hobbies and passions

Strikkejakker for små tvillinger

2012-01-29T13:29:00.002+01:00

Det er lenge siden siste blogginlegg, men strikkepinnene har stort sett vært i aksjon i større eller mindre grad siden sist. Det har resultert i et par ferdige (små)prosjekter, og et par fortsatt uferdige ting. Noe av det jeg har klart å få ferdig var to babyjakker som skulle være velkomstgave for tvillingene en god venninne av meg ventet. Jeg startet i god tid, og skulle strikke både jakke og bukse, men buksen ble fullstendig mislykket. Jeg aner fortsatt ikke hvordan det ble som det ble, men pent ble det ikke. Tvillingene ble født lenge før termin, og dermed ble gaven forsinket... og litt mer forsinket... og ennå mer forsinket. Jeg fikk endelig sendt den avgårde før jul, litt smånervøs for at det skulle være for smått, men det var det heldigvis ikke. Det var faktisk fortsatt litt for stort, så da er det bare å vente på at gullungene vokser seg store nok.

Jakkene er strikket i Abuelita 3-tråds tynn merino fra Pickles, etter oppskrift fra dette Sandnes-heftet. Dette garnet er kanskje min nye favoritt til babystrikk - det er mykt og deilig og godt å strikke med, og kommer i mange fine farger. Savner vel kanskje noen litt mer duse farger for "mykere" inntrykk, men så langt har det ikke vært noe problem å finne fine farger likevel. Fargene på bildene lyger litt. Den ene er i hvitt og en nydelig litt mørk grønn farge, den som heter "Oljegrønn", mens den andre er en dyp lilla med litt rødskjær, den som heter "Advent". På bildene ser de nesten like ut, men det er de altså ikke. Skylder på dårlig kamera denne gangen - vi har savnet laderen til speilrefleksbatteriet siden mai ifjor, og hadde kun mobilkamera da jeg skulle ta bildene her.

Sjal med hullmønster

2011-03-05T11:38:00.002+01:00

Dette sjalet har vært på pinnene siden i høst, og har blitt liggende urørt i lange perioder. Det begynte som et ønske fra en bekjent på et tubeskjerf med ca mål 55cmx 160cm, noe som også er målene for dette sjalet/skjerfet. Det er strikket i Faerytale fra Du Store Alpakka på pinne 5. Det er foreløpig ikke sydd sammen i endene - jeg synes det fungerer fint som et vanlig sjal også - men det blir naturligvis opp til mottaker å bestemme hvordan hun helst vil ha det. Jeg er fornøyd med resultatet - mønsteret ble fint, og det er mykt og lunt, og ikke for tykt.

This scarf or shawl started as a wish from a friend, based on modifications from something else I've made. I started months ago, and this project has been resting in long periods when I ran out of yarn and worked on other projects. It's finally finished - only thing left is to attach the two ends together to make it a "ring" - if the recipient still wants that. Time will show if this ends up where it was intended or not, but in any case it's a nice, warm and soft scarf/shawl. It's about 55cm x 160cm, and knitted on needle 5 in Faerytale from Du Store Alpakka.

Dekorerte stearinlys

2011-02-25T22:53:00.001+01:00

I høst lærte jeg hvordan man dekorer stearinlys selv med decoupage-teknikk. Det ble blant annet noen julegaver og andre gaver av det, og her er en av variantene. Disse lysene er sånn "middels" store, og da synes jeg de gjør seg best i par. Jeg var veldig fornøyd med resultatet her, og hadde tenkt å lage noen sånne til meg selv også. Dette var i den mørkeste tiden rundt juletider, men jeg har fortsatt ikke somlet meg til å gjøre det... og nå er jo våren snart i anmarsj og behovet for stearinlys minker betraktelig. Men - i forrige uke fant jeg noen rosa servietter på butikken som nærmest ropte om å få bli med hjem - og det er ikke umulig det blir et par stearinlys med rosa og grå striper og blomster før det blir sommer... Fikk sånt innfall at jeg ville ha en liten dæsj rosa hjemme, men foreløpig ligger de pent i en skuff og venter på å bli funnet fram igjen... Døgnet har rett og slett altfor få timer, og det er altfor mange fine ideer og intensjoner som forblir bare med tanken!

Last autumn I learnt how to decorate candles using decoupage-techniques. The result was a few christmas gifts and other gifts, and this is one of the candle-pairs I made. These candles are "midsize" - and I prefer to keep them as pairs when I decorate them. I was really happy with the result here, and I was planning to make a similar pair for myself, but that was around Christmas, and now that it'll soon be spring the need for candles is a lot less prominent. However - last week I stumbled upon a pack of pink serviettes in the shop, and I just had to answer to their call asking to come home with me ;) I got this idea I wanted a tiny bit of pink around in the house, and I planned to make a candle-pair with pink and grey stripes and flowers, but the pink pack is still in a drawer waiting to see daylight againn... The days just don't have enough hours, and far too many ideas and plans end up being just plans!

Endelig lue!

