This is the back. Not blocked yet. I know, it is huge. If it is turning out totally bad, it will be a great tent for Sára.

The front: I have already crocheted together the front panels with the front bottom. I think I will redo this, with a darning needle, because crochet makes it too heavy on the seams.

And the sleeve: this was a breeze to knit. Ahhh, and I need two more balls for the second sleeve. As soon as I can, I will order those two balls from Ebay, and hopefully I will be able to finish this sweater in the near future. I’m definitely making progress: finishing more and more things. I’m proud of myself.

All in all, this pullover was much much easier to knit than I have thought. I was a bit afraid of the cable panels, but they were really quite simple. And I love the way IK explains the pattern: it is really understundable, clear, and thorough. A beginner, even who is not native English, like me, can do it.

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She offers free worldwide shipping, which is a bonus for me. And I have bought a nice lot of purse handles, and purse frames from her. Great stuff! And yes, I’m going to knit a few little purses, and probably a nice big handbag. I’m trying to try out colorwork on the smaller purses. It is like knitting a swatch with a purpose. I will practice, and yet I will be able to use these small pieces.

If I’m too tired of my Caftan pullover (currently my main project) – I will just pull out a little beauty, and knit a few rows. Well, at least this is the plan.

I will have to put aside the Caftan soon – I will run out of yarn. Hopefully by that time my yarn for the drop-stitch cardi will arrive, and I can start that project.

It is from the same issue of Interweave Knits as the Caftan. I have been looking for this yarn all over Ravelry, and finally found it. A nice lady agreed to sell it to me for a reasonable price, and it is on the way to me already. Same color as in the picture. I have only one concern: the zips. I have never sewed in zips into anything, and especially into knitted fabric. Eh, we learn something new every day. And I have my mother to help me

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I was so tired and exhausted though, that I was sleeping whenever I could manage – got up late in the morning (9-10 am), and took an afternoon nap with Sára, and usually went to bed around 10, which is very unusual for me. And I still feel I could sleep all day long. Is this the spring tiredness, or just lack of vitamines? I was too lazy to even switch on the computer for days.

Anyway, when I was not sleeping, I knitted. To make myself happy, I decided to knit on my caftan pullover, and I have finished the front!!! I don’t say it is perfect, but a good wash and blocking will give it a nice finish. I started one of the sleeves, and I hope I will be able to finish until the end of the week. If I don’t have to work on Saturday, because of the mixed up working days due to 1st of May.

 Ah, and I did quite a few rows on the co-workers vest. It is taking shape nicely.

I promise to put on pictures tomorrow.

 Until then:

This is my new avatar at Ravelry. I receive a lot of compliments on it. And not only from the LSG (Lazy, Stupid and Godless) Group.

• Knitted graffiti Some people have such fun ideas! This group of 11 from Houston, target public places with knitting. Sometimes they choose the target; other times the target comes to them. They are making their own good news! And it benefits the rest of us. Sometimes we tag randomly (car antennas, door......
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And guess what I have found:

 Yes. Amazing, isn’t it? It doesn’t look too complicated, but the results are just breathtaking. Looks like a quilt, doesn’t it? And I love the colours as well, I will try to make it in the exact same colors. I haven’t yet purchased the pattern, because I know I would drop everything to start it, and this would not be wise now.

I promise myself I will start it this autumn-winter.

I know, I’m terrible to start something new or different every day, but sorry, this is how I work. Sometimes I actually finish one or two things, so it is not that bad….

And this reminded me of the caftan pullover: well, I can assure you it is going along fine! I’m about to bind of the last stitches from the front, and then I can start the tricky part: the front cable panels. I still fear that the yarn will not be enough.

Dear Santa, if you still around, please put a few balls of Ultra Silk in your sack. Thank you in advance!

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I’ve blocked the Jane sweater, and tried to sew it together. Guess what? I’ve lost the pattern. I had an idea about how to do it, but it was wrong. I can’t figure out the way!!!!

I’m desperate. I’m planning to write to Hand Maiden, and ask them if it is possible to receive only the schematic, how to sew the thing together.

 I was curious, so I did something I thought I will never do: washcloth

I loved the Mason-Dixon pattern on Ravelry, so I gave it a try. It is a fun little knit, a bit like a swatch, with a purpose. You don’t feel you waste your time, because it will turn out something you will use. But will I really use a washcloth? Well, if not me, someone in the family surely will. Sára, for example.

Now that the big event (WAMP) is over, I gave myself a bit of a holiday from bead crochet, and I will go through my UFO’s.  I’m planning to finish a few of them:

- Sára’s crochet cotton rug.
- Cobweb scarf  (from the Natural Dye Studio’s wonderful kid mohair)
- Oooh, and of course the Caftan pullover. This should be the first on the list!
- The washcloth (this one is good to work on when everything else seems too complicated)

I can’t think of anything else right now, but I really need to go through the pile. There must be something else hiding…..

