More from Vibe Ulrik Søndergaard

If you loved this book as much as I do, then you will probably be thrilled to hear that another lovely knitting book is on it's way from Vibe Ulrik Søndergaard.

This time it's about knits for babies, and that always comes in handy.

Photo from Amazon.co.uk

The only bad thing about it is, that we have to wait a while for it to be released. In Denmark it will be published at the end of August. I just pre-ordered it.

I'm doing a bit of baby/toddler knitting myself these days. Remeber this elephant cardigan? So far the 2½ rows of wandering elephants have increased to 7 rows. And I'm actually also doing quite well on the Boxy - like sweater I promised to make for Anne-Sophie in this beautiful yarn.. Soon the front and the back will be done.

And who wouldn't want to keep knitting on a rainy day like this?

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Hvis du holdt lige så meget af denne bog, som jeg gør, så bliver du sikkert begejstret for at høre, at endnu en strikkebog er på vej fra Vibe Ulrik Søndergaard.

Denne gang handler det om strik til babyer, og det kan man altid bruge.

Den eneste ting der er træls ved bogen er, at vi må vente et stykke tid før den bliver udgivet. I Danmark kommer den i slutningen af august. Jeg har lige forudbestilt den.

Jeg er selv i gang med lidt baby/små børns strik i disse dage. Husker du denne elefant cardigan? Indtil videre er de 2½ rækker med vandrende elefanter forøget til 7 rækker. Og faktisk går det også helt godt med den Boxy - lignende sweater, som jeg lovede at lave til Anne-Sophie i dette smukke garn. snart er for- og bagstykkerne færdige.

Og hvem ville ikke fortsætte med at strikke på en regnvejrsdag som denne?

Third time lucky

I assume you remember this sweater.

The notorious birthday sweater for Christian. and maybe you wonder why you haven't seen it done, here on my blog (or maybe not because you are used to me being a slow knitter!)

But here is the reason why I haven't felt the need to flash it. 3 sleeves. 3!

Almost done with the 2nd one, I discovered that my incresing had gone terribly wrong. And after a despressing fit on Christian, I sadly realised that a 3rd one was a necessity.

Now I'm nearly done with that one too - finally! Sleeves are boring, and definitely even more tedious when it's sleeves x 3.

However I have to say that I did find some icing on the cake. Christian is absolutly thrilled about his forthcoming sweater, and that is all worth it to me.

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Jeg går ud fra at du kan huske denne sweater. Den famøse fødselsdags sweater til Christian, og måske undrer du dig over, at du ikke har set den gjort færdig her på min blog (eller måske undrer du dig ikke, fordi du er vant til at jeg strikker langsomt!)

Men her er grunden til, at jeg ikke har haft lyst til at flashe den. 3 ærmer. 3!

Næsten færdig med det 2. ærme, opdagede jeg at mine udtagninger var gået helt galt. Og efter en nedslående prøvepasning på Christian, indså jeg desværre at et 3. ærme var en nødvendighed.

Nu er jeg næsten færdig med det også - endelig! Ærmer er kedelige, og helt bestemt endnu mere kedsommelige når det hedder ærmer x 3.

Jeg må dog sige, at pynten på kransekagen var der trods alt. Christian er utrolig begejstret over sin fremtidige sweater og det gør virkelig, at det er alt besværet værd.

A new aggregat

My husband made me a new aggregate. A yarn holder!

I have missed one of those for ages, and meanwhile I have been very irritated at all the tangled threads, whenever I have been knitting something with many different colours of yarn. And at the same time I didn't want to buy and spend several hundreds of kroner on one, when I knew that Christian could make me a very fine yarn holder.

Christian made it from a heavy piece of oak wood and some metal sticks. It's so useful and I love that he put his time and effort in to it.

The wooden bottom doesn't move when I knit, something which I had pointed out as an important matter, before Christian started making it. We have searched for some metal helical eyes, to make the threads go through, but we haven't had the luck yet.

It works perfectly without them, though - and I especially love that the big spools with 5 kilos of yarn or more, don't turn over every time I pull out yarn.

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Min mand har lavet et nyt aggregat til mig. En garnholder.

