anne meyer

a new place

2010-03-21T12:25:00.005Z

so here it is... I' m moving my blog to a new address in the world wide web.... please visit studiomeyer from now on...

to celebrate, there will be a giveaway of two of my linocut house prints. all you have to do is leave a comment on my new blog... looking forward to see you there!

some clothes for my son

2010-02-18T18:33:00.017Z

back in september I took some sewing lessons in this little shop.
I didn't really know what to make until I started. But I had this issue from ottobre... I remember a little story on how I bought it. Back in 2007, when I was pregnant, we lived in southern Germany, close to Switzerland. One night I went to collect a friend from the station. It was a dark and stormy night in late fall. But no friend arrived, the train was late then cancelled ....I had then already been waiting for over an hour....Everybody was really upset, but I didn't mind so much, because there was a little shop that sold newspapers and really nice magazines (which astonished me, as it was a grubby little town- when I drove through it had been still daylight). So I found this childrens issue and I loved the little jackets and things in it. After a while my friend called me from a different town that was even further away. Apparently a tree had fallen down and was blocking the tracks. So I went there through darkness, rain and what felt like wilderness to me. Sometimes I didn't know where I was, or was this Switzerland already? In the end I made it savely, picked her up and we went home and had a nice time together. I know it is not so easy to get lost inGermany, but there are times when you drive and drive and feel you could be elsewhere.... It was nice to have this little booklet lying next to me, full of clothes I wanted to make for the baby....

ok so thats the big story:)
Now I finally made something from it!a duffle coat...

...some pants I had been modifying with the help of the lovely seamstress... I will make more of these, but add some pockets... some colours... don't know yet.that's knitted of course. I unvented, to speak in Elizabeth Zimmermanns terms, the pattern but there will also be modifications... so far its warm and soft. but of course I couldn't get the boy to wear it all together...oh no... but then, he is not a model, is he?
note: the jacket'sfabric is not washable,what have I been thinking? But the mud brushes off nicely once it is dry:)

bye- have a good weekend!

2010-02-12T12:04:00.010Z

Hallihallo!
Another simple idea from this book. Basically it's cutting out some felt bits and let your kid stick them to a felt background.

I just added some cardboard in the middle. Spray glue works perfect for this.

Then I cut out triangles, squares and circles. Also semicircles.

I like to stick with simple shapes so that the kid (well me and the kid, as he is pretty much a beginner) can create different pictures. If my son would be a little older, I'd also let him cut out pieces. I didn't measure so the pieces are not all the same size, but I don't think that matters at this stage.

tuff-tuff-tuff-die-eisenbahn (A german song stuck to my mind, arggh)
grrr.....brrrr......

I had also been looking for some embroidery idea to put on this little vest. Does that happen to you that you do something different and accidently find the solution?
I will try to stitch it on, maybe even with a third colour. The vest is part of some clothes I made for my son and I hope I can get him to model them one of these days. (Get him out from under the table, that is).
Have a good weekend!

...playdough part 2

2010-02-10T11:16:00.017Z

So here's the dough story continued...
I guess everyone except me has been making playdough from flour and water and food colouring...

... there's a million playdough recipes on the Internet... I got one from my friend Alexandra, and writing it down in english is impossible because of the complicated translation of measurements. So please look here... I made a larger amount though.

I had more colours but kind of liked the idea of starting simple, with red, blue and yellow. I thought that other colours would mix themselves in the process.

..getting ready....table laid, awaiting kid to wake up from naptime...

yes!

see?! orange...green...

... in the mix!
good night.

Hier nochmal das Rezept auf Deutsch:
Material: 400g Mehl, 200g Salz, 2 EL (ca. 11g) Alaun aus der Apotheke, 500 ml Wasser, 3 EL Öl, ein verschließbarer Plastikbehälter. Statt Alaun kann man auch Weinsteinpulver verwenden.
Und so wird es gemacht: Mehl, Salz und Alaunpulver werden in eine Schüssel gegeben und gut miteinander vermischt. Dann bringt man das Wasser zum Kochen, gibt das Öl hinzu und vermengt die Flüssigkeit nach und nach mit der Mehlmasse. Das Ganze wird schließlich so lange geknetet, bis es zu einem geschmeidigen Teig geworden ist (ich empfehle Gummihandschuhe, auch später zum Einfärben des Teigs). Evtl. noch etwas Mehl hinzufügen. Die Knete kann nun je nach Belieben in mehrere Teile aufgeteilt werden und mit ca. 1/2 Tube Lebensmittelfarbe eingefärbt werden. Zusätzlich kann man 1 -2 Tropfen eines ätherischen Öles untermengen, z.B. Zitronen- od. Orangenöl, und erhält einen frischen Duft. Die Knetmasse ist nun luftdicht verschlossen für einige Zeit haltbar.

playdough part 1....

2010-02-09T20:41:00.010Z

My first try to give my son playdough was a bit of a failure. I tried a recipe for salt dough, and he tried to eat it... oh my, the poor boy.
So after a few days to recover( I had to toss the dough which is a thing I hate to do) I came up with the idea of making real dough to bake.
Baking is of course a nice traditional thing to do around Christmas. But somehow last Christmas I couldn't get myself to do it. One thing is that I am not so into sweet things. Also I am not so fond of butter. I like anything salty and crispy... Tom does, too. We have a little ritual in the morning a little while after breakfast when he "reads"his books and has some nibbles.
Owl nibbles, to be correct (on the right).
So why not make some dough out of flour, water, olive oil and salt and make some nibbles?
Our first try is shown above, looks strange but tasted really nice.
Next day, I went into a toy store and got some equipment...
...but he liked a tool from the kitchen drawer best.

elefant nibbles, car nibbles, bird and so on nibbles before going into the oven.

arrrrgh

2010-02-01T21:11:00.004Z

pirates in the house (a hat for paul).
pattern by hello yarn.

