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.

Farve forvirring

Jeg har besluttet mig for at købe mig endnu et par Duckfeet. De gamle har jeg haft i 3 år, og de har levet fuldt ud op til mine forventninger, så jeg har ikke den mindste tvivl ved at anskaffe mig endnu et par. Modellen har jeg udset mig - men farven...det kræver et par dages overvejelse.

Men foreløbig fører de blå i farven JEANS. De koksgrå er nu også seje...

ENGLISH

Colour confusion

I have decided to buy myself a new pair of Duckfeet. My old ones, which I have had for 3 years, has completely lived up to my expectations, so I have no doubts about buying a yet new pair. I have already picked out the model, but the colour...that needs a couple of days of reflection.

So far I'm loving the blue ones in the colour JEANS. But the charcoal gray ones are cool as well...

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 :)

*******

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. :)

Aaaarrrrghhh!!

                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                 Look at the bottom

Endelig var der nyt at strikke til de lidt større piger - dem på 3 til 8 år. Jeg fandt frem til 2 bøger skrevet af Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard. Der dukkede også 2 bøger op på Adlibris når jeg søgte på forfatteren: "Labour of love" og "Lovely knits for little girls". Begge forsider var forskellige og ligeså var titlerne. De var udgivet på forskellige forlag og den ene var dyrere end den anden.

Jeg plejer sagtens at kunne skelne mellem en bogs udgivelser landene imellem, men det der virkelig gjorde mig i tvivl var, at begge var engelsk sprogede og havde uens titler. Så jeg bestilte begge bøger. De få modeller jeg havde set fra Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard var så fantastiske at jeg måtte tage chancen. Tænk hvis der var 2 bøger?

Jeg må indrømme at jeg var lidt betænkelig ved min egen handling, men gjort var gjort. Og selvfølgelig blev min fikse beslutning sandhed, da de to bøger kom. De er fuldstændig ens. Den ene udgivet i England den anden i USA. Jeg føler mig temmelig dum...

Men indholdet er jeg utrolig begejstret for. Der er uttallige fine, fine modeller at strikke og tankegangen i designet er unik og stilfuld.

Så mangler du Vibe Ulrik Sondergaards nye bog med pige strik i alderen 3-8, så har jeg en ekstra du kan købe...bare sig til. 

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IN ENGLISH 

Finally there were new things to knit for older girls - those aged 3 to 8. I found 2 books written by Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard. 2 books also appeared when I searched for the author's name in Adlibris - Labour of love and Lovely knits for little girls. Both covers were different and so were the titles. They were published by 2 different publishers and one was more expensive than the other.

I'm usually capable of telling a books publications apart in several countries, but what really made me doubt was the fact that they were both written in English and had unlike titles. So I ordered both books.

The few models I had seen from Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard's hands were so fantastic, that I had to take the chance. What if there were 2 books?

I must admit that I had my second thoughts about my descission, but done was done. And of course my fixed idea came true when I received the 2 books. They were completely the same! One was published in the UK, the other in the USA. I feel rather stupid...

But I'm really thrilled about the content of the book(s). There are numerous fine, fine designs to knit and the idea behind the design is unique and stylish.

So if you need Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard's new book with girlish knit designs sized 3-8 years, then I have an extra one for you to buy. Just let me know.

E m m a ' s - d a y

Sunday was a wonderful day for my sweet and lovely niece Emma. She's my beloved bigsister's daughter and the very last of my parents' grandchildren to be confirmated.

You hardly ever see Emma without a big smile on her mouth and in her eyes - she's positive and such a good friend. Besides that she's a very sporty person and loves her dance classes and her football training.

Emma's family had done so many fantastic things to make her day special and happy. And of course a football match was played. Emma picked out her dress with that in mind. I think that was such a cool thought.

We all enjoyed celebrating her and she definitely seemed to have had a great day.

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...

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...

I'm still here. . .

Hopefully I will get more posts written in the time ahead of us, than I have lately. January has been a very hard and busy month, and I simply haven't had the surplus energy and power to keep my blog rolling.

BUT lets see if February will turn out to be better for me. I'm still here. . .

I always knew. . .

. . . that Anne-Sophie's 20th birthday would have a bit of a different touch to it. Well, first of all it's special because she turns 20, but also because of the fact that at the exact same age, I gave birth to Anne-Sophie.

It's strange to imagine that I were 20 years old - 20 years ago! So much has happened and somehow time has gone far too fast, and yet suitable slow.

I remember how happy we all were, when we saw that little girl for the first time. And we have felt the same way about her ever since . . . an unexplainable, never ending love, which contains so many feelings. (What a joy it is for us to feel this paramount kind of love twice).

Later we are going to visit Anne-Sophie in her new apartment, and celebrate her. We did start the day with a birthday song on her cellphone. And as we didn't catch her the first time we called, she now has the birthday song on her answering machine. . . maybe not a good thing at all. ;)

I must admit that it still feels a bit strange not to set up the breakfast birthday ritual with presents, birthday mats, the orchestra and candles. But it's a very heartwarming delight that Anne-Sophie's boyfriend Tim made his very own birthday ritual for her this morning - they are both so good at remembering and pleasing each other.