Jeg har manglet sådan en i evigheder, og imens har jeg været frygtelig irriteret over alle de filtrede tråde, når jeg har strikket noget med mange forskellige farver. Og samtidig ville jeg ikke købe en og betale flere hundrede kroner for den, når jeg vidste at Christian kunne lave en rigtig fin garnholder til mig.

Christian lavede den af et tungt stykke egetræ og nogle metal pinde (i mangel af bedre ord). Den er så anvendelig og jeg elsker at han har lagt tid og kræfter i den.

Træbunden bevæger sig ikke når jeg strikker, noget jeg havde fremhævet som en vigtig detalje, før Christian begyndte at lave den. Vi har ledt efter nogle metal lignende spiraler, som trådene skulle gå igennem, men vi har ikke haft heldet med os endnu.

Den virker dog perfekt uden dem - og jeg kan specielt godt lide at de store spoler med 5 kilo garn, eller mere, ikke vælter når jeg trækker i garnet.

Prinsesse Toben made my day!

In my head I had an idea for colours and materials I wanted to use for this gorgeous poncho by Pickles.

 

I do love the colour mix the designers used for the poncho in the photo, but I wanted to give it my own touch. So I decided to use Blackhill Højlands Wool from Garnudsalg in the colours Prinsesse Toben and Grov Sennep. Unfortunately it took me a while to make up my mind while shopping at Garnudsalg, so due to my fickle the pale pink yarn was sold out in the amount I needed. Typically me!

But I ordered the right amount of Grov Sennep and only 100 grams of Prinsesse Toben. Afterwards I spent a lot of time - read: days - thinking about new options. Which colour could I mix with the Grov Sennep then?

Photo from Garnudsalg.dk

I went to my stash and compared one colour after the other, but I couldn't let go of Prinsesse Toben. But somehow I could only see the poncho in the mix, I had pictured in my head earlier. Don't you know that?

Sunday morning I thought that I wanted to drop by Garnudsalg's website. And there it was again the lovely Prinsesse Toben!! Looking more beautiful than ever before and in 500 gram cones.

Now I expectantly await the 500 grams of yarn...and a small amount of the luxurios Baby Camel Cashmere. Just enough to make myself a cowl or scarf to warm my neck.

I'm so glad that Prinsesse Toben made my day...

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I mit hoved havde jeg en idé til farver og materiale til den skønne poncho (ovenover) fra Pickles. Jeg kan nu godt lide det farvemix designerne lavede til ponchoen på fotoet, men jeg ville gerne give den mit eget præg. Så jeg besluttede mig for at bruge Blackhill Højlands Uld fra Garnudsalg, i farverne Prinsesse Toben og Grov Sennep.

Uheldigvis tog det mig lidt tid at bestemme mig, mens jeg handlede hos Garnudsalg, så pga. mit vægelsind blev den pastelfarvede lyserøde udsolgt i den mængde jeg havde brug for. Typisk mig!

Men jeg bestilte den rette mængde af Grov Sennep og blot 100 gram af Prinsesse Toben. Efterfølgende brugte jeg masser af tid (læs: dage) på at tænke på nye muligheder. Hvilken farve kunne jeg så mixe med Grov Sennep?

Jeg kiggede i mit garnlager og sammenlignede den ene farve efter den anden, men jeg kunne ikke slippe tanken om Prinsesse Toben. Jeg kunne blot se ponchoen i det farvemix jeg havde forestillet mig i mit hoved tidligere. Kender du ikke det?

Søndag formiddag tænkte jeg, at jeg lige ville surfe over på Garnudsalgs hjemmeside. Og dér var Prinsesse Toben igen!! Mere smuk ud end nogensinde før og i 500 grams cones.

Nu venter jeg med spænding på de 500 gram garn...og en lille mængde af det luksuriøse Baby Camel Cashmere. Lige præcis nok til at jeg kan lave et halsrør eller et tørklæde til mig selv, så det kan varme min nakke.

Hvor er jeg da glad for at Prinsesse Toben reddede min dag...

My favourite calendar

Today is the day when the calendar I love the most, is - finally - for sale.