What To Do When There's Nothing To Do

2010-01-28T20:05:00.012Z

Winter with a toddler can be hard. When Tom was still small I used to bundle him up in a lot of blankets, put him in the stroller and take long walks. Now he wants to do everything on his own of course. Really bad weather even keeps me inside. Sleet and freezing snow and a lot of dogs not being walked far in this weather... if you know what I mean... We play with the clean snow on our terrace as he likes to taste it. And indoors...
I remembered my mum had a book when I was small and when I asked her she sent it to me. It's a big help. It is called "What To Do When There's Nothing To Do" from the Boston Children's Medical Center, 1967/1969 (I've got the german copy). It is all about keeping it simple. Taking things from the household to play with. I could not find it on the Internet anymore, but I will keep you posted as long as this winter goes on...
So our first try was foam: I made foam by beating up washing liquid and water and even gave him a little shaving foam. Tasting is not a big problem cause it tastes like soap. Then I threw in some brushes, plastic cups and what else I could find that would not brake nor hurt him.
foam day one
foam day two
Big success. He played for an hour, and when he started to go for the walls, I got out the old beaten up playhouse for him to paint.

In the end, I drilled some holes into the cardboard house with scissors and we tried his wooden screws and clothespins as 'nails'. Now I just want to get a little wooden hammer.
The end: One happy child, relaxed mum and very clean table:)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
update: I found the german copy on amazon .de
and the english version here and here

our place

2010-01-20T20:47:00.002Z

...on a monday night.

some snowy stuff

2010-01-14T11:04:00.010Z

what we do these days: building snowmen
our friends papa, baby and mama, (I'm the one on the right)
mama enjoying some time alone in the snow
a second birthday
more snow
and snowmonsters
and knitting wristwarmers

happy new year.

my houses on stage

2009-12-07T16:02:00.006Z

We had a good time at the Nachtbazar last friday. It was my first exhibition of knitwork and I was so exited and also tired from the nights beforehand that I completely forgot to take pictures! So I only have this view of my desk from the night before...
The people from the old factory had done everything so nicely. There was homemade food, a cozy exhibiton space, hot drinks, a fire outside in the yard... For pictures of the event please look here, here and here.
I was also very pleased to meet Kathrin from paperama there. She makes beautiful things from paper like books and postcards. You will find her shop on etsy and pictures of her work on flickr, and she also writes a blog. I had discovered her work only two days ago. It is always so nice to meet people from the bloggosphere in real life! Thanks again Sandra and you people from the "Alte Fabrik"!
P.S.: And thank you A. for spending almost four hours on the train just to see my little pile of houses:))
P.P.S. Some prints and houses will soon be available in my etsy shop.

nachtbazar

2009-11-28T16:42:00.006Z

I am happy and exited to tell you that Sandra from herzensart has asked me to show my work at their little craft fair above. Thank you, Sandra:)
The old factory is a place where different artists have their studios. There will be music, performance, craft, art and- last but not least- food and drink. If you are in the area on friday 4th, you are invited to join us!

something's hiding...

2009-11-21T11:01:00.003Z

October has been a busy month and I have not been blogging but preparing things. A lot of things still need to be done.
I had a birthday.
We had friends staying over and we have been visiting friends.
I have been sewing and knitting and papercutting whenever there was time.
So... I will reopen my etsy store in december....There will also be some changes around my little blog... but it is still top secret, of course...:)
Please check back in a little while!

grown up knitting

2009-10-01T09:57:00.004Z

Husband sweater in progress. He owns many sweaters but that one he particulary likes and wears all the time. So for my first grown-up sweater I decided to pick up the style of this one (which is mainly knit three, purl two). Not terribly original, but the sleeve increases alone were a challenge for me ! You see above my third attempt. My sweater is worked in the round, of course (thank you Elizabeth Zimmermann). More pictures to come.
A note on the weather: The drizzling rain starts to annoy me. I can feel sore throats and running noses knocking on our door.

more sewing

2009-09-29T09:56:00.004Z

Making a padded lining because I couldn't find a nice one. Tonight the sewing lessons continue, and I am in the rare position of being all prepared. I could even do a little sewing yesterday with our little man around. I am so glad he is not diving at any machine, plug or the like he sees any more. He even sat on my lap for a little while while I showed him the magical machine:)
My mantra: Nur gucken, nicht anfassen!!! Only looking, no touching!!!
We have also bee renovating his room since last weekend. I noticed today that one more layer of paint is needed... :( I cannot wait to put up the tiny wardrobe with singing dwarfs on it that I bought for him. Right from the sixties. I hope Tom likes it!

dinnertime

2009-09-25T10:31:00.003Z

...is never a bore with our new wonderful plates from herzensart.

linocut houses

2009-09-20T11:24:00.007Z

I carved out a house almost every day while my son napped. Today I made some prints. First I was really anxious to get the prints right, then I told myself to relax. So I tried some different papers from the wastebasket and got out scissors and glue. More fun! I had to stop now and clear away all the knives and stuff, but T is leaving me time to write this!

I'm gonna tear...

2009-09-18T09:52:00.005Z

...your playhouse down (Ann Peebles)

Inadequate quote, but I kept humming it while painting this cardboard box for my son.

2009-09-17T09:48:00.003Z

summer has made way for autumn. the "pool" is empty. i am taking sewing lessons!

sewing inspiration by these ladies:
sew i do
smallville (found via newhouseproject)

Steffi, fellow singer and dancer from our playgroup :) , has now her own little blog!

etsy supplies me

2009-08-30T16:20:00.009Z

Today: things that look nice and help reduce the crafter's chaos. Two wonderful knitting needle organizers for dpn's and circulars by sarahkincheloe.
The thread train would be perfect on my wall to hold rolls and rolls of thread. You can also take it off easily. However I didn't order it because the shipping fee to Germany would be too high, but if you are in the US looking for a clever way to store your threads, check out this little shop on etsy.

On a different matter I made some linocut print tests.
Producing more chaos:)

gnaw gnaw

2009-08-26T09:46:00.005Z

Once a week, my son and I go to a little playgroup. Today he was wearing the open collared sweater I made for him. One of the mums recognised the shirt from the Internet, she said. She had actually found my blog but wasn't sure if it was me. Fun! She is a crafter, too, and does a lot of sewing for her daughter. Hope I can link your blog soon, Steffi :)
Happy crafting!
Above: Little caterpillar gnawing away on a little boy's shirt

My Son's Wardrobe...

2009-08-17T16:21:00.004Z

...is growing....
Open Collared Shirt by Elizabeth Zimmermann from "Knitters Almanac".

First time I tried a knitted- in Idiot Cord border. It rocks.

The good old Tomten Jacket from "Knitting without Tears" by the same author, worked with collar and extra cuffs.
Now my husband has requested a sweater. Lets see how that goes :).

