Waterfall

New Era

2011-08-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

'Tomorrow' turned into almost 6 months...

Starting with my most important FO this year:

And, of course, many, many new FOs and UFOs for him:

Long, long time ago

2011-02-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

Wow... cannot believe that is been sooooo long since the last time I wrote here!!!!
There are a number of new knits in my closet, new fibre to be stashed and some changes in every day life, which I cannot begin to count at this late hour. Till tommorow...

Flowers to celebrate the summer

2010-05-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

Bought flowers, yarn and a novel about knitting...

2010-05-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Decided to save here my old ravelry profile description, which I like, and finally put something new and shorter there :

*

I knit whenever I have time and I wear just about everything I knit, except the very few garnements intended for my friends/relatives - not many (garnements, I mean) :). Love to knit, it relaxes me and meanwhile I can read or watch TV, if the pattern isn’t a lacy or a cabled one :)).

I’m a friendly person and love to have as many friends as possible, so feel free to add me to your friend list :). Besides Romanian (native speaker), I speak English, pretty decent German, Spanish, French and a bit of Italian.

I sometime use 100% acrylic yarn - it’s affordable. So shoot me! :)). Of course I like organic handspun fibre, but when I enter a yarnshop, I usualy buy something by the time I left it, and not so many of them sell organic handspun, if you know what I mean :).

Also tried and almost 100% succeed to infect many of my real-life female friends with the knitting virus. The more, the merrier, right? :). Too bad most of them are currently abroad, so live knitting meetings are scarce.

Wish you all happy crafting and a wonderful time here on ravelry :).

P.S. Although I am usually using my own knit or crochet patterns, I don’t write them down, so it’s not always easy to reconstruct the tiny details - such as needle size and type of yarn used - after a while. That is why I have just a few patterns on my profile, as opposed to the amount of FO’s :).*

Victoria's Secret Skirt

2010-05-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

Finished long ago, pictures taken in our trip to France, some 2 weeks ago. Link to Ravelry. It's a lovely design, it falls beautiful and... well, it stretches a bit. A belt holds it in place just right, and it must be lined, or else... The lining I wear it with in those pictures belongs in fact to another skirt, no time to get the original one done yet.

Also, pictures with the Ultra marine skirt. The yarn (Nebraska from Schewe) is one of my favorites yarns ever: easy to knit, 250g skeins (about 750m long yarn), beautiful shades of bright, full colors, warm enough for winter and light enough for spring time, almost no stretching! The (free from DROPS design) pattern is easy and fun, I will definitely make it again.

New knitting instruments

2010-03-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

Of course, on a shopping trip one cannot ignore the yarnshops from Wolle Rödel, where I found the new knitting needles and cord from KnitPro - without searching for it, it just happened and I could not resist buying some of them...

Ravelympics 2010 - Ultramarine

2010-03-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

Here is the only item I managed to finish during the Ravelympics (Ravelry Olympics, which coincides to the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, only everyone is trying to knit instead of skate, or so). I had great hopes to finish a grey dress, but I couldn't decide on the pattern before the Open Ceremony, so I started the blue skirt instead (free pattern from DROPS designs can be found here). More convincing photos will follow as soon as I get a chance to take them.
Details such as needle size and garn, as well as other things pattern related can be found here.

Valentine's Day in Düsseldorf

2010-02-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

We were in Düsseldorf and Köln the other weekend, to see a good friend of mine that works there for a few months. The Carneval was great, the cold- not so much. I freezed. And the Cathedral of Köln was closed!!! I wanted to claim into the tower to see the city, but it was closed!!!!
Anyway, was a great weekend!

A venit iarna, acopera-mi masina cu ceva!

2010-01-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

Mi-a placut iarna de cand ma stiu. Nu si anul asta, cand trebuie sa urc la munte zilnic la 6 dimineata, pe ceata cel mai adesea, mai nou pe ninsoare si ghetus, cale de vreo 23 de km, pe niste frumuseti de serpentine... Inca nu am lovit masina, nu am avut accidente, nici din vina mea, nici din a altora, nu am calcat animale si nici ele nu mi-au sarit in fata (colegii mei se tem mai ales de cerbi si caprioare), ma pot considera norocoasa. Azi dimineata am alunecat frumos pe drum in jos cu 'sania' de 2 tone, noroc ca nu venea nimeni pe contrasens, ca ne-am fi ciocnit mai ceva ca ouale de Pasti. Am derapat mai departe pe intrarea de la clinica, unde colegii mei derapau si ei, unii la deal, altii la vale, dupa nevoi, am parcat pe un morman de zapada pe care jucau hora niste soareci (cred ca le-a placut sa se retraga la caldura langa motorul meu, sper ca nu au ros cablurile!), am cazut frumos pe treptele inca necuratate de la intrarea din spate si apoi am ascultat prelegeri despre ce si cum am gresit in garda trimitand un pacient la urgenta altui spital, pentru ca noi nu avem primire urgente, iar el nu era nicidecum urgenta! Dupa 20 de minute de la inceperea vastei prelegeri s-a prins si seful ca, de fapt, bine am facut, ca legea ne interzice sa primim pacienti fara primire urgente!!! Dar deja era cam tarziu ca sa mai protestez, ca trebuia sa ma ocup de pacientii ne-urgente pe care ii aveam deja sau urma sa ii primesc!