For years and years I have bought the calendar made by Skals - skolen for design og og håndarbejde. Always excited to see which beautiful ideas the school has come up with for the coming year.

Each month represents a piece of craft or maybe some food related to the school. And the fact that you find recipes in the back of the calendar, makes it all even more lovely.

This is a photo of November from the 2012 calender, because I haven't been to town to buy my 2013 one yet. I keep it in my kitchen in a place where the fine photo of the month meets my eyes many times during a day. Often, I flick through the pages of the calendar, and refresh the ideas.

If you would like to get one for yourself, you can buy it at the school, at the online shop Sommerfuglen and in many shops in Viborg.

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I dag er dagen, hvor min absolutte yndlings kalender - endelig - kommer til salg.

I årevis har jeg købt kalenderen lavet af Skals - skolen for design og håndarbejde. Altid spændt på at se hvilke smukke idéer de har fundet på til det kommende år. 

Hver måned indeholder et stykke håndarbejde eller noget mad der har relation til skolen. Og dét at du kan finde opskrifter på det bagerst i kalenderen, gør den bare endnu mere skøn.

Ovenover er et billede af november fra 2012 udgaven, for jeg har endnu ikke været i byen for at købe mit 2013 eksemplar. Min kalender hænger i mit køkken på et sted, hvor månedens fine foto fanges af mine øjne mange gange i løbet af en dag. Ikke så sjældent bladrer jeg gennem kalenderens sider og genopfrisker årets idéer.

Hvis du gerne selv vil have dig et eksemplar, kan du bl.a. købe det på skolen, hos online butikken Sommerfuglen og i mange forretninger i Viborg.

Miss Marple is more than an old female detective

I strømmen af mønstre på smukke cardigans med retro look, er Miss Marple helt klart en favorit. Den minder mig om min barndoms lange søndage med varm frokost, og udforskende bilture rundt  i landet iført det pæne tøj. 

Det er en cardigan af den slags, som man gerne tog ud over en fin kjole. Allerhelst en som min mor selv havde syet, og hvor jeg selv fik lov til at bestemme farve og stof.

Denne cardigan er tiltænkt til brug på alle ugens dage, og modtageren er vores niece Sarah. Den skal være en del af hendes julegave.

Det er et skønt mønster og jeg blev meget begejstret da designeren Nadia Crétin-Léchenne proklamerede, at et lignende mønster til voksne var undervejs. Og selvfølgelig kunne den ikke hedde andet end Lady Marple.

Et halvt ærme er hvad jeg mangler, så for en gangs skyld ser det ud til at jeg nærmest er på forkant med en hjemmelavet julegave. I hvert tilfælde denne...


Masser af strikke og broderi inspiration var der også at finde i de nye bøger jeg fik forleden. Theresa Maria Jessings fortællinger om stort og småt i den nye bog "Livet på Kastaniegården", Helga Isagers udgivelse på svensk "Finstickat" og "Supersize stitches" af Jacqu Pearce.

Jeg kan varmt anbefale dem alle.

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IN ENGLISH

Among the many beautiful patterns for retro look cardigans, Miss marple is definitely a hit. It reminds me of the long Sundays in my childhood, when we had warm lunches and drove around exploring our country wearing our best clothes.

It's the kind of cardigan, which we wore over a fine dress. Preferably one which my mother had sewn herself, and I had chosen the colour and the fabric.

This particular cardigan is meant to be worn on every day of the week, and the recipient is our niece Sarah. It's going to be a part of her Christmas present.

It's a lovely pattern and I were very pleased when the designer announced that a similar pattern for grownups was on it's way. And of course it couldn't have another name than Lady Marple.

Half a sleeve is what I need to knit to finish Miss Marple, so for once it seems as if I'm at the cutting edge of a homemade Christmas present. At least this one...

Lots of knitting and embroidery inspiration are also found in the new books I got the other day. Theresa Maria Jessing's stories about anything and nothing in her new book Livet på Kastaniegården, Helga Isager's publication in Swedish Finstickat and Supersize stitches by Jacqu Pearce.

I can highly recommend them all.

Jeg venter...