Paintings and things

2009-05-27T17:19:00.007Z

Trying out colours for the kitchen walls...
and paint... this is lovely stuff made from adobe, brickearth, mud, loam, silt or clay (I had to look it up and I loved all the words). No smell, natural ingredients, to be painted on the bare wall, gives a smooth finish.
Tom painting the kitchen walls.One of his "first drawings" :)
I just like browns and greys. I hope it won't be too dark. Actually I purchased a book about interior design. I found it on a blog I love to read cause there are so many inspirations and simple things... I was very surprised when I looked into the book first cause this wasn't what I had expected... No pretty pictures... instead the author gives a full tour on how to make your home a healthy place. ( I come to think that the books I find most helpful are the ones with very little pictures). Oh, and I have bought two knitting books but they deserve their own post:)
Just to amuse you... it is not that he despises food, you see. Just Mama being an annoyance sometimes... especially in the morning.. hehe....Notice the two handed spooning action.
But most of the time we get along just fine.

Seamless Hoodie

2009-05-21T18:12:00.011Z

A bit tight at first, but alright after blocking. Seamless hoodie worked after the instructions for a seamless sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann from Knitting Without Tears.
I have already started another one to try and make some improvements on the placket neck opening.

2009-05-19T11:16:00.013Z

Last weekend....
Going to the Open Studio days in Siegburg...
Bogi, Sandra and many more artists, musicians and dancers opened their studios for guests. I thought this a wonderful idea and I enjoyed looking into the workspaces. Or chasing Tom through the workspaces:)

Naptime sewing. After a long break from sewing I started with something simple to warm up, some desperately needed cushion covers... A wonderful site to learn new techniques.

The fabric comes from my mother-in-law, Heidi, who died three years ago, much too early. I have never met her but inherited a lot of fabrics and wool. Apparently she loved to knit and sew! I feel grateful to use them now... I feel like building a little connection by making things out of them.
On the sofa.
The gang.

Saturday

2009-04-18T19:59:00.010Z

Underwater view on our worktop tonight
Leeks look like spring to me
Oh well...
We are totally into Lego these days... my husband and I, that is...:) Our son likes to pull things apart at the moment. It is a phase, isn't it?
I just hope that Petzi will make it through...

2009-04-14T18:43:00.012Z

Beige and easter egg colours from the stash. Light and shadow before thunderstorm. Coffee outside. (Life is good)

Bosnaquilt

2009-04-04T18:58:00.005Z

Suddenly spring is here with warmth and sun. Tom walks on our terrace-to-be. Some knitting goes on. More later. Wishing you a sunny happy weekend.

Getting there

2009-03-26T17:39:00.003Z

First walls painted...shelves set up. I love this place , it has so much space. Outside rain, but not so cold anymore.

Awesome quilt by Craftyblossom.

Oh, Petzi!

2009-03-25T11:32:00.009Z

You may ask now, how is the lace coming along? Well well. I told you I am not a lace person. It does distract your thoughts though, to knit lace. You count stitches all the time! I kind of like the look and someone has told me it looks even better after blocking. But somehow I think this yarn should be knit without a pattern (also because it is almost impossible to unwind once you've made a mistake, and I make mistakes all the time).

Well then. A few days ago my son has spotted Petzi, my old teddy bear, who had gone all limp. I decided he needed a late night operation....
Inside was the most awful old stuffing, a sticky powder. (That bear grew up with me in the seventies).

But now he is stuffed freshly and happy to have found a new companion!

Spring+Lace= Soothing

2009-03-19T11:12:00.014Z

"Knitting soothes the troubled spirit and doesn't hurt the untroubled either",
a thing Elizabeth Zimmermann has once said. I felt I needed some soothing yesterday.
Our little man has been sick, real sick for the first time. He is much better now. Between loads of washing and dashing about like a headless chicken (what to do first? what to do first?) I chose to start something totally unneccessary. Something to distract my mind from unpacked boxes, unpainted walls, a sick teething wailing child, blinds that get stuck all the time, mould appearing in the bathroom.
I am not a person who wears lace. I am a plain cotton girl. But this is tempting for sure. (Maybe there is a chance for me to become a romantic at last).

So I went to buy some wool. Kid mohair love.
And cute visitors. (this is Willy, the proud owner of Mr. Bär)

In New Places...

2009-03-11T18:19:00.019Z

...you can go and eat sand after you visited a studio opening party. I brought my camera but forgot to take pictures of the wonderful new studio where Sandra and Bogi work now. It was a lovely party and I was amazed to meet people I "knew" from the Internet in real life!

And...of course everything has to be examined.
Events like "Karneval "call for fancy dresses. I made the lady bird poncho from a pattern I found in an old sewing book. I will write more later about the book - it holds some strange patterns.

(I hope Tom forgives me for dressing him as a lady bird! :) But I had fun making it.)

...you have a lot of space! And doors need layers of white paint...walls need to be painted too...
..whole carrots can be found and chewed on in the kitchen..
...and if you look out of the window, there are airplanes in the skies.

Finishing things part 2

2009-01-23T10:42:00.005Z

My friend Eva is now a mother! She is a sweet and talented girl. I hope I can go and see them in spring. For now Mr. Bär should do. I hope her little boy called Willy likes him.

Mr. Bär comes with a built-in pocket on his jeans back. I made him a little shawl for the passage (cold drafty packages).

Finishing things part 1

2009-01-22T21:04:00.004Z

Argh, a crappy flashlight shot on already packed boxes. Those Tomtens are just so easy to make as gifts for little ones. But the next one will be definitely single, mono, uni coloured. It took me almost as long to weave in the ends as to knit. Tomten by Elizabeth Zimmermann as always. This time in a wool/ cashmere blend. Lovely to knit and touch.