Probabil vremea rea cauzeaza tulburari de judecata, deduc eu. Sper sa se imbunatateasca in curand, altfel imi va perturba si cariera!

Patrizia Pepe Crochet Skirt and Victoria's Secret Crochet Skirt

2010-01-04T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty pleased with the way this skirt (Patrizia Pepe Crochet Skirt) is turning out. Chart 2 was difficult for my (lack of) crochet experience, but it's done and now I'm flying over Chart 4, hoping my yarn will be enough to finished it to the desired length.

On New Year's morning I started the new project, as to ensure that I am going to be crocheting (and knitting) all year round. It's only a superstition, but I'm doing that every year, and it seems to work: on the 1st January I am trying to do the things I want to do in the new year, and that I never managed to do in the past year. Should also have written on my blog :)).
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Si acum varianta in limba materna, ca m-am saturat de poticniri in exprimare si gramatica:

Fustita portocalie prinde incet-incet viata. Imi doream demult sa gasesc graficele fustei asteia, pentru ca nu sunt atat de abila la crosetat incat sa ghicesc modelul si sa il pot realiza doar uitandu-ma la pozele de pe ravelry. Culoarea probabil e cam arzatoare, dar oricum era destinata initial pentru o fusta - nu neaparat pentru asta, purtata cu o bluza alba ar merge, insa. 'Mal sehen' - echivalentul lui 'om trai si om vedea' (cu 'om' in loc de 'vom', ca pe plaiurile natale).

De Anul Nou, ca sa sarbatoresc trecerea celui vechi, care incepuse bine, dar s-a sfarsit prost, am inceput o alta fusta crosetata la care visam demult, gasita pe acelasi site rusesc - anume Victoria's Secret Crochet Skirt.

Daca as fi stiut de la inceput ca modelul e mai simplu decat al celeilalte... Va fi neagra, firul il cumparasem inca din primavara in intentia de a tricota o vesta pentru bunicuta mea cu ocazia implinirii a 80 de ani in octombrie (pana la urma am cumparat doua veste negre care i-au placut la nebunie, le poarta la teatru - chiar cred ca nu ar fi fost mai multumita cu ceva facut de mine). Revenind la fir, pentru tricotat e minunat, matasos si moale, dar pentru crosetat e o oroare, se despica de mai mare dragul. Am terminat deja randul 14 de model, din 39 - imi incanta orgoliul artistic. Fotografia am facut-o imbracand o perna a canapelei cu fusta :).

Sew machine!

2009-12-29T23:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was under the pressure of a huge adrenalin wave, so I managed to take care of a few things I neglected for month, among other buying a sew machine.
There it is:
AEG NM 220. It's not the newest model, but I guess it will do for what I have in mind, since I'm not a tailor or something. Wake up at 5:00 today and sewed two curtains for our bathroom from an old Teddy-Bear curtain we had in the bedroom at the old place. Felt good! I'm happy with the sew machine, it's much easier to use compared to my old Singer (1909, as far as I know, made it thru 2 World Wars and the 80's, still functioning).
The pedall seems a bit too tiny and not so durable, I'll have to take good care of it:

Last Saturday we got Kitchen furniture, another big hit:
Just love it! Soft and cozy, it even matches the awfull violet and black closets (it's not worth changing them, as they belong to the owner and would cost a fortune to take them down, store them, buy new ones to match, take it all down and the old ones back in place when we move out).
It's the perfect corner for our kitchen, my husband loves it too and spends more time in the kitchen - with or without me :).

Also bought some ceramic bowls for all our plants - white for the orchids (now 7 of them) and brownish orange for the cactuses, roses, Gloxinia and Parma violett. The house is finally starting to look like a house, and not like a warehouse. Still needs some adjustmest, so it's a blessing to have the week free from work to take care of all that!

