2011 in 12 pictures

Time to look back at 2011 - one photo per month. Though looking back at 2011 it will be very difficult picking just one photo a month, it was an eventful year, quite a bad one, crap galore even, but when I see it in a distance like this I'm grateful for all the fun and good times that managed to sneak in there regularly too.

I'm afraid there won't be any short, witty underline - I have to say I kind of liked what I did with this last year, but today I'm not feeling very inspired or witty, well, one can't be every day, that would be quite exhausting, photos please ~

January - was a very, very crafty month, I finished many little projects (two of them were the extralong magical socks in top picture) and I discovered the art and beauty of amigurumi. One might say I got hooked on it, addicted even. But also painfully aware about amigurumi crocheting being quite hard on the hands... Before that revelation I did finish many a Swedish princess cake - and loved it.

February - on Valentine's day I began a new phase in my life, one I had such high hopes would lead to a job that I loved. After week one I had mixed feelings, but tried to keep a positive mind about it. The next six months were hard and pretty awful, I saw a part of Swedish labour market politics I'm very ashamed of - and I'm not even in any way responsible for it - and completely, utterly and wholeheartedly hate. It's degrading, patronizing and abusive (and still very much a reality for many thousands of unfortunate people in Sweden). On day one I discovered this precious painting always visible on a wall nearby my desk. It was heartwarming, thus quite the opposite of what the next six months spent at that place would be.

In February I also got my first two bobbaloos, Kismet and Jojo. They have since been followed by many, many, many... And they've brought much joy and giggles into my life.

And my first pair of transformer goggles.

March - The World According to Pia was named a Google Blog of Note, needless to say it was quite a wonderful thing. I got a load of new, lovely readers and I'm still quite happy and proud about it all. With it also came rather a bit of (self-imposed) demands of being inventive, witty, new, shiny and fabulous every.single.day. When the first rush (on many levels) petered out it was rather a relief and it gave me food for thought about blogging and why I do it...

I wrote a few Q&A posts on Sweden - one, two, three and I still have one to go, questions unanswered, life got in between, sorry...

There were three little pigs, I bought my first shoes that year and last but not least, had my first root-filling ever (thanks to the phase in my life that begun in February, see above). That would be followed by several more throughout the year, causing pain on many levels.

April - finally spring came! It had been a tough winter, almost six months of heavy snow covered grounds. And there was the curious incident with the cat (and bobbaloos) in the daytime. There was Easter weekend - my favourite holiday! - the second pair of shoes that year entered my life, and what a wonderful pair it was. And Chubs with friends arrived.

And then there was sorrow, unexpectedly and suddenly the curious cat above, Knut, passed away. I haven't written about this before, partly because I felt ashamed, being in a vortex of crap at that time I didn't pay attention to him not being well, for real. It had been such a hard winter for us all, we were all a bit worn and weary after that. I just didn't realise, I'm so sorry.

When summer had come and gone his demise would be followed by both his sister - the apple of my eye - and his mother (old age). I didn't know that at the time of course. But sorrow has a strange tendency to come in three. I hope you are all well and safe in another world, 2012 will be a lesser year without you.

May - despite it being the prettiest time of the year, after Easter I got a nasty cold and most of May I spent with a sore throat and feeling tired to the bone (as in the picture above). But then I went to see my Dr Feist and only seeing her make things alright somehow.

I was pleased about the lotsa pocket dress - that in that cotton way shrunk in laundry I sadly discoevred later that year - I discovered the stem gem, the Pippi pattern and my life continued to be a conundrum.

June - began with a long, glorious weekend and fantastic weather, there was a lovely afternoon tea, a strawberry shirt, a new garden, dotty glasses, the bobbaloos first midsummer, I took part in an art exhibition - the photo of it above will be the symbol of June -  we planned for Berlin again, there was the season's first hedgehog and I picked up the pink splint (which was a great jaw tension relief at first, but I'm so happy I haven't had any use for it for months now *touch would*). Looking through old blogposts, I think that overall it was a decent month with great weather.

July - we had another fantastic trip to Berlin, one highlight was the climbing of Siegessäule, one small step for mankind, one great victory for me. Bobbaloos came along for the journey and we had an awesome time together.

Back home there were several sweet hedgehogs in garden, one of them three-legged. And human tragedy stroke in Norway.

August - vacation time over and for a day I thought I had found a rather neat job. The feeling lasted a day and then one of the worst months in my life followed. And I lost Eulalia. It was a month of many tears.

At the end of the month, the concert with Bryan Ferry was magical. And we picked flowers saying goodbye to summer.

September - I realised there was such a thing as a bobbaloo gaggle effect and that they can take the shape of a magical bouquet. I crocheted perky pot holders, celebrated the 6th blogoversary, drank many cups of wonderful tea, met a big yellow bunny and wore tofu socks. It was a month of many hours of soul searching and finally I saw a light.

And it was a month that was rounded off with my first published book. Which promptly got to be a Staff picks on the front page. I was.so.happy.

October - was and is my month. I got me a new cap, went to see the Nick Brandt exhibition at Fotografiska - and cried my eyes out - found the T-sac, finished a good book, went on a birthday trip - which included seeing many castles - and felt more in balance than I'd been in a long, long time. It was a good month - even if, granted, I unfortunately got to rekindle with a bad calcaneal spur when on birthday trip and have been dealing with it ever since.

November - the temperatures continued to be alarmingly strange and mild for the season, had my last root filling, prepared for my new life. I met two new friends, had many more cups of wonderful tea and great talks, did some fine food shopping, made raw vegan ice cream - that tasted fabulous - finished and embroidered two pairs of rather fine socks, continued to cry about mankind's neverending cruelty towards other species, baked lots of different cookies, finished the Luddkolt's new website, made many week-lists to keep me on track. It was a busy and good month.

December - continued to be unseasonably warm, much anticipated kittens arrived - unfortunately not without worries and sleeplessness - I won three months in the annual calendar photo competition and the kittens were alright, Ztina and Zigne.

Goodbye 2011, your brought lots of worries, heartache and sorrow. But thank you for the sunshine and good times in between.