before the move

2009-01-20T08:04:00.013Z

Two years ago I was sitting in my boyfriend' s place in Saxony. We were about to move here, together, and I was a little anxious. What to expect? In a small town like this? My -then- boyfriend told me not to have too many thoughts about it. Just give it a go, and you'll be surprised, he said. Don't feed your prejudices. So I tried to be open. And it worked. It was easy to meet people, and after two weeks or so people started greeting me in the street. It has continued in this fashion and I even found myself looking for houses around here, not that we could afford one, just dreaming about it. Particulary one very old house in our street. Every time I walked by I thought about what I would do with it. Still I was very happy in our little flat. I guess I just felt at home here, house or not. We had decided to spend our next holidays at Lake Constance. Many places we wanted to see.
Then one day in autumn my husband came home saying: how would you like to live in Cologne? Not that we had a choice:) I was really exited first. Big city! Lots of people! Places to go!
But after a while my mood changed. I thought of all the nice people I had met. Different people living different lives. And I guess this place really has my heart now because we got married here one August day and our son was born here, too, one year ago. So many things have happened, and I am really happy and grateful about that.
In the last few days I have also thought about how I discovered the blogosphere two years ago. I am not a big fan of anniversaries but I think I started my little blog at that time, too. With gaps and timeouts, I must say. Still I am enjoying it and want to say thanks for all those who read and/or leave comments or even emails. I do SO love reading them. It has also become a great source of inspiration to look into other peoples sites. I am looking forward to share pictures, projects and other things from our new place with you. It'll be a while because there'll be no Internet for at least three weeks. Maybe not too bad for me. Time to explore.
A belated happy New Year, and see you in march!

2008-12-22T20:42:00.006Z

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I'll be back with new stuff. See ya!

The Glow

2008-12-17T21:37:00.004Z

Bedtime is early when getting up is earlier... I have seen a little green man in our hallway one morning.
Good night.

More quilting

2008-12-16T13:23:00.009Z

Second pillow finished. This is so much fun, I want to make a bunch of them. A forest of cushions!
I tried to make a patchwork furoshiki style, like Mai does. But I didn't look at her tutorial again and just sew along. Still I am quite happy with how this one turned out. Sorry Paul but violet is not my favourite colour (I wore it too much when i was sixteen. Ha!)
The weather is cold and crisp here.
Did I mention that I love cold clear weather?

Mini quilt, prints and a little cushion

2008-12-14T17:26:00.014Z

Two presents finished. A mini quilt for Paul's small piano and a cushion for his room. The flower fabric is a kind gift from Laura, who also gave me the idea for the furry cushion back.

Ghost Walk

2008-12-09T10:18:00.012Z

Yesterday afternoon a friend and I put the babys in warm clothes and blankets and walked along the Danube. The sun was shining and we went to the next village to drink coffee and have some delicious cake. On the way back it started to get really cold and misty.

This little pond looked like the water in it was boiling.
Water reflections. I believe that I read too many Astrid Lingren books when I was a kid. On a day like this I think of fairies and elves. Perfect weather for them, I guess.
The castle was dark, only one little window was lit. Can you see it? I was reminded of ghost stories our teacher told us in elementary school... brrr...
In town, the Christmas decorations gave a nice yellow glow in the mist.
Back to civilization!

2008-12-08T07:37:00.010Z

The days seem to be flying by...a lot of things are happening. We have all been sick for days and weeks, passing on the colds from one to another. But finally there seems to be an end to it!
And then we will soon be leaving our little town and move to a big city - Cologne. I am starting to get really exited about it. All the different people. And I long to go and see an exhibiton!

At least I managed to put up the "Adventskalender" I made last year for my husband. That is about all we have for Christmas decoration. I guess everything else would be chewed up:)

Some Christmas cards that I made two weeks ago. Actually these were ment as Thank you cards for a party we threw by the end of summer. But I am so slow at the moment that they are turning into multi-purpose cards now. And I still have to write and send them. Hope nobody minds the absence of Santas, reindeers or snowflakes.
Tada- My attempt to try a new technique: Felting. J and T were watching me making this little thing... we laughed so much because it looks like something sheep leave behind. I hope I can show you one day what I want i really want to do with the felt... I am working on some softies and I goes REAL slow. But I try to work a tiny little bit every day because it makes me happy.
Like this.
Have a good week!

Snow cold

2008-11-23T17:54:00.007Z

The two boys in my life both caught a cold this week, so we had a quiet weekend. I took Tom on a walk on Sunday in the sun and the snow.
Up the hill.
To the little chapel just up the road.

I like this little house.Knitting patterns?
Today we had more snow. In the afternoon it started to thaw, and I went to buy some wool. Radio says it'll freeze tonight. Hope you are all warm. I'll go and knit a little now.

One Large Mitten

2008-11-18T07:48:00.010Z

More inspiration from Sheila Mc Gregor's book of Traditional Fair Isle Knitting.

After a lot of scribbling...

...this came out.
Hardly my size. Large! I think I will put them in my little shop. (My dear husband doesn't like to wear mittens so I guess it'll be GLOVES next).

Most amazing mittens from elliphantom.

2008-11-11T13:03:00.019Z

So many interesting finds in the trash that people leave on the side of the street. In this case old weeds and flowers, berries and leaves.

Inspiring colours. Two things I love to do at the moment: walking around with Tom sitting in his pram, stopping to take pictures, and knitting at night.

Red Berry Hat.
Violet and pink: Random combination.

I am not a big lover of pink, but in flowers it never annoys me.

More pink: Morning glory.

2008-11-04T21:05:00.007Z

When I got up this morning, the mist was all over the valley and I wanted to post this for lovers of little story book towns.

No mittens but a hat. Now trying to figure out the fancy crown. But first: bedtime.
Good night, everyone. Vote well, fellow americans!

2008-11-01T17:51:00.015Z

My Great-Grandmothers, Omi Li and Omi A, had a shop for arts and crafts in a little town in northern Germany, right on the baltic sea. This tablecloth comes from their shop.

The teatowel is a heritage from my other Grandmother " Oma Mutt", who died many years ago. A knitter and gardener and best Oma ever. Pure linen- love.

Remembering summer with this print my mum has send me for my birthday.

My godchild, Paul, actually felted a snake for me. He is six years old. His mum said that she helped him a little with the hot water, but I am sure he chose the colours alright and all. Such a wonderful snake. I was very happy.

On a totally different matter, we met this little fellow in the park.

And, last but not least: the finished mitts!

First Snow

2008-10-29T12:42:00.010Z

Today we are having the first snow!

Inside the house is a very happy little person.

I am making these as a christmas present. I hope I have enough of the turquoise wool left for the thumbs.
Do you think this will pass as "fleur de lis"???
@mames: I didn't quite make it on Halloween (a thing we actually haven't heard of until a few years ago). It's tomorrow:)

The Leek Story

2008-10-28T17:45:00.012Z

I usually avoid taking pictures with flashlight. Somehow they don't look nice when I do. But coming home from shopping I had to. An overload of things for dinner made me drop some stuff and guess who was there on the floor, too. So tonight a little story from our hallway (where I haven't hung any pictures yet which is point 557 on my to-do-list).

