One day documentary

This photo is from the courtyard of the Rathaus in Hamburg... it has more rooms than Buckingham Palace.  

***Today I'm doing a one day documentary project, carrying my camera with me the whole day and photographing all the things I see and do.  I'll have results up in the next post!

Also, I'll be unveiling some new finished projects very soon!  

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Macro Challenge 30/30

30 days + 30 photos = awesome

Thank you to Orange Flower for coming up with the challenge!

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Macro Challenge 29/30

.....

green tea

is good

for me

.....

***I uploaded more photographs of the Botero exhibition to Flickr today, for any other fans.  Also, there is a Flickr group called "Botero-Spotting" that you can check out!

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Whip Up

My Whip Up tutorial has been posted!  Make a friendship bracelet for your BFF...

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Macro 28/30 +

I'm going to have a tutorial up over at Whip Up tomorrow!  It's for a fabric friendship bracelet I designed - a new take on the old middle school tradition :)  

And Macro Challenge photo 28/30:  

A strand of tiny shells.  

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Botero

There was a wonderful show of bronze sculptures by Fernando Botero in Berlin earlier this year.  It was outdoors, in the Lustgarten in front of the Berliner Dome on Museum Insel. I'm a big Botero fan, but I had never seen any of his sculptures in person so this was a huge treat.  It was a really inspiring  exhibit so I thought I'd share a few of my photographs.  

As you can tell, the bronzes were giant - typical of Botero.  So wonderful.  

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Macro Challenge

27/30

26/30

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Blue Skies over Berlin

A perfect day to be outdoors!  

Berlin, Alexanderplatz:

Berlin, Shoeneberg Volkspark:

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Lighthearted

The weather has improved so much in Berlin this weekend and the city feels like it's breathing a sigh of relief - the long, dark winter is over!  I've been working on some lighthearted projects, nothing too serious.  Sunlight, lightweight clothes, lighthearted projects!

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Macro 25/30

I can't believe the macro challenge is almost over!  I've really enjoyed participating and seeing everyone else's photographs.  

Here is another souvenir...

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Here are some more of the anatomy/biology embroideries I've been working on...

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Macro Challenge 24/30

Subway tickets...

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Macro 23/30

I've been seeing so many great things about bringing your own bag to the store (I've been doing it for a couple of years and I'll never go back to plastic!) over at Heather's blog and with this swap - so I have to tell you to check out these recycled t-shirt shopping bags on Etsy.  They come in a 6 pack, so you'll never have an excuse for using plastic bags again!

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Unintentional Theme

I've been going through the photographs I've taken over the last two years, trying to organize everything and get some of it uploaded to Flickr.  I've noticed that I take an inordinate amount of photos of figural sculptures, usually on the outside of buildings.  I'm embracing the theme and thought I'd share some of my favorites!

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Macro 22/30

POMegranates!  

Pomegranates are one of my favorite things to eat but it can be hard to find them during certain parts of the year, i.e. recently.  You can imagine my elation when I saw them make their first spring appearance at my neighborhood fruit stand yesterday!  Juicy, juicy, juicy.  Here in Germany the name is Granatapfel, which is fun to say out loud.  

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Check it out!

Did you see me here on Craftzine?!? 

Thank you for the recommendation, BettyNinja!  

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Macro 21/30: Souvenir

A souvenir from a trip to the Alps.  

My new anatomy embroideries are coming along and I plan to post a few photos this week.

When they're finished I'll be putting them in my shop!

***Thank you to BettyNinja for mentioning me on her blog!  

    

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Macro 20/30

Matches from Heinz Minki, a traditional biergarten in Berlin.  It's one of the oldest biergartens in the city and has a little window where you can buy super-thin crusted pizzas cooked in a brick oven.  Perfect on a summer night!  

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Macro 19/30: Mail!

I received my little quilt from baby anne quilts yesterday!  It's beautiful!  

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Finished Project: Using up leftover sock yarn...

I've been hooked on hand knit socks since my first pair, but I end up with tons of leftover sock yarn.   Baby socks are a great way to use it up and they make awesome gifts.  I use this pattern because it's straight forward and really easy.  

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Macro 18/20

18/20: Dried lavender - I like to stuff pincushions with it!  I buy this lavender from a girl at the Hackescher Markt in Berlin, there's an open air market there on Thursdays and she has a booth selling lavender from France - what a cool job!  You can buy it loose or in bouquets.  

