i crocheted some rocks this weekend

Last weekend, my boy and I went to Rügen Island on the Baltic Sea. On our first day, we walked along a beach and I noticed how many pretty rocks there were.

A few years ago I had a friend that collected rocks from all of her trips. Inspired by her, I picked one and decided it was going home with me. But then I found a prettier rock, so it replaced the earlier one. I also had my boy pick a rock for himself. And then we found some that were prettier - white on the outside, black on the inside - so he gave me one as a rock from him. And then I found a bigger rock of the same type and said "Wouldn't it be great to crack this open?" and my boy spent half an hour doing just that, as we kept finding better rocks/ruining the earlier ones. At the end of the day, we discarded all of the first rocks and kept these:

He cracked open all of these and has the other half of the smaller rocks.
You can either say "awwwww" or gag at the sweetness at this point.

The next day, we climbed down 412 steps to view this from the beach:

Of course, there were more rocks on that beach, and I picked up another for myself, one for him and a large chunk of chalk (that's what those cliffs are made of) for each of us.

The one on the right looks like a seal, right?

But - and this is where it gets interesting - there were also some really nice, smooth, large rocks. And I picked one up and said I was going to crochet it into a paper weight. My boy said something like "You're crazy - what do you need a paper weight for?" As if that would stop me. I also had him pick a rock for himself. He was wise and chose a smaller rock.

Well, we then had to climb back up those stairs. I had some rocks in my bag and he had some in his (okay, just another bag of mine that he was carrying). After the first thirty or so steps he realized that I'm the weaker female and need to be cared for and he should carry all of the bags. But that also meant that he was carrying about five pounds of rocks, if not more, just for me. He's so sweet.

Anyway, I finally started to crochet the rocks yesterday. There is no pattern as each rock is special and unique, so it's basically a case of start it, expand it, contract it, close it.

This was the easy bit.

And the more difficult bit.

After a certain point, I just had to crochet while the pattern was on the rock. The bamboo needle might not have been the best choice as I was afraid of snapping it at times.

And look, it's sealed and finished. Pretty paper weight memory complete!

i'm not selfish; i can share

Brownies. Everyone likes brownie, but finding The Recipe can be difficult. I was lucky enough to find it a few years ago somewhere on the interwebs. If I didn't make these for you, I'm sorry. There is no excuse. I hope you can forgive me.

I used to bake for the people at work in Toronto, and one day I said would make brownies. My friend from New Zealand said she didn't really like brownies, and possibly even requested something else. Brownies are very North American because they are so ridiculously sweet/chocolaty and over the top. Now that I live in Germany, it's hard to go to the bakery sometimes because everything is delicious, but in an understated, less sweet way. Anyway, I brought these babies in, and she said they were delicious. A convert to brownie fandom.

A few weeks ago I made them for the boys at work. I first mentioned that I can bake in early November, but it took until December for me to bring something in. I wanted to do it when I was on the floor, not in training, so I could share them with only my friends (otherwise I would need to make three batches - I'm generous with my baking but not a fool about it!). I cut them into small squares so they could be stretched further. They went down very well. Those who tried them, loved them. I offered P. a brownie, but he said he would come back later. There would be no later.

My phone rang. I was helping a customer and I saw a head pop up next to my desk. Then an arm. Then my box of brownies was disappearing. But I was on the phone and could do nothing. When the box was retuned to my desk there was one lone brownie remaining. Selfish boys. P. asked me for a brownie. I had to say he needed talk to S. and J. because they stole and devoured half of the box.

I made the brownies back in mid-December. At least twice a week since then, if not twice a day, I have heard "When are you making brownies? Tonight? You'll bring them in tomorrow?" "We need brownies." "Sparkles! Brownies?" "Will there be brownies on Monday?"

I keep thinking of making them, but the boys were particularly offensive on the train this week and I said no more brownies until they treat me like a lady. However, I have one friend that does treat me like a lady. So, I made brownies just for him. And as I was making them, I realized you girls need the recipe so you can be heroes as well.