Glad that Christmas is behind us, I'm waiting for the new year to start

2009-12-29T22:16:00.000-08:00

I was kind of hoping to post something else here, but it did not turned out the way it should have been. We had a sad and dissapointing Christmas, I'm relieved it's behind us... coincidence or not, last year, on the same day, my father died - another really great gift! I am incapable of joy, as far as I was told, Christmas should be about celebrating the birth of Christ, so death around that time of year looks even harder to accept.

And, with all that grief and sadness around me, I worked on Christmas Eve till Christmas morning as if nothing had happened, although I was afraid I might get violent with two drunked jerks who locked themselves outside 'cause they didn't made it back in time, before the gates closed, and than wanted to complain about how awfull they have been treated. He? I told them to lower their voices, get to bed and, if they want to complain, it must be in writing next Monday, when the great big boss gets back from his 4-days Holiday. They didn't like my foreign accent and refused to get back to their rooms, my only nurse was scared to death and keeped asking what we are going to do, two females alone with two young, angry and drunked men (she's in her sixties, a real lady), so I threatened to call the police to take them to a psychiatric facility (it's legal to do so), and that calmed them down quicklier that I ever thought possible. Later, the nurse said I looked so angry, I even scared her, but when I told her what was wrong in my life she understood completely. She gave me candy :)).

My husband was home alone on Christmas Eve and made the Christmas tree look wonderful - I saw it on Christmas morning and made me cry, it was so beautiful. He tried so hard to make it all look normal and joyfull! I guess he knew it's all make believe, but he didn't want to give it up anyway. We cooked together later, watched TV and didn't go to church because of me - no point going there without faith. I told him he can go, if he wanted to, but he didn't.

When I got home on Monday, he brought me this:

The last few weeks

2009-10-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

We did move on August, but it took a while to settle in and arrange all the stuff into the empty space - no closet!!! I hate that! On the other hand, we didn't want to rush in and buy something, anything, so we waited for the perfect opportunity to emerge from ebay or a store nearby. This Monday, it did. The new closet will arrive in November - it's HUGE! I wonder if I have enough things to fill it :)

Two weeks ago, we bough some furniture for the hallway, it sits in our livingroom, half done (it's the sort you have to put together by yourself). When we could do it, it's so late that the neighbours will call the police if we make so much noise, and over the day we are at work (sometimes over the night, too). I would love to come home and find a nice, clean house with furniture in place, but instead I get to see this after-war scenes - not for long!

Last week two of our friend married in Mainz, we went to the wedding and I did get to wear my wonderful nightgown with the knitted shawl from the great-grandma... and rabbit teeth :)

Everyday life

2009-10-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

The new washing machine arrived today. It's not yet running, hubby had to work, but it is here and I can at least dream about doing laundry this week :).

It's knitted, and I can knit, but I could not resist buying that yesterday... and A LOT of yarn - running out of places to hide the stash!!! The second sweater, the grey one, is also a recent acquisition. Love them both!

I seem to have collected some nice bags, too, all leder! Fit for every occasion. And the shoes to match - without photos.

Patrizia Pepe Crochet Skirt

2009-09-29T10:45:00.001-07:00

I got the charts for Patrizia Pepe Crochet Skirt from www.crochetville.com (posted by Svetlana) and I am making it! In orange. Having fun till now, although the 3rd chart, with the oblique dc, did put me to a bit of trouble - frogging and re-making and re-thinking the whole thing. Still got the obliques to go the other way around, but I think it will have to do.

I also made 2 repeats of the 2nd chart, because on 2.5mm hook the skirt will turn up too short otherwise. Double crochet thread used - Filigran Baumwolle Solid from Uschi Wolle, from stash.

Also looking for charts/patterns for Victoria Secret Skirt, pyogazel from ravelry said it was once a free pattern.

How come...?

2009-09-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

I only managed to write 2 patterns in a form that would be considered acceptable, and I posted both of them as free downloads on ravelry. The new one (Off shoulder Blouse) has reached in 2 days the number of favourites the other (Brown Tweed Dress) reached in more than one year, although in my project page, the Brown Tweed Dress is listed with more favourites as the Off-Shoulder Blouse. Is that normal?

Lace Shrug for a beautiful dress

2009-09-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

I was sooo incredibly work-oriented today that I've managed to finish writing and editing (after a few month of neglect) my second knitting pattern. At this pase, I need about... hm... 109 years to write the patterns I want - so much for my carreer as a knitwear designer :)).

Was not able to upload the pdf file on ravelry, since I cannot remember how that works :)).