2011-01-27T22:36:00.001+01:00

Her i huset har hverdagen tatt overhånd, tid til håndarbeid har skrumpet kraftig inn, og bloggen har blitt liggende brakk lenge. Jeg tør ikke love jevnlige oppdateringer fremover heller, men jeg skal prøve å få laget poster med noen småprosjekter jeg tross alt har fått tid til innimellom – litt er som kjent bedre enn ingenting.

Først ut kommer en lue – eller rettere sagt to. Min kjære mamma ønsket seg en svart lue til jul, og jeg planla lenge at det måtte jeg da kunne strikke selv.. Vel – jeg gjorde det – rakk det såvidt – begynte et par dager før jul og festet siste tråd lillejulaften om kvelden...

Jeg hadde først tenkt å finne en oppskrift på nettet, men fant ingen jeg tenkte var helt ”mamma”, så jeg tenkte å lage en selv... Begynte friskt og freidig på bråtet – vrangbord med 2r og 2vr, men da jeg kom så langt at den var lang nok til å bli brettet dobbelt bestemte jeg meg for å følge resten av en oppskrift på selve luen. Jeg valgte å bruke en oppskrift fra G-Anette – ”Isipisi-lue", og ble veldig fornøyd. Mor ble fornøyd med gaven, og jeg ble så fornøyd med produktet at jeg måtte strikke en til meg selv også... men denne gangen fulgte jeg G-Anette sin oppskrift fra starten. Jeg gjorde den nok kanskje litt kortere enn på bildet hennes, så den sitter helt på hodet uten noen ”pose” bak, men det var akkurat sånn jeg ville ha den – helt super! Tusen takk til G-Anette for deling av oppskriften!

After the summer, everyday life finally caught up with me; I’ve got much less time for handcrafts, and my blog has remained untouched for quite a while. I can’t promise any frequent updates in the time to come either, but I will try to post photos and descriptions of the few projects I actually have had time to complete...

First now is a hat – or in more correct terms – two hats. My dear mum wished for Santa to bring her a black knitted hat, and of course I wanted to make it myself instead of buying it. I did indeed finish it on time, – I wove in the last end 23rd of December late in the evening (remember in Norway we celebrate Christmas on the 24ths... )

I looked for a nice pattern on the internet, but didn’t find anything that I thought was exactly mum’s style, so I decided to design one myself... However, I gave up that project after making the thick ”border” long enough, and continued the rest of the hat using the pattern ”Isipisi-lue” from G-Anette. I was really happy with the result, and decided to make one for myself too... This time I followed the pattern from the start – only difference was that it fits quite tightly on the head – not even a little hint of ”baggyness” – just like I wanted it!

Mobil-pose

2010-11-08T22:08:00.001+01:00

Jeg liker ikke riper i mobilen, og er flittig bruker av hjemmelaget etui til mobiltelefonen. Da jeg nylig fikk ny jobbtelefon laget jeg etui til den også - i nytt "design" og variant. Denne ble jeg veldig fornøyd med noen ting på, mens jeg savnet noe fra den "gamle" versjonen. Dermed måtte jeg jo bare sette igang med en til, og her er resultatet. Målene er ca 7cm x 13.5cm, og den kan nok strekkes litt i begge retninger etter behov.

Blir nok et par til etterhvert som jeg finner tid innimellom alt det andre som fyller dagene mine... for disse tenker jeg er supre å ha på lur til impulsgaver, eller for salg om anledningen byr seg :)

I really don't like getting scratches on my mobile phone, and I'm always using my own homemade mobile phone pouch. It's kept my phone nice and clean for almost four years now - and I can't do without it. When I got a new mobile phone for work I made a similar pouch, but with a different design. I really liked some things about it, but it also had some weaknesses. The result was that I just had to make another, improved version, and here's the result. The pouch measures around 7cm x 13.5cm, and can probably be stretched a bit in both directions if needed. I'll probably make a few more of these when I find time for it - I'm sure these will turn handy as gifts, or maybe even for sale if the occasion presents itself :)

Toulouse - la ville rose

2010-10-21T23:10:00.001+02:00

Jeg har vært ute på tur igjen, denne gangen i Toulouse i Sør-Frankrike - en by jeg har blitt veldig glad i. Også denne gangen var kameraet med - og jeg prøver fortsatt å knekke "fotokoden". Er nok blitt litt mer "bevisst" på valg av motiv og innstillinger, uten at det betyr at resultatene nødvendigvis blir så mye bedre... Men jeg fortsetter å øve meg, og koser meg med de få bildene jeg blir fornøyd med!

I've been travelling again, this time to Toulouse in the south of France - one of my favorite cities. As most times, my camera got to travel with me - and I'm still trying to crack the "photography code". I guess I am a bit more aware of both choice of motive and camera settings, but that does not necessarily mean the results improve... But I keep practicing, and enjoy the few photos I'm actually happy with!

Nye maskemarkører

2010-09-26T19:22:00.000+02:00

Etter at jeg endelig fikk bestilt litt perler og utstyr for å lage maskemarkører måtte jeg jo såklart lage noen flere. Jeg laget fire par i slengen, og det blir nok flere etterhvert - har fortsatt perler jeg ikke har "prøvd" ut ennå, og ideer til mange variasjoner... Blir nok en ny bestilling på mer perler etterhvert også, spesielt etter at jeg oppdaget hvor lett det plutselig var å lage fine øredobber selv. Maskemarkører er morsomt å lage, men det er litt begrenset hvor mange man trenger selv, så da er det greit å kunne bruke utstyret til litt annet også. Om disse markørene her går i min egen samling, til gaver, eller til salg på julemarked får vi nå se, men enn så lenge koser jeg med å lage dem!

