"who, me?"

happy new year to everyone!

gift making

little ones on their way to their new owners.
the little doll with the hat is about 16 cm (6") tall, and the other one is about 33 cm (13").
i haven't made these kind of dolls in several years, and i could definitely use some practice.

more for the market

a couple of crowns, some magic wands, some more snowflake dolls, one more egg baby. i think i'm done now. the market is on sunday, i won't even get to see it because i'll be on the train for the big city by then. 10 days away from home, and i really do not want to go - my head is filled with ideas for x-mas! i have to make sure i write them down before i go. i love it when my head and body is bursting with creative energy - gotta savour it, some times there's drought.

that time of the year

when your kids are attending a waldorf school, there's one time of year that gets especially crafty - and busy! i'm talking about the x-mas fair, a long standing waldorf tradition. there's a lot of meetings, planning, and making going on. fifteen years ago, i didn't particularly like the waldorf seasonal dolls and all that goes with it; they were simply too cute. today i'm a born again waldorf toy fan, and i love making them. these days, i'm up to my neck in half finnished projects for the fair. some are getting close to finnished, though:

i've attached ribbons to some of the leaves, so that they can be hung around the neck. 

then there's the eggs we're making, i haven't been able to take any decent photos of mine so far, except the one on top her.  

the most fun part of this is finding new things to make. i'm currently working on some magic wands and seasonal dolls.

hope you're enjoying this time of year too, and don't get tied up in all the x-mas stress out there! i'm doing my best to avoid it :)

the down side to compulsiveness

well, one of them, at least; the 'knitting arm'. the pain that follows three weeks of intensive knitting, and leaves you with a knitting and computer ban for weeks and weeks, as they both hurt like hell. and with that comes the shivering, the shaking, the agony and sweating of withdrawal. but there's no way around it, but to go cold turkey. 

but hey, i finnished it! in three - 3 - weeks! i have to admit, i'm rather impressed with myself. the bonus is i got rid of my facebook addiction - temporarily, at least.

i still don't know whether it will fit my husband. it's just a bit too big for me, but the he's not that big either. and knitwear is stretchy. i'll keep my finger crossed. 

and try to wait just a little bit longer before i start my next sweater project - for me, this time. 

(did i just do that? yes, i did. i erased the mess from the background in picture no 3. pathetic. hirr.)

hey hey, my my

... it's starting to look like a sweater!
My first big knitting project ever, and my first knitting-from-an-english-pattern project ever. (Ok, I admit it, I've had some help translating it. Takk Lise!)
Luckily, I don't have to knit this in secrecy; I'm knitting it right under his nose. He wouldn't notice if it had his name written across the chest.
It's going so fast, that even if it turns out too small (which I am afraid it will), I will have time to knit a bigger one in time. Yay! Compulsive works. Another bad news story now and I'll have one ready for my son by x-mas too.

compulsive cobblestone

so, one might ask, what's the wit saving knit she's up to?
it's a cobblestone. i've nick named it the compulsive cobblestone, re my last post. i've had it planned for two years, for my husband, but was too scared to start - i've never knitted anything adult sized before. this one, i plan to have done by x-mas, as a gift. i sure hope it turns out like the picture here - isn't it great?

fall

the other day, my husband had for some unknown reason set the alarm clock on 'radio'. it goes off at 7 a.m., and a male voice breaks into my sleep with the news of a father who had killed his wife, their 2 weeks old baby, their 6 and 9 year old daughters and himself during the night. they found the bodies scattered over a large area, so one might think that it took him a while to finnish. then the voice goes on the say that there will be no climate deal in mexico this year.
as soon as i had assembled my brain bits from getting blasted all over the bed covers, i considered the options people have when confronted with such things (by some called 'the world'):
a) crawling back under the covers with a knife to finnish it
b) seeing a doctor for a round of antidepressants
c) writing an article for the newspaper, fooling yourself into thinking 'i did something about it'
d) fastening one's blinkers even harder and continue one's compulsive focus on one's little, safe corner of the world (i.e. the size of a post stamp)
i've tried them all, except the obvious (i'm still here).
i still don't know what to do about it when it hits me.
so i don't read the news. i occasionally express some political passion. i sign petitions in hope of a better world. and at times i manically, obsessively, compulsively, care for the little piece of heaven i know, my little safe post stamp in this world. it's easy. it's beautiful, it's love. it's connecting me to a greater whole that i know is there, beyond the cruelty and greed of this world. the best cure for such a morning is to sit down with a cup of tea and knit. but somewhere, there's a great uneasiness stirring.

traveling

has anyone read this book? i loved it. it took me half of the book to love it, until then i found it spending too much space on trivial information insignificant to the story. but then i was hooked. i didn't realize it was a love story until the end, rather, i was fascinated with the cultural references in the book - the music, the literature, the art - and the time theme. 

if you've read it, please let me know what you think. i'm definately not going to see the movie, i heard it was awful and i don't want to ruin this beautiful story.