And I am also working on finishing the few UFOs I collected over the year: a dress, a vest for hubby, another vest for grandma, a blouse for a friend, a skirt and a cardi for my mother. By the end of October I should also finish 2 scarfs intended as gifts, and I also need to make the shrug a bit longer, the sleeves seem too short
:

Fake Missoni Dress in Green

2009-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Finished my masterpiece for the summer!!! Unfortunately, no summer available, where I live :).

Wolle Rödel Batik Dress

2009-05-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, I started it, knitted a good part of the bodice, really pleased with the way the colors are following the Chevron pattern. No, no pictures yet, but you all know they are coming soon...
And I still have to find a better suited name for this pretty thing.

Orange Chevron Top

2009-05-09T02:59:00.001-07:00

And I finished the Orange Chevron Top.

Growing stash update

2009-05-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

Well, take a wild guess about what I did yesterday before reaching home after work. Yep, I had a rebound and bought some more (very expensive) yarn - as if I needed it. Maybe I will take some of it back, I am still shocked about the price.

Here are some pictures:

Spring on the road

2009-04-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks were really busy and fun for us - we spent 2 days in France, at Reims (beautiful gothic cathedral), then Easter, and between those two milestones a bit of theater, trips to a ruined dragon castle, sunny weather and birthday party.

Growing stash

2009-04-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Had a little time today to organize my stash while my husband was having an interview at some client, not far away from home. Wool and yarn calms me down (after stress at work). So bad day at work, good day at home, full of yarn and other knit related things.

First, my ever growing stash. A part of it. I have another box, just half full, and some of my knitted stuff lies around in our appartment in nylon bags, because I can stuck no more things into the closet.

Second, my new acquisitions - lining for skirts and future crocheted blouses/tops/whatever.

Also bought row counters (as if I need it) and some more yarn... sins from the past week, though, therefor not punishable - hehe!

And the orchids are blooming constantly, weather is wonderful - spring came, at last - and all the stores have open on Sunday!

Orchid

2009-03-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

To my endless joy, my new orchid has one flower and many, many blossoms!

A week later...

2009-03-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

The Expresso skirt is progressing very well. It might be too narrow for the measurements I had in mind, but I won't frogged it yet, in the hope it will stretch by blocking, which is not unusual for this type of yarn.

I bought a pair of 3mm bamboo needle yesterday (see above) - well, there are not my favourite metal needle, but a lot better as the plastic covered ones I started with. I think, bamboo needles are better at a bigger size, so I plan to acquire a pair of 5mm next weekend, for all that summer yarn I bought - pictures later :).

My Retro skirt is stagnating, or at least it is not progressing as expected, but hey, I am not an octopus, so I can knit more objects at the same time with multiple pair of hands... although just thinking about it is so appealling...

This morning, after talking hours on the phone with Mum yesterday, I started a cardi for her.
I usually start all pullovers/cardis by knitting the front, than the back, except for the one open in the front, from which I knit the back first, then the 2 front pieces, but this time I started with a sleeve! Don't know if it is such a good idea, especially because I think the yarn is a bit short for what I have in mind... and I know where to get another 1-2 balls, but not till next Saturday :(.

And I have to start another cardi soon, yellow this time, also for Mum, but I am not sure wether to knit with 3mm or 3,5mm needles, which are better for my hands, but a bit too large for the yarn I have in mind. Not to mention, I need another 5 balls of the same yellow yarn, since I managed to buy 2 different shades last time, thinking it was the same! Silly mistake, but now I have to make it better somehow... Of course, I could knit with both shades in some kind of color combo... too many options for just one day :).

Update: knitted the sleeve of red cardi till armhole, bought necessary red yarn yesterday. And earings, too :).

Expresso

2009-03-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's not about the coffee. I named my new skirt so because of the yarn color: dark silky brown. Started the thing yesterday. Of course, bought new yarn last Tuesday for that purpose :). The pattern is not so obvious in that picture.

My other Retro Skirt is also progressing nicely, due to the fact I have to make long pauses while I knit the Expresso skirt on 3mm needles. Changing to 4mm is a blessing sometimes :).

Cannot write much today, we are going to visit some friends and cook chinese together. Or thai. My husband picked up the receipe, so it got to be something spicy with coconut milk sauce. Already fried some fish for tomorrow, but we cannot take that to our friends, they are not so fond of fish :(.

On the way to put the Wasserfall Skirt on - love the thing!