After I finally got down to order the tools needed to make some more stitchmarkers, I made some new sets. I made four pairs that evening, and I'm sure I will make some more later - I still have beads I haven't tried out, and ideas for new combinations and variations. I'll probably order some more beads too, especially as it turned out to be fun and easy to make my own earrings. It's fun to make stitch markers, but there's a limit to how many I need for myself, which means it nice to be able to use the tools for something else too. Whether these stitch markers will end up in my own collection, as gifts or at a sales booth at a christmas market time will show. In the meantime - I'll probably make some more!

Selvlaget ørepynt

2010-09-24T15:04:00.000+02:00

Etter mitt første møte med verktøy for smykkelaging da jeg laget mine første maskemarkører i sommer ble jeg såpass inspirert at jeg etterhvert satte meg ned og bestilte litt perler og utstyr fra ebay. Igår fikk jeg endelig testet det ut, og det var gøy! Jeg kjøpte noen glasshjerter som bare måtte få bli til ørepynt, og heldigvis hadde jeg vett nok til å bestille noen sølvkroker til ørepynt i samme slengen. Jeg er strålende fornøyd med resultatet, og gleder meg til å bruke dem!

Jeg laget også fire sett maskemarkører - men jeg mangler gode bilder av noen av dem, så de må få et eget innlegg etterhvert når jeg har funnet ut av fototeknikken.

This summer I had my first go at using jewellery-making equipment, when I made my first stitch markers. I got very inspired by this, and ended up ordering some beads and bits and pieces for jewellery making from ebay. Yesterday I finally got to test it out, and it was a lot of fun! I had some glass heart-shaped beads that I just had to make into earrings, and luckily I remembered to order some silver hooks for earrings too, just in case... I'm very pleased with the result, only looking forwar to wearing them now!

I also made four sets of stitch markers, but I'm struggling to get good photos of them - they'll get their own post when I've got my photos sorted!

Blå Sheldon

2010-09-20T16:25:00.007+02:00

Endelig ble jeg ferdig med et prosjekt som har vært på "to do"-listen min lenge... Som vanlig ble den ferdig i siste liten, men nå er den gått i posten og på vei til sin nye eier - en herlig liten gutt som snart fyller år...

Sheldon the Turtle er en herlig liten maskot som jeg nå har laget for 2.gang... Jeg vet ikke om det blir så mange flere, for selv om den ikke er så vanskelig å lage, synes jeg den er ganske kronglete og putlete å lage, og montering av masse smådeler er ikke min favorittsyssel. Men når den først er ferdig er det helt klart verdt arbeidet, det bare skorter litt på motivasjonen underveis.

Sheldon fant jeg første gang oppskrift til på knitty.com, et supert nettsted for strikkeoppskrifter og strikketips.
Her finner dere oppskriften til Sheldon, og om dere vil gi ham egen garderobe, så finnes det litt å velge i der også om man ikke skulle være så kreativ selv. Han har til og med sin egen blogg med oppdateringer på nye mønstre!

Slenger inn et bilde av min første Sheldon også - var veldig fornøyd med den også - og den ble gave til en annen liten gutt som nå begynner å nærme seg 4 år... tiden flyr!

I have finally finished a project which has been on my "to do"-list for a long time... As usual it was finished just on time, but now it has been posted and is on the way to his new owner - a very fine young man who will soon celebrate his first birthday!

Sheldon the Turtle is a cute mascot I've made for the 2nd time now. I don't know if I'll make many more of these, as I find them quite time-cosuming and a bit tricky to make... sewing together small parts is not my favorite pass-time... But - as soon as it is done it's definately worth the hassle - I just struggle a bit with motivation when I'm working on the smaller parts.

I first found the pattern for Sheldon at knitty.com - a brilliant website for knitting patterns and instructions. You can find the pattern here, and if you'd like to give him a stylish wardrobe, then there should be something to choose between too. He even has his own blog with updates on new patterns!

Here's a picture of my first Sheldon too - I was very pleased with it, and he ended up as a gift to a small boy who will turn 4 in January - time's flying by!

Hils på familien Nøkkelpus

2010-09-16T16:51:00.004+02:00

For en stund siden spurte en god venninne om jeg kanskje ville bidra med noe som Dyrebeskyttelsen Drammen og Omland kunne få til utlodding eller salg. Jeg funderte litt på hva jeg kunne finne på, og endte til slutt opp med å prøve meg på noen heklete puser til nøkkelhanker. Jeg laget min egen oppskrift, og siden det tar litt prøving og feiling før man finner det "riktige" ble resultatet en fargerik familie på 4:

A while ago a very good friend of mine asked me if I wanted to donate something handmade for the animal care organisation in her hometown, Dyrebeskyttelsen Drammen og Omland. After thinking a bit while finishing some other projects, I decided to try out some crocheted cats for keyrings. I made my own pattern, and as it takes some trial and error to get things "just right", the result was a colourful family of 4.

