Yarny post!

Wow what a week!

Monday I felt a little funny but didn't think much of it...until Tuesday I felt a little more funny.

Then started the vomiting. Blah.

I'll spare you the details but let's just say stomach bugs are horrible! I haven't had one in years (although I certainly was reliving my "morning" sickness during this illness...), and I hope I won't for a few more years now. 

I'm so GRATEFUL that my little muffin didn't get sick and that hubster only got a very mild case of what I had. How fortunate!

Needless to say, not much has been happening here this week.

I have however, today, gotten around to taking a few photos and I figured I'd better do something with them before they just sit around. If pictures could sit. 

Ugh, it's one of these days.

 This amaryllis is from a bulb that was supposed to only have two stalks and dutifully bloomed around New Year's and after. Then it produced a surprise third and I was tickled! However, the plant itself is pale and pitiful, so I just chopped it off and put it in this little vase. Cute and sooooo vibrant!

Almost makes me like red more. ;)

I'd better get on to yarny stuff because I called this a yarny post!

Here is all that is left of my blue and green stash that my stash-busting sunburst granny square blanket is supposed to use!

It's dwindled quite a bit if you compare it to this post from (ahem) 10 months ago HERE, you can see that I have used quite a bit of yarn. I will say, I discarded two yarns. One because it was just too thick, the other because I wanted to make the scarf below in this post. :D 

I don't know if I'll make it to 88 squares, but I'm up to 50 now! 

Oh, and pictured above is not the 3 skeins (150g) of the gray border yarn. I bought quite a bit of it since it was just on sale and well... If I run out of color perhaps I just make a decorative border?

Oh, and below are only 40 squares. I haven't sewn the last 10 on, and think  I won't until I'm done. I'm worried that the blanket will then end up lopsided because I ran out of certain colors or something.

 

Ah and this project.

This is a Drops design pattern which you can find here. 

I really like this but I'm stumped as to how I've managed to add stitches where they do not belong... I need to:

a) unravel until I find the culprit

b) ask my mom. 

:D 

 

Oooh crawling baby getting into trouble.

That's my cue!

Ta-taa and cheerios!

I hope you're staying healthy despite the bugs going around! 

Oh, and a picture of my cuteness before I go! Almost forgot :) 

Silly muffin says "what?!"

Some things are certain.

What a strange year this is turning out to be!

We have had NO SNOW since mid-December or so. Very weird and made for a strange Christmas and New Years. Now, we have snow again which makes me so very happy as there is reflected light --> even cloudy days aren't so gloomy anymore. Today however (this picture was from yesterday), we have actual blue skies and sunshine. It's lifted my mood a lot and now that I think of it...when was the last time we even had a sunny day?!

One characteristic of this year is that it's totally unpredictable. It increases my anxiety levels but makes for a sense of adventure too. Who doesn't love spontaneity and adventure?!

The last time I had an unpredictable year like this was when I was about 19... And choices I made then, still affect me today (mostly in a good way!), so let's hope that the same can be said later about this year!

Adventure? What adventure?

The possibility of going to Japan again! (lots of reading this book and drinking tea and coffee at the moment)

Adventure of becoming an entrepreneur! It's in the cards and is my resolution. Although, I really don't do resolutions. Hubby and I do mottos. This year we haven't decided on it yet totally, but I think it's getting financially stable. Something definitely related to that! 

One thing that isn't uncertain: we eat well.

This gorgeous cinnamon rolls were consumed in honor of the new year. With cream cheese frosting of course!

This cake was my mom's birthday cake. It was a gluten-free sponge cake with a layer of meringue on top. And in between the layers and on top, a creamy coffee chocolate filling. And on top of that, ganache!! 

Oh. My. Word.

This was totally improvised. Totally delicious.

And it hasn't all been desserts. We've made yummy curries, savory casseroles, and there's a high consumption of these below at the moment. 

We really need the vitamin C now, since we are all a little sick. Poor muffin has her first cold. ;(  

She's still mostly in a good mood.

And no cold is going to get in the way of learning how to crawl!! 

She's 7 months and rocking on her hands and knees. 

We are going to be in mega trouble soon! :D

Another certainty: I will always be taking flower photos. 

This amaryllis has been blooming since New Years. First one stem. 

Now the one below. A nice little surprise too, a THIRD bud is coming up!

:)

For the first time this year, one of my all time favorites: tulips.

I don't think I've ever bought them so early in the year before, but I'm not one to argue with sales. ;) 

And my favorite, flowers on the nightstand. ♥

I got a cute Vera Bradley tote from my sister for Christmas, in which I've been stashing my yarny crafts. 

I gave up on the mittens since hubby broke my bamboo needles! 

So instead I started knitting this thick and chunky basic scarf.