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• So, the Book and more swap: I’ve received my package, and I’ve ordered a book through Etsy. This long weekend I will look for a nice yarn to send it out to my partner.
• Random Act of Kindness group: I’m expecting a few box of goodies from the wonderful ladies there: they will send stuff to my daughter, since this was my wish for March.
• Still the RAC group: I promised to send out some Hungarian speciality sweets to a fellow Hungarian, currently living in the UK. She badly misses these sweets, and Hungary. I totally understand it, so I will fill up her stock.
• I will write a letter to a Raveler’s brother, staying in Iraq, far away from his pregnant wife, who has difficulties with the pregnancy, and the baby is in a big danger. This was also a request from the RAK group. Aren’t these girls are wonderful?
• I will have to collect the yarns I’ve promised to give away in the Yarn Karma group (note to self: the two Trendsetter Dune, and the Norvegian turquoise wool), so I can post them right away on Tuesday.
• In return I’m expecting the following: an apple jacket (I’ve always liked them on Etsy, cool and fun stuff), and a super bulky wool for a hat.
• I’ve ordered a few things from Etsy (I should stop going there. I just can’t seem to resist buying that great stuff, and I supposed to sell there…. Hello!) like:

- That gorgeous sterling silver dragonfly pin (I’ve always wanted one, exactly like this. 
   You’ll see, it is just the ultimate pin.)
- The book I’ve ordered for the swap – this goes to my partner straight away.
- Two strands of turquoise beads,
- One strand of red coral stick beads, to go with the above beads,
- 9 balls of special japanese yarn, which is treated with silver ions, to be antibacterial, and
   a japanese tawashi book (great stuff, I tell you about it later).

Uhmmm, I think that’s all. Poor postman. I should invite him for a coffee next time he turns up….

Ah, and here is a picture about Sára, my 5-year-old daughter, holding the back of the Caftan Pullover, which is   -  this close  -  to be finished.

Now guess, which size I’m knitting?

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The same thing happened yesterday with this pullover. I swear I heard my name from my knitting basket. It might be because this is the first project I make with the yarn recommended, and it makes me more excited. And this yarn is beautiful! Such a great stich definition, beautiful hand, and that drape! Yay! A very expensive way of having fun, but – hell, I deserve it.

And yesterday I deserved it well enough. Finally – and after a bad, bad argument – I handed my notice to quit to my bitchy boss.

And guess what happened at the end of that same day. She asked me in, and told me confidentially that she is going to leave too, before the end of the year. And because it would be too much effort to find a new PA until then, and for such a short period of time, is it possible that we can work together for the rest of the time? Now what could I say?
I said until I can’t find anything better, I will stay, but as soon there is an opportunity, I will leave.

I felt so exhausted when I got home, and you agree that my brain needed some calming balm. And this knitting was it. Made me totally happy just to see how fast it went, and how even the stitches look. And I love that cool, silky feel on my hands. I can’t wait to finish it and wear it, and I pray it would look nice on me.

I highly recommend this yarn, and this pattern for all those suffering from a bitchy boss.

If only I could get my hands on Norah Gaughan’s new booklets from Berroco! I would possibly go into her office, knock her to the wall with her table, and tell her exactly what to do instead of pestering the poor, hard working women in the laboratory.

Then I would go home, singing, and knitting away.

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This is exactly how I feel when I log in here to put my first post up. Talking – or even thinking – about knitting is the ultimate relaxation for my mind. And when I actually get my hands on it, and knit something, now, that is Nirvana. Peace. Concentration on something without any effort. When I knit, life seems perfect in every way. Even it is not.
No matter how pissed I felt when I started, it smooths my nerves.

If you are a knitter, you know what I’m talking about. If not, you probably have a hobby which gives you the same feeling.

In knitting, my favourite part is to cast on for something new. This is why I have at least five UFOs (unfinished objects) on my needles. Working on the same thing for days or even weeks, makes the fun fade away. Now I have a biiiig project – Norah Gaughan’s Caftan Pullover from IK, and a few smaller projects like:

1. A sock for my brother (sits there for a year now).
2. The Anthropologie inspired capelet – made with the most unusual yarn I’ve ever came across: Skacel’s Cheerio. Now discontinued, it is a paper-like, patterned ribbon, which is quite harsh to feel and knit. I checked, and after washing, it became softer. For a long time I had no idea what to do with this yarn, but I loved it so much, I had to buy it. I have high hopes for this piece, if I ever going to finish it, it will be a hit.
3. Jane Crossover sweater: I had to order some more yarn for this – I’m making it from Mountain Spinnery’s Sylvan Spirit – a great yarn! Only one half of the front is missing, and I can’t wait to finish it - but there is so much to do, and I can hardly get there. I will, soon, because I want to wear this before the really hot summer sets in.
4. The vest I’m making for a workmate – this is going to be a fast project, because she is so tiny. Not like me. I got used to make the biggest size  from every pattern, and this is a nice change to make something small.
5. The crocheted rug for my DD’s room. It is coming together, and I pull out this project from time to time, when I need something colorful and easy on my hands.
   It is made with worsted weight cotton, in every existing color, and I’m sure it will light up her room.
6. Not to mention that I’m preparing for the WAMP, the Sunday Art Market in Budapest, and I want to make/finish a lot of bead-crocheted jewelry. If I will make enough money there, I will pay for an Art Clay Silver instructor course.

See? So much to do, so little time! Now you understand, there is really no time to do the dishes…

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