Hey mama, thanks for dropping that banana on the floor.
It is banana, isn't it.
That banana does not taste like my banana at all.
I know you now. You are no banana. You don't fool me no more.

I'm gone, banana.
Poor old abandoned banana! Only his friend Fuzz keeping him company!

P.S. I took a little boy to bed who smelled strongly of leek.
P.P.S. The parcel in the background has already arrived for my birthday, which is soon:)
P.P.P.S Dear Mames, do you remember the jacket? It has returned! Thanks for staying with me all the time.

autumn walk

2008-10-27T09:56:00.013Z

I like summer, but every time autumn arrives I decide that it is my favouríte time of year. The colours outside are just so beautiful.

I have an idea what to do with those structures... I hope I can show you something soon!

Ironhead Hat

2008-10-12T15:51:00.004Z

Finished! Here comes Ironhead (my husband chose the name, I guess he is just jealous that it doesn't suit him, haha)

Hats and errors

2008-10-09T11:22:00.017Z

My next project inspired by the Fair Isle Book by Sheila Mc Gregor is a hat. There was no pattern for this ski cap with border pattern and 'fancy crown' so I tried to make one on my own...I managed to knit the fancy crown. But I messed up the decreases (too fast, Meyer!) so that the hat is really flat on top.

In fact it looks like a bathing cap...I don't want the nice young man this hat is intended for to look like a grandma...
I like the pattern, though.

Tom and I have discussed this...
..in fact he thinks the hat is too small.....or was it too big??

We decided to rip it... to continue with this one:

I like the pattern even better. We all hope that the shape turns out alright. I'll give my very best. Stay tuned.

Smitten With Knittin' Mittens

2008-09-30T11:18:00.007Z

It' s been a bit of a knitting frenzy around here. I feared that the people who ordered those mittens might be getting cold hands by now, as they live in a place that gets real cold in wintertime.
Apart from the snowflake and star pattern I thought I might try something different. I found those old mittens in this book by Sheila Mc Gregor about traditional scandinavian knitting. It holds an amazing amount of patterns.
This pattern however I saw only on a picture, so I tried to copy it myself.
The old danish mitten.

The Laura Mitten.
The Norwegian mitten by Elizabeth Zimmermann from Knitters Almanac.

2008-09-18T07:38:00.015Z

I know it has been a while since my last post. We had some lovely late summer days which have gone by now. Only to be replaced by cold, cold weather including mittens, hats and coats... Poor Baby has his first cold, and crawls, and teethes, so I don't really get around to much in terms of creative stuff.

Some projects I started a while ago:

1. Quilt for my godchild. Yes Paul, I am still at it ( I try to finish it before you turn fifteen).
I just love boys who favor pink and violet.

2. The good old Tomten, this time with collar.

3. Oh, and my ambitious house project. No house stands on one wall, does it.

4. I have ordered some signs to put on my stuff. First they got it wrong and it said "Amne Meyer". I wonder if this is a name in ANY language. I had to wait for another week to get it done. By that time I had cut off the "Meyer" to put it on a little sample. I think it`ll be just "Meyer" now, I like it short. By the way, Meyer is my maiden name, if anyone is interested :).

Wishing you a good, warm and sunny weekend!

2008-08-20T11:01:00.010Z

We are still here, enjoying the summer.

2008-07-20T08:43:00.010Z

Thank you for the camera suggestions. I haven't bought anything yet but I will look them up!
Meanwhile, I am using the husband's small Olympus. I have difficulties to get sharp shots... I have to try more.
What else have I been doing? In terms of crocheting vegetables and plants, I have fallen for mushrooms. Those are eatable! Well, the real ones, of course:)

Rotkappen: In english they are referred to as Boletes.

Crocheting mushrooms is fun.
More plants: the Clivia is blooming!
And there is always some washing to do. But I don't mind it if it is RACING SOCKS.

2008-07-08T21:13:00.006Z

I must confess that I am pretty old fashioned in many ways. I like to do everything by hand and I like to keep things for a long time. But: Two weeks ago my camera gave up and there is no way to fix it... poor old Ixus. So today, for your viewing pleasure, just some old shots. More crafty stuff to come when I find a substitute... What kind of camera do you use? Any suggestions?

Oh, meine arme alte Kamera ist kaputt. Hat mich doch durch viele Lebenslagen begleitet... Ich hasse es, alte Sachen wegzuschmeissen. Aber diese Digitalkamera zu reparieren lohnt sich nicht,das sagen alle. Ich hoffe, ich kann euch bald wieder Bilder zeigen, wenn ich einen würdigen Ersatz für die kleine Ixus gefunden habe. Mit was fotografiert ihr? Mit welcher Kamera seid ihr zufrieden?

Balcony Days

2008-06-21T18:07:00.012Z

I spend a lot of time on our balcony these days. On sunny days it is like a spare room. The marquee is very old and reminds me of my childhood ( in the seventies, if you must know).
The lady who lived here before us left it behind. It is old but I love the colours, they make the whole living room glow orange.I have been forever rearranging these flowers...

...but now I am happy with it. My neighbour, an old lady, thought they had grown overnight! I had to dissapoint her. She lives in the white house in the background and often talks to me through the window while I sit on the balcony ( I like it most of the time).

Fabrics washed, waiting to dry, being ironed, cut and sewn...a gift from a friend in a far off place... I just love Kona cotton.

Back to knitting, finally! The pattern is by Elizabeth Zimmermann who thinks mittens should not be made in a hurry, so make them in summer... I think she is right!

She didn't give any instructions on how the pattern should be arranged around the thumb. It took me three times but finally it looks alright to me.
Happy weekend, everyone!

Summer

2008-06-13T20:59:00.010Z

Cushions

2008-06-07T16:39:00.013Z

Since we've been back everything is out of rhythm... so my ambitious sewing projects have to wait. Still wanting to show you something. I guess some of my old friends would laugh if they knew I'm into cushions these days... in case they read this, I even have a sofa now.. or two.
This is a cushion I bought in Sardinia. It is handwoven and I love the texture.

