Cabin Fever

The weeks have just rushed by lately - it is about time to slow down and get into the blog-mode again. Thank you for nice comments while I have been away :o)

Well. This is a decoupage-project I did just before Easter, for our bedroom in my parents mountain cabin. The mirror is my old pine framed from my teenage bedroom. It was painted off white and decoupaged with clippings from paper napkins. The wild life/nature design is the same as for the cabins Fauna tableware.

Instead of insisting on demonstrating my own taste in decorating the cabin (I am a guest there, after all ;o) ), I try to add my personal touch by adapting and mixing the elements at hand. As I also did almost exactely a year ago, making this big granny square throw . The photos below are all taken with my mobile camera - no editing at all; just plain old laziness ;o)


Hm... I must say I think this mirror/drawer-arrangement looks better in real life!

FO: Domino baby blanket

Thank you for the nice response on the previous post - hopefully you will like this one even better ;o)

Pattern: Well, not really, just playing around with basic domino squares and 11 slightly musty colours - and adding a retroish and hopefully manly (as the baby is a boy) touch with the crochet edge.

Yarn: 600 g of Pt5 Sport (80 % wool, 20 % nylon); 50 g of colours 233 (dark brown, discontinued), 327 (lilac, discontinued), 526 (offwhite/beige), 549 (burgundy), 520 (pale pink), 563 (dark plum) and 575 (navy) 100 g of colours 568 (dark blue) and (baby blue)

Size: Finished blanket measures 86 x 86 cm.

My eagerness and motivation has been a bit on and off through this project, which is perfectly normal for me in an extensive work like this one. It is so much fun to pick the yarn, doodle design ideas and get started. It is also a lot of fun to see how it developes and turn into a well working realisation of the initial idea. Then it is quite tedious for a long while; going on and on - square after square - and no more big surprises to look forward to. Then, again, for the last 1/5 or so of the work it is all fun and exhilirating again. This phase is often mixed with an impatient energy that keeps me going, as well as stirring up the desire to start a new project or two or tree right away... And what a great rush of content happiness when it finally comes together as a true FO, and a successful one too! Oh, yes, I am pleased! :o)

At my wits end

"Poor thing, what a job it will be darning in all those ends!" people have told me glancing at the reverse side of the Domino baby blanket, compassionate sighing and a worried tone of voice on behalf of my wit and all these ends - and thereby the end of my wits... What a triumph then, to point out that I have actually knitted or weaved in all the ends as I went along. Of course a few ends did slip my attention, but I counted less than 10 ends of them needing to be darned in when the whole blanket was done - so if my wits are gone, this project is not to blame ;o) To make sure the ends were securely darned in I gave the blanket a good wool wash before blocking/drying and finally snipping named ends off. Stay tuned for real FO-phtos and FO-facts! The reverse side in all its neat and orderly glory

Yummy toadstools

Princess keeps herself busy in the kitchen - she has been making a couple of batches of ice cream lately - a heavenly habit with heavenly results! Cupcakes are still a favourite to her, though - and the toadstools above were particularly sweet in every sense of the word ;o)

Sometimes it snows in April...

...and this April is no exception. Still - this beauty crawled out in the wary sunshine on Sunday - on my birtday :o) My cell phone camera is not the best, but very handy to preserve moments like this. The photo below is just to prove that it IS a bit early for butterflies where I live - the snow is still covering a fair part of the sidewalks, but less every day. Spring is here - HOORAY!

2nd hat for E

Finally; the 2nd hat is ready for departure! The 1st one was blogged here. The Drops design pattern was easy breezy and my only alteration was the yarn. I used Lerke from Dale (52 % merino, 48 % cotton) wich I hope will be suitable for the recipients use. 3 mm needles were aquired to create a firm and dense gauge. We are so happy to be on your team, E! And congrats on your b-day yesterday - hope you had a great day :o)

I have seen the light!