...med glæde i hjertet på at Christian skal komme hjem. De seneste 5 dage har han været på mandetur til Sverige, og nydt naturens mange fornøjelser - noget han holder utrolig meget af. Men jeg ved, at han også glæder sig til at komme hjem igen.

Det er underligt hvordan man med tid får sværere og sværere ved at undvære hinanden, men samtidig gør det mig glad at det er sådan. Tænk hvis vi hver især bare ventede på at skilles for en stund.

Imens har jeg været herhjemme og haft huset fuld af glade unge mennesker. Jeg synes at det er sådan en fornøjelse, at være sammen med dem alle og mærke hvordan de hygger sig i hinandens selskab. Gode film er altid et must og i går aftes var det True Grit der var på plakaten. En god film - med Jeff Brigdes og Matt Damon - på trods af at den tilhører western genren.

Om lidt vil jeg gå ud og lave Skinkestang og bønnesalat - det gælder om at lave de livretter ens mand ikke ynder, så længe han er på tur.

Og så har vi efterårsferie - hold op hvor bliver det godt. Det er tiltrængt for os alle - ikke mindst Christian som har arbejdet hårdt i lang tid...

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I'm waiting...

...happy at heart, waiting for Christian to come home. For the last 5 days he has been in Sweden with some of his friends,  enjoying the pleasures of nature - something which he loves a lot. But
I know that he looks forward to coming home as well.

It's strange how it gets harder and harder doing without one another as time goes by. But at the same time it makes me glad that we both feel that way.

In the meantime I have been at home with a house full of young people. I think that it's such a pleasure to be with them all, and feel how they like each other's company. Good films are always a must and last night we saw True Grit. A good movie - with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon - in spite of the western theme.

in a minute I will go start making Skinkestang and bean salad - the idea is to make the favourite dishes my husband doesn't like, while he is away.

And then it will be autumn holidays - oh, man it's going to be nice. We all need that - especially Christian who has been working so hard for a long time...

Masser af sildeben

                                                                                                                        ENGLISH below 

Den anden dag blev jeg færdig med Stella - den anden. En beret designet af Hanne Falkenberg.
I december 2010 strikkede jeg den første af slagsen til Anne-Sophie - se den færdig her hvis du vil - og da hun blev særdeles begejstret for den, spurgte hun forleden, om ikke jeg ville lave endnu en.

Og selvfølgelig ville jeg det.

Allerførst startede jagten på opskriften, som jeg havde haft i hænderne ganske få uger forinden, da jeg sorterede alle mine opskrifter. At den så var væk da jeg skulle bruge den, er typisk. Derfor måtte jeg investere 187 kroner i et nyt kit. Desværre var der ikke en farvekombination som passede helt perfekt, men det betød ikke det store, da vi allerede havde aftalt, at Anne-Sophies hat skulle strikkes i sart lyserød og neon pink.

Det er et skønt stykke strikketøj sådan en hat. Jeg holder meget af at se mønster udvikle sig, og ikke mindst fornemmelsen af når alt går op i en højere enhed (læs: når jeg undgår at strikke fejl og tælle forkert).

I går aftes fik hun så den færdige hat, og heldigvis bragte den stor glæde. Jeg syntes ikke at den pink fremstod helt så neon agtig som jeg ville ønske mig, men Anne-Sophie var helt igennem tilfreds med farverne,  og det var jo nu engang det mest væsentlige.

Jeg har stadig garn tilbage fra denne hat, og overvejer nu om jeg skulle strikke et par sildebens vanter der kan passe til.

Og i min strikkekurv ligger der et garn kit til endnu en hat, blot i smukke petrol lå nuancer. Tiden vil vise om jeg kan lokke Anne-Sophie til at bruge en hat i de farver...og gæt engang hvad jeg fandt i går, pænt sorteret i en skuffe med mønstre, som jeg havde glemt i min jagt??

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                   Lots of herringbones

Stella - the second one. A beret designed by Hanne Falkenberg. In December 2010 I knit the first one for Anne-Sophie - have a look at it being done here if you like - and since she was very keen on it, she recently asked me whether I wanted to knit another one for her.

And of course I would love to do that.