Humlen og Blomsten

2010-08-03T00:58:00.002+02:00

For rundt et år siden kjøpte jeg speilreflekskamera. Greit nok er det laveste modell i Canon-utvalget, men jeg kan nok ikke skylde på kameraet når det ikke blir bra bilder. Nå er det ferietid, og jeg har tid til å lese litt om foto, prøve og feile, og beskjære bilder. Jeg øver meg på å ta bilder, rett og slett.

Idag var jeg en tur i Botanisk Hage i Oslo, og dro fram kameraet. Minst halvparten av bildene var av blomster og humler, og selv om noen var feilfokusert og andre utbrente, så ble da noen ganske ok til meg å være.
Jeg er fortsatt nybegynner og har mye å lære til og med av "basis" fotokunnskaper, men man lærer av sine feil, og når jeg sitter og ser på bilder og tenker "her er feil utsnitt" og "jeg skulle ha eksponert mer eller mindre" så er det egentlig ganske motiverende. Etter råd fra eksperter har jeg nå begynt å skyte (som det visstnok heter på fagspråket) i RAW-format også, så noen ting kan man jo fikse på bare man får satt meg inn i hvordan man gjør det. Jeg fortsetter å øve meg videre, og da er blomster, med eller uten humler ganske takknemlige motiver å øve seg på.

Just over a year ago I bought a digital SLR camera. Although I did get the lowest camera in the Canon SLR range, I still can't blame the camera when my photos don't turn out great... It's vacation-time, and I finally have some time to read, test out and crop photos to experiment. Simply said - I'm practicing taking photos.

Today I went for a walk in the Botanical Garden in Oslo, and of course - brought my camera. At least half of the photos I took was of flowers and bumblebees, and even if some had wrong focus and others burnt out, some of the remaining photos turned out pretty decent for being me. I am still a beginner when it comes to photography, and I have a lot to learn even of basis photography tricks, but I learn from my mistakes. When I look at photos I've taken and I think "this is the wrong position" or "I should have had more or less exposure" I find it pretty motivating - it means I might improve next time! After advice from my expert friends I've now started to shoot (it appears that's the proper term ) in RAW format, meaning that some things I might be able to correct later, as soon as I find out how to do that with the appropriate tools. In any case, I keep practicing, and I find that flowers, with or without bumblebees, are good motives to practice on.

Maskemarkører

2010-07-23T22:32:00.005+02:00

Det nærmer seg ferietid, og årets ferieprosjekt er tunikaen som er vist i et tidligere innlegg. Til den trenger jeg maskemarkører, og jeg hadde bare en - i beste fall, ettersom jeg ikke er helt sikker på hvor jeg har den... Jeg har pleid å bruke tråder i en kontrastfarge, men innbiller meg at det er lettere å holde styr på noe man trer inn på pinnen...
Inspirert av G-Anette og diverse varianter av maskemarkører på Epla.no dro jeg på en aldri så liten workshop hos en venninne, og kom hjem med to sett med fem markører. Dvs - fem markører + en sjette med karabinkrok som til vanlig kan holde de andre sammen, men som også kan brukes som markør man hekter innpå masken.
Jeg ble kjempefornøyd med resultatet, og det blir neppe de siste jeg lager - dette var gøy!

It is soon holiday time, and this years vacation knitting will be the tunic shown in a previous post. For this I need stitch markers, and I only had one - at best, as I'm not entirely sure where it is right now... The few times I've needed stitch markers I've only used bits of yarn in a contrast colour, but I imagine it must be easier to deal with markers kept on the needles...

Inspired by G-Anette and various sellers on Epla.no I went for a small "workshop" at my friend's place, and returned home with two sets of five stitchmarkers. Or - to be exact - five + one, as there's a sixth marker with a carabina clasp on, holding the other five together, but which can also be used to mark a stitch.

I am very pleased with the result, and it will not be the last time I make these - this was fun!

Candles with a personal touch

2010-07-19T23:24:00.005+02:00

eg har lenge hatt lyst til å lære meg teknikken med å dekorere kubbelys selv. Jeg har lest på nettet hvordan folk gjør det, men mitt første forsøk selv ble sånn midt på treet - ok, men det var liksom ikke helt "rett". Men på fredag var jeg på "opplæring" hos en venninne - og plutselig går ting så meget bedre... Det er lett å bli litt "hekta" - er jo så mye fint man kan gjøre og ideene strømmer på...
Dette er også en super ting å gjøre på en "hobbykveld" - det var veldig koselig å sitte rundt bordet og prate og dekorere lys - og ikke minst er det alltid kjekt å lære nye hobbyteknikker!

For quite a while I have wanted to try out decorating candles, after reading about the technique online. My first attempt turned out ok, but not great, and I was not completely happy with it... But last friday a friend of mine taught me how to do it properly, and the result was much better... You can easily be a bit "hooked" on this - it's so much fun trying out new "designs" and there's just so many ideas that needs to be tried out...
This is also a very nice thing to do for a "hobby night" with friends - it's an easy and fun thing to do while chatting - and of course it is always nice to try out new hobbies and techniques!

