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.

Hvil vingene & unn deg litt pynt... Rest your wings & indulge in finery...

These photos are from sweet Carinas day spa, called Hvil vingene ("Rest the wings"). My jewellery (postal stamp based pieces with silver and semi precious stones) and bags are on display there right now, and the prices will be 30-50 % reduced all February. Come have a look in Vangsvegen 33 (entrance from Grønnegata) in Hamar :o)

PS - my bridal crown/veil is also on display - top row left. This is a showpiece and not for sale

Slow and gloomy January...?

In my case, January is everything but slow. At least this year. I am in the middle of a job change, and right now working 50/50 % at both jobs. As you may have guessed, 50 + 50 does not always equal 100 ;o) I do of course knit a few stitches whenever I am on the sofa AND awake, which is a rare combination these days, but I must shamefully admit that my Princess´ cardigan was not finished this weekend either. Working Saturday and having 5 12 year olds (+ my own Princess of course) over night for a "Piece party" (everybody dressed in not very elegant but still very popular OnePieces) took most of my time. Anyhow - the job change is super exciting and actually very fiber related, so stay tuned for both private and work related fiber news :o)

PS - the cardigan is luckily much closer to being finished and ready to wear than this old photo suggests...

Keep warm, you too, my friend!

This set of legwarmers and armwarmers for a very dear friend is made of just 100 g Faerytale by Du store alpakka (100 % alpaca) and small scraps of fingering weight alpaca and Kid Silk Mohair. The legwarmers were based on Pickles´ free pattern for Luxury Leg warmers, and the armwarmers were made up as I went along. I have seen them in use and they do the job! Nothing pleases me more :o)

Warm Wishes

50 g of Nanuk (100 % alpaca), a scrap of green Mohair Lux and yet another scrap of Kid Silk Mohair, 7 mm needles and a 3 mm crochet hook - an improvised pattern and a couple of hours in front of the TV, and VOILA! Wrist warmers of the soft and fluffy kind with the best of wishes for 2011 - and a Thank you for the music!

A little late or waaay too early...

Definitely a little late for x-mas stockings now, or what...? I just had to show off my last minute presents for my two nephews. Mega sized as the stockings ended up, they will demand quite some effort from their parents next x-mas ;o) I sketched a pattern on some craft paper and happily cut through a stack of worn out jeans to make the pair. A couple of Supermans numerous disposed shirts came handy for trimmings and decorations - the shirts front button bands and button hole bands makes a neat, yet masculine finishing touch, I think. Making stuff up as I go is a very satisfying "method" - I just play on until the product looks "right". Which of course refers both to the specific recipient as well as my unidentified yet significant design style. Did this make sense??? Anyway - I had a great time making these, finishing and filling them (only 1/4 of their capacity...) and wrapping them just hours before they were put under the tree to be handed out :o)

Happy New Year...

...to all of you! I hope you all had a very merry x-mas with days of leisure and pleasure and plenty of time spent with family and friends - and maybe some balls of wool? My first posts of 2011 will be like this one; revelations of the x-mas gifts I produced during November and December. More than one friend got a pair of wash cloths and a bar of nostalgic soap and this exact pair was for Supernøtt.