operation sock yarn // tricolor socks

Sometimes I start a knitting project thinking I'm not gonna like the final result. Usually that leaves me very unmotivated and I frog the project. Same story with these socks. I grabbed three balls of scrap yarn from my (still very big) sock yarn stash and a couple of needles to have a mindless project for Wollefest Leipzig. During the craft fair I got a bunch of compliments for the socks - and with each compliment I started to like them a little more.

I finished a whole pair of socks during the craft fair weekend - all that was left to do when I got home Sunday night was weaving in the ends(my least favorite part about scrap socks!) and the toe seams.

Didn't they turn out to be gorgeous? I'm definitely a block stripe fan (at least in socks). These socks are a (very late) birthday gift for a friend - I hope she likes them!

craft fair sign

My mom Patricia made the most awesome craft fair sign for my small business. I wanted something bright and airy yet eye catching and unique. I'm not a fan of vinyl signs or anything with a hard structure. If you're selling textile accessories for knitters it's a logical consequence to have a textile sign, too - right?

My mom started off with a light fray piece of fabric. I think it was a curtain in an earlier life. Next I printed out all the letters necessary on a sheet of papers. I mirrored the letters in Word and printed them on normal office paper so they could be used as patterns.

Next my mom traced the letters onto vliesofix and ironed them onto a collection of 14 different green fabrics - the green one with the tiny sheep is my favorite. After ironing the letters to the background fabric she quilted it on her longarm machine.

Obviously my mom is a true artist and watching her turn a boring, old curtain into a piece of art is amazing. I just love how the letters pop out. My mom recently started a longarm quilting service - so drop her a mail (p.bussemeier AT gmx DOT com) if you'd like her to quilt something for you.

There are several rod pockets and sleeves on the back to hang the quilt. I couldn't be happier about the sign and I'm gonna hang it above my coach when it's not used as a craft fair sign.

wolle-fest leipzig

This weekend I'll be at the Wolle-Fest Leipzig selling handmade project bags and much more.
Hope to see you there :)

some shawls are not meant to be photographed

Brooklyn Tweed's Rock Island Shawl has been on my to-knit list for years. It was one of the first shawl patterns I saw on ravelry that I really liked but the knitting skill level needed (4 out of 5) intimidated me.  I've knitted a lot of shawls over the past years and didn't come upon a pattern that I couldn't tackle. So when BT had all their patterns on sale (I think it was on Valentine's Day.) I purchased it and took it to Florida with me as my vacation knitting. I didn't take any other knitting with me so I couldn't back out.

I didn't finish knitting the shawl in Florida but I got the most intimidating part done - the lace border. Looking back, my fear of the pattern was baseless because it wasn't hard to knit, it just took some patience and concentration.

Turns out taking pictures of the shawl is much harder than knitting the shawl.

The color of the yarn (it's Wollmeise Lace in the color 'Ruby Thursday') seems to be impossible to capture with my camera. Quite frustrating because it's such a pretty color in reality.

Last but not least, an 'Autobahn knitting' photo. I love seeing in-progress pictures so I'm gonna share more of those on the blog.

quinoa asparagus salad

Sometimes I discover a new food and get totally obsessed and ask myself how I survived 23 years without eating it. That's what happened to me with quinoa the other day. So far I've only tried it in a casserole and in salads but I love it and can't wait to try even more recipes.

I bought fresh asparagus today and of course I had to try it with quinoa. I have a pinterested board for my latest food obsessions and found a bunch of quinoa salads with asparagus. I looked at a couple recipes and came up with this yummy salad. Here's how I made it:

Easy Quinoa Asparagus Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup quinoa
olive oil
green asparagus (I used 7 spears)
lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
frozen peas
chopped almonds
one avocado
fresh basil
salt + pepper
some honey dressing

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package and set aside to cool.
2. While cooking the quinoa, chop your asparagus into bite-size pieces and roast in a pan with a tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the frozen peas(I used about had a cup), a handful of sliced almonds and lemon juice from half a lemon. Set aside.
3. Dice the avocado.
4. Mix the quinoa, asparagus and avocado in a large bowl, add fresh basil, some garlic and salt + pepper to taste. Pour some dressing over it and enjoy!

Here's my go-to honey dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice (from half a lemon)
some honey
chopped fresh basil
salt + pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a container that has a lid and closes properly. Shake well. Voilà.

If you haven't tried quinoa go ahead - give it a try. You can thank me later ;)

twenty three

Traditionally I take a picture on my birthday (check out 22 and 21). It's nice to have a record showing how I change (or rather the length of my hair...). I was very lucky today and had gorgeous weather - clear blue sky, sunshine and nice temperatures. It felt more like summer than April and it's a nice change considering I usually have typical April weather for my birthday.

I hope you're having a wonderful day, too.