hi everyone, how was your christmas?

today i finished some of the new years presents i was making for my family... 

i hope everyone will like their present. :) here are some sneak peeks...

see you in 2013!! :)

some time ago i bought two great crochet books. not that i lack crochet books or patterns, my bookshelves and the internet are quite full of them... but i just had to have these! i love the design and the photography is pretty great too. not to mention the crochet patterns! let's take a peek...

so, ofcourse, i just had to start a new project. :) with bright yellow yarn, for a warm cowl that will match my winter coat perfectly. 

i also knit quite a few rows of my shawl... it's going slower and slower as i'm increasing stitches, but it's the perfect tv-knit!

what are your favorite knitting or crocheting books? or do you prefer online patterns?

last sunday, i cast on a new project... ever since i bought two skeins of madeline tosh merino light, i was looking for a shawl pattern and since i chose two colours of yarn, i was thinking about a striped shawl. but when i saw this pattern, called Simple Lines, i immediately thought of a colour blocked shawl. so that's what i'm doing right now! :)

the beauty of this colour blocking idea is that when i run out of yarn, i can simply go and buy some more yarn in either the same or a contrasting colour... so i don't have to stress about having enough yarn and just knit, knit away!

 what i also love about the pattern is that it is super easy and it really shows off the yarn. and i can see why madeline tosh is a favorite of many knitters... it is super soft and the colour is amazing...  you can't really tell by these pictures (it was already dark outside) but it's really, really pretty. :) totally worth its money!

what about you? do you prefer expensive or cheap yarn? i think i like both, depends on what the project is i guess. :)