Junkie

2009-03-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

As so many of you, I am a yarn junkie. Which can be seen about every week when we go shopping for our daily food - I am actually shopping for my weekly yarn. Bought more today, and it wasn't as cheap as you may think, just because it comes from a supermarket and not from a fancy yarn store - not that I have something against fancy yarn stores... confessing sins in advance may help: tomorrow I must go to a conference taking place in a town with many, many yarn stores. Hope they would be open after 13:00, when the conference should end.

And beside yarn, we have a new dark pink orchid plant. We "save" it from the super market - it was the last one still alive from four other plants on sale. Hope it will remain so. Excepting the fact that it lost all the flowers, the roots seem pretty healthy, and it has just one blossom left, which should open next week, if all goes well.

Blabbering around

2009-03-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

A few things I felt the need to write today:

1. This is not intended to be just a knitting blog, but somehow I feel the urge to describe and disect every one of my project - starting another blog would be too much trouble, I don't seem to write that much anyway.

2. Lists fascinate me lately. I also began to use them in any current conversation, as a thread base or something, which my husband and my friends find ennoying.

3. Thinking about appear home with a cat, one day - my husband would certainly be against it and we have such a small appartment, we are never home (that's a lie!), cats are so fond of yarn balls - which takes me to an important question I always wanted to ask on ravelry: how do all the cat owners knitters/crocheters cope up with yarn+cat in the same room? I mean, my (mother)'s cat has no interest in the FO's laying around the house, but it sure chase the balls around the second you left the knitting project out of your sight.

edited a day later: found some marvellous cat-lovers groups on ravelry, among them BAD Yarn Kitty and My cat helps me yarn. There are many others, of course :).

4. Love my flowers. Will buy and plant more in the near future.

5. Wish I could sleep more, but then I would have no time to blabber around here.

6. Living inside 'Thalia' bookstore seems such a good idea. I won't ever have to worry about what new book could I possibly read next... and it would be much cheaper to pay rent as to buy every book in there.

7. Buy bedsheets. Can't seem to find something I like at reasonable prices. I am the type of person who waits for the objects to cry for me from their shelves in the store, or I am not buying them - what lack of storage space can achieve in terms of education and selfcontainment!

8. Travel to Egypt again as soon as possible. Never saw the piramids yet.

9. Finish following item:

10. Spending more time with my loved ones (read: hubby).

Snow storm

2009-03-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

Drove to work through a snowstorm - the last 5 km :)). I wonder, how can it be: the weather changes dramatically as I take the last left turn on the path. From this point up, it snows, or the road is covered in thin ice, or it rains like crazy, or you drive through dense fog.

Today was different: as I drove up this morning, it began with rain and ended with the above mentioned snow storm. As I drove back, started on by heavy rain and fog (never saw such a combination before, I thought there can be no real fog while it rains), and arrived home on much heavier rain. Got to get me a boat, at this pace!

Orchid

2009-03-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

I received an orchid from a pacient last August (lawfully, this cannot be considered bribe, so I took it).
The plant went through some rough times for 3 long weeks, during which over 30°C were no exception (we were in Romania, visiting our parents), and made it through 5 weeks at 2°-10° this winter (the second visit to Romania - not a happy occasion), when the house heathing system was broken - and guess if anyone was available to fix it from before Christmas till about 15th January.

Other of my plants - mostly cactuses - have no survival problems. That is why I have them in the first place. I hate to bother the neighbours with watering plants requests every time we go abroad for weeks.

Highlights of the week - knitting side of life

2009-03-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

Ha, haha!
Last week, I set up some milestones for the weekend: to actually finish the Retro Skirt, my hubby's Vest (at least front and back pieces, if not the sewing), and to pick up the stitches of the Green Tweed Dress - the skirt is done, must work on the bodice part sometime.

Well, I finished the skirt - take a look!

Also managed to finish the front and back of the vest - never again will I knit a man's vest from sock yarn with 3mm needles! Endless stockinette stitch, all 170 stitches of a row! Arrrgh! No picture available - when it's really finished!

Did not even touched the Greed Tweed Dress (frogged, now re-knitted). Instead, I began another Retro Skirt, for me this time: 4mm needles and fewer stitches, as to fit my new, 2kg improved silhouette :).

Viruses

2009-02-26T11:24:00.000-08:00

I've catched some divious virus at the hospital, and hubby catched another one - to be more specific, hubby's computer catched the virus, and hubby made it go away. Unfortunately, no antivirus programms available for me! How unfair can life be? I am gelous of the computer!

Thoughts of incoming spring and of Shopaholic

2009-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

I admit, I spent the afternoon dreaming about patterns and appropriate yarn for my next project - or should I say, my next projects?

