on the first cold of the season

recovering from a bad cold, doing some 'selfish' knitting.
will I ever finish the socks? this pattern require a lot of concentration.

The weather is unusually warm for this time of the year in this part 
of the world, however, last winter was so cold and long that I'm getting 
ready knitting a very warm pullover and long socks.

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Very interesting point of view of the designer Margaret Howell 



*the little handy table is from by Spielplatz

Fern

Fern is almost ready, hope she'll find a good home

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Progress on the hexagons blanket

meanwhile

New hot-pads, mouse house sets and more soon ready for knots

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 Helen and Julien

hexagons + interview

I'm currently "obsessed" with hexagons, it's a good thing because 
I tend to be such a square.

Meditating over a blanket, wool everywhere in my little cluttered studio.

I wonder if it's an unconscious way to bring order into chaos. 

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A little interview over at Cinzia Ruggieri.
Thank you Cinzia.

Have a fine Monday.

I see details

what I miss, is the whole picture
(working on that)

a butterfly fluttered into my living room

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preparing a little shop update

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thank you for your orders and for the words in my previous post

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I really like eefje de coninck series of images of Renilde's new home

finished

Almost the end of the summer. 
I finished to knit this top and wore it a couple of times.
I think I will make another in wool for the colder days ahead.
I added it on Ravelry. Here, you'll find the details.

Enjoy your weekend.

shop update

I'm back and happy, did my medical tests and found out that all is clear, 
what a huge relief!

Because I can't stay without doing nothing, I did a little shop update.

I guess having spent the last few weeks in a withholding kind of state, after the 
good news, I felt the need to do something without further procrastination.

 At Swim Two Birds pot-holders and cushions are back.

Thank you.

taking some time out (and making yogurt)

Dear readers,

sorry for the lack of posts lately. It's not because I'm lazy or because the nice weather.
I haven't been much around because of an health issue that started few months ago
 ( perhaps years ago only not with this constant dull pain). 
I've done few tests so far but I need to do more in order to know exactly what is 
making me feel unwell. After been seen by a  specialist and be told the worst case scenario, 
I admit that I freaked out for a moment, all sorts of negative thoughts came to my mind. 
That is exactly the sort of thing I try to avoid, it only makes it worst. 
Believe it or not I tend to be a rational person, it makes me feel calm and grounded, 
rational thinking helps.

“Don't Panic.” (Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).

My motto (and I always carry a towel with me ;)



At the moment I'm on a special diet, which it doesn't allow me to eat most 
of the things I used to eat and took for granted. at the beginning I found this diet challenging, 
for instance I can't have most diaries products but to boost my immune system and guts 
I was encouraged to make at home my own yoghurt
(apparently those you buy in shops lack of active and live cultures, but do your own 
research and make your own conclusions about it).
I use a yogurt maker, a litre of cow milk and few spoons of full fat white yogurt to get started, 
after 8 hours I have half a kg of delicious home made yogurt.

Homemade yogurt by David Lebovitz (without a machine). 


I'll take some time off, hopefully not much.

See you soon(ish).

 

these days

The clouds that brought rain today.

We cut the lavender and made little bunches to hang it to dry,
 a way to remember summer during the long winter days.  
The lavender we planted a couple of years ago has given lots 
of flowers this year, it's attracting so many bees it's such a 
joy to see it. I've cut only a small part of the flowers and left 
the rest for the bees. Though if I cut it now I might have the 
chance of a second crop in september.

I found few things at the flea market that I like a lot, some I 
will keep, other I will sell it at knots.

The pace has slowed down a lot here.

camping in north Somerset

In few days:
we explored caves, climbed 274 steps, saw owls and other amazing birds,
ate lots of cheddar cheese, saw the place where the king of fairies lives, 
went to a big flea market under a scorching sun, did horse riding, rowed 
boats in a tiny lake, watched bats flying upon our heads at night, climbed 
trees.
got quite exhausted.

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Camping what's not to love?