January Projects: Part 3.

Dear users, dear authors,
here is Part 3 of the January Projects. Have fun continuing.

Links for catching up
Part 2:
January Projects: Part 2
Part 1:
January Projects: Getting started with the popular title highlights

Thanks to Monika and Anja for the get-well wishes. I’ve gotten a little sleep now—my headache is killing me—and then I revised my pattern. I took some photos for the second pattern, and now I’m going to doze off some more, with my dog in my arms, until my parents arrive.

Marion: That pug is seriously adorable.

Monika: Bears are allowed to have different legs, too. :-)
I can’t wait to see the photos. ..

Sofi: I’m keeping my fingers crossed for your dog
And I hope you feel better soon 

Oh my, Sofie, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for both of you—get well soon!
January really is a long month—we’re already on Part 3.
Out of curiosity, I weighed my finished coat pieces a little while ago (I’m currently working on the back) and they already came to 950g. That’s probably a “heavy-knit” piece... That’ll add another good 600–700g before it’s finished. Well, then it’ll keep me warm this winter—not just because of the wool, but also because of the extra weight.... 

Sandra and Sofie, I’m glad you like the pug too.

Sofie, I hope you get well soon — and your pup too, of course.
I hope you both recover well.

Marion, you have a new avatar image. At first, I thought you were new here. ;-)

So, I took some photos. Here are the new socks for Linja, which should fit now—the sixth pair this month. These are made from thicker yarn.




And here are the individual parts of my little bear.




This is what the different hind legs look like now, because I ran out of yarn. Tomorrow I’ll finish the second leg, as well as the ears and the little tail. Then I’ll sew it all together. That’s not exactly one of my favorite things to do. But I’ll see it through. 



And this is another UFO that might be finished by Thursday. It’s going to be a cover for my thermos so it stays warm longer. I’m using up quite a bit of leftover yarn on this (for “Reste-Beste”).

I can only crochet the little bear in daylight. It’s too tiring for me in the evening.
Honestly, if it weren’t for this thread, I would have put it off even longer.

Here’s the photo of the last UFO—it didn’t make it into the previous post

Monika, yes, I’ve changed my avatar picture again. I didn’t like it after all.

Your new kids’ socks turned out really cute—nice color and a lovely pattern.
  Your little bear is sure to turn out lovely, despite the two different legs.

I’m still working through my leftover yarn, too. I’ve got a few UFOs lying around as well, but I don’t feel like continuing to knit or crochet them yet. I actually haven’t started any new ones in quite a while. 

So. My probably last January project is finished. I want to make even more figures so that we’ll soon have a whole theater, and you can make great use of leftover yarn. 

Monika, the new socks for Linja look great! Your little bear is sure to be cute too and worth the effort with the soft yarn!
Sandra, the idea with the theatre puppets is great! Your puppet looks lovely.
I was still knitting on my coat last night, but it definitely won’t be finished by the end of the month. I can only manage about 15 rows per evening because I really have to concentrate.
I also always have socks on my needles now and then, just to “relax” :D Today I have to wind some new yarn—the first 1,000 g have been used up.

The little bear is turning out super cute, and I like the theater puppet, too. My socks are on hold for now—knitting them is too tiring with a fever. I’m currently crocheting my summer skirt; I only have one more ball of yarn left to use up before I need new yarn. I took my dog to the vet yesterday; he got a recovery shot and pain medication—it doesn’t look particularly good, but he’ll hang in there for a while longer. Thanks again for the get-well wishes!!!

Thanks, Marion and Mel! Yes, I really like the new sock, too. It’s yarn unraveled from a sweater that belonged to Linja’s late great-grandmother. So two grandmas are part of these socks, which I think is especially lovely.

Wow, Sandra! You seem to be specializing in characters. Your Kasper turned out great. Good idea with the theater. You’ve got quite a bit ahead of you there.

Sofi, I hope you both get back on your feet soon and are doing well. And I hope your pup will be there for you for a while longer.

Well, the little bear.... OMG! Today I finally finished crocheting the second little leg—and the little tail, too. And one ear is already half done. I didn’t like it at all on the first try; it didn’t work out great until the second attempt. So if I didn’t know it was going to be totally cute… Well, tomorrow I’ll crochet the last few pieces, and then all that’s left is sewing them together. That’s no walk in the park either, and it’s definitely not one of my favorite things to do… grrr….

I’m honestly already looking forward to my next knitting project.

Buuuut… I finished crocheting a UFO today… ta-daaa… here’s the cover for my thermos. It looks better than I thought it would. And I used up a lot of leftover yarn.



Tonight I’m going to start a smaller one for the second bottle. I could also see this working well for baby bottles.

Have a nice evening, everyone, and enjoy your crafting!

Best, Monika

That thermos cover turned out absolutely great, Monika.
Yesterday at the doctor’s office, I crocheted a little more on my skirt, but now I’m running out of yarn. I’m going to start crocheting lanterns now—we’ll need them for summer anyway, which I hope will come back soon—I’m longing for the warmth.
My dog seems to be feeling a little better, but he’s stubborn; he stubbornly refuses to go outside and just walks around the apartment a bit.

