I hope you all spent lovely holidays =)
Before I launch into my own christmas narrative: Today, three years ago, I adopted my cutest cutie-pie Kaori from the local animal shelter. Best thing I ever did, I tell you! Most of you already know the whole story, I believe, and so I’ll spare you (for once) from repeating it.
Kaori with new toy (thank you, Carol!) on Christmas Eve 2008
Also, my parents would have been married for 34 years today. Unbelievable, exactly twice as long as they actually were able to live together.
On to Christmas now. As you may or may not know, in Germany the most important holiday of all is Christmas Eve – Holy Night. So, on wednesday I added some more decorations to my appartment (to every single wall and surface in my appartment…) and set up the little fake tree I got. First time I had a tree at all (since celebrating alone, of course). Cutie-pie and sweetie-pie were completely mesmerised. They’d never seen a christmas tree before this.
The rest of the day was about relaxing. I prepared myself a delicious dinner, enjoyed the candle light and watched some dvds (“We’re No Angels” with Humphrey Bogart, “White Christmas” with Bing Cosby and Danny Kaye and some episodes of “Hercules Poirot” with David Suchet). Finally, I got to open my presents. I won’t show off everything I got, but want to share the “crafty” stuff I got. Some new pinking shears (yay!), 4 thimbles with open top (my friend Carol found them at Ebay for me :-*) and…
… 
Yeah, that’s right. A book about knitting and enough material to get started. I first learned basic knitting when I was either 6 or 7 years old. My mum had given me a starter set for Christmas. It included a blonde doll named Jolie. She was kinda pretty, but cheaply made – her hair started to fall out from day one. There also were a ball of blue and white yarn each and, of course, some knitting needles covered in orange plastic. (Everything was orange back then, remember?) The doll – oh shock! – came without clothes, so my task was to knit her something decent to wear. I never made it. Knit one, purl one – easy enough. But a few days after the holidays, my sis and I were brought to stay with my grandparents while my parents went on vacation. Knitting a certain number of rows each day was my homework. Became quite a tedious task then. Especially, since my grandma and sister did everyhing, but needlework. They sat and talked while I had to knit. It still went rather well until I droped a stitch and nobody knew how to fix it. They made me knit on with a hole in the – was it a dress? Not too motivating, I can tell you. I soon was fed up, decided knitting wasn’t for me and went back to my crocheting. I think my mum was fairly disappointed. In retrospect, I wish she’d waited showing me how to knit after her vacations and kept me company. Would have been easier then, don’t you think? Nontheless, this is one my fondest childhood memories (hey – nostalgia!).
Lately, I haven’t been too happy with the kind of uniform thin jumpers you get in shops. I am really missing the selfmade warm version. So I pondered – try knitting again? I never learned anything but knit one/purl one, but that I still know. I decided, I need to find a knitting class or it won’t work out. Have to see it done, really. As I wasn’t able to find a suitable class, I got that book from the photo above. It includes a workshop on dvd. Hopefully, that’ll do the trick =) (I so shouldn’t begin another hobby *wails* – but I do look forward to it! 
)
The biggest, most fantastic present I got this year is from one of my sisters. Peoples, I got a SERGER (overlocker)!! <3<3<3 I got the Pfaff hobbylock 4764. Isn’t it beautiful? Far better then I could have hoped to get. There was no way I could have afforded buying it myself. Clean, non-fraying edges <3 Rolled seams … <3<3 I am so happy! Now, all I need to have the perfect sewing space is a big enough table to cut out patterns and fabrics. We’re getting there.
Btw, my goddaughter loves the stuff I made for her, especially the blue duck. I was told she instantly put it into her mouth *lol*
So, all in all, I spent Christmas relaxing, preparing and eating fine meals, admiring my presents, watching dvds or listening to music, cuddling my pies and crochet. I very much wanted to reduce my yarn stash. If and how I achieved that, you’ll see in the next post (possibly tomorrow already).
Enjoy the weekend!
I need several small baskets to store all the little stuff in that goes lost in drawers – like hair clips etc. So what you see above is my prototype *lol* It came out nicely, will probably make more of these in different colours.
Also made new potholders. They aren’t very original, I almost always use this pattern. I loved it best even as a child and don’t feel much like experimenting here. Boring, I know. But the colours of these are pretty, don’t you think? It was about time I used up the rest of the green-blueish yarn. I had made a “wall storage” (what do you call it in english?) that is now hanging on my bathroom door from it over 3 years ago. Lifts my mood every time I look at it =)
Still had a tiny rest from the pinkish yarn. Tried to make a flower brooch then, but there wasn’t enough to finish it properly.
Lastly, I crocheted a bath puff and a smaller one for removing make-up. The brownish yarn will hide make-up stains, but of course, bath and face puff both are washable anyway. The yarn for the bath puff is a fabulous 100% organic cotton string I got from my friend Cat some time ago. It’s supersoft! I have already used it in several other projects, but this is the first time I used it as the main material. You can find the pattern here . It is a bit confusing when you read it for the first time. Switch off any background noise and read it in silence. It becomes clear then. A very fast and easy crochet project! Still, I altered it a teeny weeny bit, but only ’cause I feared running our of yarn. – I left out the chain 1 spaces.
