exploration station shawl

I'm happy to finally share a finished project. I gave this shawl to my mom for Christmas(though I only finished it  for New Year's... oops!) so you haven't seen this one in any of the 'what I'm working on' posts, yet.

The pattern is called "exploration station" by Stephen West. You can find yarn information etc. on the ravelry project page.

It was a fun pattern to knit. There is one brioche section in there; I've been wanting to give the technique a try for quite some time so I was happy to have such an awesome teacher. (The pattern includes video tutorials that shows special techniques for the different sections.)

The only mod I made is the bind off. I switched to a lighter color for the i-cord bind off so it wouldn't look too dark with a big, dark red/purple/pinkish border.

I finished knitting the shawl during our vacation to Denmark so I had lots of space to blog this beauty. Thankfully because it wouldn't have fit into my small student-sized apartment :D

wiwo wednesday vol. 18

Welcome to this year's first edition of 'What I'm Working On'. January used to be my most productive month of the year; there weren't any exams when I was in high school and it was the beginning of a new term when I studied in Vancouver. Also, January is usually dreadful weather-wise so I didn't feel guilty when I stayed inside to knit instead of spending time outside.
Unfortunately, January is the most stressful month for German university students, because all the research paper deadlines are in January and exams start at the end of January, so the whole month is basically spent in the library studying / paper writing.

There won't be much progress in the next couple of months, but I wanted to share with you what's on my needles (& on my nightstand) anyway.

First, let's talk books. I used to read a lot and I miss it. So I'm determined to start a new habit that involves banning my phone from my nightstand so I can't browse instagram before I go to sleep. Alas, I'm more likely to read in the evening. Depending on my mood I either read in Mindy Kaling's book or the first volume of Rita Falk's Bavarian crime novel series.

I never thought I'd be much of an audiobook person but I started listening to Fall of Giants last year and loved it. So I started listening to Winter of the World the other day and I'm loving it. I especially love listening to it while sewing. Also, John Lee is an amazing narrator.

I spun a roving of alpaca finer. I bought the fiber at a small local store in Idaho and it's so soft and squishy. For now it's still on the bobbin because I can't decide whether to attempt a Navajo ply or to ply it with a commercial yarn. Any thoughts?

Eventually this will be a sleeve for a sweater for my dad. But somehow the yarn doesn't seem to like my style of knitting. The gauge is either off, the stitch definition is awful, or the fabric is too dense. Sigh... Once I'm done with all my finals I'll frog it and re-knit it beautifully, no matter how many attempts it might take!

These 'Christmas socks' have been mocking me for... well, since before Christmas. I'm gonna get them done eventually. Maybe in time for this year's Christmas?

Finally my Elfreide scarf. It's gonna take me approximately two more years if I keep going at the same speed. Maybe I should write 'knit one Elfreide repeat' on my weekly to do list until it's done. If I'd be disciplined it might only take me one more year to finish it...

I have one exciting FO to share on Friday. So until then why don't you tell/show me what you're working on? I'd love to see!

capsule wardrobe: winter 2015

 
Over the past months I've been purging my closet. In the beginning my plan was just to declutter a bit. Turns out there aren't that many things in my closet that I truly love. So I ended up selling/donating/giving to friends most of my clothes (and storing the rest in the basement). Which left me with a pretty empty closet.
I've been reading about Capsule Wardrobes for awhile now and figured if I don't try this now I probably never will. After all, choosing 38 items from a pretty empty closet is not as intimidating as choosing 38 items out of 500, right?

So what's my interpretation of a Capsule Wardrobe?

• I'm limiting myself to just 38 pieces of clothing, including shoes and outerwear
• the rest of my clothes are in storage
• any handmade items that I'll finish making can be added as extras
• the following items are not included:
• tanktops to add a warm layer underneath
• socks, tights, scards, hats, mittens, underwear, business clothes, workout clothes, chill-at-home-clothes, PJs
• no random shopping. If something wears out I can replace it.

So basically I'm following the same rules as Caroline and Elise with a few modifications for German weather. If you're looking for inspiration, check out their blogs. They tend to be much better at explaining than I am ;)

What do I want to achieve with this project?

• save time getting dressed
• save money
• motivate myself to make more clothes
• own less (but higher quality) clothes

Wait... doesn't it get really cold in Germany?
Obviously I had to make some adjustments to the original rules. Sure it is easy to only wear the same 30-something pieces of clothing in warm climates such as Austin or San Diego. I added four tank tops and one longsleeve shirt for layering that are not visible - so they don't count, right?