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Gratuitous Rome photographs

Seeing all the news reports about the Pope's big U.S. visit has made me think about the trip I took to Rome last winter and I've been looking back through my photos.  You can hardly take two steps without landing in an archeological pit or standing in front of a Renaissance masterpiece.  Even dingy little churches on side streets end up containing wall-sized paintings by Caravaggio! 

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Rome..............sigh.  

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Macro 17/30 & a finished project

17/30

Here is my completed free form embroidery, tentatively named "Petri Dish".

***I'm working on a series of small embroideries based on anatomy illustrations from the early 1900s.  You'll probably see some photos of these pop up, too.  :)

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Macro 16/30

If I was a tiny bug this could look like a forest...

***Yep, the photo from the last post is a key - the key to the iron, rusty, medieval style gate that leads from my apartment building to the dumpsters and compost!  Whenever I take out the trash I feel like I should be crossing a drawbridge or something!  :)

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Macro 15/50

I can't believe I'm already on photo 15!  Time flies...

I'm working on getting my ravelry account all set up - my photos, yarn details and patterns are scattered all over.  Getting them all organized will be great!

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Macro 14/30

This is a necklace I ordered from this site a couple of years ago.  A sweet little nest...

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Pattern Freebie: My Go-To Hat

When I need a foolproof hat pattern, this is the one I use.   It knits up easily and quickly and can be worn by anyone.  It's especially nice when made with a super-soft, worsted weight yarn like Lana Grossa Baby Alpaca, which is the yarn I used for the hat in the photo.  The brim rolls up as you knit, and I love it!

Materials:  50 grams medium worsted weight yarn

                    Size 8/5mm 16-inch circular needle

                    Size 8/5mm double pointed needles

                    one stitch marker

1. Cast on 84 stitches onto the circular needle.  Join for working in the round and place a marker on your first stitch to mark the beginning of the round.  

2. Work in stockinette stitch (knit every round) until your work measures 8 inches when unrolled.  

3. On the next row: knit 5 stitches, knit 2 together and repeat this across the whole row.  60 stitches remain.

4. Knit the next row plain, with no decreases. 

5.  Next row:  Knit 4 stitches, knit 2 together and repeat across the whole row.  

6.  Knit the next row plain, with no decreases. 

7.  Next row:  Knit 3 stitches, knit 2 together and repeat across the whole row.

8.  Knit the next row plain, with no decreases.  

9.  Next row:  Knit 2 stitches, knit 2 together and repeat across the whole row.

10.  Knit the next row plain, with no decreases.

11.  Next row:  Knit 1 stitch, knit 2 together and repeat across the whole row.  24 stitches remain.  

12.  Knit the next row plain, with no decreases.

13.  Finally, knit 2 stitches together across the whole row.  12 stitches remain.

14.  Cut yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail, and thread it through the remaining stitches.  Pull in tight, knot off and weave in the end.  

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Making progress!

(Sans Souci palace in Potsdam, Germany, my favorite weekend excursion)

I just got my invitation to join ravelry!  Yeah!

Also, since I've had several nice comments about my embroidery project in the WIP sidebar, I thought I'd let you know that I've been working on it all weekend and I'm sooo close to being done!  I'll post the finished project in a couple of days.  My brain is full of new project ideas, so I'm excited to get this one out of the way.  

The promised pattern freebie will be up on Monday...

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Macro x 3: Stitches

Catching up on my macro photos (it's been a busy weekend)...

13/30

12/30

11/30

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Macro Challenge 10/30

I hate measuring!  I'm definitely an estimate/guesstimate/eyeball-it kind of person, which has gotten me into trouble on more than one occasion (cutting fabric, hanging pictures, etc).  As penance, I am devoting this Challenge photo to my tape measurer.    

Ladies and gentlemen, I present photo 10:    

 I found a blog that posts a new photo every day - and it's on day 85!  I'm impressed.  

Also, I updated my Etsy shop today and I'm planning to post another free pattern within the next week. 

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Macro Challenge: Before and After

I have the somewhat rusty skill of using a hand spindle to spin (what else) wool into yarn.  I say rusty because I don't do it very often so I have to re-learn a little bit each time, generally after seeing some gorgeous dyed wool that tempts me with it's colors.  I think the stuff here is from Lorna's Laces...  

9/30

8/30

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I believe this Anny Blatt yarn to be very scrumptious, very scrumptious indeed:  

It was purchased at my fave Berlin yarn store, Frau Wolle.  I just love that name!  It's close to the Feuerbachstrasse S-bahn stop, for anyone in the area.  

Berlin is still so cold... and rainy... and gloomy!  I just have to believe that spring is around the corner...

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