snailigan & more Backnang

above you can see what I brought home from Backnang, as you can see I didn't buy yarn, I bought buttons and I needed to be very very strong because at one stand there where knitting books there as well. Patterns and books are my kryptonite!

and below my progress on the snailigan. I almost finished the back, both front parts and one sleeve. All end below the underarm, because I now plan to knit my cardigan just like the tangled yoke cardigan from Eunny Jang. While sitting on the train home from Backnang Cleo suggested to add some tiny snails all around (where the tangled yoke cardigan has its celtic design) and I really like the idea although designing another snail that's even smaller than both other ones is a little tricky.


and last but not least I served myself some birthday style food today: sushi - nom, nom, nom

quick notion

I have so much to tell and show you I don't know where to start. First of all, thanks to all of you who sent me birthday wishes, thanks for the emails, the short messages or calls and ecards!

hugs'n'kisses (100)

looks like ravelry? reminds me of something, the meeting in Backnang was awesome! I met so many nice people there and to finally add some faces to names is great too. When I signed in to the site today I found over 40 new messages, new friends, more birthday wishes and comments on my Sylvi Cardigan, (I needed to turn my back to people that often it surprised me that there still where people who didn't see it before, got plenty of compliments *blush*) I also got oohs and aaahs on the snailigan, which I will show you later.

When returning from Backnang a hardcore week of work was waiting for me; observing an experiment from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. resulted in no online time (which explains why I couldn't write this post until now), lack of sleep, and some knitting time between the single parts of the experiment. All in all my Snailigan grew quite abit. Writing this I realize how tired I am, so I will go to bed early today and tomorrow I can show you the progress on my Snailigan. (btw. I finally got the yarn and needles I've been waiting for so patiently)

For now I will leave you with some impressions from Backnang. When I arrived in the hotel there were two people knitting and then coming to the "Bürgerhaus" (the meeting place) there were knitters knittng everywhere, what a view!

what a difference a day makes

or rather nine hours on the train on monday or (as it might seem to you) a few days more. On these nine hours on the train I made real good progress on my snailigan: I almost finsihed the whole colorwork snail pattern, only two rows of the snails tentacles are left.


the rest of the week was filled with congress sessions and too many speakers who spoke real bad english, I mean I don't blame anybody for not speaking a second language properly, but sometimes my ears just can't take any more bad grammar and mispronounciations. Anyway the congress is history and tomorrow morning I'm going to Backnang. Enjoy your weekend as well, as I'm sure I will =^__^=

pretty backside

not mine, well it's nice =^_^= but not as nice as this:


I casted on the snailigan, as I tend to call it for now, my snail cardigan. I didn't plan to cast on but I don't have the needles that I still wait for yet and also I didn't want to carry around a project that needs much attention when traveling the next 8 days. But since the yarn for my Liesl didn't approach my door as well and I needed something to knit while beeing on the road I freed my (not yet finished) acorn scarf from its needles and started a new project. What I really admire is how my purling looks now and that I really got used to throw yarn, at the beginning that was what irritated me most but it feels quite natural now. And before you ask what the front side looks like:


have a wonderful week. I start my trip in munich tomorrow and go to Backnang on saturday for the big ravelry meeting - really looking forward this one.

a dark cloud on the horizon?

I really hope not. I was just thinking and wondering if maybe, only maybe knitting something with snails might be the reason why I'm still waiting for my new knitting needles to arrive. I ordered them at the 21st last month and they were supposed to be shipped the very next day so I believe they already should be here - but they are not. Snails? Really snaily snail mail? ugh.
I'm also waiting for new yarn to arrive, I plan to knit a new Liesl on my train rides next week (going to a congress in munich and spending the following weekend at the first german raveler meeting, so excited!), I love that pattern and started one when my Sylvi was blocking but I used an acrylic yarn that would not handle the lacy pattern at all and so I put it away, I must show you a pic though (I still haven't frog that one) cause I think I never mentioned it here before. In case you like to know the colorway I ordered even before I get to see them: I'm waiting for a 100 % merino 10 ply to arrive. Same yarn I used for my Sylvi (it wears great, no pilling wonderful touch to the skin) and you can choose from app. 200 solid colors and even create your own yarn when mixing some solid strands into a thicker yarn. I mixed the ones below to create a warm reddish tone and a cooler green, so that makes two Liesls for me =^__^=


(I think I choose the upper red/yellow combination, because the one in the middle didn't had the yellow available at the moment, but both look pretty, hope they do too when they arrive here)

Oh and before I forget, a picture of my snail swatch blocked and dry, it's pretty huge but I'm glad it turned out a good size so I won't need to re-chart anything to fit my cardi design.