Sofi, something just occurred to me about your dog… maybe vitamin D3 could help him if you give it to him as a supplement—and to you, too, of course. We all need it during this season when there’s not much sun. It’s worked wonders for us since we started taking it—it’s even improved our moods.

Thanks, Monika, for the great tip—I’ll put it into practice right away.

Sofi, what inspired us three years ago was a neighbor who gave us Dr. von Helden’s book: “Healthy in 7 Days.” I can’t recommend it highly enough. I’m so grateful for it. I’ve also come to know a dog who benefited from it.

Thanks to Monika’s tip last year, I looked into vitamin D3 and started taking it. It helped me with my recurring winter depression, and I’m still taking it. Thanks again, Monika :)

Thanks, Mel. :) I’m happy to share my own experiences—it can only be helpful.

My UFO status:
Today, unfortunately, I didn’t have time to keep crocheting my little bear. I’ll see how it goes tomorrow. It definitely won’t be finished tomorrow. The way things look, it won’t be completed until February—but it will definitely be done then.

Instead, I’ll keep crocheting on my second bottle cover tonight. By the way, a friend who came over today thought it was absolutely great and practical. It looks like I’ll probably be giving away a few more of these. Drinks stay hot much longer in them now. And I was able to use up some leftover yarn.

Let’s see what else I come up with in February. As soon as my CraSyTrio in bamboo arrives, I’ll knit up quite a bit of sock yarn. I’m starting to feel just like Mel … it’s pure relaxation. That’s what I’ll need once the little bear UFO is done. ;-)

Have a lovely evening—see you tomorrow
Monika

Yesterday and this morning, I wound up another 8 skeins of yarn. Then the yarn winder finally gave out :( I filed a complaint right away and sent it back. Now I have to buy a new one. I’ve already been knitting, but I need to take a break now because my concentration is waning.

A yarn winder? That sounds interesting! Until now, my husband always had to do it… with very little enthusiasm. ;-)

I’ll admit, winding yarn isn’t exactly one of my favorite things to do either.

Thanks again, Monika, for the good advice about vitamin D3. Unfortunately, it hasn’t helped so far—my dog Balu is doing much worse. I think a lot of it is due to old age as well. We’re currently in the process of saying goodbye, since he can barely stand anymore, let alone walk. I’m going to have to say goodbye to him. The vet is coming to our house on Saturday… But it’s for the best: at least he’ll be put out of his misery. Still, there’s hope for a miracle.
The vitamin D3 is helping me a little—my cold is getting better.

Sofi, you have my full sympathy. When I had to put my budgie to sleep back then, I mourned for a long time. However, it was a relief for him. Having to watch animals suffer is even sadder.

But who knows—maybe a new dog is choosing you as its companion right now...

For now, it’s important that you get back on your feet first. Vitamin D3 takes effect gradually—we noticed that in the first few days, too.

So—now on to my last UFO, the cuddly bear.
I actually managed to finish him completely today, on the very last day of January. It took the whole afternoon. And I’m sooo happy that he’s alive now! :) It took a lot of patience, fiddling, and nerves. But it was totally worth it.

Take a look—this is what he looks like now. A little different from the original in the pattern, but totally cute:

Sofi: I’m so sorry for you. Wishing you a continued speedy recovery.

Monika: The little bear turned out really cute. Is he staying with you, or is your granddaughter getting him?

Sandra, I’m keeping this one. The kids already have enough stuffed animals. This one is very special to me. And I love teddy bears more than anything. :)

Monika, I just spotted your little bear in the gallery. It turned out really cute! All that fiddling around was worth it. You can only get it this cuddly with fluffy yarn.

Yeah, I don’t think kids really appreciate that either. 

Monika, your little bear is super cute! With the yarn winder, you can wind such wonderful cakes and knit them from the inside out. 

Monika, your bear turned out so cute—you just have to give it a cuddle.
Mel, have fun with your new yarn winder; it looks like you’ll still be using it a lot for your coat. I’m already looking forward to seeing your picture.

Sandra, the Kasper for Anton turned out great, too. Have fun with your new characters.

Marion, I still need to buy a new one, but I already have my eye on a sturdy model. You can see the coat’s progress above.

Mel, you’ve been working hard—you’re almost done already. The coat looks great already.

 Poncho with a cat!

Thanks, Ruth, Marion, and Mel! :)

Wow, some of you have really been working hard here.
Mel, I think your coat is absolutely beautiful, and the pattern is a real eye-catcher. It’s sure to be cozy and warm. You’ll never be cold again in that.
I’m not in the mood for big projects like that at all right now. My husband wants a thick cardigan, and the yarn’s been sitting here for quite a while. But he’ll have to wait until next winter for it.

Wollbaerli, I think your poncho is really pretty, too. The cat behind it looks funny … as if it’s wearing the poncho.

I wish you all a wonderful and productive start to the weekend!

Best regards
Monika