I also chose items that are comfortable, warm and practical - not dresses that don't even cover your buttocks(example) and high heels that make it impossible to walk more than five yards(example).

But having real winter weather also means I get to exchange at least half the clothes from this capsule for lighter items in the spring. I chose to do my first capsule from January 15 till March 15, because the beginning of March is usually when I swap my thick winter jackets for lighter in-between coats and heavy boots for sneakers.
 
Dresses & Skirts (5)
I love wearing dresses in the winter because paired with a pair of yoga pants, they're warmer (& more comfy) than pants. Often I find myself wearing colorful dresses with neutral sweaters and boots. Also, dresses double as top and bottom so it's basically a win-win situation.
Purple striped Dress (2014), mini dress (2010), dark red basic dress(new), still light tunic (handmade), denim skirt (2014)

Jeans & Pants (5)
I only have one pair of jeans that I love so I wear mostly pants and dresses in the winter. The black lululemon yoga pants double as tights. They're much warmer than most of my tights and awesome for riding your bike because the tightly knitted fabric buffers wind. Yes, they're super pricy but I've been wearing my first pair for three years and they still hold up great - no holes which is basically a miracle if you live with a cat.
well-loved levis jeans (2013), 'black' cords (2006), pink-red cords (2013), lululemon wunder under pants (2011), cargo pants (new)
 
Shirts & longsleeves (4)
In Germany we have four seasons and they only way to survive winter is to wear layers over layers over layers. I've decided not to count layers that aren't visible, e.g. tanktops and a dark blue longsleeve shirt that I never wear without a sweater.
plaid shirt (2013), chambray (new), striped longsleeve (2013), organic cotton striped longsleeve (new)

T-Shirts (5)
Some of these t-shirts are also used for layering but since they can also we worn just with a hoodie I included them in the item count.
buttercup (handmade), UO top (2008), V-neck tee (2014), organic scoop neck tee(new), red lace top (2014)
Sweaters (7)
I wear sweaters every day in the winter, thus it's the biggest category. Eventually I want all my sweaters to be handmade but that's probably gonna take anoter two or three years.
neutral cardigan (2010), ravello (handmade), red cable sweater(2012), lululemon scuba hoodie (2014), thrifted sequinted sweater (2010), bedford (handmade), little wave cardigan (handmade)

Outerwear (5)
Being a student in Germany means you ride your bike every day, no matter whether it's raining, snowing or whatnot. So outerwear has to be cute, rather than functional. As much as I love the look of thin parkas and denim jackets, it is not realistic to wear stuff like that in Germany in the winter. I splurged and bought two new winter jackets after Christmas, because my old rain coat was getting old and didn't quite protect me from rain anymore. So I bought a new 'double jacket' that's wind and waterproof but also has a detachable fleece jacket inside, which can be worn seperately and removed in the warmer months. I also couldn't resist the Mammut skiing jacket that was on super sale (we're talking 90% off...!) and it's gonna be awesome on those chilly, rainy days. Sure it's not the prettiest of all but certainly the most functional one.
pink down west (2014), vaude yale jacket (new), plaid wool jacket (2008), skiing jacket (new), red down jacket(2013)
 
Shoes (6)
Shoes are probably my worst addiction. Closely followed by bags. It took me a while to find a brand of shoes that really fits but I'm hooked on Timberland shoes since I bought my boat shoes five years ago. I've been slowly growing my collection. The trick with expensive shoes is to buy them off season. All the shoes I bought within the last 5 years were at least 50% off. Summer break is a great time to go hunting for winter boots. My advice: amazon warehouse deals are a great source for affordable shoes :)
yellow sheepskin leather boots(2014), brown leather boots(2012), biker boots (2013), gray oxfords (2013), boat shoes (2010), sneakers (2014)

hey 2015

It's 2015 - yay!

I'm excited for a new year with new opportunities. A few things:

There will be some posts showing you the Christmas presents I made but never had a chance to share on here.  I'm talking the 3 S's - socks, shawls & sweaters.

I'm embarking on a new creative journey in 2015 called 4 out 1 in. Basically it means I'm gonna use up(or sell or give away) four items from my stash before I can buy materials for a new one. That way I'll - hopefully - reduce my yarn stash a little and use up some of the lovely fabrics I have. Ideally, I won't have any old WIPs at the end of the year. Feel free to join me. The more the merrier!