Since sometime last week I squeezed the spring clothes wishes catalog out of my mother, I plan a yellow pullover with cabled cuffs and turtleneck collar (she said she could very well live without it, but I don't really believe that, for the reason that my stash is overloaded with yellow yarn). Than a stash-busting navy blue skirt, not sure about the pattern (stash busting, because I just bought more navy blue Schewe Nebraska last Saturday). Also not sure about wether that would be for me or for Mum :). Than all the cute little purses I have in mind forever (now the cotton yarn vegetates in my stash). Than a summer orange blouse and an orange summer skirt... and a pink crocheted summer blouse, and a variegated red/yellow/orange cotton blouse... bathing suit, poncho, another cherry sweater for next fall... and so on.

The problem of the WIP's should also be solved - a vest for my hubby (intended as a Christmas gift 2008... ), my frogged and reknitted Greed Tweed Dress, a skirt for Mum.

And instead of proceeding to work out the list, I spent most of the evening reading blogs of my friends from ravelry :)).

A most scary thought is nesting in my insomnia: what if Sophie Kinsella's charming character, Becky Bloomwood, has somehow found her way into my brain and is now residing there, and because I am too picky when it comes to shoes and designer bags (well, so I claim), she projected her shopping habits on all my yarn related activities. I was having a problem with buying more yarn that I could ever posibly need (for which I found a great support group on ravelry - I mean, for buying, not for stopping it:)), but now I started to buy needles, crochet hooks, lining material - and about every other thing displayed in the yarn shop!

My choices would be:
a. stop knitting (yeah, like that would happen!), or
b. stop reading novells (not interested in that one!).
c. the problem cannot be solved with the existing datas (sounds more like it!).

Favourite moments

2009-02-21T02:21:00.000-08:00

Long live digital cameras! Since 2003, my collection of digital photos is growing constantly. I just love to have pictures of my loved ones - myself included :).

Our first official holiday toghether in France

Dreamdays in Egipt

At my brother's wedding

Christmas party at my grandma's

With our parents at our marriage ceremony in January

Our wedding in July

Family portraits from our wedding

Our med school graduation

1985

2009-02-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

My birthday, I guess. And the only proof I have, that my brother was blond as a kid :).

Knitting - again!

2009-02-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

I guess many posts from now on will have knitting as the main subject, considering I don't like to talk about the books I read, nor about my work.

Obviously, I knit. Here in Germany one can find many, many sorts of marvelous yarn. Although some of you can disagree, I use mostly acrylic yarn, since it's easy to clean and to preserve. Pure wool is a bit scratchy for my taste, pure cotton is nice, but not to knit with, mohair I cannot afford (well, not in the quantities recquired, anyway, not to mention that it is also scratchy), and designer yarns... never tried it yet. Because I risk to become dependent (being a yarn junkie from the beginning).

I have a plastic little closet under my bed, known as "The Yarn Mummy" (my stash). Theoretically, my husband is against any more yarn acquisitions till I manage to "kill" my mummy. Practically, he never checks out if the mummy is gaining weight or not... well, she is!

2009 - Update

2009-02-10T12:08:00.000-08:00

So I am a real lazy blogger... didn't wrote anything since last spring - oh my, oh my! That has a long, painful explanation, but I am not going into all the detail. I recently moved my blog here, so the older posts appear to be written this february. The real publishing date is the one in brackets :).

Since my last post I have changed 3 hospitals and every one of them took me by surprise.
I am currently in a clinic one-hour drive from home, where the work day begins at 7:00, which means an unholy waking up hour for me... hope the summer will come soon, so that I don't have to drive in the dark every morning.

And today I left the clinic on a snow storm, trying very hard to master the serpentines alive, if possible, on very thin ice! Pure adrenaline! It was only for 9 km, though, the next 30 were through heavy snow, but without the tricky ice beneath, so I might consider myself lucky. I definitely need a jeep (Allradantrieb) :))

What the Easter bunny gave me :) (28 April 2008)

2009-02-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Isn't he cute? I love the Easter bunny.

As I am a grown up now, I don't have much respect for the Easter bunny anymore. Or for the Santa Klaus. Or for the Tooth Fairy and other creatures alike. But how was I to know that my opinion was about to change today?

So yesterday was orthodox Easter Sunday. We went to the church, we ate, the weather was marvellous, we took a long walk, sat down, talked about this and that and mostly about my job, and about why should I take up an offert that I really dislike, and why not, and my perspectives here as a M.D., and I got nervous.