I have no idea where I found this recipe, but here it is:

Alice Medrich’s Classic Fudge Brownies

1/4 cup (1 stick) butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare an 8-inch square metal baking pan. Line the pan with aluminum foil.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a double boiler until smooth.
3. Mix in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the flour. Stir for at least one minute until the batter is smooth and begins to come away from the sides.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until the brownies begin to come away from the sides of the pan.
5. While the brownies are baking, prepare an ice bath. Fill a roasting pan or larger baking pan (or even your sink) with cold water and ice cubes. When you take the brownies out of the oven, put them immediately into the ice bath and cool completely. (Had you used a glass pan, it would now shatter.)

Wrapped up my friend. I didn't even eat one. I'm a nice person.

things i love thursday

the boys at work  ʈ  having the apartment to myself  ʈ  possibilities  ʈ  chivalry  ʈ  payday  ʈ  8am texts from friends just arriving home, too drunk for morning plans  ʈ  a tidy bedroom  ʈ  snuggling with Tilly  ʈ  Sparkles

crafty corner

This blog has been pathetically defunct for approximately six months. On the one hand, I've thought that I have just had nothing to post and my life is boring. On the other, I've had the busiest six months of my life full of amazing things and people. And I definitely have so many things that I've loved over that time, so I really should have been keeping up at least that part of the blog. And yet I never wrote a single post.

So, new year, new goals. I'm going to bring this thing back to life. And the thing I've decided to start with is my crocheting. Back in November my friend K. and I went to a Finnish Christmas market. There were a bunch of stands selling wrist warmers, as I call them, or fingerless gloves. They are basically mittens that have a hole for the thumb but stop before the fingers begin. She really wanted a pair, but they were all expensive and none were the colour she wanted. I said I could make her a pair, if she bought the yarn. So, we headed out to the yarn shop and got some purple yarn, enough to make a pair of wrist warmers and a scarf.

K. is smaller than I am, with small hands too boot, so I decided that I needed her there while I made the wrist warmers. A three hour train ride to Dresden was perfect. So, with the two of us and our two male friends there, I pulled out the yarn and started to crochet. Every few rows, I'd pass it across the aisle for her to try on. When it was finished, we decided it was too tight. So, I started again. I didn't finish before we arrived and the return train was late and we decided to try to sleep instead of crochet (it's Berlin, we obviously went out until 3:00 am the night before and had similar plans that night as well).

She was only staying in Berlin for two more weeks, so I had to get finished with the wrist warmers and the matching scarf before she flew home. I started crocheting on the train to work. I have a 75 minute commute, so there is a lot of time each day to be productive. In the morning, I ride alone, so that time was devoted to crochet. The return train is full of loud coworkers that are not afraid to make a joke at someone's expense. Trust me, I love these boys, but I had no desire to pull out my crocheting for mocking. However, one night, for the connecting train, I was with two of the guys I consider to be friends, A. and S., so I pulled out my crochet and said I was ready for the mocking.

They made a few comments about grandma being on the train, but then they both asked for scarves themselves. Sure, once this one was finished. S. decided the next day that he wasn't sure if he could afford the yarn, but A. said he was still in.

I finished the scarf for K. on the day I last saw her. She called me to go to our last Christmas market and I said "I need about half an hour to finish your scarf and then I can leave." It was super last minute. We didn't even think this would be the last time we saw each other, but fate had different plans. Anyway, I was so rushed I didn't get a photo. But, she was happy and has received compliments on them since returning home.

And then I had to start on the scarf for A. He said he wanted "white trees on a burgundy background." Done. One night after work I went to chose the yarn. He said it was perfect - the exact shades he requested. Great! And then I gave him two pattern options. and he picked the one that looked like a line of trees in a field. I designed a pattern, put it on my phone for reference and got to work. I can't even begin to count the hours I spent on this scarf. Maybe 25? 30? I did it on the train for so many days, sometimes in both directions, and then also at work, while 'waiting for work'. I work at a call centre, so if I don't have an email to send and my phone isn't ringing, it's fine to surf the internet or chat with neighbours. I pull out my crocheting. And, yes, this leads to some playful jesting.

Anyway, A. was leaving to go home on December 22 and needed the scarf before the end of work so he could bring it home to show to his family. I finished it and ran out of wool at 14:00 that afternoon. Again, right down to the last minute. But, I managed to run into the lunch room and take some photos. They are a bit washed out, but I think you can see what was going on.