The translucent light of spring is so beautiful - never mind the blur that comes along with the love of natural light and no tripod ;o)

2 good 2 be 4-gotten

I am so consumed with the hat projects and the endless baby blanket project that I completely forgot to blog Princess´ finished cardigan! It was actually finished weeks and weeks ago, even though I didn´t quite make my deadline as it was intended as a x-mas pressie for... Anyhow; Princess has approved the finished garment when it comes to looks, colour and design, but she is still reluctant to wear it. I am not surprised as this has happened before: she approves the chosen yarn to be itch-free in the pre-knit phase just to conclude that the very same yarn is itchy as soon as the project is finished and ready to wear... I still live in the hope for this one, as she has wanted her own version of my cardi (the last picture in this post) ever since 2008... Pattern: My own raglan based on Elizabeth Zimmermans persentage system (EPS), knit back and forth Yarn: Ca. 200 g of Tynn Alpaka # 146 (variegated) (100 % alpaca) from Du store alpakka for the dark aqua parts + less than 50 g of Sandnes Mini Palett (sock yarn; 80 % merino, 20 % polyamid)in a colourway that seem not to be on the chart any more. It was a good match to the Noro Silk Garden I used for my own cardi, as I couldn´t be bother to mail-order the Noro sock yarn Needles: 2 mm for the rib/Mini Palett, 2,5 mm for the stockinette/alpaca

The turtleneck was made longer than the chosen zipper, so a couple og mother of pearl heart buttons were used to close the last few inches. The dotted ribbon was sewn on to cover the rough and not-so-pretty zipper edge + seams. My adult version was blogged in July 2008 - read all about it here

A long, long summer also calls for many, many hats!

The title refers to this post. Our beloved friends in Sydney need hats for slightly different reasons than most Norwegians this time of year - the most important reason being protection from the sun. Even though fall is just around the corner down under, the sun will stay high in the sky all through winter, challenging the fair skin and health of our dear friends. Another hat will be on the needles any minute, so stay tuned in the shade dear E :o)

I used this pattern for size reference. I chose Sandnes´ Mandarin Petite (100 % cotton) and also altered the decrease to my own liking. The colours are 2431 (sand/beige) and 6822 (pale aqua/blue) and I spent abot 25 g of each knitting on 2 mm needles for a dense fabric, (hopefully) providing good protection from the sun. Voila! Easy breezy seaside beanie!

The arrival of spring

The blue Muscari botryoides nicely teams up with the narciss Bridal Crown - and a few of my knick-knacks. The lamp stand is old enough not to fit new lampshades (as this Alfhild fågel from IKEA, bought in 2006 but still in their assortment), but I love it as I inherited it form my dear grandmother. Alfhild is doing her best to balance on top of the fixture... The little booties are Chinese, bought in Beijing in 1993. Dear Superman made the little wooden box some time during primary school, and despite that he claims the beautiful patina of the glaze is an accident and certainly not intended, I love it! The spring light is so beautiful yet too sparse for a good photo. Still I refuse to let a flash ruin the magic atmosphere and for now I am willing to accept the inevitable blurryness. A tripod is right on top of my birthday wish list...

In this photo (above), however, I used the flash, just to make sure the Bridal Crowns details would have their fair share of attention

Our family photo-wall (above), including four legged members of the pack as well as two legged - a dear collection of memories. The Carnation (under) is luckily back in fashion! My favourite is the large, full ones, but these are cute too, sitting on my old sewing machine (also inherited from dear grandmother) in happy company with a vintage jaquard silk scarf used as a table runner. Please also notice the single orchid flower - my last attempt to keep it alive for a few more days. My fingers may be industrious, but they are unfortunately not very green...

A long, long winter calls for many, many hats!

The summery light in this photo is deceiving - it is still full winter where I live, so no need to worry that my time spent knitting this hat was wasted... As you can see via the link, it is supposed to be adorned with a button, but as I could not find the big, green coat button in my hereditary buttons collection I wanted to use, this peacock brooch does the job. Slightly old lady, slightly royal... or at least eccentric!

Yarn: ca 75 g Drops Alpaca + 25 g Drops Kid Silk held together (original yarn for the pattern was Daletta from Dale)

Needles: 2 mm for the button band, 3 mm 40 cm circulars + dpns for the cap

The Magic Dress on March 8th

Finally; the story about The Magic Dress, as advertised in this post! And what better day to celebrate a great woman like Grete Smedal, and my own aspirations to be one. The Magic Dress will be the perfect outfit for greatness! Above, The Magic Dress itself, hanging prettily in my studio/guestroom window. A few weeks ago it hung (almost) equally pretty in the window of Klesskapet (a second hand shop) in Skostredet, Bergen - shouting my name load and clear, begging me to come in and try it on, as it was obviously made for me (and who knows for how long it had been there, longing and waiting for us to meet?). I had no doubt at all, as she - The Magic Dress - appeared less than 24 hours after my very inspiring and colour/pattern/form-oriented meeting with Grete Smedal. Read on, read on!

