And a little bit of sewing...

The angels are of course called Angelieve and Angenoor.
Noor's crawling since 2 weeks, wow she's like a little whirlwind and things are no longer safe.
So we have our tree on the cupboard.

Happy preparations to you
-Lies

[ff1]

[1]
[ff1] for 'finally finished number 1'. I've committed myself to finishing one already started knitting/sewing project first, before starting a new one. This is the first of -I hope- a few.
It is the 'trendy chale' in Rowan Kidsilk Haze, color liqueur, neeldes 4.5mm. Terrific idea this simple triangle scarf in garter. I'm so pleased I finished it. Next to the knit, a linen Nani Iro, to be a summertop, for myself. Has to be the new project, the fabric is too beautiful and has been waiting in the closet for too long.

[2]
Homegrown : our plums and artichokes. I adore them both. The boiled artichoke-leaves dipped in melted butter and crushed garlic mmmm.

[3]
Lieveke made a spectacular little painting. Called plumspider with sparkledash. The color is spot on.

[4]
New little pinafores.



I adore this blog.



Happy week to you
-Lies

Little bramble set

I found this lovely yarn. It was the color more than anything, that attracted me. Heather. Hues of lavender, blue, taupe, brown and dusty pink, all in one, depending on the light. And softer than soft. And so : what to knit...

I tried this intriguingly beautiful bobble stitch-motif : 'bramble', in French 'point Astrakan'. The bobble effect shows on the purl side of the work, so pretty!
-the motif-:
-R1 (and all uneven rows): purl
-R2:*make 3 stitches out of 1 (k1, p1, k1) then purl the following 3 stitches together* repeat till end
-R4: knit
-R6:*purl 3 stitches together, make 3 stitches out of the following stitch (k1,p1,k1)* repeat till end
-R8: knit

I felt very inspired and decided to knit a baby set with both of the above. The (very simple) design is my own, and it would be great if you could try it out too.
You need : about 350 meters of 4 ply yarn (alpaca will be snuggly warm and soft and will give the bobbles a bit of a halo - linen or cotton will be more breezy and make the motif look more abstract and modern...) and a set of 3.25 mm needles (I'm hooked on Addi circulars).


Vest (size 6 to 18 months) :
-start with right front : cast on 66 stitches and knit in bramble motif until work measures 9 cm(for a dainty short vest, very pretty over a dress) or 14 cm (long version) ending with row 8 of the bramble motif. Start decreasing as following : bind of one stitch on the purl side, bind off 2 stitches in the knit side), repeat decreases until you have 27 stitches left on the right side of your piece. Work these 27 stitches in the pattern for 2 cm (one pattern repeat), put stitches on holder, break yarn.
-work left front : same way as right front (be careful to keep the pattern correct as you work the decreases) until you have 27 stitches left on the left side of your piece and work those stitches for 2 cm in pattern ending with row 1 of the pattern (a purl row)
-work the back : cast on (added to your 27 stitches of the left piece) 20 stitches for the neck edge, purl the 27 stitches on the holder of the right front piece, knit these stitches (total of 74) in bramble motif until back measures 17 cm from the neck edge (or 22 cm longer version). Cast off.
-finishing : sew the side seems together (the arm openings should measure about 10 cm at the front), sew 4 little buttons to the underlying front piece - yup you didn't knit buttonholes and you don't need to, the buttons will just hook into the little holes of the bramble bobbles.


Hat (size 12 months)
note : I didn't knit this hat in the round as the yarn is quite fragile and snaps easily when I pull it hard (which you kinda have to do when knitting in the round, to avoid ladder-holes), but if you have a strong yarn then go for it - it saves you sewing up time, cast on 88 stitches, knit everything (no purling) and just omit the k1 at the beginning and end of the decreasing knit rows - these stitches are added for seam-allowance.
-cast on 90 stitches - knit in bramble pattern for two pattern repeats, then knit in stockinette for about 12 cm. Start decreasing on the knit side : k1, (k2tog, k13) 6 times, k1. Purl one row. Decrease again on the knit side : k1 (k2tog, k12) 6 times, k1. Repeat these decreases as follows [k2tog, k11] then [k2tog,k10] then [k2tog, k9] and so on, starting and ending the knit row with a k1, and purling every alternating row until there are 24 stitches left. Then : k1, (k2tog) 11 times, k1. Thread through and secure crown.
-finishing : sew up the side seam with mattress stitch. Flip the bobble pattern (on the wrong side) of the rim over so it shows on the right side of the stockinette pattern.