One of the many beautiful presents we got when Tom was born is this little cushion:

Dragons! (thanks, Kathy!)
Peperoni glass beads rock. I rarely ever wear jewelry, but this wristlet I like. Thanks, husband!

We're back

2008-06-03T11:50:00.020Z

Stone carvings on the tower of Pisa

I love beaches...

...who doesn't?

Holidays

2008-04-29T12:09:00.003Z

We are going south...
See you in four weeks!

Bis bald in vier Wochen...wir machen Urlaub!

Going Out

2008-04-21T10:59:00.011Z

Walking around at daytime
Going out at night

our little town full of strange objects...
Not sure if this is an installation but I liked it anyway.

And bands playing in the pubs...and Bayern München on TV...
Very old pub recently reopened, cuban band playing
Good night!

Oh Crafty Joy

2008-04-14T08:12:00.014Z

Look what was in the post two days ago!
A shoebox full (and I mean full) of lovely fabrics from this wonderful lady. (The garden is unfortunately not ours, it belongs to the lady next door).

...who has sent me these magazines before....

I like the yellow bit and the blue with the white flowers best. And the reds, and the browns... and...

Can you imagine that someone has actually ordered mittens from me??
So I got to work, baby on the lap, tea and knitting needles and everything in reach. The palm side of the mittens. They are from Elizabeth Zimmerman´s Knitters Almanac.
Yes, just like everything I've been knitting lately. But I like the idea that they'll go to Wisconsin, which is where the pattern was made years ago...

The next pair will be different. I have ordered some inspiration...

It´s gonna be a surprise, Laura!

Old And New Knits

2008-04-08T12:16:00.005Z

Maybe I was too quick in promising something new...
Honestly, I m trying something else. Cables. Worms?
But still, all I come up with is another Tomten...which has been started four months ago and is now about to be finished.
The wool is a kaschmir/merino blend by Schoeller-Stahl and very soft and wonderful to knit.

A Saturday In The Café

2008-04-05T19:49:00.008Z

I know I promised knitting news, but you still have to be patient . This saturday started with a parcel from USA. I am so happy that I ordered two bags from cutfingerproductions who make the most beautiful bags and pouches. You should visit their etsy shop, it's worth it.

Baby Tom testing his new CFP bib before going to the café.

Having a hot milk in the afternoon. Stylish burp cloth by cutfingerproductions.

I took this picture accidently. I wanted to switch off the camera and pressed the wrong button. Best picture anyway, I think. The guy with the ponytail is the french owner of the place.
And this is his old school italian coffeemachine ( that's the one at the bar that looks like R2D2).

The Boys

2008-04-04T21:13:00.001Z

Boys in black sweaters. More about knitting tomorrow.

My Rose Hip

2008-03-31T13:07:00.004Z

I couldn't resist posting this. We took a long walk yesterday and it was so nice and warm. Today it is grey again, but hey spring, you cannot hide forever. I'm sure.
This hat always reminds of a german nursery rhyme about the rose hip: the little man in the red coat standing in the big woods.

"Ein Männlein steht im Walde, ganz still und stumm. Es hat vor lauter Purpur ein Mäntlein um. Sag, wer mag das Männlein sein, das da steht im Wald allein, mit dem purpurroten Mäntelein". Mit einem Baby im Haus fängt man wieder an zu singen.

MORE PATCHWORK

2008-03-30T11:56:00.006Z

With a very small person around, I don't get to do so many other things than caring for the baby, of course. But I realized that I had made a lot of stuff for Tom before he arrived here, and not only me. Above are two quilts I made for his bed. I love quilting, it is not so difficult as I had imagined. I like to use my real old Singer sewing machine (last time I had it fixed, the guy doing it laughed and said "Hey, this machine is older than me! It's the last time I am gonna fix this!", just to show me all the fabulous new sewing machines he was selling. But I am gonna stay with this old lady as long as I can!
Some people do the sewing all by hand- see the beautiful work of Mai which is certainly some inspiration for me. I want to find out more about japanese crafts and I know there are a lot of books out there, anybody having a suggestion?

Beyond, two quilts my dear Carole made for Tom. I love the colours of the knitted squares, and the fresh grey and yellow(typing this out now, it doesn't sound fresh at all!). But grey is somehow always fresh to me.

Listing

2008-03-28T06:45:00.005Z

Good lists help.

I enjoyed reading the "100 Things To Do Before I Go" and "100 Things Worth Doing" lists on MightyGirl.

So thinking about all the things concerning work I've been wanting to do for ages , I decided to make a list first.
1. Print my own wallpaper.
2. Sew a complete living-room, table, chairs, sofas and all in scale 1:20.
3. Make the paper box house work.
4. Build the paper box house in wood.
5. Make a model of our street with sewn houses and knitted/ crocheted gardens.
6. Make a fox and a bear out of my cat pattern.
7. Knit red trousers for them.
8. Make a fotostory of fox and bear living in the paper box house.
9. Make foxes, bears and cats for my familys and friends kids.
10. Go find a mental home for myself.

Easter

2008-03-27T09:20:00.003Z

We had such a lovely easter with our friends staying over.

Tom With Tomten

2008-03-17T14:53:00.005Z

Yet another Tomten jacket made BEFORE Tom arrived. Longies also by EZ.

Baby all dressed up in wool and ready to go out.

Exhibition

2008-03-17T14:23:00.010Z

A while ago, I stepped into our local bank and found that they had a small exhibition with objects made by children. Personally, I tend to think too much before I start doing something and sometimes I end up not doing anything at all. The worst part for me is getting started, and I was impressed by the way the kids just put together materials and colours to achieve great impressions of everyday things.Assembly of objects. Notice the computer keyboard (top right).

My favourite object: Tractor made of tin can and joghurt pot.

Motorcycle. Cardboard, plastic tube, paint.

A vacuum cleaner.

Birds and Cats

2008-03-17T11:33:00.011Z

Some random craftiness going on here.

Beo Bird likes to try and fly.

This is the first object I made from the pattern I invented: The Cat made from an old hat.

It belongs to Tom, of course.

Little Bird

2008-03-05T10:57:00.009Z

So here's what I've been doing in the last two months.....

Grüsse an alle!

In the morning

2007-11-22T10:37:00.002Z

This is how my desk looks like at the moment. I wished the sun would come out just for a little while, but it´s real november weather, dull and grey, with the need of electric light even at eleven in the morning. This little chap is waiting for me to finish knitting his pants (EZ of course), while I am making a pattern for what looks like an elephant-footed bear.

