yarn basket

 
On a recent rummaging trip to the recyclerie, I came back with a basket crammed full of various yarns. The women in charge was so pleased I was making some well needed space in her shop, she let me bag the lot for a mere twenty euros.

I've spent the past week sorting through the muddle of fibres, restoring order and calm to the chaos. It has been both a theraputic and eye-opening task. I was delighted to discover a variety of different yarns, ranging from bog standard acrylics to pure wool, gorgeous summery cotton and linen and even a hemp mix.

It's made me realise how little I actually know about different yarns: about their properties, their composition, where they come from, how they can be used. It's left me feeling eager to learn and even more eager to get something cast on! 

scissors to cloth

The other day, I remembered an article of clothing, something I wore long ago when days were warmer. I have a few of them folded neatly on my bottom shelves, relics of another time. But for some time now, I have also had one in my imagination, wondering when it will be sewn into a reality...

There was only one way to find out. I spent the afternoon over at my sewing friend's house. I took an old pair of blue curtains, pins and a pattern. As snow fell in great swirls outside, I put pins to the pattern and scissors to cloth, getting started on my very first skirt...

hedgehog

The holidays are late this year. Like the first signs of spring, they took their time coming. But today is the start of the holidays, so the fortnight of lesson-free days has begun.

And I'm overwhelmed with a strong urge to get to know my sewing machine. Yesterday, I went to Pau with my sewing buddy in search of fabric for her wedding dress. I ended up coming back with a few metres of fabric myself. All I needed was a pin cushion.

...

I took a few oddments of yarn.
Followed this super easy pattern.

Stuffed it well with some carded wool.
Et voilà...a new pin-cushion knitted up in less than two hours.

mountain views

 

 
This morning is still and cold. I woke early and headed straight out of the French doors onto the balcony to admire the view. 

It's a familiar view, a treasured view. A view that lifts my spirits no matter how low they may have fallen. High above the village, the wind bent bows on the hillsides are silent and still, covered in a dusting of overnight snow. Even when the dawn has broken, the moon lingers on in the still, blue sky. And the surrounding peaks are struck with the golden early morning light.

socks

These fell off my needles a few weeks ago but they lay forgotten until the other day.  I love knitting socks, espeacially when they purposefully turn out all higgledy-piggledy like these ones. The yarn was some more 4-ply unravelled leftovers that I also used for Nico's slippers. I knitted these up on smaller needles which made for a lovely compact, cozy texture. 

Without wanting to sound all showy offy, I don't tend to use a pattern when knitting socks. Mainly because I only ever make them for myself, but also because that was how I was taught. My Danish sister-in-law, the master sock knitter, never uses a pattern, and she showed me how to work out the increases and decreases as well as how to turn the heel and cast off the toe. 

But for the next pair of socks, I'd quite like to use a pattern so I can try out some kind of lacey knit, and who knows, maybe even a picot edge for the cuff?

bear # 4

 

A brown bear knitted for my nephew, who will turn 6 very soon.
I knit him up beside the fire during the week, and finished him sat outside this week-end.

Pattern: Free knitted teddy knitting pattern

Materials: 
Knitting needles: size 4,5 mm
Yarn: Unknown 4 ply 100 % acrylic yarn (around 100g)
Stuffing: Carded wool

Historique : Already knitted 3 times

Technical: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Result : ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡
Total cost: about 0,50€ (for the stuffing)

This certainly seems to be my current favourite knitting pattern! This time, I used a larger yarn and bigger needles, which gave me a considerably bigger bear. It's also the first time I've knitted a bear using recycled yarn, this brown bear used to be a crochet waistcoat! Teddy bears aren't fussy and so I'm pleased with the overall shape, texture and size. 

I wanted to experiment with a darker yarn than I've previously used. Although I'm happy with the overall look of the bear, the face ended up much darker than expected which made embroidering the face rather tricky. Not exactly how I would have liked, but still handsome enough. Perhaps next time, I'll have a go at knitting with two colours, or even making a pie-bald face...

bear # 3

Teddy number three. I think we can safely say I'm addicted to this pattern ! This time, I used a small ball of two-ply pure wool I found on our recent rummaging trip, and much finer needles (n°2,5mm). I really took my time on the sewing up, and even added a tiny scarf for good measure.

I really enjoyed making up this minature bear, so much so, a fourth ted is already cast on my needles...

 

Pattern : Free knitted teddy knitting pattern

Already knitted 2 times

Materials:

Needles: n° 2,5 mm
Yarn: 2-ply, pure wool, around 100g
Stuffing: recycled carded wool



Technical : ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Result : ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Total cost: around 1€ (for yarn and stuffing)

bear # 2

It took me nearly three months to finish the first one...to complete this second bear, I didn't even need three days! 

Pattern: Free knitted teddy knitting pattern

Already knitted once

Materials: 
Knitting needles: size 3 mm
Yarn: Unknown 2 ply yarn (wool/acrylic blend), around 100g
Stuffing: Carded wool


Technical: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Result : ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥♥
Total cost: about 1,50€ (for the recycled yarn and stuffing)

 

I'm very pleased with the overall result of this bear - including my knitting techniques. I really paid attention this time to the shaping and tried out some different increasing and decreasing techniques to avoid holes in the tummy this time!  

I also took my time over the sewing up, using mattress stitch for the first time. The final result is very satisfying. The only area for improvement really now is to work on my embroidery skills. In the absence of small beads for the eyes, perhaps I should try the aptly named "french knot" for the eyes? 

As for the cost, well what can I say?!!

simple pleasures, small gestures

 

 
No Valentine's card for me today.  No forced roses, out of season strawberries, extortionate champagne or unethical chocolates. No candlelit restaurant or diamond ring.

No big, show-offy gestures. Just a long list of tiny, meaningful ones. Just me and my love.

He made me breakfast in bed, because I was too weary to rise. He came back from a walk bearing a blooming bough of black thorn, bringing the promise of spring into our home. He massaged my aching muscles. He held me close when the tiredness overwhelmed and the anxiety threatened to carry me away. 

We're simple hearted folk. We don't celebrate Valentine's day, we don't even know the precise date of out first meeting, our first date or all those other firsts that seemed so important to my younger self.

 

We don't keep these dates, but what I do know is this: it doesn't really matter to commemorate when the seed was first planted, but rather to keep nurturing and  tending to this precious love every single day.

I guard our precious memories fiercely in my heart's mind. When I am afraid, worn out or downhearted, we take one out together, carefully unwrap it, admire and enjoy it from every angle with a whispered "Do you remember when...?"

We didn't celebrate Valentine's day with pomp and circumstance. But was there for me when it mattered, on a very poorly day, just like he always is.

Needless to say, we didn't take any pyjama day pictures either. These photos are from a walk and picnic in early summer 2013, through gorgeous woodland and flowery prairies... 

tiny ted # 2

Another tiny ted (this one looks like a she-bear to me), knitted with oddments on size 2.75m needles.

This one is small enough to slip into an envelope with a letter to send across the Channel to a dear friend.