A classic Arabic pattern - as seen on The Magic Dress 2011

...my 1993 version in an art book project at KHiB (former SHKD)

...from my colour study binder... Grete Smedals excellent classes really boosted my interest in colour as a visual phenomenon and the exhilarating mysteries of perception. I collected all the exercises in a binder that has been dear and useful to me ever after, as a mini reference book. I am soooo grateful for being her student (yes, I still consider myself a student of hers) and for her being my informal mentor through my degree studies in Textile Art at SHKD/KHiB. Her teaching methods have even been a great inspiration to me as a college teacher, and my binder has been very useful in so many ways. The methods still applies and has even been updated through her latest developement; the Chromascope! I can´t wait to dig into this amazing program! To me there is an obvious yet intricate pattern (choice of word totally coincidental...?) in this story - and The Magic Dress waiting for me in the second hand shop perfectly illustrates that divine connections are all around us, ready to savour :o)

Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow!

The merengue and muffin baking Princess is to blame and thank for our massive egg consumption the latest few months ;o) We are all happy guinea pigs for her personal twists and alterings of the original recipes. And who said playing with food is always a bad thing...? Experimenting with my mobile camera is fun too, and sometimes rewarding, but something tells me I have to re-shoot the ones for the planned post about The Magic Dress. Which means this post will have to wait for a few days - meanwhile please enjoy Princess´ egghead parade!

My hometown - this is my home town (too)

I lived in beautiful Bergen for 7,5 years, and I feel right at home every time I go back there. Last week I allowed myself a short break, going away all alone to meet up with my favourite teacher during my glory days at SHKD (presently known as KHiB. I graduated from the Dept of Textile Art mid January 1996, which means it has been almost exactely 15 years since I last saw my dear Professor of Colour Grete Smedal. Seeing you again wass bliss, Grete! And talking with you made me feel totally connected to my creative core. And to you, as it had been just 15 minutes, not 15 years! True inspiration! I will get back to our common passion for colour in a later post, by telling the story of The Magic Dress and the Chromascope. The first photo above shows one of Gretes numerous colour design projects; the inner yard of Hotel Admiral in central Bergen. The second one is taken at Bryggen, outside Gretes studio, showing the intriguing shapes of the warehouse buildings with cranes, dating from 1702 (but established around year 1070 AD) and after. The photo below? The frosty, beautiful city of Bergen handsomely adorned with golden sunshine and blue, blue sky.

PS - I don´t think I listened much to Bruce Springsteen during my years in Bergen, even though I did before and after this period - but his lyrics applies very well anyhow ;o)

Good Hair Day?

The Arwetta Classic finally found its form. I have managed through several VERY cold weeks this winter. By wearing my warmest coat (a fake fur), my (politically un-correct) real sealskin boots and various selfmade hats, scarves and shawls. Some days with sheepskin mittens, some days wit beautiful hand-knit-by-my-best-friend mittens. There is still no sign of spring. Conclusion: The double folded rib of this hat will come handy even though it was finished weeks and weeks later than planned (the x-mas gift making was a brilliant excuse for putting this rather boring project aside).

My motto when it comes to hats is the same as before: Only the fact that my ears are kept warm can compensate risking a not-so-halfbad-hairdo by wearing a hat! (Not that this is a very likely scenario. Me having a truely Good Hair Day, I mean.) I LOVE my mega-warm Arwetta hat! Pattern: my own, very simple. Also very simple to copy; be my guest!

The photo is taken in Bergen (more from Bergen next time) by a friend, and it was slightly under exposed. I went to the other extreme, totally over exposing it and it turned out fashionably retro-ish. To others it may look just like one of my usual mishaps, but I am pleased ;o) I have still about 50 g left of the Arwetta which will most probably end up as wristwarmers at some point.

Princess at work

The knitting fever is still rising - Princess has produced 10-12 bows for her friends the latest few days - and I think there are more to come. The bows are supposed to be attached to hair bands or hair elastics or they are made into brooches. This reminds me of my own early knitting and crocheting years - I made crochet net tops by order and charged very little money if any at all as long as I got to keep the scraps of yarn. This was actually the very start of my yarn stash :oD Way to go, Princess! ;o)

Chunky neckwarmer

The slow, dark winter is still a mystery to me. MY winter is extremely busy and galloping away, and I can positively see that the sun is up earlier each and every day. The blog is suffering because of my busy schedule, but at last, here is a FO: a mega neck warmer for Princess. 4 balls of Eskimo knit in the round on 9 mm circulars; knit 3, purl 3 - done in a few hours.