Other than that - I found these beautiful knitting links

-Nini Naphtaline (my favorite of the moment)

-Knitting a lot (wonderfully clever patterns!)

-The blog without a name (oh that swing cardi so sweet)

Have a lovely november/december week all
in the northern hemi' (Kimberlee!!!) : cosey up and perhaps even smell the coming of snow...
in the southern hemi' : to the refreshing beaches now...
-Lies

Cheerful inside, outside

Just a few images of the kids and some happy garments I've been sewing for them.
The crazy Liberty dress reflects the inside of Lieveke perfectly, I think haha.
Noor's cords are pretty compatible with all that cheer. 7 months. She says mama!
I'm cooking up a baby-knit with bobbles, more later this week.



Happy midweek friends
-Lies

Autumn days nummer zwei

From one of my autumn walks a few weeks ago. I after spending a week inside with strep throat, I like looking at these pictures to remind me of the outside world and the beauty of my favourite season.

All of Lies' pictures look so breezy, bright and summertime-ish. Those happy young faces with rosy cream cheeks, sparkle eyes, and twinkle smiles. oh how I miss those girls!

okay now I must dive again into my bureaucratic black hole of immigration paper work. Its all in German, somebody throw me a life raft!

We did a shoot

Oh my, we had true girl fun last week, for the Etsy.
Lieveke is a pro at posing now ha.
It was Noor's first time.
She kept falling over, having mastered the sitting-skills only recently.
Other than that, I think she's really really into the red flashy dot of the camera.


I'm inspired by these wonderful pretty 'spaces' at the moment :

Misako Mimoko

and

Le Zigouis

and

Perdi of fio a meada.


Happy! You?
-Lies

yellow, red, white

This is where we live now. I have always wanted a yellow room and I tell you, now I have really got one. Its sometimes like waking up in a field of marigolds and other times its feels like we live on the face of the sun. Our (blood) red bathroom, or as I like to call it the 'redrum room', is just as bold. No subtle earth tones here. Ditto the kitchen, which actually has a shower in it placed right across from the oven. But don't worry, the shower is semi lacquered with a bright red cello paper (for privacy, obviously), otherwise that could be an uncomfortable cup of tea while your roommate has his morning shower.

So yes, it is quirky. Yes the redrum room locks from the outside in, and yes our floorboards creak when the neighbors walk inside their apartment. But I really love this place. Our balcony overlooks the Methodist church's courtyard where they keep rabbits, and we also have a view like none other (see this post). The elder home next door means things are always nice and quite. And since we don't have any roommates, bring on the kitchen showers!

Okay, that's all for now:)
xokimberlee

Anemones and violets

Outside : ahhhhh so grey.



But friends
-I found anemone cups!
-the vests are finished (the alpaca : sublime)
-if you look through a violet parasol everything is ... violet, I guess

Oh : this project looks so appealing...



I hope you find your little window of happiness also this week
-Lies

autumn

This used to be my favourite time of year, all those leaves changing colour, Halloween festivities, fall harvest, apple cider, pumpkins, squash, wheat, corn, the new cold bite in air, and of course my birthday. Then when I moved to NZ, most of those things aren't around or are just too different to recognise and my birthday is in the spring! Autumn in NZ is the prelude to a rainy winter with no Christmas.

I am so glad to have a northern hemisphere autumn again. Everyday I ride through the colourful soggy leaves glued to the pavement, take in the chill, and anticipate Christmas. Its fantastic! We're having a Holloween party for the kids at work and we have spent a lot of time going on nature walks, decorating the kita, and talking about the harvest.

All these pictures are taken from my neighborhood and most of them are view from our windows. Next time I will take on an inside tour:)

and I know I will be missing New Zealand when summer hits, because that country really does summer well. But for now, I am very happy to have my Fall back.

Cheers!
-k