to the "Stitch"

Almost every fortnight

I go to Rotterdam

for the Stitch'n Bitch group meeting

in an old pub in the city

(we are sitting on the second level that we can have all to ourselves :

there are few customers early Saturday morning

and the ones there are downstairs, don't hear our busy talking !)

My trip is by bike and boat :

a wonderful trip on this crisp sunny morning !

Nearly there

A little detour to do some early shopping

(Do you recognize some of it Nat ???)

The flower stalls on the market with their colourful display

ready for spring !

*

Then to the pub

for some coffee, tea and show and tell

What a lovely morning !

12 - 12 - 15 ... just small things

Nothing much is going on.

We're in between festivities and

December is just going its quiet way.

Small things I'm making.

I'm thinking of stitching a little cloth

just for the fun of stitching again

Finished a small embroidery project just now

which I will show a bit later ...

and another one.

Last Wednesday we had the last mandala evening of the year

there isn't much to be seen 

of the unicorn  that it was about

(that's what happens sometimes after the meditation)

And this was the one of November that I didn't post either

about the sea goddess Benten and the dragon

When I went to Rotterdam today

my usual Stitch'nBitch visit, 

I fi-nal-ly finished my sock

and made the beginnign for number two

Love the colour of that "Lang" yarn 

So :
just small things

making someone happy

It was Stitch'nBitch day again in Rotterdam.

It was supposed to be sunny today, so I dressed that way ...

SÓ happy I was I had a rain poncho (just in case) in my cycle bag :

it rained cats and dogs,

when I got off the boat.

Hmmmmmm ... happy knitting, after I was dry again.

Because knitting does give me so much pleasure, I thought I show you this :

daughter drew my attention 

on some surprise flash mob on You Tube.

It's about a lady, Loes Veenstra  from Rotterdam,

who knitted over 500 sweaters all her life

and stored them ... untill :

this moment ...

when some people gave her some very happy moments, I think 

Go, and see for yourself 

and enjoy !

*

 At the moment I'm knitting socks for my grandson

in his favourite colour

green !

(one was already finished, but I frogged it 

because it was a bit too tight, the right one, since I have to wait 

and see if it fits this time, I started with number two)

*

Remember the stained glass technique 

I did two weeks ago ?

Man liked it very much and said he wants to try it too !

He will make a mandala !

Well, the machine stitching will be for me,

but the rest ..... 

(keep you posted)

;-)

tiny .... tinier .... tiniest

Some weeks ago at the Stich'nBitch group in Rotterdam,

my dear friend Hermien brought something with her to show us.

She furnishes old fashioned miniature houses

ánd dresses the little dolls who inhabit 

those houses.

We were in awe when we saw the tiny elegant creature

and the little cloths she was wearing :

knitted clothes !

I asked Hermien if she could bring one again

so I could bring my camera and take some pictures

to show them here on my blog ...

and she agreed !

Today she brought even three little dolls !

The proud "mama", 

and rightly so !

(just wait till you see them up close)

Now isn't thát is a gorgeous woman !!!

(with a cup of coffee for the right size ...)

Just look at the cardigan, skirt and knickers

...

knitted on special made needles of about 1 mm !

Hermien knits only a few rows at a time

and under a magnifying glass

And here the tiniest little baby

What a wonderful piece of work, Hermien !!!

Really something to be proud of !

!!!

(Hermien does some normal knitting too : 

sweaters, for children in South Africa)

*

(o yes ... I was knitting too :

the usual pair of socks, for my grandson this time,

ánd some secret present in the same colour)

knitting (and felt) on Saturday

Today I went to Rotterdam for the Stitch'nBitch group there.

Again, like four weeks ago, it was bitterly cold.

This time however we were with 

sixteen women !

Can you imagine how much noise

knitting women make ?

A   LOT 

(ha, everyone was getting louder and louder

just to hear her neighbour)

Although I had to frog a bit 

(because I wasn't paying attention enough and had increased two stitches)

the work on my double knitted scarf 

is going smoothly :

nearly there !

The only thing I don't like 

about the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn

is that it's spun soooo thin in some places,

I have to break it up and knit some stitches with a double thread,

which leaves me with a lot of loose ends to weave in ...

Never mind that, 

the colours are gorgeous !

*

In the garden the small flowers braved the icy wind

still going strong ..... and also gorgeous colours !

*

For the felting - exchange this month's subject for me was 

water

I was in the mood for some experimenting.

The pre felt I made was dried a bit and then

stitched  into pleats with a woolen thread that would felt too,

and strips of plastic as a resist

(the wool is Rowan tweed, but nót very suited and strong enough for knitting)

After cutting the pleats and removing the resists

there was a lot more felting to do

This is the finished piece 

which turned out more or less the right size !

(on its way to the recipient )

a rose ... and a beginning

Since it's almost the end of the month

I had to make haste to finish 

the little felting-exchange piece.

Ha, just like last month

I made a serious mistake 

so I had to do it all over again

(that's learning ... is it ?)

I had to make something with flowers or leaves

and it just jumped into my mind :

a rose

is a rose

is a rose

(the first ánd second attempt)

Almost dry and waiting for a few stitches ...

it's on its way now to J.

*

Last Stitch'nBitch-Saturday I went to Rotterdam,

but if the weather had been as bad as it would turn out later

I probably would have stayed at home !!!

Snow and an icy wind :

not so nice when you're on your bike ! 

We were five, who defied the bad weather ...

and ofcourse it was fun 

as I showed my trumpet flowers of Loani Prior

I got an e-mail of the "Queen" 

about the pattern of her double-knitted scarf !

Though it took me quite some time looking at You-Tube 

to manage the double-knit

.....

I started a gauge swatch today

(with two skeins of Noro Kureyon Sock 

that were patiently waiting in my stash)

with the result 

a "positive" and "negative" side

.....

yeeeeaaaah !

Thanks Loani !

13 - 1 - 13

Oooh, what a wonderful bright and cold 

Sunday

We went to a birthday party 

and when we drove back, there was this thin slice of moon

kind of lying on it's back

but you could detect the shadow of the rest

A wonderful sight !

(no picture, my moon pictures always go wrong)

*

On the boat yesterday to the Stitch'nBitch group

I did what I always do :

knitting !

The work on the mitered red vest is nearing the end 

as to knitting squares, 

only the half ones at the bottom need to be done.

But I also have something simple with me, because

 talking and knitting 

not always goes together quite well,

so these are my latest socks

(Magico yarn) 

(Ha, also have the wonderful "mystery" socks to continue

with the pink yarn J gave me for my birthday,

but that's NO option doing while talking) 

hot !

HOT

Summer has arrived finally !

And right now it's so hot

you should keep out of the sun

sit quietly indoors and do little or nothing at all.

But

I went to the Stitch'nBitch group in Rotterdam

(by bike and boat, like I always do

knitting on my next pair of socks)

(some early birds)

 A lot of ladies

(there is sometimes óne young man)

went afterwards to the Alpaca farm, near the village where I live, 

where a special "wool" day was held

(so I took the next stop on the boat back)

There we were warmly welcomed by the owners of the farm

and then almost all of us visited the alpacas.

A sweet bunch but very shy

They were recently shaved, with a funny hair-do left.

It was nice to visit the alpacas but in fact a bit too hot

......

And this little visitor was wisely left in the shade

*

Finally,
 I made a little friend for my gray hare / rabbit yesterday

(he might become the "white rabbit" of "Alice")

(that's two, Gabi ... )