Sonntag, September 26, 2010

Good things

Sometime in the past week I read this here, and thought, well, interesting - that does sound a lot like concepts I heard of before (visualisation, writing lists of what you're thankful for every day etc), just replacing the universe at large with the internet (or so it seems at first glance).
Essentially, it's not much different though...defining clearly what you like, what you want, and putting it on 'paper'. Writing things down, and thus making a clear choice, is very often the core exercise of these things, it seems.
Well. Sometimes earlier this year I bought myself a beautiful notebook (because I love beautiful notebooks, and an excuse to buy a new beautiful notebook is beautiful in itself), and tried to write, for every day, one page of positive affirmations for the day in the morning, and one page of things I was grateful for that day in the evening. I kept that up for maybe two weeks, then added it to the row of beautiful notebooks bought for beautiful reasons, 1/50 filled with beautiful things, sitting on my shelf. Hm.
I feel like this is a waste of both beautiful notebooks and beautiful ideas.
From today on, I'll be doing something different. I will collect a weekly post, filled with things I was grateful for that week - I can keep track of them by simply adding things to a draft version of the post. At the end of every week, I'll have a beautiful summary of all the good things that happened during the past seven days, and, who knows, by posting this, maybe more good things in the future.

I only started this post on Thursday, but here are the good things I remember best:

*The whole of Monday afternoon/evening - receiving my Caterpillar mug, talking for ages, shooting crazy pictures, being high on caffeine (in the best possible way)
*The amazing weather we've been having - September is my favourite month of the year. The skies are clear and bright bright blue, there is sun, it's neither too hot or too cold, a slight breeze is easily found when you need one, and I don't feel silly wearing scarves anymore. ;)
(Oh, and I can knit again. Even during the day.)
*Taking a deep breath and meeting with friends after all the stress I put myself in doing my freelance work for friends and job-people.
*Seeing my sister again after her month-long travels, and helping her and her boyfriend move in together. I am grateful for her gratefulness. She was sooo happy and excited. As was he. Teheee. :)
*Starting on my cultural studies reading while sitting in the late afternoon park, with couples and relaxed people playing games everywhere around me.
*Finishing some things, like blocking two scarves which have been lying around for the whole of summer.
*Talking about some more serious things than daily routine, DSA or whatever with my boyfriend...sometimes it's hard to get to that level when we hardly see each other, but I managed to provoke ourselves into doing it. ;) (
Nothing bad, no 'serious' talk of whatever, just getting below that everyday surface level...)
*Gaining more and more confidence concerning my half-formed ideas of seriously going freelance.
*Winning cards for a concert, attending that concert with my boyfriend, and having a blast - goosebumps and hilarity so close together. Loved it.
*Going out in my new miniskirt, and getting compliments. Hm.
*Loads of new yarn!
*Starting a new pattern, which is intriguing and beautiful.
*Yarn and bead and all other kinds of craft stores.
*Zelda
*Cuddling in the dark
*Sleeping in
*Watching midday comedy after waking from aforementioned long long sleep
*Delicious lunch, delicious dinner
*Beautiful sunsets

I think that's quite a nice list. :)
More of that, please. ;)

Freitag, September 24, 2010

Goodbye yarn

After hearing rumours a few days ago I cleared things up for myself today - my favourite yarn store is closing down. There are many memories attached to that store...childhood memories of yarn shopping with my mum for my next fall sweater...my mum getting me my very first yarn to knit with there (which I still have somewhere...hm)...and in the past few years, a lot of happy time spent browsing their yarns by myself, thinking about projects to make for friends. Their yarns were sorted by colour, which was sooo pretty. Still is, of course, but things are selling out fast now (everything is half price right now).
I talked to the owner, and I fully understand why she's taking this step - rent has gone up far too high. And she won't be opening a new store somewhere else, because she decided she wants to take things more easily. She's moving to Carinthia, and will most likely be holding weekend courses for things like wool dying with plants etc, and she gave me her phone number so I can check up on what's going on, so if everything works out right, I'll some day be learning to dye my own wool (yay, finally!) at some beautiful place surrounded by green stuff. (Another of her reasons to stop - she wants to get out of the city...another notion I sometimes understand all too well.) But still, my yarny needs will have to be filled by the other (three?) yarn stores we have.