At first I started hunting down the pattern, which I had had in my hands a few weeks earlier when I sorted all my patterns. That it was gone when I needed it, is typical. Thus I had to invest 187 Danish kroner in a new knitting kit, as the pattern isn't sold without yarn. Unfortunally there wasn't a colour kombination which was suitaible, but it didn't matter that much as we had agreed that Anne-Sophie's hat was to be knit in a pale pink and a neon pink.

The hat is a wonderful piece of knit. I love to see a pattern grow, and not least the felling of everything coming together (read: when I avoid knitting any mistakes or counting the pattern wrong).

Last night she had her hat, and luckily she liked it. I didn't think that the pink colour was as neon pink as I had hoped for, but Anne-Sophie was completely satisfied with the colours, and that is by far the most important thing.

I still have some yarn left from this hat, and now I'm thinking whether I should knit a set of herringbone mittens to go with the hat.

And in my knitting basket I have a kit for one more hat in lovely teal blue colours. Only time will tell if I can persuade Anne-Sophie to use a hat in that colour scheme...and guess what I found yesterday, in a drawer with nicely organised patterns, which I had forgotten in my search??

3 som jeg må huske på

Jeg er altid på udkig efter nye spændende bøger - og når der kommer nyt på broderi fronten bliver jeg altid  ovenud lykkelig.

I begyndelsen af juli kom Knot, thread, stitch af Lisa Solomon. En bog som jeg ikke ville have noget imod at have i hænderne.

Og i starten af juni kom endnu en bog fra Katherine Shaughnessy: New crewel - the motif collection. Du kender måske allerede The new crewel - exquisite designs in contemporary embroidery, af samme forfatter.

Endelig er der mere fransk i korssting. Jeg holder meget af det udtryk som hvid og en kontrast farve kan frembringe med de mange små x x x x.
Jeg har ofte korsstings motiver i hovedet og går og funderer over hvorledes de kunne bruges, men får aldrig rigtig ført dem ned på papir. Men nu har jeg købt 2 geniale bøger - i lommestørrelse - en dag Anne-Sophie og mig var i den butik, hvor hun køber sine materialer til studiet (ÅH, en fed butik!!). De er perfekte til at krydse små motiver ned i og faktisk fungerer det for mig, da jeg allerede har udfyldt nogle sider.

Nå, jeg kom ud på et sidespor, så tilbage til den fransk broderi bog der hedder Cross-stitch sampler af Marjorie Massey.

Jeg har netop bestilt 3 nye bøger, så det er ikke lige nu jeg behøver mere kreativt læsestof, men næste gang der skal bestilles bøger, skal denne helt sikkert med...

Hold da op!

Jamen dog, hvor er det længe siden at jeg sidst har befundet mig her på bloggen. Men jeg trængte til en dejlig sommer med min familie uden for mange elektronisk forstyrrende elementer, og hvor har det været skønt. 

Vi har nydt sommeren og allermest at kunne være sammen. Dejlige dage i Sverige gav anledning til hygge i stor stil - og et par svenske Loppis ikke at forglemme.

Men jeg har også set frem til at skrive lidt igen, og nu er det vist ved at være tid. 

Ja, faktisk har jeg oven i købet fået afsluttet et par projekter siden sidst. Tingene til vores to små niecer er strikket færdig og afleveret. Og hvor var det en fornøjelse at se begge dele på lille Agnes og Sarah.

Jeg er meget begejstret for Karen Borrel's mønster. Hun giver sine børne designs lige den kant som jeg kan lide. Og hun har endda designet et mønster ud fra sin datters ideér - det synes jeg er sådan en fin tanke.

Nu strikker jeg videre på Gathering Stripes, og mon ikke den kan blive færdig i løbet af alle disse OL dage...

En Liselotte til Anne-Sophie

Endelig fik jeg færdiggjort den Liselotte cardigan jeg har været i gang med over foråret. 3 neon  koral farvede knapper fra Betty P. satte prikken over i'et. Og dertil trenser syet i den fedeste sytråd også fra Betty P. 

