life's little joys!

So I'm going completely googly over my little amigurimi friends. And it really surprises me that grown people (well mostly women) go all sweet and softy over them (me included).

I took my new little friend Henry Honu along to my crochet workshop (where I'm the teacher), Earl Grey (the baby guinea pig) came along too, and I handed him to his proud new foster Mom Mar. She was really happy with him, and confirmed that he was very true to the real deal in form and coloring (and she said the tush was perfect, seems guinea pigs fall over backwards when they get excited and just roll over the round tush, ha, ha). So we were all ooooh-ing an aaaah-ing the little creatures when it hit me that there must be a reason why these little fellars strike such a cord in us, it truly has to be the same chord that newborn babies strike in us as well in a sense. Anyway, I find it very endearing. So last night was part two of my second beginners crochet workshop. And I once more had three very nice and enthusiastic participants! Seems like they will be coming back for more later in the season when we do granny squares. What fun!

Furthermore on a more personal note. I've gotten over my two consecutive computer crashes. Sunday was a wonderful perfect day spent with a dear friend (total bliss, right place, right time, in harmony), tuesday was another meltdown teary day for different reasons. I'm still not enjoying this hormonal roller coaster, but I seem to be out of the deepest depths of the depression now. Anyway, I'll be spending my spare hours helping Jen catch up on her backlog of little projects so she can end feeling so pressured. It was her birthday last week. I'm getting her a set of clover crochet's at a handicrafts fair in september as a late b-day present. I'm joining Pauleen to check it out as a training run for the big fair in London in oktober, hihi.

Okay, I'm having half of a big papaya for brekkie and it is reminiscent of Hawaii, heartstrings were already twanged earlier this week when I got a message from one of our dolphin travel mates inviting us to join her in january for yet another spiritual getogether, argggghhhh, there is one place I want to be, and I can't now....sigh.

Meet Earl Grey (no relation to Joe Black!)

Making little amigurimi animals and such is so much fun.

It's not much work and you are immediately infatuated with the little buggers.

you start out making them for someone, then you actually want to keep them all.

Okay, this is Earl Grey the baby guinea pig. He's for one of my ladies in the crochet workshop. She loves guinea pigs and has a few real ones. Does this kid have a cute tushie or what? Well new moms love their kids, can't help myself, sorry!

Jennifer whizzed by last night, I'm watching over a few of her projects as she seems to have run behind with them.

It will be "finishing" projects week. I'll help her out with that, she can do some herself, but I'll do a few too, so she'll feel less frustrated! I don't mind, keeps me busy, inbetween all my own WIP's and UFO's, ha, ha.

not such a busy week workwise, but that is not to be helped, it's the last two weeks of school holiday here, so most folks have flown the coop.

I'll leave you with that for now.

I see a pattern arising.............

Well after another good bit of silence here I am again.

I've been delving into the realm of crocheted socks, which is actually quite fun, and fast I must add. Check out the pics!

Still not quite in control of all my happy faculties (so moodswings and bouts of crying are still lurking in the wings), but mostly I'm still functioning I think. Ha, ha, you can give me feedback on that if you like...............but you don't have to........

On top of all that my computer started dying on my, something to do with harddisk working outside of specified paramaters, please call your supplier............argh!

so I order a new computer, which is abfab! and the harddisk on the new computer dies on me within three days of arrival. Luckily that one is still under warranty, but who knows when it will be delivered back to me? So I'm still coaxing the old bird to do her work for me, slowly and surely.

Anyhoo, I've just been teaching reiki workshops for five weekends straight.

Five weeks ago I restarted my pilates classes, loving that a lot, after getting over the initital excruciating pain in muscles I forgot I had. And also trying to fit in sessions at the gym doing Cardiofitness a few times a week. Have to get the old metabolism fired up again.

Working with Arnold on his "inner weight" protocol, so implementing lot's of cool nutritional additions to my diet, like lime-ginger-cucumber-mint-water that I drink 2 litres a day of. Supposed to help me detox, and I believe it.

A handfull of almonds (mono unsaturated fatty acids) with every meal to keep fat from settling on my midportion. That will be good!! And getting a handle on old mechanisms and blockages in my subconcious that keep me from being fit, lean, healthy and successful. Well! more on that later.

Friday evening I went to visit with Iris, who had organized a "scent-party". She imports and sells "yankee candles" here in Holland, and it was a veritable feast of smelling and enjoying or disliking (not many) of the sumptious natural and very lively smells of the candles. Lot of fun. Will organize a similar party here in my house as well. Just to do something new and exciting for my lot.

She bought a darling little holiday cabin and is preparing for the big move in tomorrow. I'm sorry I can't be there to help and support, but I'll send her energy as best I can.

I had big fun watching over the Woool shop for my little buddy when she was in Florence at a wedding, and after some initial silence and slow business I even managed to sell a good few things!

she's preparing for fall/winter in the shop. And I think business is growing steadily now, once her webshop is up nothing can stop her!!

I'm helping her out with the crochet workshops, as she is a fab knitter but gets a bit blocked when confronted with crochet (hyperventilation anyone??). So I did a beginners, this week another beginners, after that an advanced reading pattern workshop, then a granny square workshop, and hopefully also an amigurimi workshop. We'll see how that all goes.

This week is looking a bit more calm, not good for the income, but okay for me to catch my breath and catch up on some social life!!

I'll try to come back with some fun stuff for the blog, but no promises just yet.

The birth of a bear........

My hormones went so crazy I temporarily slipped into a small depression, no fun at all I must say. Looking at the world from a grey empty hole.

