we just returned from lovely holidays in Normandy, France! although we didn't have the best weather, we did have a great time and came home well rested and very impressed by the nature and WOII history of the places we visited. 

 but vacation just wouldn't be vacation if it didn't involve a good amount of knitting. ;) i started a new pair of socks again couple of months ago, and took the second sock with me to finish. so now i have again a finished pair to add to my sock drawer!

 

  the colours went surprisingly well with my new green t-shirt...

 ... but also with the fishing nets in the harbour...

 ... or the nature at Omaha Beach!

  i also took a new project with me, because this pair was almost finished and i printed out a gorgeous pattern weeks ago... :)  so in the last couple of days of our holidays i started knitting on a pair of Gladys socks! something a bit more challenging and with a solid yarn for a change! don't you just love the chevrons?

there's a post about my finished pair of socks coming up real soon.. but first there is some post-holidays washing and ironing to do... :) how did you spend your vacation? was it good? do you also take your crafty projects along? do tell me in the comment section! :) 

♥

those who follow me on instagram might have noticed: there are loads of crafty things going on but rarely something shows up on the blog. some of you know i started combining my full-time job with working as a freelance designer a year ago, and i must say, the past year i really struggled to find the right balance between my job and my free time, which is why it's been so quiet here. all the free time i had was going to relaxing and actually making stuff, and blogging about the process just became too much.

that's when i thought about giving up my blog, but blogging gave me so much opportunities, like giving workshops at the Maakdag, winning great stuff, and designing a book (which you can WIN! click here!) i also learned so much stuff reading blogs and met so many inspiring people (both in real life as online)! i realized i didn't want to stop and blog along, even if it's just once a month.

so anyways, here's what i've been up to lately.. because that's what blogging is about, no? ;)

i made a cute little hat for friends who are expecting their first baby in august. it was a fun change from my usual go-to hat (the aviatrix pattern). this pattern is called "alladin" (excellent name!) and you can find it here on ravelry.

i changed the i-cord straps to a garter stitch strap because i didn't like how my i-cord looked. i also did another kind of increase which is why my hat looks slightly different from the pictures. i used Apilou yarn from Veritas, by the way.


and then i also made this baby blanket! this time i used fleece, piping and a cute Soft Cactus fabric. it was finished in a couple of hours (cutting the fabric was the hardest part, honestly) and it now keeps my niece warm when she is staying with my parents! 

and then i also finished my hexagon blanket by  participating in the Cherry Heart blanket-a-long, but i still didn't take a decent picture of it. it's already been put to good use in the chilly winter/pre-spring days though!

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! :)

before i begin my last blogpost of the year, i want to wish all of you happy holidays and a wonderful 2014! :) may it be wonderful, woolly and crafty!

the last weeks of the year are always so busy! first my birthday (25 already, everybody hates me for saying it but i really feel like i'm getting old), then christmas eve and christmas... days filled with parties, family, lots of food and christmas shopping. and i try to find some time for knitting, maybe some sewing or cleaning up the house... (priorities first, right?)

and ofcourse all is well with paulie! i'm now halfway the second sleeve, and it's looking more and more like a cardigan with every stitch i make. i'm also really curious how my stitches gonna look after blocking the whole thing!

 

ahh, notice my new coffee cup? it's from pip studio, a birthday present from my sister. so cute with the gold trim and the little birdie! :) my new knitting companion.

my boyfriend gave me the interchangeable circular needle set from knitpro for my birthday! i couldn't be happier with my new knitting equipment, no more wasting time and money searching for the perfect circular needle, now i have them all!! 

in 2014 i will knit like a PRO! ;)

i know there have been loads of recap / new year-blogposts the last couple of days... here's mine. ;)

this was my creative year 2012...

phew, i was quite active last year. :) 

in 2012 i learned to appreciate sewing again (with the handbag for my mother-in-law, cushion covers, t-shirt embellishments and a skirt) and started quite some "bigger" projects like the swatch-a-week project (that has been traded in for the granny square crochet-a-long)... i participated in the summer swap organised by mina and gave a crochet workshop at the Maakdag.

i hope 2013 will be at least as good as 2012, both personally and craftwise. and i wish you all the very best for 2013, whatever your heart desires. :)

home again! we just returned from our last-minute holiday. we were actually not planning on going away this year, but two weeks ago we suddenly decided to go camping in france for a week. it went by really fast and i miss it already...

we found a nice campsite at a lake, the view from our tent was magnificent...

and in the evenings my boyfriend went fishing at the lake, so i took out my knitting and crocheting work... a lot. :)  

i managed to make quite some progress on the hexagon blanket, which is my new "on-the-road" project for train and car rides... and i took some socks with me... i promise there will be a big update on many of the projects i'm working on, but first i've got a lot of unpacking to do. 

although i'd rather sit "au bord du lac" and knit some more... :)

my creative space this week... crocheting the granny square sampler afghan by blair from wise craft. it is actually a crochet-a-long, blair sets up crochet assignments for every week and all you have to do is follow her instructions and crochet some new squares. by the end of the summer, the afghan should be finished. short-term goals.. i like that.

i'm using my stash yarn for this one, mostly cheap acrylics... i didn't think about the color combinations at all, i had all of this lying around and together they happen to make a kind of retro color palette.. which i LOVE, because the design for the afghan feels quite retro as well.

these squares are week 1 to 4 of the crochet-a-long. love love love.

i'm also knitting the heelflap for my second sock... oooh this is going to be a pretty pair of socks... too bad i still don't like the yarn!

i also have to share my newest friend in the kitchen! my cute bialetti moka express! it's a gift from my mother in law. :) i haven't had a cup of homemade coffee that nice in a long time... yummm!

 other inspiring creative spaces here, by the way!!