Do you have any creative challenges planned for the new year?

ps: The shop reopens 5th of January but there won't be a shop update until January 19.

change is in the air

Oh my, the last weeks have been a whirlwind. In between studying for finals, writing research papers, going to conferences, job interviews and lots of shop orders, there hasn't been as much time to enjoy the Christmas spirit as I would've liked.

The holiday season and the approach of a new year always makes me think about my life and what I'd like to change about it. New ideas for blog content, new designs for my shop, new knitting/spinning/dyeing techniques. But also questions about what I want to do after school. I'm all set to finish my Bachelor's degree next summer. Then what? I'll take a year off because the graduate schools I want to apply to have very inconvenient application deadlines. I want to work for a big company, grow my small business, travel the world and stay home to cuddle my cat and knit everything that's in my revelry queue. Preferably all at the same time.

Change is good. I can't wait to see what life has to offer after school. Also, here are some shop news:

In celebration of the 100th dawanda shop sale, I offer free shipping on all orders (yes, that includes international orders too!) until Sunday, December 21st with the coupon code Blog100 in my online shop. I also added a sale section to the shop to make room for new designs in the next year.

I'll close the shop from Monday, December 22nd until the new year.

wiwo wednesday vol. 17

I can't wait for Christmas so I can go back to sharing what I'm working on openly. The only knitting I can share with you are two selfish projects:
First, a pair of red socks. Duh, it's Christmas soon. Naturally I need another pair of red socks, right??
I've had the skein in my stash for quite a while now. Originally, I bought it to use it for Julekuler (knitted Christmas balls). But I only used a couple of yards of the yarn so I have plenty left for socks.

Next up is the Levenwick cardigan that I've been knitting on forever. Or so it feels. Progress has been very slow because it's gotten too big to carry. I need the DPNs that I'm using for the sleeve for another project (a Christmas gift), hence I'm in a hurry to finish the sleeve so I can borrow the needles for the next project. Basically that also means that I won't get to knit on this cardigan till after Christmas. Or however long it takes me to finish said Christmas gift - plus all the others I still have on my to knit list.

Also, an alternative title for this post could've been 'daylight abstinence'. I've been putting off taking pictures for this post for days because it's been very gray and rainy around here. Also, it gets dark so early which makes it basically impossible to take pictures using a natural light source. German winter is not the most blogger friendly season ;)

sock monkey christmas quilt

Do you remember the Christmas fabrics I bought in August last year? I made plans to sew a Christmas quilt back then. After sewing these project bags using the same fabrics I started the quilt top. That was October 2013. Fast forward a year and I still only had a couple of odd-sized log cabin blocks. I put it on my November goals list et voilà, it's the beginning of December and I have a finished Christmas quilt!

My mom and I bought a bolt of Kona cotton snow a couple months ago so I added white stripes to each block and cut them down to the same size (9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches). My mom helped me by cutting all the strips of fabric and ironing the seams while I was speed-sewing everything together. I'm so thankful for having a fast sewing machine!

Deciding on a backing, batting and binding was pretty easy because I simply used what my stash had to offer. The backing is a very cheap fleece fabric that I bought at a German 'fabric market' years ago. The size matched the quilt top perfectly and I was glad to not have it lay around anymore. The binding is one of my current favourite fabrics; it's the perfect striped fabric for drawstrings, bindings, internal pockets, etc. It seems to go with every single fabric I own. I just love it and I regret that I didn't buy more of it. But fabric is heavy and my suitcases were already at their limits. Oh Canadian fabric stores, can't you open a store right next to my house?

I have a very talented longarm quilter in my family who offered her services for free (thanks, mom!). The quilting pattern is a free motion holly leave pattern with loops connecting the leaves. I love that the quilt is still fluffy and not 'quilted to death' yet it is a Christmas themed and fun pattern. Perfection all around!

Here are some random information about the quilt:
I used moda's 'santa's little helpers sock monkeys in squares' fabric in green and red for the centers of the log cabin blocks. Then I just added a variety of green and red fabrics around. The fabrics are a random collection of scraps I found in my mom's scrap bins (some of them are from my childhood) and a mixture of other Christmas fabrics I bought with the sock monkey fabrics (e.g. other fabrics from the collection as well as the cute 'presents all wrapped up' by Aneela Hoey.

So yay, I finally have a Christmas quilt!