Aldeias do Xisto, Lousã

During our Easter break last month we spent a few days in this part of Portugal. We'd never been here, so it was a really nice surprise.
Our main purpose was to visit a few of the Aldeias do Xisto, beautiful restored villages with traditional houses made of schist. Apparently there are 24 of them in this region, but we only managed to visit 4: Talasnal, Casal Novo, Chiqueiro and Gondramaz. My favourite was Talasnal (wilder and more rustic) but Gondramaz was definitely the most beautifully restored one.

Talasnal













Chiqueiro



Gondramaz





We stayed in Lousã, at this place, which was nice but a bit overrated.



Their restaurant is quite good, although not as good as this one here, where the food was outstanding to say the least (and huge servings too). The restaurant is outside of the city, up near the castle and the ermida (and the fluvial beach) and it's worth making a reservation ahead. We didn't, so had to wait around for an hour or so, which gaves us the opportunity to explore the surrounding area.

Restaurant "O Burgo"





Ermida da Srª da Piedade









And if you feel like having a nice cup of tea and yummy cake, a lovely place is the Casa de Chá "Solar do Adro", located right next to the church downtown. I also suggest the Pastelaria S. Silvestre for purchasing some traditional pastries to take home (can't remember the name now but we got some amazing ones made of chestnuts and honey)

Igreja da Matriz


Casa de chá "O solar do Adro"




More photos at Flickr here

strawberry picking ...

This is what we were doing last weekend ...

This weekend is not so nice (it's actually raining outside right now) so I started a new knitting project - the first one for spring/summer - in the color of strawberries instead.



The hectic project at work seems to have slowed down a bit so I think I'll actually have some time for crafts and blogging again (and I have a bunch of photos to post from our short break over Easter as well ...)

Minimalist cardi

I've been meaning to knit this since last year, then changed my mind because I didn't think the style would suit me. But after I got this lavender yarn some months ago I started re-thinking that idea and finally decided it would be a nice match.

The yarn was a dream to knit with (I'm sure it's going to pill terribly after some use, but it's so soft right now I don't care) and the pattern is quite straightforward and easy. The final result is not too bad, not something I'm crazy about but I like to dress in layers so it fits perfectly into my wardrobe.




Pattern: Minimalist cardigan, by Ruthie Nussbaum (from Interweave Knit Fall 2007)
Yarn: Debbie Blish Cashmerino (9 skeins)
Needles: 4 mm
Size: 34 ''


Changes: Not many. Just lengthened the body by an inch or so (it lenghtened even more after blocking), and didn't make the sleeve increases. And if I'd ever do this again I would probably add some slight waist shaping .

Amelia

Hello ... Still here, but time has been short. Can't wait for this project to roll out, so I won't have to travel back and forth so often. And I've finished Amelia, which I must say turned out much better than I hoped.



Pattern: Amelia, by Laura Chau, available at Knitty
Yarn: Handpaintedyarn.com DK in Purple Charm (3 skeins)
Needles: 4.5 mm
Size: 30

Changes: Just added a bit of length to body and sleeves, otherwise followed the pattern exactly.

blues, greens and purples ...

Sorry about the lack of recent posts on this blog, but my current project at work has been taking me to Madrid every week so it's a bit difficult to find the time for any decent posting lately. I've been so tired when I get back that all I have the energy to do is curl up on the sofa with A. and the cats.

Still, last weekend I managed to finish some really old WIPs I had laying around since early last year. A couple of scarves which I don't think I'll get to use this season - it's not that cold anymore - but definitely next winter.

The blue Irish Hiking Scarf is probably the first cable project I started, and the other one is already a favorite because a) I love the pattern's name, and b) the yarn is one of the softest I've ever worked with.



Pattern: Holding hands, feeding ducks, by A Time to Knit (blog)
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend (color 7325)
Needles: 4.5 mm





Pattern: Irish Hiking Scarf, by Adrian Bizilia
Yarn: Rosários 4 Catitano
Needles: 5 mm



It feels nice to finally finish projects that have been around for such a long time. Now if only I could find the motivation to finish the 3 or 4 pairs of socks I started since last summer ...

On the other hand, starting new cardigans is never a problem. And coincidence or not, my current WIPs are all purple (Isabel, nem uma peça vermelha desta vez ;)



A minimalist cardigan, in some Debbie Blish Cashmerino Aran ...



An Amelia cardie, in Handpaintedyarn.com DK yarn (purple charm colorway)



Love the book, haven't seen the movie yet but had to knit this. It's the lovely Coraline, which I started months ago but it's with such small needles it's going to take me a looong time to finish.



Finally, the Twiggy tunic. I didn't have enough yarn for the sleeves, so this was a quick knit and has actually been finished already, but I don't like the end result - it's too long and something is just not right with the neckline - so I need to frog the top part and decide what to do after ...

More news in a few weeks, when this project has calmed down (hopefully around Easter !)