Today in the morning, as my husband was preparing to leave for work, he told me we will return to the conversation about my job when he comes home. What a great menace! I was not looking forward for his return today... but that's because I didn't know just how lucky I am! I have the most extraordinary mother on earth, a good spoiling sexy brilliant husband and now, a dream job as a cardiologist! Yep. Just got THE phone call.

When I first went to the interview, I was sure they would not really want me because of my pretty... hm... ok, bad german. They told me to practice - which I gladly will. As I received a few "you're ok, but we don't need you" answers this week, my optimism was sinking rapidly, and I was contemplating the posibility of never ever finding a job - :) just kidding, or having to accept a really creepy offert for a VERY bad paycheck (I mean, the kind of paycheck you could not afford gasoline and taxes on, and we would have to move and the job sucks), or having to move to another region, which is not suitable for my husband's job... etc.

Now I can relax and forget about all of that! I have a real job, my dream job as a resident on cardiology, at a hospital that looks like a real hospital, with real doctors, big team, great facilities... wow! I cannot wait to start! I've told them on the phone I could start tommorow, and they kind of freak out, said it's too early and we will talk about that :)).

Exciting news... for me, anyway :) (22 April 2008)

2009-02-08T12:33:00.001-08:00

Well, it turns out I can crochet pretty good, after all. Just needed the right tutorial (in this case, provided by eSS and her outstanding videos about crocheting posted on youtube).

So friday the 18th April I began what I thought it would be at least a two-week struggle with some cotton yarn I stashed ages ago, and this time I used a crochet hook instead of knitting needles. As always, dind't think to follow a pattern, just made it up as I got along (someone said that is what's usually described as designing :)):)).

Today I finished the bag! It's still wet, so a picture of the finished object it's out of the question till tomorrow, but anyway, I'm the proud owner of a new bag, CROCHETED by yours truly.

Cannot wait for some warmer weather, to take the new bag out for a walk :)).

P.S. Could not resist posting pictures of the bag as a work-in-progress
:). The beads from the cord area are barely visible, due to the dimension of the pics.

Ok, I'm addicted too :) (16 April 2008)

2009-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:00

As the title suggests, I am addicted.

Not to drugs, smoking, drinking, but to a much more tiranical habit: knitting. It seems so benigne, isn't it? But it can be REALLY addictive, no doubt about it!

Although widely recognized as 'crafting', knitting tends to take over your entire free time, and you start to think - ok, we are going for a walk/trip on Saturday, where to? and you (as by accident) pick a place with a great yarn shop that you saw earlier on internet :)).

I admit, my yarn is temporarily stored under the bed, but there is no more space left and I am buying still... don't even imagine I can knit the yarn I have before autumn this year, and that is if I don't have to undo or redo a big project (and guess what, most of them are big :)), and I am rarely satisfied with any of them from the beginning).

Oh, not to forget, I am currently trying to crochet, which, with a great help from all that youtube videos, seems so very easy now :). Maybe I am acquiring my second addiction :)).

But I am not alone in this, oh, no!

Personal history of knitting (28 March 2008)

2009-02-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

I finally decided to write something about one of my dearests hobbies: knitting.

My grandmother taught me to knit as I was 7 or 8 years old - I believe she wanted me to sit still someplace and thought that would do the trick. I started with what it was supposed to be a simple orange cotton scarf in garter stitch and manage to increase almost at every row, so in the end it turned out as a skirt for my doll named Kotik (I was a fan of the Junglebook :)) ). It still exist somewhere :)).

Later that year, in school, I tried my hand at a vest - how hard could that be, right? My mother still preserves that vest :). LOL: it is uneven, I missed a few stitches, it's too big, has no finished neck cut and my mother sew the pieces toghether, because I didn't manage to get that right :)).

For I while I struggled with some simple headbands, nothing fancy, but those where really doll. Then I learned cross stitch and gobelain and other stuff, and did not knitted for many years.

My first 'serious' piece was a dark blue pullover, and from there on I knitted mostly sweaters, vests, jackets and blouses, all of them very wearable.

My goal now, for my next trip home, is to complete my album by taking pictures of all the pieces I ever knitted - assuming they still exist somewhere :). As I recall, I torn many of them when I didn't like the way they turned out and re-used the yarn to make something prettier :)).

That's pretty much it :-).

You can take a look at my incomplete gallery here

Ravelry (27 March 2008)

2009-02-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered Ravelry and had to wait a while till my invitation to join arrived. As opposed to what other members have written on their blog posts, I did not count the days between 'want to join' and 'I am really finaly in'. But once I got started and seen what's inside... WOW! Not a single day goes by that I don't take a look into what everyone is working or planning or designing.

