Friday, December 30, 2011

Birthday card

Recently, I needed a birthday card.
Good opportunity to upcycle some leftovers.

Needle felted to make the background
Then I added some white batting (two layers, neddle felted too), and a few stitches, and here it is:

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Joyeux Noel

Joyeux Noel, or Merry Christmas,
or whatever you are celebrating tonight!
By all means, enjoy your family, and your friends.
If you travel, have a safe trip.
Have the most beautiful evening with the ones you love.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Vienna by night

I think the pictures speak for themselves...
Enjoy this tour.












Sunday, December 11, 2011

Naschmarkt

I love food markets. This one is a good one, believe me. You can find any ingredient you could dream of. Yummy.



You can eat them on the spot too
And bring lovely flowers back home

But before leaving, you must have a glass of Glühwein... Prosit
Have a nice week all!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Vienna in Austria

Hi to all,

A little explanation first: I went over to comment moderation, because it was brought to my attention that entering the random characters can be tricky. I've experienced it myself, so I could have figured it...
And I revert to the classic layout, for a very selfish reason: I can't read my own blog properly on Ipad...

Now, let's go to business.

This weekend, I took a plane to Vienna, and spent three days with my niece, her significant other and their baby. I had not met my niece for about 20 years, had not met her significant other, nor her baby. So you can imagine that we spent those three days catching up, and playing with the baby. Sightseing was not my priority, although we managed to do some (anyway, I wanted a good excuse to return soon :-).
We have spoken a mix of French and German, spiced with some English. So don't be surprised if I still mix those three languages :-) (I wrote several sentences before realizing they were in German...)
The weather was not very good, mostly overcast, as you can see from the pictures.
 I don't know what it is, but I liked it.
 Bibliothek (library) - Technische Universität
 Along Naschmarkt (more soon)
 Staatsoper
 Staatsoper
Stephansdom

In a next post, I'll try to show you more about Xmas markets.
Take care!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

XMas mood

Let's go into XMas mood.
I rather like this time of the year, with the lights shining in the streets,  the joy of anticipating the visit of my daughters, trying to find the perfect gift for the ones I love... Regarding December, I did not grow up, I'm still a child deep inside :-)
December begins with parcels in my mail box. I love unwrapping parcels, whatever their contents. It is so much fun to tear the paper away, to try to find out what could be inside, etc... And I've been very lucky recently:
Aren't those stock lovely?
And this tea towel. My sister has embroidered it for me. She is the best sister I could dream of!
Remember the child part in me? I love the manga spirit of this dress.
and the shoes... 

I feel very blessed to have a family who knows how to make me smile.
To end with more cuteness, pay Tales and Tails a visit. Carrie has written a good post about the Joy of the Holiday. Besides, the advent there is going to be ... adventurous.
Or go and see Remington's count down.


Take all great care!


Thank you

Thank you all, from all over the world, for your kind messages.
They have meant a lot to me, and to my daughters.
Everyday, I hear and read bad news, I know people are suffering. It feels inappropriate to grieve for "just a pet". We are all responsible adults, caring for the ones we love, doing our best, and still, we grieve when one of our pets must go. Because they gave us all their unconditional love, they have eased our sorrows, they have shared our joys too. They have entertained us with their antics. They have always been there when we needed them, never asking much in return. Just happy to be part of our life. I know most of you have been through the same tough decision and that you understand how I felt this weekend. You have all been of a great comfort, and you made those hours much easier.
Thank you again.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Farewell...

My lovely Choupette is no more.
She has been part of our life for 16 years. 16 years of inconditionnal love, even though she did not hesitate to express her mind. Until a couple of years ago, she would wait for us from the top of the roof. When she was no longer able to climb there, she was waiting in the entrance. Somehow, she always knew we were there before we hit the door. She was my shadow, following me anywhere from my very first step in the morning, cuddling with me whenever possible. 




This is one of her last pictures, taken yesterday.
Her heart had started to fail one week ago. Despite the meds she was put on,  it was clear the end was nearing, and nearing quick.
I took the difficult decision to let her cross the bridge this morning, while she had still her dignity. The vet and her assistant were very kind, and made it as good as possible. Their kindness helped me a lot. I stayed with her until her last breath, stroking her head like she liked me to do, telling her how much I loved her. I already miss her, a lot.


Sunday, November 20, 2011

Just saying hello

Thank you for the comments on the baby sweater. This is for my grand-nephew, whom I'm going to visit in a couple of weeks. Can't wait.

Not much happening here, just autumn arriving. Xmas lights being installed, but the temperatures are still so mild I'm not yet in the mood :-)

Here are some sculptures I saw around the Spanish village. Enjoy!









Sunday, November 13, 2011

Baby Sweater

I've just finished this one. Doesn't it look like sky and earth?

It was fun to do, because the variegated yarn makes an unique design as I knit.
It is also very smooth, ideal for baby skin.
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Friday, November 11, 2011

Guess what?

I made two more scarves!

In fact I made three, the third one with the fat needles as Susan calls them, but I did not take the picture.
Indeed, I was booked for a two-days training near Paris at the beginning of the week. I took advantage of it to spend the weekend with my family up there. I just had the time to finish the second fat scarf before taking off.

I had a lovely shopping session with my eldest daughter. The weather was mild and dry, and the Xmas shopping had not yet started. Her significant other had the good idea to treat us to a nice restaurant in the evening. He thought we would be too exhausted to do any cooking (he would have cooked with us, mind you).
On the next day, we went to see my sister and brother in law. Thanks to Skype, we "had lunch" with our respective daughters from abroad, one in Vienna, one in Barcelona. :-) How nice is that?

I hope you had as nice a weekend as I did (and also a week, by the way).
Take care!



Sunday, October 30, 2011

Another Scarf

Hello to all,

The answer to Neki's question about the mold can be found here.
In short, the glass is inflated into the mold. But do go and read the details.

This week has been rainy and windy, calling for some knitting.
For lazy knitting in fact:
This yarn is Plassard Tricotine, suggested needles are 20+, I used 25.
To give you an idea of the needles size...
About one hour later:

2 ball of yarns make a 6 stitches wide and 115 cm  long scarf.

This is a long weekend in France, with the sun shining here.
I hope your weekend will be a good as mine...



Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Glass blower

Still in El Poble Espanyol, I saw these strange molds on a wall:
I suppose they are used to mold glass.
While we were there, this gentleman was demonstrating his craft.
He could make a horse in just a few seconds from a glowing drop of glass. Amazing. It looks so easy, but I'm sure it is hard work.
Have all a nice week!