imagine that I did it all myself - I'm really impatient when it comes to sewing anything by hand and I don't think that was any different when I was younger ;)
I'm not too sure what to do with it yet; it might go back to my parents' attic. Or I might hang it somewhere... it definitely needs a good wash because there are some white stains on it but I'm afraid the fabrics might not handle a washing too well.

Do you still have your first quilt/sewing project? I'd love to see it!

52 craft projects // eternity socks

It feels like these socks took an eternity to finish. I started them in March. It took me over half a year to finish them - crazy, right?
They were just sitting in their project bag, untouched for months, for no particular reason. When I got them out last week because I needed some mindless car knitting I realized they were almost finished. Only a couple rows and the second toe tip was left to knit. It always feels great to finish one of those WIPs that you've had laying around for months. And usually it's not as bad as you thought when you banned it to the back of your wip box.

If you have a similar project that you've been trying to forget about, I encourage you to just finish it. It's usually not as bad as you picture it in your mind and finishing a wip means you get to cast on an exciting new project!
I'd love to knit Afton next but I might start with something quick like a hat for some instant gratification. What do you wanna cast on next?

This is project #25 of 52 craft projects I'm attempting to complete in 2013.
You can see all the other projects I've complete so far here.