Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Shrinky Dink Hypnotoad & friends

February 25, 2012 by Elli

Last weekend, K. and I had a great time trying out shrinky dinks. I did the Hypnotoad – All glory to the Hypnotoad – from Futurama and Blinky, the 3 eyed fish from The Simpsons, who lives in the lake behind the nuclear power plant. K. did the Triforce symbol from Zelda and something, which I can’t remember from some other video game. It was such fun! Here are some pics:

Hypnotoad in progress

We used a pencil to draw a draft of the outlines before we did them in more detail with a very fine black marker. Afterwards we colored everything with simple colored pencils. The hole on the top of each we did with an ordinary hole puncher. I was little worried that the holes might be too large, but it shrank SO much, that it’s now the perfect size to draw a string through them.

Here are our shrinky dinks right before shrinking. I put a 1 Euro coin next to them for reverence.

Before shrinking…

And here they are after shrinking. They shrank so much that all of them are really tiny now, especially Blinky.

…and after shrinking!

Doing them was fast and real fun. Oh and I just love how they turned out. :D

Posted in art, Drawings, odd stuff, Pencil, personal, self made..., Whatever | Leave a Comment »

Red Hat

February 12, 2012 by Elli

As it’s SO cold here, I just had to knit a hat for myself too. The pattern is out of a lovely book called “Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Patterns That Go Way Beyond Socks“… at least I think it is. I noted it down so long ago, that I can’t really remember where I found it. Also I had to modify it somewhat, as it origianlly was designed for gloves.

Red Hat

Doesn’t it make a lovely pattern for a hat too?

The yarn is Schachmayr Bravo Big, which I got on sale shortly before Christmas. It is cosy and warm, but was a real pain to knit. I don’t think I’ll work with it again.

For the hat itself I cast on 48 stitches with size 8 (US 11) needles and then just followed the pattern…. all other details are on my rav. page as usual:  http://ravel.me/aravis83/1udbw

Kitty

Oh and here is Kitty having fun with the extra pom pom I made just for her out of some old left over sock yarn.

Posted in knitting, self made..., Whatever | Leave a Comment »

Simple Cabled Hat

January 16, 2012 by Elli

Today I finished knitting a rather simple cabled hat for mum. I used size 6 (US 10) needles and the yarn is Lana Grossa Uno (1 1/2 skeins). Though the yarn looks great, feels wonderfully soft and awesome to wear, it is a real pain to knit with. Still I love how the hat turned out. :D

Simple cabled hat

As I couldn’t find a suitable pattern I made it up. Here is what I did:

CO 80 stitches

1.-5. row: *knit 6, purl 4* to end of row

6. row: *slip 3 stitches on cable needle, hold cable needle in front of work, knit 3 stitches from the left needle, now knit 3 stitches off the cable needle, purl 4* to end of row

7.-14. row: *k6, p4* to end of row

15. row: *slip 3 stitches on cable needle, hold cable needle in front of work, knit 3 stitches from the left needle, now knit 3 stitches off the cable needle, purl 4* to end of row

Repeat rows 7 – 15 once more. After that is done, work another 4 rows of *k6,p4* (or till it was the desired length) before starting to shape the crown.

Decreases:

1. row: *k2, k2tog, k2, p4* to end

2. row:  *knit 5, purl 4* to end of row

3. row: *k5, p1, p2tog, p1* to end

4. row: *knit 5, purl 3* to end of row

5. row: *k2tog, k1, k2tog, p3* to end of row

6. and 7. row: *k3, p3* to end of row

8. row: *k2tog, k1, p2tog, p1* to end of row

9. row: *k2, p2* to end of row

10. row: *k2tog, p2tog* to end of row

Cut of the yarn and thread through the remaining stitches, pull tight and sew the end in. Have fun knitting! :D

My hat and more pics can be found on my rav page: http://ravel.me/aravis83/st5a8

Posted in knitting, pattern, personal, self made..., Whatever | Leave a Comment »

Waves Cardigan

January 14, 2012 by Elli

Just a tiny short post to show of my finished cardigan:

Waves Cardigan

Isn’t it pretty?

I finished it yesterday and just love how it turned out. Also it fits perfectly. It will be fun to wear it over short sleeved shirts in spring. Right now it’s a little too chilly for that…

Anyway, I followed the pattern closely without doing any major changes. I only added a few rows to the main body of the cardigan to make it a little longer. I just love knitting top down, that way it’s so easy to determine how everything will look when it’s done. :D

The pattern, all needle/yarn details and more pics can as usual be found on rav:  http://ravel.me/aravis83/u06z2

Posted in knitting, pattern, personal, self made..., Whatever | Leave a Comment »

Books I’ve read in 2011

January 6, 2012 by Elli

2011 was quite a busy year where reading is concerned. I read 39 books and listened to 77 audiobooks. Of those 77 audiobooks only 16 were either commercial or non LibriVox recordings. The other 61 were Librivox recordings, for which I did the prooflistening.

Of the books I read the one I liked best probably was “Little Town on the Prairie” by Laura Ingalls Wilder (though I greatly enjoyed the rest of the series too). Also the “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins and the “Cazalet Chronicles” by Elizabeth Jane Howard were great.