My mom gave me some gorgeous yarn, so after long debate with myself and ravelry, I decided to make another south bay shawlette. I made 3 or 4 of these a few years ago as Christmas gifts, but never with a variegated yarn. I love this pattern and I love how it worked with the yarn!

It's quite big but super cozy.

The last pictures I wanted to share make me giggle. 

The aftermath of taking down the tree a month after having it.

:)

The plan for the week: Crochet

This weekend I've been pretty darn busy. I have the same stupid tasks from week to week on my to-do list and it's been getting to me! It's not like it's all hard stuff to do, it's just boring/tedious/annoying and I'd rather spend my increasingly precious free time doing fun stuff! 

However, I have been a responsible adult (pah!) and gotten some things taken care of. Bachelor's thesis work (blah), school tasks (still 2 to go! argh!), cleaning (mega blah!), so on and so forth. 

Ugh, I'm almost grateful tomorrow is Monday! (JUST KIDDING!)

I'm looking forward to this week flying by and I intend for it to whiz by me by filling up my free time with crochet -- mind-numbing! 

I'm alone for the whole week with just Koda and Kissa (Manta is at her grandparents!) while my wonderful husband is away on a school trip... 

This is weird! 

I'm only on the first night and it's already too quiet, too boring, and downright lonely! I see why I am married and we spend so much time together! Lol! 

(I'm sure this is the face I'll wake up to ♥)

So my mind-numbing/time passing tactic has been to set up a bunch of projects requiring different levels of energy, time, and skill. It may seem crazy to plan something so meticulously but I believe you never know what crochet mood you'll be in, so it's good to have several choices! Thus I've been busy tackling projects all weekend when I've had the chance. Wanna see? 

Of course you do! :)

 

This is my next granny square and baby blanket. I'm keeping this one all to myself should we hear the litter patter of little feet one day. I love the yarn (novita papukaija = parrot) and I've been holding onto it for about a year! I finally figured out how to best work the variegated yarn into squares -- by using same colored scraps of similar yarn! Many thanks to my aunt who has kindly donated all her scraps...I'd seriously be a lot poorer without them! 

So basically, the plan is as usual, to make as many squares as I can with the material given or until I'm pleased. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, I am adding a row of white around the squares, I think it'll make those colors really POP!

 

Ah, and were there is POP! there is also soothing gorgeousness. This is my ultimate favorite yarn. EVER. I'm soooo in loooooooove. 

I waited for a long time to figure out what to make, a pattern that suited me and brought out the yarn perfectly. Well, I decided on a shawl, this pattern, and I'm in love still. I'm going to add some "Irish roses" to the edge to really make it romantic.

I'll wear this shawl with one of my favorite dresses (pink!) and the perfect first occasion will be to my friend's wedding in early June. She's getting married on the coast in Helsinki. I'm sure it will be windy and chilly as usual there, so it'll definitely be put to good use!

This is working up quickly, I've only worked on it for a day! :)

Ah, and let's not forget the gray granny... 

My mom was over today with her sister as well as a friend. The four of us yarn lovers ooh'ed, aah'ed, and spent a good while arranging the squares. We all decided random was best, but on the condition that none of the colors stuck out in an unappealing way. 

This is what we came up with and I'm pretty excited to start sewing them together. Insvisible seam, here I come!

So, there will be a lot of "hooky" time happening this week (despite the perpetually growing to-do list haunting me) because I just want to. And this is going to be a crap week so I deserve some happiness. There, justification! HA!

I'm going to crochet on the couch with the Koda-bear and Kissa-panther (Happy 4th birthday shout out a few days late!) and sip some tea or coffee from my new favorite mug and flea market STEAL (only 40 cents, wooot!).

Yes, I'm so poor and thrifty, that I get excited when thrift stores have sales! Lol!

It says made in Brazil on the bottom. And to think I thought they only made Victoria's secret models there! Tsk, tsk!

Oh dear! I've been so rude!!! I've been going on and on about being alone with just the bear and panther to keep me company, and totally forgot about this guy that moved in today. 

AAAAHHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHA!

I swear I am probably the only person in the whole universe with a handmade giant wooden mushroom AND a handmade giant wooden gnome.

Thanks Papa! I thought my house would never be eclectic or quirky enough!  

I have no clue what happens to this guy or his friend downstairs in our storage closet (yeah, giant gnomes x 2), but I will say as the evening has progressed, I've become more and more fond of him. 

By the end of the week, I just might be calling him Wilson.

Oh my word, I just went there! 

Thanks for popping by my new blog, if you want to see past pictures of my gray granny blanket check out the old one at www.an-asortafairytale.blogspot.com

Have a nice start to your week! Don't be a stranger! :)