Jeg er rigtig tilfreds med trøjen og synes at det var et dejligt stykke arbejde at sidde med. Og endnu en gang blev jeg overbevist om, at runde bærestykker er lige noget for mig - både at strikke og bære.

Jeg ville rigtig gerne have den stribede cardigan klar til weekenden, så jeg kunne tage den med til Anne-Sophie. For det blev hende der fik ejerskabet over den. 

Til min fødselsdag forelskede hun sig i trøjen, og da jeg hellere end gerne vil strikke til mine børn, ja så skyndte jeg mig at sige, at den var hendes. Først ville hun slet ikke høre tale om det, da hun syntes at jeg skulle beholde den, når jeg endelig havde strikket noget mig selv. Men det tog ikke længe at overtale hende derefter og stort hurra for det.

Så nu bor den hos Anne-Sophie og jeg er glad. Glad for at hun gider gå i mors hjemmestrikkede, og glad fordi jeg selv mangler en Liselotte cardigan nu, og er nødt til at strikke en ny til mig selv...

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Finally I finished the Liselotte cardigan I have been making over spring. 3 neon coral coloured buttons from Betty P made the finishing touch. And the attendant loops made in the coolest thread also from Betty P.

I'm very pleased with the cardigan and thought that it was a wonderful work to make. And once more I was convinced that tops with round yokes are just me - both for making and wearing.

I wanted to finish the striped cardigan for the weekend, so I could bring it to Anne-Sophie. Because she got the ownership of it.

At my birthday she fell in love with the cardigan and since I'm more than happy to knit for my children, then I told her that she could have it. At first she didn't want to hear of it, because she thought that I should keep it when I finally had knit something for myself. But afterwards it didn't take long to talk her into having it, and a big hurrah for that.

So now it lives at Anne-Sophie's place and I'm happy. Happy that she cares to wear it and happy that I don't have a Liselotte cardigan now, and have to knit a new one for myself...

H a p p y

I dag skal der ikke mere til at gøre mig glad end super smukke farver, en masse solskinstimer....og mest af alt at Emil har det en lille smule bedre :)

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Today it doesn't take more to make me happy than some beautiful colours, a lot of hours with sunshine...and most of all the fact that Emil is feeling a little bit better. :)

A n e m o n e

I couldn't help myself. I had to try whether I could capture the beauty inside this fragile and proud bearing flower with my camera...I didn't succeed in the way that I wanted to. I wish that the tiny details of the stamen were more conspicuous.

But I still love the pale pink Anemone. Oh, how I hope that I can make it thrive in my not so perfect garden...with my not so green  - at all! - fingers.

Anemone, a photo by lille-ursus on Flickr.

A - F r i d a y - e v e n i n g

Liselotte will soon be done. The cardigan. I have truely enjoyed knitting it. Because of the amazing yarn and because of the size 5 knitting needles. What a difference that is instead of size 2½-3 which I have been using a lot for recent projects. And the pattern has been so easy and wellwritten. No procrastinations, only kind and necessary knitting information to make the work go as smooth as possible.

1 button at the top of the front pieces when the cardigan is done. Perhaps 3, but time will tell. If I go for a single button, it will be this one. Or perhaps some dots. 

The other day the prints from Jennifer Davis arrived, and they completely fulfilled my expectations. For now they are standing on my grandmother's old chest of drawers, until we decide which frames they are to be put in. (The hen bowls keep them from sliding down on the floor - in case you wondered why they were standing in front of the prints).

Now I will go talk to my husband - he has just come home from work. And give him a big hug. He has been working hard lately, which means away from home for far too many hours. 

This evening it's just him and I - Emil is visiting his sweet girlfriend Ronja.

Have a lovely weekend...

The - almost - perfect cardigan

In the newsletter from lovely Bettekun, I saw this fabulous cardigan designed by Kaffe Fassett. It's so much me. The colour makes me smile and the big redish dots make my smil even wider. Don't you know the feeling when you find a piece of clothes, which really appeals to you? It doesn't happen often for me, but today I were lucky.

Cardigans are almost a must for me. They are so easy to get rid off when it gets too warm. No troublesome sweaters, which make me fell irritated in the blink of an eye, and stuffy if they are too tight in the neckline. I hated that as a child, and I hate it now.