Since I designed most of my work - except some very few pieces - I intend to join the 'designers' as soon as I get a pattern written down - I never use to do that, written down patterns, and now it's really 'anstrengend' (hard) for me to put it all toghether: how many stitches, how many rows, where to increase or decrease, which type and quantity of yarn I used, which needles... oh-so-complicated details :).

And, beside what is going on in my personal life, which is also pretty amaizing, but the subject for another post in another category, yesterday something extraordinary happened to me: my husband asked me to knit him some warm cosy socks!!! He previously complained that the things I knit for him are too warm to wear anywhere else but on a ski trip... and now he wants no more and no less than socks :)).

Unfortunately, I don't know how to knit socks... so, my very next project is how to learn this :)). How hard can it really be? It involves yarn, knitting needles (dnp's, to be accurate) and a set of instructions I already found on Ravelry... hope to be just as optimistic about that in another week or so :)).

Patriotism (15 February 2008)

2009-02-08T12:23:00.000-08:00

No comment - romanians know what this is all about :))

P.S These are our flag's colors

Castles and flowers (13 february 2008)

2009-02-08T12:20:00.001-08:00

I really LOVE living in Germany.

It's the land of castles and legends (photo from Neuschwanstein Castle). Almost everywhere there are castles or ruins or some old buildings - in many cases still functional and restaured. Some castles are inhabited - yes, the owners still live there! Some were turns into hotels, some into museums. Some were distroyed in the World War II and are now reconstructed. Even in the area we live in, we dind't get to visit all that is to see just yet.

That's Abbey Lorsch, one of the oldest in Europe, mentioned in documents since 764 A.D. And it still stands! In the middle of a modern town, surrounded by new buildings and houses. And yet it does not seem out of place, or out of the historical age. I find that surprising.

And the people love to garden, the parks and the gardens are something else! Now comes the spring and everybody rushes to the store, to buy some new things and/or flowers for the garden.

The "sickness" got into my bones too, so last
week I bought 2 cactuses and some unknown plant that does not need too
much water - and here is it's "portrait".

Next Saturday we plan to go buy plants for our balcony... we need a whole day of shopping to achieve that simple purpose, since there are at least 7 megastores that are announcing big
promotions next week. "Angebote" is the german magic word that makes my eyes sparkle and my husband's account shrink :)).

Other odd cactus I've bought before Christmas:

Since that one, my collection grew, although I promise every time not to buy anymore cactuses or even other plants - except for the balcony, because there is simply no space left for them in our tiny appartment. We had once more plants, but my husband manage to sneak behind me and took them all back to Romania!!! I was very angry. He left behind just one enormous ficus that didn't fit into the car - well done, dear ficus :)).

Next project on my list: grow orange trees and lemon trees. Our neighbour has some, and the flowers smell divine. As for fruits... we buy them anyway :)).

My Mozart (7 February 2008)

2009-02-08T12:19:00.001-08:00

That's my cat. To be honest, my mother's cat, now that I am no longer living there. Still, I miss them - both my mother and the cat.

The furry little beast turned up one summer's night at our door and we thought keeping it would be too much trouble, but in the end it has become "our cat", "the cat", "the most intelligent cat", and now... "Mitzu", which means something like "little male-cat", although it's a made-up word :)).

Its official name, however, is Mozart - because Beethoven was already taken. All other name suggestions were in some way innapropriate.

About reading (6 February 2008)

2009-02-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I cannot remember a time I didn't love reading.

My mother red to me since I was a baby - so she said, but since she also red to my brother as he was a baby, I believe her... just kidding... I believe her anyway.

So, as I was growing up, I started to ask all the grownups I was meeting to teach me to read - my mother forbidded that, she thought that later the school will be too boring for me. Right she was! Once I've learned to read, I could not stopp, and every other subject seemd soooooo annoying compare to a good novel :).

The teachers couldn't stopp me from reading novels during classes. There was a time when they've tried to confiscate my books, but in vain, I had lots and lots of books back home and the public library was very near :). Then they tried to give me poor grades for my poor performance in class - but I didn't have a poor performance, so there you go... my grades were high in the sky, despite the reading and a slightly bad attitude that I developed after they had confiscated my beloved books.

I red my way through math classes, history, physics, economy, geography, informatics (that explains why now adays I'm not an IT-engineer), through middle school and high school, and I could very well state that I really trully red my way through medical school :)):))... there must be a reason why medicine books are always so "fat": the more, the merrier:).