Colors that make me happy

Blues, pinks, greens...

...knitting once more...

Hope you're having a super duper week!

XXX

Blue moon

Hello, dear friends

Sometimes you look in the mirror and don't feel happy about what you see. More exactly, who you see there, looking back at you. It doesn't feel like you, for some reason. 

Is it the winter blues? The shorter days, the fewer hours of daylight that get to you? The cold, and it's nothing to compare to the cold that's been going around in the rest of Europe or the World?

It's here, though. The blues. And that feeling you don't want that person to be there looking at you. 

So this is what I do. I go out, for a brisk walk by the ocean, breathe in all that beauty and come back home full of energy. To do even the stuff I don't like to do like household chores (sorry, that's just the way I am... I'm really not one of those people who love to do laundry and tidy up and all that stuff, but I do love a nice and tidy home and all the laundry put away :) )

And decide that girl in the mirror's got to go. Along with the things that make me feel blue :) and get back in my green mode again :)

Or teal... what do you think of my (soon to be) new log cabin patchwork cushion? :)

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

xxx

Spinning and Knitting together

Hello dear friends,

Just a few pictures to share with you a wonderful afternoon spent this weekend with some lovely people.

Rosário from dona maria hosted a Spinning and Knitting Meeting at the wonderful, gorgeous Café Saudade in beautiful Sintra. It was a nice, cozy and friendly afternoon spent around wheels and spindles, knitting needles and handspun yarn and hand dyed rovings :) 

Rosário talking to 2 ladies making fantastic socks with Zauberballs in the cutest stripped pattern (a must, I have to learn to knit socks with these two ladies!) and her spinning wheel standing in the foreground

Sporting the prettiest handmade sweaters and cardigans

Even a little one joined us and tried to give the wheel a spin!

Two young ladies giving their first steps at spinning with a drop spindle

And in the mean time the inevitable cup of tea (lemon grass for me, please) and yummy scones with butter.

Even got to meet personally two other nice ladies I already knew from their blogs, Sofia (SofiAlgarvia) and Ana (mãos de sapo & pés de pato) from whom I already bought some hand dyed yarns :)

Definitely... a treat to myself, a day to repeat, and I will certainly try to join those ladies at their weekly saturday afternoon knitting meetings in Lisbon :)

Hope you had a great weekend too!

xxx

Sneak preview...

Peekaboo... hello, dear friends!

What is it with me and pink these days?! I do love it... all shades!

Be back soon  (I hope... but it's taking me a while longer than I expected!) with the rest of the picture :)

Now another question... what would you suggest I make of my beautiful Zauberball (on the left, the pink one has been turned into the shawl shown yesterday--this picture doesn't do it justice!)

Have a wonderful, yarny week!

xxx

Winter Roses

I've been playing around a bit with Blogger today... do you ever get bored of your current layout and try to find something different that matches your current mood or taste or whatever? That's what happened to me. I just felt it needed a bit of a change, but I'm not 100% pleased with it yet. So... don't be surprised if you stop by for a visit and it's changed again! :)

Also--I've been a bit AWOL from here.  A bit like my silly camera which is still missing (I hate it when store things away so well I can't find them!!!) Not away from your blogs, I always read them, even if I don't always comment. I've been in a bit of a blue mood--matching the beautiful color of the sky, as we still haven't had a glimpse of Winter around here. Chilly when the sun sets, but barely a cloud in the sky and the sun always shining. So I should be perky... right? 

Though not blogging much, that doesn't mean I've been idle. On the contrary. I had to borrow a camera to take a few pictures but here's one of my latest works and one that pleases me a lot.

It's the Holden shawlette, made from a gorgeous hand-dyed and handspun wool I got from Rosário of dona maria blog. Isn't it the prettiest yarn, with all these shades that range from pale pink to a slight peachy color and deep red? A true bunch of roses! And I'm really excited to see the new yarns she's been spinning--next weekend I'll be going to a Spin and Knit meeting in beautiful Sintra, a group of yarn fans happily gathered around a table with tea and cake :) 

I probably should have used a bigger number needles to get a lacier look though this way it's warmer too. Next time I'll know better! :)

Did you notice the lacy, embroidered and crocheted white thing peeking from under my shawlette=

When I went looking for something white to make these colors stand out I picked a linen bed sheet I had stashed away in the bed linen drawers. It was in my mother's layette (or is it Trousseau?) and she handed it down to me, to cherish and love and... not dare use it! 

It's a beautiful, light, gorgeous linen fabric, hand embroidered with silver and pink silk flowers and with a wide crochet edging along the top

Can you see how tiny each one of these little wheels is? I placed a 1 euro coin next to them to put them in perspective.

Hundreds... hundreds of tiny little wheels, attahced to each other one by one, making a foot wide edging for this bed sheet. I can't imagine having the patience to make one of these bed sheets... Plus the embroidery all over it!

So... have you (re)discovered any handmade treasures lately?

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

xxx

You're beautiful, Mom!

- Mom, why do you put all that stuff (ie moisturizer and a little eyeliner, as always) on your face?

- So I'll look prettier...

- You don't need any of it, Mom... You're beautiful just as you are!

How's that to make my day? :)

I am so lucky... I couldn't dream of a sweeter son :)

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

xxx

2012 is here!

The first 2 had already gone out and a few slices were missing, but I couldn't resist it... a lovely dinner and celebration of the new year with some friends, with a lot of candles and fireworks outside and a warm and cozy evening...

Have a wonderful New Year, my friends. May all your special wishes come true! I wish you all much health, love and peace for this year that starts today--and I hope it will be a new start for me too!

See you soon!

XXX