Anyway...I didn't get what I came to buy, because everything red and violet had already completely sold out...so of course I had to buy some other stuff. Lots of other stuff.

That's 18 balls of yarn right there. And I'm probably going back Monday. Yeeehaw!

Donnerstag, September 23, 2010

Green

Apparently, there do exist...bright green Innocent smoothies!


Amazing, just like all the others - and not just the colour.
Little side note: I think Innocent smoothies were all that helped me stay healthy during my Erasmus stay in London, and the ensuing diet of toast with cheese, potatoes with cheese, and hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream (which they sold right next to the library...pure evil). I only had a toaster and a microwave to cook with, otherwise I would have eaten differently of course. But yeah, those smoothies (and maybe the occasional sushi takeaway) definitely saved my life. ;)

Back to the green theme...look what was finally blocking a couple of nights ago:



The colour is hard to see in these, I know. One day I will have a better camera.
Anyway, the pattern is Cinnamon Grace*, and I did it in Fyberspates Nef Sock.
Knitting this was dreamy, the yarn is 70% alpaca, 20% silk and 10% cashmere...I literally couldn't stop knitting, I didn't want to let go of the stuff.


Taking pictures while wearing it...yep, those are really great pink socks, courtesy of Sue**.


And here, finally, a decent picture of the colour...I *do* believe this is the exact colour of spring, but it hasn't been confirmed yet.
The pattern has a picot edge, which for some reason turned out funny when I did it (I had the same edging on my Fetching mittens, and everything went fine there, so...no idea). Instead of little nubbs (picots, yeah), I got little...loops. Hm. I think it looks sweet and funny, but still, I wish I knew what I did wrong. Any ideas?

*I called my version 'Green Meadow', because, honestly, not much cinnamon in there. Spring! Not winter. ;)
**Who I think had/has a really niceblog, but I lost the address. :P

Montag, September 20, 2010

Happiness molecules...

...surging in clouds around friends are infective in the best possible ways.

I'll probably move over to Wordpress some time soon, but for now I'll still post here...a little list of happy things. :)

1) A short while ago I finally received the present I'd made myself for finishing my on-the-side training. It deserves a post of its own, but here's a teaser...the prettiest packaging I've seen so far:


2) I babysitted the cutest, cuddliest, purringiest (hm...) cats you could imagine for a few days, which was great - I can't have my own (allergies, bleh), so sometimes 'borrowing' some kitty cuddling from friends is just the thing, plus they were really cute, and I got to be in this lovely flat with a great view and full of great books, and did I mention the cats were really cute?
Anyway, for all my 'pains' in taking care of them, I received a present. A Giant Flying Mug (forget those saucers) which will destroy all the buildings that ruin *my* view. Mwahaha.

I know, it looks so cute and harmless, but just wait for when I unleash its (solar-powered) superpowers!

Here it comes now...watch out!

Arrr! Nom nom nom...
(It IS called the Very Hungry Caterpillar...)

Hehehe.


3) I also did something very out of character or out of my comfort zone, whatever - I went and bought myself a miniskirt. Why is this out of character? Because for years and years, I believed I needed to hide my legs. Crazy mindset for a twenty-something, huh? I bought shortish (ie knee length) skirts sometimes and then didn't wear them. Pffff. Then I went out last Saturday in a dress, and looked at myself in mirrors, and decided I was being ridiculous.
So today, off I went and bought myself an equally ridiculous 5€-skirt. Yep, the scarf cost me more...

(I know it's just a black tube and I could SO make it myself, but the thing is, I never do, do I? At least not until I finally find a place to set up my sewing machine...)

And the scarf is totally made of WIN - because, lookie, it has two sides! I mean, two differently printed sides! *love*


4) If my SuperMug should fail me, my knitting can still take over..

Die, stupid high-rise!

Or be trapped forever in my yarn-over-labyrinths! Mwaha...

Okay, no more coffee. For, hm...well, at least today. :P