Patchwork

2007-11-20T15:20:00.002Z

I know I haven´t been posting for a long time, but still I´ve been producing things- like this little patchwork sample. This technique is not so widely known in Germany, so I had to get a book and learn it. That was on a sunday and because I had no proper filling material, I took an old towel and used it as padding. I wouldn´t recommend cutting terry cloth for this purpose too much, though- the fuzz goes everywhere and loves to stick to things (especially your clothes).

Things I did this summer

2007-09-09T13:40:00.001Z

1. Working in the theatre/ Im Theater arbeiten

Part of the stage/ Ein Teil der Bühne

View from stage towards the auditorium. A lonesome Viking waiting for the show to start.
Blick von der Bühne in den Zuschauerraum mit einem einsamen Wikinger, der drauf wartet, dass die Vorstellung beginnt...

The big scary monster and its driver.
Das gruselige dicke Monster und sein Fahrer.

The proud ship.
Das stolze Wikingerschiff.

The crew.

Bad Hersfelder Festspiele, "Mein Freund Wickie", Regie: Ulrich Beckmann, Bühne: Bernd-Heinrich Sogel und Anne Meyer

For more information, please visit: (http://www.bad-hersfelder-festspiele/. de)

2. Knitting /Stricken

The finished Tomten. As you can see, the shaping of arms differs. Accidently, of course. Somehow my GAUGE changed during the process.

The Febuary Baby Jacket from the Knitters Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmermann.
Yarn: Schachenmayr Nomotta Schurwolle/ New Wool Superwash in steel grey
Needles: Addi 4mm/ US#6

Longies from the same book, material and needles.

This is a modified version of the February Sweater knit in stockinette. It needs some blocking. Yarn: Schachenmayr Nomotta Merino in dark grey and some white from the stash.
Needles: Hmm. Don´t know. Some old ones that fitted.

3. Getting married/ Heiraten :-)

Tom Two

2007-06-02T17:00:00.001Z

As there are no pictures of the production of the child´s play yet, I can only bore you with another (half- finished) Tomten. I do have plans for other garments, I even bought the wool already ( oh, there is no lack of wool around here, be assured). But somehow I only get to do Tomtens, maybe because I know how to make them now. This is how far I got in the evenings after work. Meanwhile, the recipient was born, and I have to hurry now.
I´m taking a break from the Vikings and actors for a couple of days, and it´s very good to be home, though it´s rainy and cold (yeah, not in the house, right).

Ich habe noch keine Bilder vom Kinderstück (bzw. nur drei verschwommene), also langweile ich euch weiter mit halbfertigen Tomtenjacken. Das Baby ist allerdings schon da, und jetzt muss ich mich beeilen. Habe abends nach der Arbeit immer mit halbgeschlossenen Augen vor mich hingestrickt. Das ist jetzt auch echt der Rest von der Restewolle, danach gibts was Neues. Die Wolle stapelt sich hier schon.

2007-05-31T20:49:00.001Z

My cousin´s newly planted orchard/ Mein Cousin hat einen Obstgarten gepflanzt

A sunny day in the park.

And old fountain I like (fountain not working). Erinnert mich an das alte Planschbecken aus meiner Kindheit.

Maritime tablecloth in a restaurant, taken just before the schnitzel and beer arrives.

New Houses

2007-04-26T16:20:00.001Z

It´s been a while since I posted something here. There is a good reason for that- we´ve moved 500km south to a small town. This is the view from the kitchen window, can you believe it?

There is a real count still residing in the castle, and you can see when he´s there because his flag is out ( it took us a while to figure that out). First, I felt like I landed in a place from a fairy tale, but the little town is actually very nice and lively.
I didn´t get much stuff done besides packing and unpacking and moving things around, so I´m just showing the three knitted houses I made back in Saxony.

But there is a lot of inspiration here in terms of interesting old houses, so let´s see what happens when I come back from my job at the summer theatre, where I start next week.
I´ll be assistant to the stage designer of a child´s play, and it sounds like it´s gonna be fun. It´s about Wickie The Viking, that cartoon series from TV (well, it was on german TV), which I loved as a child.

Guess they will have grown when I come back.

On Stage

2007-03-12T16:46:00.001Z

This is a jacket I made last year on commission. A friend of mine has a godson, aged eleven, who was (still is, I guess) going through a cult phase for Freddie Mercury, listening to Queen all the time and watching videos of Freddie performing. So my friend decided that she wanted to give him a stage costume jacket as a present for his Communion. We went through a wild phase of searching photos in the Internet together before deciding on this yellow jacket. I took a kids pattern (majorette style) from Burda and modified it a bit. So here´s the real Freddie on stage :
and here is Elias wearing it (pictures courtesy of N. Witzel)

Eine Jacke, die ich letztes Jahr als Auftragsarbeit für eine Freundin gemacht habe. Sie hat einen elfjährigen Patensohn, der total auf Freddie Mercury steht, und wollte ihm zur Kommunion eine richtige Bühnenjacke schenken. Wir habe eine Weile im Internet nach einem Foto gesucht, dann habe ich einen Schnitt von Burda genommen und ihn ein bisschen verändert. Die Bilder von Elias hat N. Witzel gemacht.

On 46 Soft Street

2007-03-06T12:53:00.002Z

On 46 Soft Street the grass is made of terry cloth, fuzzy and green. Take a stroll in the garden and visit the cabbages before going inside. Bang your head against the wall- it won´t hurt you!
It took me a long time to take those pictures, and I must say- I am not entirely satisfied with the results yet. But the light was so dim outside today, and my lamps give a real yellowish light. But anyway, I would rather move on with sewing some new houses for the Soft Street. I have only just started, and I would like to make some neighbouring houses, or maybe a barn.

The roof was the most difficult part to sew, but crocheting the cabbages was fun.

Hier kommt das erste Haus für die Stoffstrasse. Bevor ich jetzt anfange rumzujammern, dass mir die Fotos nicht gefallen, obwohl ich mühevoll mit meinen Schreibtischlampen (gelbes Licht, bäh) und Handtüchern eine Szenerie aufgebaut habe, mache ich lieber weiter mit Nachbarhäusern. Ich hab schon eine Idee für das nächste Haus. Es hat so ein Türmchen auf dem Dach, und bin froh, das ich mit einem einfachen Dach angefangen habe, denn das war kompliziert genug.

