pure handmade

change

2009-06-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

i reached a point in my life where it is all about simplifying. it just got all a bit too much. so it was high time for some changes.
one thing what had to get easier was my blog. i realized that i felt guilty not blogging about my projects, thoughts, likes, inspirations and so on.
and than i stumbled upon tumblr. a perfect tool for me. super easy to use, i treat it more like a scrapbook than a journal. i love it!
i am so glad i found it, because the only other option for me would have been to stop my blogging for now.
please come vistit: purehandmade

summer-winter-blues

2009-06-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

the idea is:
2 knits in the same color family.
1 yarn from stash, 1 yarn bought.
1 for warm weather, 1 for cold weather

the top is designed by heidi kirrmaier. the pattern is buttercup and available for free download on ravelry. it is knit in the round from the top down. if you are on ravelry, go and check out heidi's designs. they are all fantastic. i have 3 more in my queue.

the yarn: elsebeth lavold: hempathy - a new fav. of mine
us needles: 4
pattern: buttercup by heidi kirrmaier

my winter sweater is designed by suvi s. the pattern is: baby cables and big ones too. this pattern is also available on ravelry. and as my summer top, it is knit in the round from the top down. i left out the cables on the arm to keep it simple. i like the sweater, the only change i would make is to knit it in a different yarn, maybe a merino alpaca mix to get a more heathery garment.

pattern: baby cables and big ones too by suvi s.
us needles: 5
yarn: pure merino dk by berroco

happy, happy, happy.... finished!

2009-04-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

you see miya and i had a deal. she will get a "big girl" bed and i will make her a blanket for it. i thought it might help her to except a new bed. and it worked brilliantly, she calls it her "lucky blanket".
it took me almost a full year to finish it, just in time - lucky blanket indeed!

yarn is jitterbug from colinette, measurements are 45" by 65" (114cm by 165cm).

more on ravelry

snippets

2009-04-17T13:43:00.001-07:00

a cornflower - found on a walk around the neighborhood - spring

fiber spun into yarn - spindlewood fiber, falkland, 2 ply, 124 yards, name - whisper

fiber - predrafted, hedgehog fibres, merino, 21 micron, name - poet

1 + 1 part two

2009-03-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

1 for miss ivy, miya's beloved teacher, knit with cashmere yarn from the plucky knitter
on ravelry

1 for me, knit with merino silk yarn from pigeonroof studios.
on ravelry

clapotis, so simple, yet so rewarding

spring!

2009-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

hats

2009-03-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

my life is going lately a bit topsy turfy. so what to do on the knitting front? the answer was knitting hats. small enough and easy enough to knit whenever i had a moment.
the pattern is felicity by wanett clyde.
the yarn #1 is from plumknit, #2 and 4 are from hedgehog fibres and #3 from the plucky knitter.

valentine

2009-02-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

happy valentine to you my friends. may your day be filled with laughter, sweets and love

i got the idea for the hearts from the purl bee & and my favorite bonbons from steven ( l'artisan du chocolat).

wrist

2009-02-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

protection for my hands, i rarely need it. but there will be a chance to wear these next week.
i'll be working outside, in the desert. i know, californian desert does not get that cold. but enough to wear my lovely new wrist warmers. right?

pattern : fishtail wristwarmers by alexandra brinck
more on ravelry

blanket cardigan

2009-01-31T14:49:00.000-08:00

it is finally done. i had it knit up over a year ago. and then i made the big mistake of not sewing it up immediately. bad idea. it sat in a basket, calling to me, making me feel guilty, and as a result even more reluctant to get it done.
but than a couple of days ago i had the afternoon off. no work, no child, no husband. i started listening to brenda dane's podcast: cast on. and before you know it, i was on the floor, all pieces laid out around me and going for it.
and i could not be happier with it. the fit is great and the cashmere makes it so soft and light. a perfect snuggle-up cardigan.

1+1

2009-01-26T09:24:00.000-08:00

first of all my 'planet earth' project is finished. i am quite happy with the subtle color changes and the drape of my towel. i used it already for the teapot to keep warm, the bread basket and on the table under the candles.
the pattern is basket weave with a garter stitch border and it measures 16 by 17 inches

a simple lemon cake made out of my meyer lemons from the garden. the recipe is from
the pioneer woman. i read about the cake first on a blog, but i just can't remember where.
since i never can just follow a recipe as is, i had to change a few things: instead of the vanilla extract i used lemon juice, instead of the marmalade glaze i made a simple lemon sugar glaze. all together a fast and easy cake which was eaten up in no time.

camellia

2009-01-12T13:49:00.001-08:00

one flower in my life, one flower a week. this time a white camellia, found in descanso gardens, telling me it is winter.

yogurt

2009-01-09T16:48:00.001-08:00

plain old fashioned yogurt. none of the additives which go nowadays into it, and so easy to make. milk, a bit of yogurt and a warm place. that's it.
but if that is too basic for you, there is lots you can toy with: different kinds of milk, maybe a bit of cream, flavorings and so on.
a whole new world to discover - what fun!

planet earth

2009-01-06T10:50:00.000-08:00

there was a spinning challenge on the spindlers group on ravelry. the theme was "my home".
i am usually not up for these, but this one got me thinking. i was born in austria, but lived there only until my early 20's. i moved so many times in my life that i stopped counting after 40 moves. now i am in los angeles with the love of my life and our daughter. so, where is home?

i decided to call planet earth my home

the fiber is from the very talented krista from pigeonroof studios. it is a superwash merino in the 'blue serpentine' colorway. the spindle is a bosworth mini made out of ambrosia maple wood . i spun it into a 3 ply, fine fingerling weight. it came to around 510 yards

first time

2009-01-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

we met yesterday with my good friend kali in santa monica. he mentioned that there is a little ice skating place around the corner. there was no holding back miya as soon she heared that.
she wanted to try it so badly. it was fun for me to watch how determined she was.

a little something

2009-01-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

every year we are going to uncle sonny's to celebrate the new year and meet friends and family we did not see all year long. so this is always a special party. there will be all the japanese traditional food for new year.
so i thought i bring some little sweet treats, a little western flavor to mix it up a bit. and then i saw this yummy truffles made by parikha. so easy to make and so delicious.
thank you parikha for the inspiration and link to the recipe.

