amsterdam

a busy summer means this space has been neglected. one thing that we got up to was a break in amsterdam. i couldn't stop photographing this beautiful city.

knitting lately

a cowl for my brother as a birthday gift
a cowl for me

currently on my needles - Gentian Hat

next project - Forge Hat for Keith, with Brooklyn Shelter.

obligatory resolutions for twenty fourteen

The first breakfast of the year

As I previously said, I am not one for resolutions. I never keep them.

However, with the beginning of a new year it is in the air...

• I would like to try and read books I own that I haven't gotten round to reading yet. I tend to visit the library and get enticed by what is there, ignoring the lovely books I have parted with money for. I have a lot of books. So I am adding them to my list of books to read this year...

• Menu planning is something that I think could greatly help with budgeting and healthy eating. So I hope to start using my collection of cookbooks more, try out new recipes and plan our weekly eats in advance. Astrid's post on this has inspired me.

• I'd also like to get exercising again, but am not sure yet as to what to do. I will be trying things out in January to see what I could stick with.

• I'll be starting Project Life, which I've already mentioned.

• Lastly, what I'm most excited about is knitting projects. Towards the end of last year, I started buying beautiful wools and got a lot more excited about what I was knitting. Although I only completed a handful of projects, I'm determined to expand on this in 2014. I've already lined up some lovely projects on my Ravelry page.

christmas knitting

The late hours of Christmas eve and early hours of Christmas morning were spent, not relaxing with a mulled wine in front of the open fire and a good book or movie, but instead frantically finishing this hat I had promised myself I would gift to my mother on Christmas Day. 

As it is the same hat I knit for myself a few months back, I thought it would be quicker this time. I was mistaken. The general busyness of the festive period meant I couldn't dedicate as much time as I would have liked to this. Also, no matter how many time you knit this, it is still a fiddly one, with the varying rows, cables and bobbles. 

I love the finished piece - this hat is pretty and looks especially nice in this colour. And my mum was very pleased with it. However, I'm looking forward to my next project, the Ammolite cowl from PomPom magazine. 

project life 2014

As Christmas begins to wind down, thoughts turn to the new year and the possibilities it brings. I'm not one for resolutions. I've made them before and can never stick with them - health, projects, photo a day... i can't make them stick.

However (...haha - cue much eye rolling on my part...) I do plan on sticking with one in the coming year.

One of the lovely presents I received this Christmas was a Project Life album and pages from my brother and his girlfriend. I've never been a scrapbooker, but I think that Project Life will be a great way for me to continuously record, through photos and some *light* journaling (aka - a few words on some simple cards) the year. Having looked at a lot of blogs I think that I will be of more minimalist tendency, and I've been pinning some of my favourite styles on a pinterest board.

The majority of Project Life albums are kid-focused. As it's just the husband and I at the moment, I have been inspired by some posts by Caylee as to how Project Life can be about so much more than documenting kids growing up - she's put together a great list of ideas that I know I'll refer to throughout the year for inspiration and highlighted some great kid-free layouts.

So I've ordered myself the Midnight Project Life core kit - I love the neutral backdrop it will provide for my own photos, but I do plan on slotting in some other colours, primarily pale blues and golds.

I'm very excited for this...here's to a creative and well-documented 2014 - Cheers!

light up light up

Festival of Light, Mountstewart

23.11.2013