This scarf contains two metres of pine trees wrapped around the neck.

As I was working on the scarf for A, another friend, H. came over and said he wanted one. Sure thing. He came with me to choose the wool. That was a mistake. Boys have no patience for shopping, and didn't understand that it's not as simple as picking a few balls and going to the cash register. You need to make sure the colours are complementary and that the yarn is the same thickness, if you're mixing brands.

Anyway, he said he wanted a scarf with his last name, Shah. A normal person would put the word in there at the bottom of each end, or maybe going up the scarf once each side and call it a day. I do things in a ridiculous manner, and asked him to write the word out for me in Arabic. I made a pattern, he reviewed it, and then I started to crochet. I made a repeating pattern of English and Arabic.

I had a quiet Christmas. A friend came over for the entire weekend and we spent our time cooking, baking and watching movies. And movie time is a perfect partner for crochet time. I had to follow a pattern for this entire scarf. I realized at some point that I would need to reverse the pattern in the middle, if I wanted it readable on both ends. I decided to put an A in the middle (the H. is his middle name). You'd think an A would be easy to make, but I somehow made two mistakes and had to redo the entire panel twice. I think the A took me almost the entire movie Religulous to crochet. (Yes, my friend and I watched religious-holiday-appropriate movies during Christmas).

When I was a few panels past the A, I began to worry that I put it in the wrong direction and the scarf would  need to be redone. This involved about twenty minutes of freaking out and laughing as I tried to figure out a way to tie the scarf so the Shah and A were both upright. Luckily, I found a way and saved myself three hours of correction. And here's the final product:

Yeah, I crocheted in Arabic.

I think this is the scarf I'm most proud of, ever. It was crazy difficult, and there were quite a few panels where I somehow added a stitch, but I couldn't tell until the end and then had to undo and redo. And, I mean, look at it: words! And not always in English!

Anyway, after the scarf for H., it was time for me. Before Christmas, I went shopping with S. and J. from work to look for presents for S.'s girlfriend. We went into a scarf shop and I saw a gorgeous, massive, puffy, soft scarf, but it was grey, which washed me out, and 20€, which is expensive. I decided to make my own, naturally! It took quite a few stores to find the right yarn, but I managed to find it.

That's 5€ of yarn right there.

This way covers all the ketchup stains from Christmas Market sausages.

So, there we go. I've spent the last two months crocheting. I have also bought a bunch of yarn, and happened upon the greatest wool shop ever last week while walking with a friend, so I expect the crocheting adventure to continue. And I'll post pictures as I complete new items. The boys at work have requested "willy warmers". I'm still trying to decide if that's a good idea.

things i love thursday

pretzel sticks  ʈ  calling boys bad names  ʈ  reading near the river  ʈ  swans that appear out of nowhere  ʈ  not breaking down at the bank  ʈ  schnitzel  ʈ  late night rain storms  ʈ  taking chances  ʈ  using Tilly as a pillow  ʈ  reading three great books simultaneously  ʈ  still having hope

things i love thursday

chatting at the park  ʈ  learning  ʈ  questions  ʈ  that burger  ʈ  talent  ʈ  compliments  ʈ  cake disasters  ʈ  crackle nail polish

things i love monday

surprise Russian things  ʈ  Planker  ʈ  afternoon train drinking  ʈ  stolen not returned glasses  ʈ  triathletes  ʈ kebabs  ʈ smiling Norwegians  ʈ  finding a manwich at the last minute  ʈ  gummy bear kid  ʈ  student cards  ʈ  buoy buoy buoy  ʈ  spontaneous laser tag  ʈ   Berliner Kindl Rot  ʈ  the wrong washroom  ʈ  head out the window  ʈ  park drinking  ʈ  use of the term 'socratic'  ʈ  that white van  ʈ  Barcelona  ʈ  a second arrival scene  ʈ  Currywurst taste test  ʈ  sounds like a monster  ʈ  20% chance of rain  ʈ  observations of height  ʈ  people watching  ʈ  staying outside during a deluge  ʈ Potsdam  ʈ  the cool kids  ʈ  Crobag  ʈ the sound of a silent table  ʈ  Charlie Brown  ʈ  Sausagefest  ʈ  "Are they skinheads?"  ʈ  finally finding that book