2009

2009-01-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

we decided to celebrate the new year different this time. instead of staying up to midnight and being quite groggy in the morning - we have a 3 year old, so no sleeping in here, we got up early and welcomed the day watching a beautiful sunrise. it was so quiet and peaceful. perfect beginning.......

cute

2008-12-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

i found this cute little sock / moccasin pattern on purl bee. . you need so little yarn that they are perfect for using up some leftovers. i made mine with some cashmere scraps from plum knit i had in my stash. the pattern is super easy to follow - there are step by step photos, and it took me maybe one evening to knit.
i would say this is a perfect pattern if you are looking for a baby present.
thank you purl bee!

here is the link to the pattern

that's what i am up to

2008-11-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

my apologies for being absent for so long. there is a new passion in my life: spinning.
it started out quite harmless. i saw all the pretty fiber from pigeonroof studios whenever she had an update. soon enough i had a couple fibers at home. so what to do with them? needle felting? hmmm......
and than i stumbled on ravelry [where else] on the spindler group - long story short: i now own 9 beautiful spindles and a wheel.
i am completely taken by the idea to create from fiber- to yarn- to knit. it gives me so many more possibilities, and i am learning quite a bit about the different fibers and their properties.
i am having lots of fun

the plucky knitter

2008-09-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

if you are into indy yarn dyers like i am , then you have to check out the plucky knitter. the woman behind it is the very talented miss sarah. not only is she a wizard with colors, her base yarn is a dream. so soft.
when i got my first shipment i could not resist to immediately knit some up.
the result: one pair of socks and a baby beanie. (and there is still some yarn left!)

yarn: handpainted merino wool in sarah lee from the plucky knitter
pattern: duckies by samantha hayes (free ravelry download)
needles: us 3

yarn: handpainted merino wool in sarah lee from the plucky knitter
pattern: my baby beanie
needles: us 3

this is a single thread yarn like malabrigo yarn. but softer! and with this lovely smell to it.
the yarn is sold as a fingerling weight, i would say it is on the thicker side of fingerling.
the soft touch of this sock is a treat, but this is not a sturdy yarn. i'll use them as house and bed socks.

the baby beanie is for my little nephew. he will be born soon! so exciting!

happy feet

2008-09-11T18:02:00.001-07:00

miya likes to tell me what i should knit for her. a couple days ago was a first: she wanted SOCKS!
well, you can imagine how gladly i accepted. we had some fun rummaging through my yarn and her final pick was this happy yarn from knitterly things.

yarn: vesper socks in muddy waters from knitterly things
pattern: my own design
needles: us 1

these are pretty simple toe up socks. i had fun trying out a few new things, like turkish cast on & knitting on 2 circular needles instead my trusted double points.
i would have loved making knee socks, but missy wanted them short, her words...... " like baby socks ".
oh well, maybe next time

hand spun

2008-09-03T22:01:00.000-07:00

dear krista,

i can not thank you enough for this gorgeous yarn! my first knit with hand spun yarn and i am loving it.

thanks again,
ulli

miya is loving her new vest

yarn: hand spun merino in mushroom caps by pigeonroof studio
pattern: anthropology inspired capelet by julia allen [changed pattern quite a bit]
needles: us 10

linen

2008-08-28T20:15:00.001-07:00

pattern: my own design
yarn: louet euroflax in bristol fog
needles: us 6

i am very happy how this sweater turned out. it is a basic "knit from the top" pattern. i made the sleeves fitted and 3/4 long to set off the long Aline shaped body. the linen was a bit tough to knit, but i am at peace with it since :
a) i already threw it in the washer and dryer and it came out looking great
b) i love the feel of it on my skin, its almost cooling. big plus when you live in los angeles

monterey

2008-08-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

pattern: own design
yarn:trekking xxl
needles: us 0

last week i went to monterey for work. hearing what a beautiful place it is, i took my family along and extended the stay for a couple days. we took the car ,which meant a 5 1/2 hour drive. plenty of time for knitting. i decided on making a simple toe up sock, with a small braid on the sides, so i would not get bored. the yarn came from my stash.

monterey aquarium, california. what a amazing place. jellyfish! i was completely taken by these graceful creatures. just breathtaking.
sadly i had not enough time to see everything i wanted to, but i will for sure go back.

cabbage

2008-08-14T09:57:00.001-07:00

pattern: spiral eyelet socks by sandi rosner
yarn: sea merino by mama blue knitting goods in cabbage
needles: us1

these socks are knit out of ONE skein! i wanted to see how far i could get and changed the pattern to toe up knitted socks. i also cast on 56sts. instead of 64sts. and knit a short row heel. basically changed everything besides the stitch pattern.
it was pure happiness when i found out i had enough yarn for knee socks.

this is #4 in my mama blue sock project and i am officially done with it.(it was fun!) i can not say enough good things about this beautiful yarn. the colors are just gorgeous. perfect for stitch pattern.