after my last post i've been really motivated to really do something about my "bad" habits! i finished knitting all the baby stuff and started crocheting like crazy on my hexagon blanket!

i did this while enjoying the lovely weather the last weekends... :) life as it should be! ;)

our chickens were enjoying the sunshine too. aren't they the cutest? 

i also reorganised my stash and put it all on ravelry, which was a suggestion from Britney from bapsicrafts. this way i can match yardages/weights to my ravelry faves and knit/crochet away! it's also good to see what i have, which is obviously a lot more difficult when it's all stuffed in a box in the basement. :) turns out i have enough yarn for 9 pairs of socks, at least two or three baby sweaters and wristwarmers or gloves. and this is only the first box of three... oh-ooow!

 

oh and here's a sneak preview of one of the baby knits... so, so adorable. but more about that later!

some time ago, when i was buying new yarn for a new knitting project, i didn't even realize that i made 2 crafty new years resolutions in the beginning of the year. my boyfriend kindly reminded me of my resolutions when i was bragging about the new yarn i got and how well it suits my new projects... it got me thinking and i had to share:

resolution #1: 

finish all WIP's before starting ANYTHING new.

this one started out good, really good actually. after i finished Paulie, i finished my pair of monstersocks and started crocheting like crazy on my hexagon blankets. so far so good. but then some friends were expecting babies and how am i supposed to NOT knit baby stuff? on the bright side: i did manage to finish all baby knits without knitting or crocheting anything new in between. except for that tiny house keychain i made last week, but hey, i needed that!

on to resolution #2:

do NOT buy new yarn.

 i checked my stash some months ago and i have so many yarn... it's ridiculous. i can easily knit two years with yarn from my stash only... the problem with my stashed yarn is that i didn't buy it with a particular project in mind. so, when i want to start a new project (like baby stuff), i can't find *exactly* the yarn i'm looking for. and i HAVE to go and get some new yarn. i did decide for myself that IF i buy new yarn, i can only buy it with a specific project in mind and i have to finish the project as soon as possible.

now, to try and remind myself of resolution #1, i'm going to make a list in the side bar with my current WIPS. it might help if i visualize it...  and i'm also sharing some photos of the biggest WIP's i have to finish... i started these hexagon blankets in 2011 (!!) and 2013...

the biggest problem with the first is that i never get around to putting all the hexagons together...

 

i started this crazy hexagon blanket somewhere in 2013, i think. progress on this one is faster (join as you go!!) and it's also crocheted with a bigger hook so that helps too.

 

do you have knitting/crocheting resolutions or rules you stick by? please do share! :)

so, last week i lost my bike keys. i thought i lost them on the train (which resulted in taking the train back to work, when i was almost home - i NEED those keys), but it turned out they fell out of my purse when locking my other bike. (yep, two bikes, because home and work are 60km apart and i go by bike, train and bike again) lucky for me, a colleague went to look for them in the bike racks of the train station and she found them! happy - and lucky- me!! (sarah: if you're reading: honourable mention on the blog, especially for you)

i have a special talent for forgetting, losing or misplacing my stuff. i don't know how it happens and why, and i really do try to pay extra attention when i put things in one place or leave the train, but still, it happens quite frequently. i'm gonna try to force myself to check my purse when i leave: wallet: check, phone: check, keys: check! and i decided my keys need a bigger keychain!

so i made this tiny knitted house today. i'm really happy with it! it could use some perfectioning, like the duplicate stitches i tried (the door is a bit wonky but the window looks pretty good i think - i might try this technique again to embellish some of my knitting work or to fake intricate colourwork), but i just made the pattern up and i think it turned out pretty well. :) yay!

  

wallet: check! phone: check: instant gratification project, check!

remember my scrappy socks?

well... they're finally finished! 

and i LOVE them.

i call them my "hippie socks"!

 i made these with 13 different leftover yarns. i grabbed the yarn from a bag to make them look as "random" as possible... i did make sure all the different colours were divided equally!

  this is definitely my most colourful pair yet... and now i feel like knitting socks only until i have enough scraps for another pair! i'm in the "monstersocks"-group on ravelry and i have my eye on some great sock patterns already... (don't you love planning out new projects, even if it's just in your head and you know you can't actually start because you have a ton of other projects to finish first?)

here i am again with an "old" project!

 

i made these wristwarmers last september or october, i think. i remember that it was getting chillier in the mornings, but not yet cold enough for wearing gloves. so i made these cute wristwarmers on my daily trainrides to work. you can find the pattern here!

  

i also wear these alot at home. my hands can get really cold when i'm working on the computer, so i always have these lying around somewhere close to the computer. ;) my boyfriend thinks i look like a beggar wearing these but i like them anyway. they keep my hands warm AND they have a bow, so what's not to like?