New temptations

2010-07-14T11:53:00.006+02:00

To Damer har denne uken 30% rabatt på Sandnes Duett og Sandnes Mini Duett, begge 55% bomull og 45% ull... dermed ligger tilhørende oppskriftshefter på forsiden deres, og da måtte jeg jo bla i dem... og falt pladask for denne her (foto lånt fra Sandnesgarn.no):

Resultatet: en kjøretur til Askøy igår kveld, og 11 nøster Mini Duett pluss mønster fikk bli med hjem... Nå er ikke disse fargene helt min stil, så jeg har byttet fargepalett. Jeg både håper og tror dette blir bra! Det er mulig jeg må tilpasse mønsteret litt for at den skal sittte pent på meg, men det må jeg regne litt på før jeg begynner. Blir nok litt venting på dette prosjektet foreløpig - som vanlig har jeg noen andre ting jeg må gjøre noe med først :)

This week To Damer has Sandnes Duett and Sandnes Mini Duett cotton/wool-blend yarn on sale - 30% off. I had a look in the pattern booklet, and fell for this fairly simple tunic with a colourful pattern on the top and bottom. Result: last night I went to the shop, and returned with 11 balls of Sandnes Mini Duett - in 4 colours of my choice. The colours in the pattern are not really my style, so I went for something a bit "calmer". I hope it will turn out to be as nice as I think it will... I might have to recalculate part of the pattern to get the right "curve", as I (as most other women) do not have a "standard shape" that normally fits into standard sizes... But I'll do some measurements and calculations on that before I start, to make sure it's worth the effort!

As always - I have one or two other projects I have to finish before I start this one - but hopefully it won't have to wait too long!

Finally something new to post...

2010-07-06T21:21:00.001+02:00

I am not being very productive at the moment... at least not when it comes to actually finishing up project... I've been working on too many "small" projects now, and I am now looking forward to starting on a big project again - I'll soon cast on for the first sweater I'll be knitting for myself! That story is to be continued though...

I have just finished a project I've been having on my needles for quite a while, and on my "to do"-list even longer. The pattern is Toddler Moc-a-Soc by Bekah knits - very cute crossing of socks and shoes for small feet...
However - I tried to use a different yarn that was thinner than the yarn called for - and thus they don't keep the "shoe-shape" they seem to be supposed to. Can only blame myself for that, though... They are still very soft and cute, but if I am to make another pair of these at some point, I'll try to find a yarn closer to what the pattern calls for.

Babygift

2010-06-23T18:47:00.001+02:00

A very good colleague of mine had a son born on sunday. I wanted to make and give a small "something" - and here's the result: A pair of soft babysocks in Drops Alpaca.
The small darling will probably need a few months to grow into them, but at least they're all ready and gift is handed over!

Beautiful Cat-cards

2010-06-13T20:59:00.001+02:00

As I have nothing new to presents of my own, I'll this time show some greeting cards I've just bought.
Or... I've just ordered my second bundle... The cards are just so beautiful that I'd struggle to use any of them to give away...
They are just absolutely beautiful - even more so "in real" than on the photo!

The drawings are made by a very very talented lady, Hilde Bjørsvik, - and the prints are very clear and high-quality, in size A6. I really hope there will be more collections to come!

At the moment she sells this collection as a bundle of all 4 cards for 150kr + postage.
If you're interested, she can be contacted at noffine@hotmail.com.
There's only a limited number of prints available, so you better be quick...Happy shopping!

Crocheted slippers

2010-06-09T21:47:00.002+02:00

After finishing the blanket last week, I have now finished a small project: Crocheted slippers for a friend of mine.

I used pattern 113-32 Crochet slippers in "Eskimo", size 38/40, with colours 21 (blue/violet, 3 balls) and 30 (pink, 1 ball).

They are now ready for delivery - I hope my friend will like them!

Soft Wavy Baby Blanket

2010-06-04T22:18:00.000+02:00

Finally! The blanket I've been working on for quite a while is finally done! Just in time for the due date for the baby it is made for :)

The blanket is made from the pattern DROPS Blanket in wavy pattern in Alpaca. I used the Alpaca yarn called for, but chose different colours, as I had to keep it neutral - don't know yet whether it'll be for a girl or a boy... I am very pleased with the final product! :)

My own, personal labels!

2010-06-03T23:47:00.001+02:00

I present my new labels, which I will put on all my handmade items as a personal signature:

I ordered them from an Etsy seller, Jennifers Jewels, which I can definately recommend. Good customer service and great flexibility for the designs. I picked one of her many standard designs, but she'll print almost any design you may want. I ordered 90 labels, but as I ordered a much smaller size than the standard, I got almost twice that number. Again - I am very pleased with both the labels and the trade - and now they're all ready to be used!

A moment of weakness...

2010-06-03T11:39:00.002+02:00

My stock of yarn has generally seen more yarn coming in than going out. It's not like I have crazy amounts, but I have quite a few balls I've bought without any planned purpose, or I might have abandoned the original idea I had... especially if that was an idea from another weak moment...
The last few months at least I have been very organized, and only bought yarn that I had a safe plan for. I have yarn for a few projects all ready - and I don't really need any new yarn for quite a while...
But yesterday I had a weak moment and gave in to an urge for putting in an order for new yarn.

