The Purple Lace

My sister is 50 today. She’ll celebrate with a party at her house, and then on Thursday she and her family—my brother-in-law, my three nephews, and two nieces—will all drive up to Berlin to stay with us for a long weekend and continue the celebrations here.

The house is slowly getting ready. I am currently in full logistics mode, counting couches, bedsteads, mattresses… and trying to make sure everyone actually has somewhere to sleep. We are getting ready too, in a slightly more chaotic but excited way.

And yes—I actually finished the lace in time! Despite the occasional quarrelling with the pattern, some unraveling, and a fair amount of whining along the way 🙂 Once I got halfway through, something shifted and I really started to love it. The color turned out gorgeous, the texture is exactly what I had imagined, and the pattern is just beautiful.

It’s funny how that happens sometimes—what starts as a struggle turns into something you don’t want to put down.

So yes, I’m pretty pleased with myself, and as a result I’m posting more pictures than usual. It deserves it.

Over the years, seome of the photos that used to be here got lost – thanks to a total blog crash, a stolen hard drive, and whatever else can possibly happen to images along the way. The same goes for the link to the pattern – it seems the instructions have disappeared from the web as well. If I happen to come across either of them again, I’ll be sure to add them back in. Thanks so much for your understanding.

 

Counting my Blessings on Thanksgiving

Finally, the sky is blue again, and the sun even made an appearance—I can’t tell you how grateful I feel for a bit of warmth and light. Today we had family over for dinner, sharing a meal that’s probably just like what so many of you are having (or will have) today. And once again, I found myself feeling truly thankful.

The man and the kid, the house that keeps us cozy, my parents and sisters… sometimes just pausing to count my blessings takes my breath away. It’s those everyday things, the people I love, the comfort of home, and the moments of connection that remind me how full life really is.

Today was one of those days when gratitude settles deep in my chest and refuses to leave.

A scarf made entirely from my stash—violet, turquoise, beige, green, anything from thin sock yarn to bulky wool—knitted lengthwise on the largest needles I could find. I didn’t bother weaving in the ends; instead, they became part of the design as fringes.

Animal Scarves

Morehouse Farm has some seriously amazing patterns! So far, I’ve made a few of their animal scarves – the alligator, the rat race scarf, and the cat wrap – and I really liked making them. The instructions are really clear, and once you get the hang of their approach to increases and decreases, they’re not too tricky to follow.coloredFor the white one, I came up with my own twist: I added a “belly” by knitting a plain second scarf without the scales, then joined the two halves together with single crochet. It gave the scarf a whole new dimension and made it extra fun to wear.

white

blue

I made the two cat scarves for my boss’s little girls, and I think they totally loved them. One of them even set up a little spot for her cat on the pillow at bedtime—it was the cutest thing!
cat wrap
The cat scarves were presents for my boss’s little girls, and I think they liked them. One of them even set up a little spot for her cat on her pillow at bedtime—it was the cutest thing!