Hiking in Elm

I went hiking today with one of my oldest friends. I met Annette in gymnasium, when we were both 14 years old and we have been friends ever since. We were really close while going to school for 4.5 years, then we spent a lot of weekends together and travelled all over Europe. After school we met occasionally until I started working at the same school and we'd see each other twice every week again. I only stayed at that school for about half a year and then we didn't see each other that much anymore, but we always knew what we were up to thanks to facebook and the occasional email or even letter (we used to write soo many letters to each other when we were teenagers ;-). We started hanging out again last winter and now we go dancing or as you can see hiking. I am really proud that we are still friends after all this time.

We took the postauto from Elm to Obererbs and then walked back on the Höhenweg. It's an easy hike with a great view, perfect to talk, take pictures and just enjoy the mountains.

We didn't feel like walking down (it was quite hot and muggy today) nor did we want to talk a cable car to the bottom of the valley, especially because there was a much more interesting way to get back down. It was fast (kind of, we braked a lot) and lots of fun ;-)

Finished Object: Airflow

Pattern: Airflow by Justyna Lorkowska
Yarn: Madelinetosh Merino Light
Colour: Moonstone
Needles: 3.5mm and 3.75mm Round Needles
Start of project: April 15th, 2016
End of project: May 13th, 2016

On Ravelry

For this year's TTTKal I didn't really have a plan at first. I knew I didn't want another tshirt because the two shirts I knit last year (Waterlily and Gemini) don't get a lot of wear. They are both beautiful patterns and I like how they turned out, but I don't like wearing them on bare skin. I want to be able to wash a shirt as soon as I've worn it and that's just very complicated with handknits. I started wearing them over 3/4 shirts in spring which worked out fine but it's still not ideal. I decided a light cardigan or a shrug would probably be more practical, because these are always worn on top of something else.

When I saw Airflow I liked it right away. I have used Madelinetosh Merino Light before (for my Hitofude) and it's lovely to work with and keeps well. I wanted something neutral that would go with a lot of my other clothes so I decided to go with grey. In the yarn shops close by I found the colour Moonstone which looked lovely. It is grey with a hint of purple and light blue, really beautiful indeed. I looked through other people's pattern pages and read a lot about rolling edges because of the stockinette collar. In one project the knitter used a garter stitch collar and I liked both the look and the effect of it so I decided to modify it like that as well.

I had planned to start knitting my Airflow during the Stitching Retreat but the beginnig together with the modifications turned out to be too fiddly to do while talking at the same time. I started again at home, while dreaming about our upcoming holiday to Cyprus. The way this pattern is written is actually really interesting and I am glad I took my time with it. I knit a little bit during my first Knit'n'Sip and then I packed everything in my handluggage and continued knitting during both flights to Cyprus.

In Cyprus I got a great deal done. Sitting in the sunshine, enjoying the warm temperatures and a cup of tea and just knitting was the perfect way to wind down after a really stressful time at school. I especially cherished the early morning when it was just me and a lot of tranquility.

By the end of our week I'd split the body from the sleeves and had reached the bottom of the body. I decided to do the hem in garter stitch as well. I wasn't sure about the length, it seemed a bit short but I really wanted to have a first version done because I needed some project photos next to the sea ;-)

I started the sleeves during our flight back home and finished the second one during another Knit'n'Sip. When I tried it on, I was happy with a lot of it, the garter stitch collar and hem go great together and there is no rolling at all. I love the subtle eyelets that go down each front, the yarn and the colour are great but the length could be improved. It was slightly short in the back and too wavey because I'd added additional increases and I didn't like the way it looked in the front yet. So I went back almost a whole skein and started the bottom again.

I was a bit scared it would not work out because the yarn was all wavey from the frogging but I hoped for the magic of blocking. On Sunday it was blocked and dry and it looked just the way I had imagined. Fortunately I had a coffee date with my friend Silvia planned, so I asked her if she could take a couple of photos for me.

So for once I am not standing in front of the same old wall next to our parking lot but you actually get to see a glimpse of Zürich (the Schanzengraben, a medieval moat around the old part of Zürich).

After we'd taken the photos we had coffee and cake at Babu's (a new to me coffee shop that I totally liked), then we walked through the old botanical garden and along the Schanzengraben to the lake and had a look at all that water that was rushing down after the rain the last few days. We observed some fishermen having a relaxed time on the water (I don't think their goal was to catch anything) and then we strolled back along the Limmat and over the newly renovated Fraumünsterplatz to the main station. Such a lovely afternoon and during all that time my new cardigan felt totally comfortable and light.

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Sometimes it takes so little for it to be perfect. A hot day, the need for a cool down, an idea and a message on the phone.

Thanks to Tobi I went swimming in the Türlersee (a little lake 20 minutes by car outside Zürich) at 7:30pm today and it felt like a holiday.

Swimming after such a hot day was wonderful. The water felt like silk with this really warm layer on top but underneath these 20 centimetres you could feel the freshness and the cold.

The bath was still busy but not crowded anymore and the sun was gentle instead of hot.

On the way back we turned up the stereo and listened to Freddy Mercury and Montserrat Caballé and then just to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody (while mocking Kanye West's cover version). Just before we crossed the city limits we saw a fox leisurely taking an evening stroll, making these two hours even more magical.