This time I've ordere 7 different colours in an Alpaca yarn from 123knit.com. I have never bought this yarn before, but I've seen it, and it's very light and soft. And - I do have a plan for it - if it works... that's still left to see...

For quite a while I've been dreaming of making a granny-square blanket for myself - and I'm now starting to get a fair idea of how I'd like it... Ideally I'd like it light, fairly thin and it HAS to be very soft - and that's why I'll give it a try using this Alpaca yarn...it may be too thin- and I may have to use it double - in which case the amount of yarn needed may be far off what I can afford spending on this kind of project - but I'll test out a few different designs and different needle thicknesses, and hopefully I'll find a way that works. I also had to get one of each of the colours I'm considering, so that I can get a proper idea of whether they go together or not, and how I'd like the blanket to be...

If it turns out that this yarn was a bad idea for the blanket, there will be plenty of smaller, cute projects I could use this yarn for - no way this yarn will stay unused in any case!

Give-Away hos En Liten Blanding Små Drops

2010-05-28T17:15:00.000+02:00

Linda har nå Give-Away i bloggen sin En Liten Blanding Små Drops.
Bloggen hennes oppdateres ofte med inspirerende ord og bilder - jeg koser meg hver gang jeg titter innom der!

Premien er et nydelig englemaskesjal - titt innom henne på linken over for å være med du også!

Earlier project show-off: Babywear

2010-05-10T13:06:00.002+02:00

As I haven't finished any new projects lately I'll use the occasion to present another project I did a while ago.
I knitted a set of babywear - jacket and trousers - for my friends' to-be-born baby, size 3 months to be sure it would at least fit for a while.

The to-be-mum picked out the pattern and colour herself - I found that to be quite a good solution, as I would then be sure she'd be happy with the result. I have to admit that I needed some help from mum to get the jacket sewn together and the zip nicely done - if I were to do that myself I'm pretty sure the little girl would never have had the occasion to wear this... next time I'll do it myself! (... at least I'll try.... )

I really liked this pattern, and it's not unlikely I'll make another one sometime if there's a suitable occasion...
The pattern called for Regia Silk baby yarn, which was also what I used - we even ended up using the colours from the suggestion in the pattern book... maybe I'll try a different version next time!

KattensSOS gryteunderlag (heat proof mat)

2010-04-24T18:06:00.006+02:00

KattensSOS er en veldedig dyrevelferdsorganisasjon basert på Helgeland, som i hovedsak jobber hardt for å gi hjemløse katter nye hjem. De er relativt nyoppstartet, men har allerede fått samlet en liten bunke suksesshistorier. Mer om KattensSOS og deres arbeid finner dere på nettsidene deres.

Når anledningen byr seg har de stand med salg av ulike håndlagde ting og puseleker til inntekt for organisasjonen. Jeg vil gjerne bidra litt også, men har fundert litt på hva jeg kunne lage... Jeg endte opp med at jeg ville prøve å strikke grytelapper med logoen på, og nå er første testversjon ferdig. Konklusjonen er klar - jeg kan IKKE lage de andre på denne måten - det tar altfor lang tid! Her er motivet sydd på med maskesting, så neste - og forhåpentligvis enklere - versjon blir å strikke mønsteret rett inn... fortsettelse følger!
Denne ble også i største laget for en grytelapp - så denne ble ekstra foret så det ble et solid gryteunderlag istedet, ca 25cm x 25cm .

This heat proof mat is a test product for some gifts for a sales-boot for the charity KattensSOS, who works with homeless cats. I wanted to make a potholder, but I thought the size (25cm x 25cm) was better for a heat proof mat. The technique I tried out now turned out to be far too timeconsuming, as the cats are sewn on after knitting the base, so next time I'll try a slightly smaller version, with the pattern in the knitting instead.

To be continued...

Knitted and feltet cat-basket, part II

2010-04-19T21:59:00.002+02:00

Some weeks ago I finished the second cat basket - matching the first one , but slightly larger - around 30cm in diameter (the first one was around 25 cm in diameter).

Apparently the new owners like this one too, and today I received some more photos of these beautiful cats in their new baskets. Two of them have apparently made their property of one each - but just as people they have their clear preferences... the smallest cat wants the largest basket, and the largest cat prefers to squeeze herself into the smallest one ;)

Crocheted granny-square baby blanket

2010-04-18T16:40:00.002+02:00

I finally finished the granny-square baby blanket I started on during the Easter holiday! As this was - and is - intended for a gift, and the baby was born 3 weeks ago, it was definately about time, too...

It turned out not to be as easy as it sounds to make all the squares the exact same size... I still hope that despite its lack of perfect geometry, the blanket is soft, warm, fresh-coloured and very suitable for a little girl.

The gift will be handed over tonight - I hope they'll like it!