The book I hated most was “3096 Days” by Natascha Kampusch. It’s badly written and badly translated (I tried the German and the English version). Everything sounds terribly artificial and very much like the author is trying way too hard to try to convince everybody that her story is true…

Anyway here is the list of books I read:

1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
3. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
4. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
5. The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman
6. By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
7. The Apple Stone by Nicholas Stuart Gray: audiobook. LOVED it!!!!
8. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
9. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
10. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
11. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright: audiobook
12. Pu der Bär by A.A. Milne
13. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
14. Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
15. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
16. The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
17. Das Wunder von Narnia by C.S. Lewis
18. Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright: audiobook
19. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
20. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
21. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
22. Half Magic by Edward Eage: audiobook
23. Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid
24. Ramona Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
25. The Secret Garden by F. H. Burnett
26. Ramona and her mother by Beverly Cleary
27. Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary
28. Ramona’ World by Beverly Cleary
29. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer (commercial audiobook)
30. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (commercial audiobook)
31. The Passage by Justin Cronin
32. Marking time by Elizabeth Howard
33. The Adventures of Sally by P.G.Wodehouse (LV recording)
34. Charlie und die Schokoladenfabrik by Roald Dahl
35. Brat Farrer by Josephine Tey
36. Frei ist nur der Blick zum Himmel by Sandra Gregory
37. Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (commercial audiobook)
38. Da waren es nur noch neun by Agatha Christie (commercial audiobook)
39. Heidi by Johanna Spyri (LV recording)
40. Trick of the Dark by Val Mc Dermid
(Michel aus Lönneberg by Astrid Lindgren: picture book)
(Der alte, der junge und der keine Stanislaus by Vera Ferra Mikura: picture book)
41. Marked by P.C and Kristin Cast (commercial audiobook)
42. Superfudge by Jody Blume (commercial audiobook)
43. Der stumme Schrei by Hilda Lawrence (commercial audiobook)
44. Wolfskind: Die unglaubliche Lebensgeschichte des ostpreußischen Mädchens Liesabeth Otto von Ingeborg Jacobs
45. A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard
46. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
47. Die Welle by Morton Rhue (commercial audiobook)
48. Der Herr der Ringe by J. R. R. Tolkien (commercial audiobook)
49. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
50. Ramona and her father by Beverly Cleary
51. Room by Emma Donoghue
(Guck mal, Madita! Es schneit! by Astrid Lindgren: picture book)
(Na klar, Lotta kann Rad fahren by Astrid Lindgren: picture book)
(Weihnachten in Bullerbü by Astrid Lindgren: picture book)
(Die Heinzelmännchen von Köln by August Kopisch: picture book)
52. Der König von Narnia by C.S. Lewis
53. 3096 Days by Natasche Kampusch: HATED it!
54. Confusion by Elizabeth Jane Howard
55. Reckless by Cornelia Funke (commercial audiobook)

If you are interested to see what I listened to, here is the full list including all LV recordings: https://forum.librivox.org/viewtopic.php?p=553871#p553871

Posted in Books, personal, Whatever | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

LibriVox Christmas Carol Collection 2011

December 21, 2011 by Elli

In perfect time for Christmas this year’s LibriVox Christmas Carol Collection is now in the catalog and ready to be downloaded. It consists of 25 wonderful carols in several different languages. As I’m not very good when it comes to summaries, here is what the official catalog page says about it:

LibriVox volunteers bring you this year’s selection of 25 sacred and secular carols and Christmas songs, in English, German and Latin

As I’m about as musical as a teaspoon, I only did the prooflistening… and read the intro/outro for mum’s contribution. She chose the song “Es wird scho glei dumpa”, a lovely carol in German dialect and one of her favorites:

Here is the whole awesome collection. Hope you enjoy listening as much as I did! :D

http://librivox.org/christmas-carol-collection-2011-by-various/

Posted in audio, LibriVox, personal, self made..., Whatever | Leave a Comment »

The Little Mud-Sparrows

December 9, 2011 by Elli

Just a tiny post to tell you all about the beautiful poem I recorded last weekend for the fortnightly poetry collection at LibriVox. The poem is called “The Little Mud-Sparrows” by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps. (taken from CHRISTMAS IN LEGEND AND STORY; A Book for Boys and Girls, complied by Elva S. Smith, Carnegie Library Pittsburgh and Alice I. Hazeltine)

Here is the poem and my version of it:

A Jewish Legend

I like that old, kind legend
Not found in Holy Writ,
And wish that John or Matthew
Had made Bible out of it.

But though it is not Gospel,
There is no law to hold
The heart from growing better
That hears the story told:—

How the little Jewish children
Upon a summer day,
Went down across the meadows
With the Child Christ to play.

And in the gold-green valley,
Where low the reed-grass lay,
They made them mock mud-sparrows
Out of the meadow clay.

So, when these all were fashioned,
And ranged in rows about,
“Now,” said the little Jesus,
“We’ll let the birds fly out.”

Then all the happy children
Did call, and coax, and cry—
Each to his own mud-sparrow:
“Fly, as I bid you! Fly!”

But earthen were the sparrows,
And earth they did remain,
Though loud the Jewish children
Cried out, and cried again.

Except the one bird only
The little Lord Christ made;
The earth that owned Him Master,
—His earth heard and obeyed.

Softly He leaned and whispered:
“Fly up to Heaven! Fly!”
And swift, His little sparrow
Went soaring to the sky,

And silent, all the children
Stood, awestruck, looking on,
Till, deep into the heavens,
The bird of earth had gone.

I like to think, for playmate
We have the Lord Christ still,
And that still above our weakness
He works His mighty will,

That all our little playthings
Of earthen hopes and joys
Shall be, by His commandment,
Changed into heavenly toys.

Our souls are like the sparrows
Imprisoned in the clay,
Bless Him who came to give them wings
Upon a Christmas Day!

Isn’t it simply beautiful? If you feel like recording is, the project is still open and can be found here: https://forum.librivox.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=37121

 

Posted in audio, Books, LibriVox, personal, Whatever | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.