Teddi

2007-02-27T11:28:00.001Z

Mein Freund Peter hat mir gestern den Farbkalender für 2007 geschickt. Drin waren Modeaufnahmen, die er von Teddi gemacht hat. Teddi, so heisst der Teddy von Paul. Paul ist Peters erster Sohn, und ich bin seine Patentante. Als solche natürlich auch für Teddybekleidung verantwortlich. Paul hat sich einen Pulli und eine Hose für den Teddi gewünscht. Lila ist zur Zeit seine Lieblingsfarbe, davor war es Orange, also habe ich das entsprechend berücksichtigt.

Teddi ist, glaube ich, von Sigikid.

My friend Peter has sent me these pictures, together with a new calendar. His son Paul is my godchild, and Paul loves his Teddy called Teddi. Paul also loves violet and orange, so I made Teddi some garments in those colours. I think Teddi is a polar bear made by Sigikid.

Now Teddi likes to have a smoke on the balcony even though the weather is cold and misty.

He also likes to wear his pants in symmetric fashion.

Tiere in Sachsen/ Animals from Saxony

2007-02-21T14:07:00.001Z

Heute war ein schöner und sonniger Tag, wie im Frühling. Ich bin in die Stadt gegangen, um Nähgarn zu kaufen. Der Laden hatte über Mittag zu, also bin ich herumspaziert und habe ein paar Fassaden fotografiert. Hier in der kleinen Stadt am Rande des Erzgebirges, in der wir zur Zeit wohnen, stehen viele Häuser leer. Schöne Stadthäuser- sehr schade. Aber es gibt hier einfach nicht viel Arbeit.

Mir gefallen die Farben, vor allem die rosa Fensterrahmen und die Folien auf dem ehemaligen asiatischen Geschäft.

The sun is shining bright today- perfect for a little walk into town. I needed some sewing thread, too. We currently live in a small town in south eastern Germany. Many houses are deserted which is a sad thing to see. I guess it´s because many people went away to work and live somewhere else.

I took pictures of some elevations as an inspiration for my little house models.

In einem anderen Geschäft (das eigentlich Elektrozubehör verkauft) habe ich diese kleinen Kerle gefunden. Holzspielzeug dieser Art hat hier eine lange Tradition, es gibt noch Schnitzwerkstätten, wo alles von Hand hergestellt wird. Jedesmal stehe ich stundenlang vor dem Regal und kann mich nicht entscheiden. Die Hasen wollte ich ja auch zuerst verschenken, aber - ich glaube ich behalte sie doch selbst.

There is an electric shop that has a big shelf in the window full of little wooden creatures like the rabbits and the little duckling I bought. There is a long tradition around here of making wooden things and toys like this. I thought of giving the rabbits as an Easter gift, but now I somehow feel much more like keeping them for myself... Those rabbits look like they want to stay with Annie.

Zurück zu den Näh- und Strickprojekten. Gestern habe ich damit begonnen, ein Haus zu nähen. Die Modelle, die ich bis jetzt gebaut habe, waren immer aus festem Material, das ist also ein bisschen gewöhnungsbedürftig. Ausserdem gab es keine Gardinen! Ich weiss gar nicht, was mit mir los ist. Bei dem hier kann man dann eine Wand mit Reissverschluss aufmachen- wenns denn klappt. Mit Luftmatratzendielenfussboden.

Back to the projects. I started a soft house yesterday. Actually, I am more used to working with materials like cardboard, wood, or plaster. The walls look a bit lopsided to me, let´s see how they turn out when everything is firmly attached. What I like is the idea of having a wall that can be opened with a zipper.

Zum Schluss habe ich übrigens doch kein Nähgarn gekauft. Aber ein kleinen silbernen Schal- und ein paar Schuhe für den Frühling- und Häkelgarn in hellgrün und dunkelgrün für gehäkelte Kohlköppe. Das Haus braucht ja einen Garten!

In the end I returned home with a pair of shoes, yarn (dark green and light green), a new crochet hook and a beautiful little silvery shawl- but no sewing thread ( THAT shop was closed for lunch break).

But, nobody looked bewildered or amused in the other shop when I said I needed yarn and a crochet hook for crocheting small cabbages for my soft house´s soft garden. Nice people around here!

Rosalie Cochon

2007-02-19T15:01:00.001Z

Jetzt ist sie fertig- Rosalie, das Schwein.

Finally finished- Rosalie The Pig.

Living In A Box

2007-02-06T17:13:00.001Z

It is getting dark outside, better light the stove.

Leider hat es mit Ausflügen am Wochenende nicht geklappt, eine Erkältungswelle ist über uns hinweggerollt. Also war ich fleissig und habe einen kleinen Raum gebastelt. Jetzt fehlen nur noch die Bewohner... und vielleicht Vorhänge? Oder ein Teppich?

Bootees/ Babybotten

2007-02-01T19:35:00.001Z

Kleine Sachen für mein Lieblingskind in seinen Lieblingsfarben (hoffe ich), extra mit Pompons dran zum Draufrumkauen.

More Baby stuff.

That little boy prefers bright colours, so I made him some things to wear on his feet in his favourite colours- with pompons to chew on.

Tomten

2007-01-29T11:17:00.001Z

Das neue Jahr ist eine gute Gelegenheit, um einen Blog anzufangen, dachte ich- nun hat es eine Weile gedauert, bis ich mich rangetraut habe. Aber jetzt!

Eigentlich stricke ich ja nur für Tiere -Stofftiere-, wie der Titel schon sagt. Aber seit meine liebste Freundin einen kleinen Jungen mit rotblonden Haaren hat, habe ich mich auch an etwas grössere Sachen gewagt.

Das ist das "Tomten Modular Jacket" von Elizabeth Zimmermann aus "Knitting without Tears", hat wirklich Spass gemacht zu stricken. Wofür das Internet alles gut ist! Ich habe ein ganze Weile nach einer Anleitung gesucht und bin auf jujus blog fündig geworden.

New year- new Blog. My first blog, actually.
This will be about knitted garments for soft toys, mainly. But I start with this "Tomten Modular Jacket" by Elizabeth Zimmermann from "Knitting without Tears" . I found that little jacket on juju´s page- it was great fun and easy to knit.