Earlier project show-off: Blue Totoro

2010-04-16T10:34:00.000+02:00

In lack of any new projects to write about, I'll present an earlier project: the Blue Totoro amigurumi I made for my boyfriend's niece for Christmas. She's very into dolls and teddys, and when I asked her mother if there was anything I could make that she'd like, that was the obvious answer. I went on the hunt for a suitable pattern - I wanted something cute but not too complicated - after all it was my first ever crocheted amigurumi - and it had to be a decent size - keyring-size-amigurumis are very cute, but not really what I wanted to make this time...

I stumbled across the pattern for this Blue Totoro posted by Heaven's Hellcat, and I just loved it... I kept looking a bit more for others, as Totoro is not a known "character" for the children today, but although I found many very cute alternatives, I kept coming back to this one... and this was the result:

The gift was very well received, and I was pleased with the result myself too, considering it was my first time doing this type of project. The most difficult part was without doubt getting the different pieces sewn together nicely - especially the part concerning finding the right place to put the ears and the arms... but I guess practice is the only thing that helps there! I'll definately make more stuffed animals sooner or later, but right now they find themselves quite a bit behind in the queue, after a blanket or two, diverse versions of socks, a sweater and a shawl...

Finally! Twin Sweater project comes to an end...

2010-04-12T00:14:00.001+02:00

Around Christmas sometime I started on making two baby sweaters for a friend of mine's twins due in March... well... the babies were born just over a month ago, and I finally managed to get them done... they're supposed to be around size 3 months, but as the size is just based on measurements from a cardigan the to-be-mum thought might be a good size, this is a very rough estimate - hence my urgent need to get this finished before they grow too old...

I don't have anything to try them on, so I have no clue how they'll fit... I just hope they'll be ok...
Have to admit that I'll probably look for a proper pattern next time ... This time the pattern is from a book, but the model in the book is a different yarn, and around size 2 years, meaning I had to rescale everything, and some things didn't work out as well as I hoped...

But anyway - here they are - I hope the fresh twin-parents find a use for them!

Return to my new favorite yarn-shop

2010-04-10T16:51:00.000+02:00

The granny-square blanket I'm working on did - as I feared - turn out a bit too small using the number of squares in the instructions, and I need more yarn to be able to complete it. I can't really say I was sorry that I just had to return to my new favorite yarn-shop To Damer to get more yarn....

I ended up going there just before closing time - and as I was the only customer there I ended up staying a bit for a chat with the shop-owner. I really enjoyed the chat - and it turned out we shared not only the interest for crafting, but also the interest in music! Plenty of things to discuss and time whizzed by - and it was long pas closing-time when I finally left the shop.

Thank you, May, for being so friendly and helpful - I will definately be back!!

I present ...

2010-04-08T23:51:00.000+02:00

... the most adorable, soft, cuddly creature in my world:

Her name is Felicity, and she'll turn 2 years in June. I've had her for a bit over a year and a half, and I just love this small, soft furball. She's got a very "soft" nature - she's calm without being lazy, she's social, but never in the way, and I can hardly remember any "bad" things she's done since she moved in with me! Okey, so she has played a bit with my yarn, but for a kitten that's pretty natural... not her fault I didn't hide it properly, is it??

We had a lovely cat when I grew up, and I always wanted to have my own cat one day - and when a colleague had kittens needing new homes - that "one day" came along... and I've never regretted it!
There's something very soothing about cats - they can be so calm and relaxed that their simple presence is enough to make people relax too. Sometimes I can just watch her sleeping - it looks so peaceful and free of worries...

Those saying cats only act on instinct, have no intelligence or no "thoughts", can never have had cats themselves... I have no doubt that she in one way or another understands what I'm saying or thinking, and that she has very clear opinions on what she likes or doesn't like...

She also has a rather alternative way of enjoying or playing moments... When I start waving with one of those feather-on-a-stick-toys she usually finds the closest piece of furniture to hide behind, and then she spies on the feather and watch me wave it on my own... she seems to enjoy it that way, but I have to admit that waving a feather-stick on my own is not the most rewarding activity I can think of...

But it's just all these small things that makes every cat special!

And I mean ... who wouldn't melt when this is what's waiting when you come home from work?
Definately the most beautiful window decorations I can think of!

Visit to the Bergen Aquarium

2010-04-02T18:22:00.000+02:00

This week I've got some french friends visiting, and as the weather this morning was typical indoor-weather we decided to go to the aquarium, where they opened a new shark-tunnel this week.

We spent more than 3 hours just walking around looking, reading about the species and taking photos, and I think we all enjoyed it quite a lot. The only thing we did not enjoy so much was the rest of the crowd visiting the aquarium today too... I heard someone said they had a record number of visitors yesterday, but there can't have been much less people today. Good business for the aquarium though - which will in the end (hopefully... ) benefit the visitors too.

I'm still learning how to use my camera properly, and I have to admit that most of the pictures were taken in automatic mode - I just couldn't figure out the right combinations of settings on my own. However - I did realise that in this context, manual focus turned out very handy...

I have to admit that I don't find fish particularly beautiful to look at - except for the tropical fishes with all the shiny bright colours - like the ones below. There was particularly one other fish I really wanted to get in a photo, but as soon as I figured out the settings, he went into hiding and didn't come out... I was really disappointed by that!

