A knitter never talks about her stash...

How have you been? The new year has started with all it’s madness and it is already the 7th of February. Where has the time gone?

January has been a surprisingly beautiful month. Before all the horrible news from the US.

Sadly, all the Christmas lights, Christmas markets and the beautiful ferris wheel of Düsseldorf are gone and with them, all the holiday vibes. I tend to be very depressed on New Year’s ending up hating January. This year was different though. Maybe with all that has happened in 2016, including politics and also the sudden passing of so many celebrities, 2017 seems like a new opportunity. A chance to become a better year. (leaving Trump out of the picture for a second now, as I bet we all need a break from that guy from time to time.)

I knit those for a friend of mine but liking the pattern, I made a pair for me, too. 

Sorting my yarn. What a mess!

So far it has worked, by last year this time already Bowie and Alan Rickman had died, so I keep my fingers crossed, that we won’t have another year of too many young dead people. To boost the mood a little more, I was much more disciplined during those last few days, when working from home, I studied, sat over my books, like a PhD student is supposed to. And only in the evenings I allowed my hands to grab the needles and keep on with my knitting. The pattern for the cardigan I was planning turned out not to look so great with the ordered yarn, which still is very beautiful and I longed to do something two-coloured again, so I dove deep into the topic of Norwegian knits. My, there are an abundance of cute patterns here. Especially the concept of Kofte fascinates me. Did you know that they knit the cardigan, top to bottom, adding the arms later. In order to avoid backrows, they are knitting the cardigans in the round, like a jumper, and then they cut them open! It’s true. My knitter’s heart screams when I hear this. Imagine, knitting a whole jumper in a beautiful pattern, with differently coloured yarn and then cutting into it? The thought scares me big time, but I would love to try it. The technique is called steeking and the stitches have to be secured either with a sewing machine or with the help of a crochet needle. Check out the crocheting way in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vno-cMURQjc

To prepare for the big project and also to use up some of my leftovers, I started to knit socks again, with Norwegian patterns. This is so much fun! Plus they are finished in no time and I am a big fan of that. First I used leftover yarn for those babies. A friend of mine liked the pattern a lot and so I asked her for her favourite colours and made another pair, this time in blue und purple. Feeling prepared for the adventure to knit a Norwegian cardigan, I started with a kid-sized one, which turned out a bit bigger than expected. I didn't knit a gauge, as I did not have a specific size in mind, but when I begin to knit one for me, I definitely have to prepare much better. 

First socks made from leftovers

second pair

Third one, made in blue and purple as a request for a friend

So far, so good. It is a lot of fun to knit in the big round, plus the baby yarn is really nice and easy to work with. I am collecting patterns from all over the place, different books and Pinterest, to connect them to one cute little cardigan. I am not too happy with how the yellow bell flowers turned out, as they don't contrast enough with the green background, but what the hell... I am not the kind of person that unravels their knitting. Perfection is overrated. I guess, one more evening to go and then I can face the adventure of steeking. So exciting!

The bell flowers are a nice idea, but they somehow don't fit the rest... Lisek likes to help, of course!

The top row here is part of a border of snowflakes, which I finished yesterday, so yay!

Next, I want to knit for a sofa cushion and when the ordered yarn is here I am going to start a Kofte for myself. Let's see how it goes. Especially knitting the right size seems to be a challenge for me. 

What have you been up to? Answering dumb questions from the internet...

I am having a bit of a slow and low day here, so I thought, why not fill out the Q&A that the wonderful Ali from Ali on the run answered in her blog post. 

Let's go:

Favorite iPhone app: I don't own any apple products- they might be shiny and cool, but I don't like that they are incompatible with everything else. That's just inconvenient. And I am a lazy person. But my favourite apps right now are Instagram and Pinterest. So much inspiration for my hobbies, my free time, my health. Of course now I don't get anything done anymore, because... new pictures! I also like my Google Fit when it tells me I reached one of the fitness goals for the day. 

Most-used emoji: The crying-because of laughing smiley. People tend to send me things that crack me up. 

Last song you sang in the shower: Smoke on the Water. When in the shower I always listen to Rock classics, as they are most fun to sing along to. 

What is your greatest fear: heights, Lisek getting hurt

Somewhere you haven’t been that you’d like to go: Canada, India, Nepal, Scotland, Norway and Sweden, Rome, New York (no particular order)

What would you want as your last meal on earth: Uff, that would depend very much on the day, but if I had to choose now probably my grandma's tomatoe soup, then something Italian that includes pasta and cheese and Tiramisu. 

The TV show you’re binge-watching now: Actually I am watching "How I met your mother", as I have some catching up to do right now. And I am looking forward to start the second season of Man in the High Castle, as I binge-watched the first one, totally loving the actors and the costumes! Amazing and suspenseful series. 

Last person you kissed: Well, Mr. Schön, yesterday when saying hello after I came home. 

Lisek likes to give kisses

Which living person do you most admire? The Dalai Lama, Joanne K. Rowling, Michelle Obama

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Having more discipline. 

If I had more discipline I would be here right now, in the university library

What trait do you most value in friends? I love my friends for always being there if I need them, for being fun and also serious when it is necessary.

It's important that they like to make a fool of themselves

Three words that best describe you: caring lazy doglover

What’s the craziest thing someone’s said to you on social media? So far I have only had good experience online and most of the stuff was pretty reasonable. How boring, I cannot think of anything. Maybe somebody who wanted to steal Mr Schön from me, as he had given me a regular chocolate delivery for chistmas?

Favorite time of the week: Saturday mornings. We usually sleep in, one of us takes the dog for a walk and gets fresh bread rolls, the other one sets the table and then we have a very long breakfast with the whole weekend ahead of us. I just love this!

Childhood crush: Feels like a different one every month, ahm, there was this curly blond haired dude, two years older than me and I always blushed when I saw him and wasn't able to utter a mere word. 

Most recent tattoo: I only got one, a scorpion on my ankle and I have had it for ten years now. 

Would you rather have a chauffeur, a chef, a personal trainer, or someone to clean your home for you? As I love to eat well, but tend to be lazy in the evenings and often only eat take-out or bread in the evening, a chef would be really charming. 

Just hiking with one of my best pals last weekend

And another surprise kiss