today we woke up extremely early - 5 am - because we were selling at the fleamarket! once a year there's a big fleamarket in turnhout, my boyfriends hometown. when we moved last year, we sorted loads of things out and we decided it was about time to finally get rid of all the stuff. 

it was an extremely busy fleamarket, and we almost had to return home because there were so many sellers! but we got lucky and had a great selling spot in the end... :)

the fleamarket is also the reason i've been neglecting my swatch-a-week project. i am currently two swatches behind... oops! i've been really busy sorting, cleaning and washing all my stuff, which was actually a lot of fun to do and brought a lot of memories too. the blue floral dress, for instance, was my favorite dress in my first year of art school. :) now it will make a nice summer dress for a pretty blonde girl (who looked great with the blue)! that's really what i love about fleamarkets... all the stories!! :)

some things that made me happy in the last few days:

- harvesting lettuce to make room for other jummy vegetables to grow in our garden!! 

grow, vegetables, growww!!

 

- succesfully turning the heel of my sock all by myself, without any help of my grandma- third time's the charm!!! i'm really liking this sock so far, the vertical ribbing goes quite well with the horizontal striping of the yarn, if i may say so myself. :)

- setting up the easter tree with the cutest birdie decorations i've ever seen!

- seeing swatch no.12 grow and grow! this stitch was like magic! it's called the"tweed stitch", and it's so different from any stitches i ever knitted... it's quite intensive to knit and it creates a very tight fabric, but it's very, very pretty! the pictures don't do it justice at all, but here they are anyway...

no.12: structure/color #3

 oh and the back looks great too! :)

ta-dah! here's swatch no.5; cables this time! so much easier than i imagined... :) 

it's a long swatch, so i could really practice the cable stitch! i like how this swatch is so different in size, that might make it more interesting when i put them all together, at the end of this year.

no.5: cables#1

i'm really liking the swatch-a-week project so far! i was afraid i would have no time left for other things, but i like having short-term goals. i'm glad i'm finishing things... even if it's just a swatch.

i had a little more time this week, so i started knitting the second wristwarmer... and i teared out my zpagetti basket after my boyfriend banned it out of the living room. (a story yet to be told)
AND!!!!! my granny square blanket is almost finished now, after two years of crocheting...
i am currently crocheting with the last skeins of yarn, when i'm trough those i still have to put all the squares together. it might be fun to give you guys an update next week. :)

and just like last weekend, we took a winter walk, a REAL winter walk this time: loads of snow and cold, cold, cooooold. :) but so much fun, i love snow!! have a nice week and keep warm!

wow, i can't believe it's sunday evening already! i had a really busy week, not a lot time left for knitting or crocheting... the only thing i did was knitting my swatch a week for week 4. i hope i will have a bit more free time next week! but here it is:

no.4: ribbing#1

 

this stitch (i believe it's called "the twisted rib") is very easy to remember and it gives an interesting effect; the rib is a normal 2-purl, 3-knit-rib, but with twisted stitches, which gives a cable-like effect! it also stays nice and flat, which i like!

 i put my four swatches together, and i must say, no.1 is still my favorite. :)

 my boyfriend and i went for a winter walk this afternoon, it was really cold but i had my Noro-mittens to keep my hands warm... ah, they are definitely one of my favorite knitted items ever, i love wearing them and they are so warm!!

which reminds me: this week i also read a funny blogpost, it made me giggle so much and i just had to share: mamatronic at my so-called handmade life wrote about knitting confessions; which made me feel a lot better about my knit- and yarn obsessions. :)

another week has passed, so here i am with a new swatch. this time it was an ajour swatch, again i was a little dissapointed because it looked a lot nicer in the book. i probably should have used bigger needles and less fluffy yarn (maybe cotton) so the stitch comes out better. something to remember for the next ajour swatch. but here it is anyway!

no.3: ajour #1 

 besides that, i finally finished my couch socks. they turned out quite ugly to be honest, one bigger than the other (no idea when that happened), but they are incredibly warm and so easy to make.

also, my wristwarmers are growing and growing! some more rows to go and this one is finished. 

oh and take a look at my newest plant: a chinese money plant. these are quite hard to find, so i placed an add on the internet, asking if someone could send me a babyplant. 

a nice lady reacted and here is my own chinese money plant, ready to grow! 

 

 see you next week with a new swatch!

one bed/couch-sock is finished! i didn't have enough of the green yarn, so i used dark blue for the toe. you need a little imagination since the sock isn't sewn together yet.

(the colors aren't great on these pictures, it was getting dark and i had to hurry to take a picture! but you get the idea...)

 

i started the second sock yesterday and i hope i can finish it before it's 2012, so it can go in my 2011-mosaic. (like i did last year) :)

it was also my 23th birthday last week, and as a gift for myself i ordered this handmade ring from fleurfatale. i also received a gift voucher for julija's shop (yaaaaayy!!), so i'm looking for a pretty scarf pattern so i can go and buy some yarn... tips, anyone? 

in the meantime... merry (late) christmas and a happy new year!! enjoy!

ta-daaaaaaaaaah! after all those posts about christmas decoriations, finally, our christmas tree!!

filled with 8 knitted christmas balls, 4 handmade felt balls (tutorials here and here), pom-poms, lights (ofcourse) and tiny ornaments.

my mom gave me these cute wooden decorations, i think they are older than myself... 

they are all different (angels, snowmen, horses,...) but santa is my favorite:

 these ornaments were found in dille&kamille... loved those little felt hats.

 it's also christmas in london... see:

 and, since my boyfriend went way overboard with the pom-poms (he made almost 100 pom-poms!), they are all now over the place:

i still have to figure out where to put the crocheted snowflakes and felt balls... 

but i'm feeling quite christmassy already! :) have a nice sunday!!