I definitely have enough yarn for now - and many years to come - but this cardigan I had to have. The stripy Liselotte cardigan I'm kniiting for myself, is coming along fine. (I'm still amazed by the yarn).

Maybe I will have it done in time for warmer spring days. How wonderful it would be to be able to take of a cardigan, because it's sunny outside...

A favourite artist

It's actually not that long ago, that I discovered the amazing artist Jennifer Davis and her breathtaking work.

I knew from the minute I saw her paintings and prints, that I wanted to buy a print from her.

So I did - these 2 are the ones which I decided on. 

Photo from Jennifer Davis Art

Photo from Jennifer Davis Art

Good old Bjørn!

When I were a child we had some of Bjørn Wiinblad's plaques (like many of other children at my age had at home). Right there on the wall next to our dining table in the kitchen.

I remember how much I loved the women on the plaques. Their big dreamy eyes and their little pointy  noses, made me admire them whenever we sat at the table. I made up stories about them if I were bored, which happened once in a while, when I sat at the same table doing my homework.

What I didn't think of at that time, was the way the plaques could appear 32-33 years later.

This one below is from Anne-Sophie's kitchen. She has collected 5 or 6 plagues from thrift shops, and has added her own touch to Bjørn Wiinblad's people.

Source: Uploaded by user via Anne-Sophie on Pinterest

I like what she did. A lot. Somehow the black lines on the porcelain, invite you to fill out the spaces. To prepare them for a life in 2012.

How funny and wonderful that we both - with a time interval of 30+ years - got to look at the same kind of plaques in our kitchens...

It doesn't need a whole lot of letters...

...my new neon geometric Stag Brooch. Its beauty speaks for itself - at least I think so.

It has already become a favourite...it did so within a few seconds.  The colourful triangles neatly placed beside each other. Just my kind of style. (A bit of mess wouldn't have done anything either).

I'm sure that I can make room for a similar bear on my tunics and sweaters...

Joys of a Thursday

On Thursday afternoon I got this beautiful, beautiful lot of yarn. To open the cardboard box was a burst of colour and life. I have so high hopes for this quality. The mix of cotton and wool will be perfect for me. 

Once more I gladly bought yarn from Garnudsalg.dk.

I'm so amazed and satisfied with the colours and the vivid glow, which has been captured in the threads. Skovbær (forest berry) and Appelsinskræl (orange peel). Even the names are cool and kind of marvellous.

He must be a clever and talented man, that Kenneth, who owns Garnudsalg. A man who very clearly knows his way around fibres, and it shows so much that he puts a lot of carefulness, knowledge and passion into the yarns.

My plan is to make a cardigan for myself - I really, really hope that I get to carry out that wish, before I turn the yarn into something for children. That happens far too often for me!

Another lovely moment was this evening.
I heard a knock on our frontdoor, but when I opened the door, there was no one to be seen. But something was - these 2 fine and transparant ice lanterns. Shaped like stars - with a light so soft and welcoming.

I can't tell you how happy they made me and Christian - whom I yelled at right away so he could see them (at first he thought that something had happened to me!!).

Where on earth did they come from, you might ask yourself? Well, right away I knew who would do such a
heartwarming and brilliant act. This sweet woman.

I hope that I can make Dorte and her family just as surprised and happy some day soon...

Crocheted garland for Ida

Crocheted garland, a photo by lille-ursus on Flickr.

I can hardly believe it - I made my first crocheted garland.

A while ago Anne-Sophie asked me whether I would do her a big favour. She wanted to give her dearest friend Ida (whom you might remember is our niece and cousin) a crocheted garland as a part of her birthday present.

Of course I wanted to help, so Anne-Sophie bought the materials and I did the work.

The beautiful garland which I had seen on Karen Klarbæks blog, also came with a free pattern. Perfect for me. Thanks a million to Karen for her generosity.

And to my pleasent surprise I picked up the crocheting very fast. A new kind of crochet stitch has been added to my mind - and hands! As the very last thing I added fine little bells in pastel colours, which made me think of spring.

Luckily Ida liked the garland...and I need to make more for my own house and garden.