Pimp your desktop...

...with Desktopcalendars by MadLinDesigns (<-that's my mother)
My Mum makes them for every month and they are absolutely free.

Did I mention, that she does a fabulous job on them? No? So I will have to say so now!
(and i am not only saying that because she's my mother....)

They are absolutely gorgeous!

Go and get your favorite desktopcalendar today at:

MadLinDesigns

(Just click on the preview and a new window will open with the actual calendar, then right-click and choose "as background" ->there you go!)
And feel free to sign the guestbook (with suggestions for future calendars) and spread the word!

Here is a preview of the one I chose:

Keeping a promise...

..to myself!
I put up some "New Year's Resolutions" and promised myself to clean out my "UFO"-basket (UFO=Unfinished Object) this year.

Which means:
1. What is meant to be knit, will be finished this year
2. What will never be finished, will be frogged

So, because I finished the wheat-doily and am not in the mood to knit the socks for my Dad's Birthday, I got this one out of hibernation my basket:
The Daffodil Design by Marianne Kinzel (out of the 'Second book of Modern Lace Knitting')
Can you believe I started this one in September 2005?
Well, I am ashamed of my lack of discipline and my inability to finish certain things in a good measure of time.

No, to be honest, i ran out of the original yarn for this one (the crochet cotton I used was obviously discontinued after being in my stash for about 10 or more years) not far away from the end (only 40 more rows or so), so i didn't frog it but thought maybe the yarn would magically replicate itself and then it would be enough to finish this design.

(which i really wanted to do, since I have already done the 'Balmoral thistle design' and am planning on knitting the 'Rose of England-design')

So there is was and it really sucked, because every time I went into my basket it stared at me and was giving me bad feelings......

In September last year my Mum came to my place and gave me some yarn she bought especially for this project, which was perfect: nearly same colour and same weight of crochet cotton!
And she said: " I really want you to finish that Daffodil Doily! Try this yarn"

But ........ still I just couldn't get my guts together to look up the pattern and get going.

Then the promise i made for this year and a thread on one of the groups in Ravelry
(Group: So much to knit, so little time Thread: Turn your oldest WIP into a FO) made the decision for me.
Not after talking to my Mum on the phone and asking for some encouraging thoughts though.....*lol*
(after all I was still contemplating on frogging the bugger)

And here i go: on Row 131 with the new yarn and growing strong
In fact: I FEEL SO GOOD ABOUT MY DECISION TO KNIT THIS NOW!

Thanks to Mum and the Group and all of you out there
(for your sweet comments on my last two doilies really encouraged me!)
I got back into the rhythm of this and i am very happy!

WOOOOHOOOO! THANKS!

Hooray for FOs! Part 2

and nicely arranged (this time with an angel my daughter Elena gave me for X-mas)
the doily or should I say "coffee cloth" looks like this:

click on it for a larger picture

Always amazing, how blocking can change wet noodles into a beautiful piece of lace...
Hooray for Finished Objects!!

Psssst.....
I would like to knit the Lyra by Herbert Niebling as next project,
but I have to whip up some socks for my Dad's birthday first (poor old me!)
Thank goodness I have knitted the Birthday-socks for Donna already
....just can't knit socks right now....
...don't know why...

Hooray for FOs!

After blocking the wheat-doily looked like this:

a detailphoto:



it took me 45 minutes to block this sucker thing and 192 pins (!!!) to get it pinned out.
It's 72, 5 cm (25 inches) in diameter.
My back and my knees hurt now, I just feel like an old rag lady.
But it is worth the work and the pain, can't wait to unpin it in the morning.

Undressed....

Another doily just jumped off my needles. I am ever so happy!!!

As it's just called "white doily", i will give it this name:

"End of summer doily" (or "wheatdoily" or such)

The pattern is from the Mag 'Diana Special-Strickdeckchen D 449' from 1998

I really had to show a lot of patience knitting the last 30 rows (i had between 700 and 900 stitches on my needles, which felt like "bloody" 3000 stitches), but then I just told myself: "Go on! Go for it! One row down, another 30 (29, 28 etc.) rows to go!" and at last I made it.........WOOOHOOOO!
It's still undressed, so it's far away from being a beauty, but:

Now I am going to wash, starch and block it out....this is going to be "fun" *yuk*
wish me luck :-))

Entspannt und ...

... dekorativ in Szene gesetzt sieht das Egeblad-Deckchen gleich doppelt so gut aus.

Den Fisch hat meine Große in der 4.Klasse gemacht, gefällt mir ausnehmend gut dieses Esemble.
Ich mach mir wohl noch ein Egeblad in Knallrot.
Hoffe, es gefällt Euch auch!

Egeblad

Started on Friday and finished and blocked today:

The Egeblad Doily

On the pictures it's still wet, that is why you can see the weaved in yarn shining through :-(

Happy Valentine's Day!

Be Mine Dishcloth

you can find the pattern here

Two Hearts as One Dishcloth

and this pattern can be found here

Sterntaler - Doily

THIS IS CROCHET!
I just can't knit socks at the moment....
i am slightly hooked (pun intended)

Crocheting is FUN!