Lost all desire to do any handicrafts at all, so strange.

just sat like a potato, pondering life, and letting the tears flow.

Well I'm making a carefull tentative comeback.

This week felt a bit better. And yesterday I got back in the swing of things and made a teddybear. Together with Pauleen, she's making her own version, more of a polar bear in color. Mine is from leftover chunky yarn in creme and brown. Every now and then I need to be reminded why I don't like chunky yarn and knitting needles over 6 mm. They really make my hands hurt, a lot! anyway, push that aside and voila! I proudly announce the birth of Fernando Harold vom Ursemberg. He's based on the "bobbi bear" pattern from Blue Sky Alpacas, but ofcourse with my own twist. I'm a proud mom! He's a big boy: almost 45 cms / 17 inches.

eh yoff? who?

this last week has been a whirlwind, incredible.
Weekend away on a training for EFT, lot's of tears and releasing, always good for the soul.
But what has taken up most of my time has been teaching Do-In and mostly preparing for the classes. It's great fun, but being a bit of a perfectionist I want to offer good material to my students/participants.
tuesday my own cute little class (this week only one person, because of headaches and flu's).
Wednesday assisting at the "Do-In for women" class with Anushka, and thursday evening being guest-teacher in Anuska's oldest and most loyal class (going strong for 13 years now I think).
That was a bit intimidating, because Anushka is one of the foremost specialists in Do-In in The Netherlands and around I'm sure. It all worked out, but phew, as if I'm not sweating enough from my hot flashes already. No, seriously, it was fun. For those of you who are wondering what Do-In is........it's the naughty Japanese sister of Yoga. Just kidding, well actually I'm not apart from the fact that it is serious business! it's an exercise format based upon meridian stretches and self treatment to stay limber, healthy and harmonized. Great fun, even for someone with restrictions like me (with the obesity and the rheumatism). Get involved, go find a try-out class, read up. It is really wholesome, healthy and fun. And I am teaching it too! And it is not restricted to age, gender, disability or creed!

a sock is born

some things are worth waiting for, and the noro sock yarn was no dissapointment. But I guess only really fanatics and yarn addicts will get this. So I'll try not to gush too much.
I've finished my first sock just about a week after the first 10 KG's of Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn was delivered in Holland. For some reason that's all we are getting for now.
it's really interesting and there was just an article in Knit Today about Noro and how they produce their yarns, really cool! It made a real effort to explain why their yarns are so exclusive, expensive and worth it.

Last weekend I held the fort at Woool while Pauline was at a street market. The weather was appalling, and I only made a few small sales and was very glad a group of friends dropped in (we ended up around the table with six of us, two very talented jazz singers (one quite famous actually) but we didn't break out in song. It was a good experience, now next time with good weather you guys please all show up like you promised okay???!!!

I've been burdened by the fool moon this week and major mood swings for the last month. Anyway, what doesn't kill me makes me stronger, right?

My brother sent me a message that my mum had had a light stroke yesterday, he spent hours with her in emergency room, but he didn't manage to call us or we would have joined him.
She's back at the old folks home again with her meds adjusted for now. Fingers crossed on that one, because I'm away on a seminar all weekend. Starting my certification for EFT coach.

I can't promise to write more frequently, cuz I'm sure I'll break my own promise, but I'll keep trying.

Catch you later!

how time flies................again

Can you believe we are already halfway thru May?
I was having a bit of an off day today, very moody and agressive (those who know me will say it's quite out of character, but what can I say? hormones??)
two great things happened to lift my mood: 1. Noro Sock Yarn (hooray after a long wait, it's just something you need to be an insider for to appreciate!); 2. an indisclosed source thought I'd be the perfect new mother for some stash (for money mind you). It's made up of almost 2 kilo's of assorted Koigu and 3 kilo's of assorted pure silk. It arrived today, and I just want to drop it all in bed and roll around in it. It's delicious and beautiful, and I'm a very happy bunny. The colors of the Noro sock yarn are as to be expected: delicious (it's actually one ply Kureyon), it's a bit coarse, but will soften up with handling and wear. Just cuddling the ball of wool is already fun! Noro Rocks!!! Tomorrow in daylight I'm gonna go revel in my other new stash, lamplight just doesn't work for this kind of adoration. And I'll try to make some pics!
Okay...........so what else? My buddy Pauleen isn't a fan of knitting lace, so she's letting me knit her something, a cute little lace kimono top in cotton/linen mix in a gorgeous deep teal, pattern from the latest interweave knits. I've finished the front and back and I'm 2/3 thru the first sleeve. I did frog the back halfway once cuz the decreases looked funky. It's nice to make her something. By the way, this saturday I'm subbing at her store Woool as she is at a street market elsewhere. I drop in occassionaly (not more or less than otherwise) to acquaint myself to her state of the art computer programme so I can make sales and register them...........argh.........me and my funky energy, we already had a brief computer glitch this afternoon. I'm sorry!!!
The frog was delivered to my mom, she liked him. Thank goodness and the visit I had been dreading but needed to get done went better than expected. Before the frog left my care he was admired by many, and siblings have been ordered, so they will follow asap. I got some extra sock wool in green yarns, cuz that was non existent in my stash.
The lace shrug for Lisa is done, but hasn't been sent off to Hawaii yet. The sexy summer dress is done but hasn't been fitted or modeled by anyone yet, so no good pictures yet.
So I caught you up a bit, but I'm pretty sure I've already forgotten stuff, I should really be more regular.
Oh, right, we had a miniature heatwave here and due to the heat, lack of sleeping and my hormonal situation, many braincells were lost in action, that clarifies more of my short term memory glitches. Yeehaa!