Although there was quite a crowd around the new attraction, we did get to see the sharks as well... they are not very big yet, but this type of sharks can get up to 2m long... They still don't look particularly friendly...

But - if there's something I really don't want to run into when I'm out walking, it has to be these:

Just when we passed the reptile section, it happened to be "caressing time" - and the crew had taken out one snake, one tortoise and one lizard... I did not feel tempted to touch either of them, but I had to take a photo of the lizard... kind of cute in it's own way...

To finish off the whole visit we went out to see the penguins... The weather had cleared a bit, and after the reptiles the penguins was quite a soothing view - no wonder kids just love them!

If you're in Bergen and don't know what to do one day - go visit the aquarium - it's definately worth a visit!

My first ever granny-square

2010-03-30T09:37:00.000+02:00

I just couldn't wait - I had to try to make one of the squares for the DROPS Alpaca granny-square baby blanket... and I finished the first square last night. The first one took some time, as I had to use all the colors, and it always takes some time to start on a new ball - especially when you only have one ball, but you're supposed to use double yarn... My square turned out 13cm x 13cm with crochet hook 6mm (pattern called for hook 5) - I think it looks good and it's loose enough, and I won't go looking for an even thicker hook to match the gauge of the pattern: 15cm x 15 cm.

I'll probably just keep the blanket a bit smaller, make an extra border or something around it, or make an extra row of squares - I still have to decide on that, but for the moment I got 19 more squares to make until I can see what the size of the blanket would really be... I really hope I get some time to do all of this at Easter - and I can't wait to get home tonight to make another square or two!

Knitter's paradise

2010-03-27T16:11:00.000+01:00

This morning I've been to a yarnshop I've never been to before, To Damer at Askøy, outside Bergen... and all I can say is Wow - what a paradise for any knitter!
They have such a wide selection of yarn - all different kinds and colors - and a complete wall with knitting needles and crochet hooks of different sizes and materials.

I had a long shopping list for yarn, all projects I'm planning for the spring (or maybe even rest of the year), and I was really impressed that I found all the yarn I needed - in the colours I wanted. There was only one single colour I looked for and didn't find, but the substitute colour just screamed at me, and I'm sure the finished product will look just as beautiful, and maybe even slightly more "fresh" than the original in the pattern...

I won't reveal what all the yarn is intended for at this point - but there's definately nice soft products and many hours of knitting ahead - I really can't wait to get started on all of this!!

Perfect gift from one knitter to another

2010-03-27T16:00:00.000+01:00

On Thursday I received the ultimate knitter-to-knitter gift:
KnitPicks Harmony Wood knitting needles and a ball of the softest and most exclusive yarn I've ever seen...
Needles to say I was thrilled when I unwrapped the present!

The yarn is 70% cashmere and 30% silk - in a soft offwhite/nature-colour. Still haven't decided on what I'll use this yarn for - it has to be something very beautiful to match the quality of the yarn!

The Harmony Wood knitting needles have been on my wishlist for quite a while now, and my plan was to start my collection by buying some today... Well - my friend started my collection for me - with double point needles and circular needles size 3 - perfect for a few of the projects on my "to do" - list!

...music I could listen to for hours... and hours again...

2010-03-26T15:11:00.000+01:00

Quite a while ago I went to a concert with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

I really enjoyed the programme, especially one piece:

Symphony no.3 - the organ symphony, by C. Saint-Saëns.

I still can't forget this piece, and I keep going back to listening to it, over and over again... There's something about this music that I just love, it feels so alive, and touches me in a way I'm not used to... I like classical music, but I'm not necessarily the one who'd sit down to listen to it, just to listen... but this symphony is different somehow - and one of the pieces that I just don't forget.

I'm still looking for the ultimate recording of it.. I've listened to quite a few different ones, with different pros and cons for one and each of them... but I haven't found one single recording where the strings and the winds seems to be completely together throughout the whole piece... in some places the rhytms even sound different from one recording to another, so when I thought I knew what it was supposed to be like, I realised that I really don't have a clue...

It would be interesting to read the score - and compare what is written with what I hear - but in the end it just doesn't matter. No matter what it's "supposed to be like" - this is just such a beautiful piece of music, and the "ultimate recording" that I'm looking for is not necessarily the most correct, but the one that just makes me disappear completely into the music - without making silent notes to self about glitches here and there.

If you don't know this piece yet - give it a go on Spotify or your preferred music provider - it's definately worth the time spent!

Knitted and felted cat basket

2010-03-11T11:41:00.000+01:00

About a year ago I knitted and felted a bed or basket for my cat. She's been using it a lot in periods, but only if I place it in a place that suits her highness... Placed on the floor she's not interested at all, but now that I've placed it on the top platform of her scratching/climbing post she spends hour after hour sleeping, resting or enjoying the view out the window.

Recently I was asked to make two similar catbeds for a friend of mine, and this is the first one:

The new bed was well received by its new owner(s)
- just look at this beautiful little missis enjoying her "sister"'s new bed:

This little miss here is supposed to share the second, slightly larger, bed with her "sister" -

as you can see - they already try to fit two into one tiny basket:

These beautiful cats are of the breed Egyptian Mau, and belong the NO*Gooseberry Egyptian Mau cattery.