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. :)

one thing i love about being a knitter/crocheter/crafter is that you can make original, hand-made gifts for any occasion. it always amazes me how glad friends and relatives are when receiving a hand-made gift, even if it is something as small as a pair of knit baby booties. and, since i have no babies or children myself, i find a lot of joy in knitting baby things. ;)

for our friends (who had their first baby a week ago), i made a toy! you've seen it before, only not in the finished state. (not a sweater... sorry to dissapoint! ;)) it's a huuuuge green-blue, sleepy and cuddly toy with the longest legs ever. he (or she) is almost twice as long as the newborn itsself!

they loved it and i hope their sweet baby will love it as well! this is the second donna wilson pattern i used and it's perfect, i really like her designs because they are cute and different. i love the quirky details like the extra short arms (versus the extremely long legs) and the little plush on his bottom. :)

i also made a pair of booties for another baby that we went to visit last weekend. i matched the colors with the birthcard; neon pink and white. i adore this color combination, i wish i could pull this off. ;) 

now i'm off to my christmas gifts, enjoying the process of making and drinking a nice cup of tea... couldn't think of a better way to spend my sunday evening! :)

 i'm glad to announce the winners of my blogiversary give-away today! 

 here they are!

so, Sylvie, Ja-Ni-Na and Heidi, please email your address to me (siene_AThotmailDOTcom) and i will post your gifts this weekend! and a big thank you to everyone for entering the give-away! better luck next time! :)