So, my dearest Anne-Sophie - if you see this, I send you a warm happy birthday and my very best birthday hugs.
Love mom,
xoxo

Old patterns for a new year

Just before Christmas I were lucky to get some old knitting magazines from a very sweet woman. She had been cleaning up her cellar and came across them. What a treasures they were - and what a great thing that she thought of me instead of throwing them away!

There were lots and lots of wonderful patterns, all presented by little chubby babies.

And they have become modern again, the patterns that is. There were some which are to be knitted and some to crochet.

The magazines were published sometime in the late 70ties and I just love the fact, that I remember seing some clothes made by similar recipes in my own childhood. (Worn by babies, of course).

Starting off the new year with old inspiration is absolutely marvellous. It doesn't always have to be brand new ideas.

I hope that you all had a gorgeous holiday time with your loved ones.
I certainly did - it was busy but so nice...

Fir or wood??

I just love the sight of an Advent wreath made from fir, 4 white candles and 4 red bows.

It reminds me of my childhood and the feeling of joy and excitement, when my mother lit the first candle on the first Sunday of Advent. (And along with that day came another big thing, which I liked as a child - our town put up all the outside Christmas ornaments in fake fir(!) and plenty of white light bulbs all the way through the main street).

I almost wish that I wasn't as tradition-bound as I am, about how our advent wreath looks like. Because then I would absolutely buy this gorgeous one from Ferm Living...

Photo from Ferm Living

It's so cool! The wooden balls, the colours and the leather string - and when Christmas is over you can make it into a long row of pearls, which will look like a completely different candleholder.

Photo from Ferm Living

How about you? Are you as tradition bound as me with your Advent wreath??(Well, many of you might not even have this tradition in your country).

I desperately need...

...a new pair of glasses. For far too many months have I threatened myself to buy some new ones.  But somehow one day after another goes by, and I haven't gone to the optician's yet.

Maybe it's because I don't quite know which pair glasses I'm going to look at this time. I do have an idea about shape and colour, and I'm aware that I'm not getting red ones again. That's all.

But then all of a sudden I spotted the perfect ones this evening - in fact I saw 2 spectacle frames which were right for me. (At least I think so - one never knows before trying them on).

Source: katespade.com via Ulla on Pinterest

I just adore the stripes on the inside of the side bars. Elegant and dark purple on the outside and with a little surprise on the back.

While I studied I had glasses which were a bit similar to the ones below - I loved those glasses. But our acquaintace promptly stopped the day that I dropped them on the floor, and they broke into 2 pieces.

Source: katespade.com via Ulla on Pinterest

Both pair of glasses can be bought at Kate Spade - sadly they are only reading glasses!! But now I have come a bit closer to what I want...

I'm waiting for Tusindfryd dukker

These days I have been thinking a lot about Wenche. The sweet, sweet woman who has the much inspiring blog Tusindfryd, and whom has made a deep  impression on me with her caring and heartwarming personality.

She's a very talented dollmaker, and has just had her first book about dollmaking published. In fact it was released at Klematis the other day, and that's the reason why I have had her in the back of my mind lately.

Photo from Klematis

I'm so happy for Wenche - to see one's hard work and beautiful ideas in a book, must be such a fantastic thing. I know that she will have done her utmost to make the book, so it will present itself in the very best way - both for the eyes and the mind.

I have already ordered my copy of the book Tusindfryd dukker - I couldn't wait until Christmas!
And I'm convinced that we can learn and enjoy from the minute we turn the first page in Wenche's book. I can hardly wait...

A gorgeous American guardian angle

The day after Anne-Sophie left for her holiday in L.A., there was a flickr mail waiting for me, when I popped by flickr to have a look.

It was written by this sweet and talented woman. (She's amazing at sewing and makes the most beautiful clothes for her lovely daughter).
In the mail Sarvi told me that she would be more than happy to help Anne-Sophie, if she had any questions or problems at all, when she arrived in L.A.

I can't tell you how happy and very touched that mail made me. It really moved me to tears - and my husband too. (And that's not an easy thing to do).
At the same time it gave me a feeling of peace at mind. The kind of peace of mind a mom likes to have when her children take off to new adventures in foreign countries. (Even if they are grown up too!) ;)

It's so fantastic that a woman who practically lives on the other side of the earth, and whom I know from flickr, sends a couple of flickr mails full of warm and caring words, her phone number and her email adress. So many of us could learn from her way of embracing and acting, and how she meets new people with an open mind and heart.

Anne-Sophie was happily surprised and very grateful to hear about Sarvi's mails. - How absolutely sweet of her, she said to me when we spoke on the phone.

I have written it to you already Sarvi, but it can't be said enough - thank you from the bottom of my heart for your wonderful way of being, and for caring. That, I will keep in mind for a long, long time.

Lots of love to you too...

Stripes for Kalle

Washed, blogged and dried. The scarf I have been making for my dear friend Kalle is now done. I have wrapped it as fine as possible along with the book I bought for him, and now it's all tucked away in a big brown envelope. With Kalle's name and adress written on the thick brown paper.

I have put the envelope on top of our old chest of drawers in our livingroom, so I don't forget to bring it with me to the post office tomorrow. So it can begin the long journey to England where Kalle lives.

And then I will go back to my pale pink yarn...

And off she goes again - for a while

It will not be long before Anne-Sophie and her boyfriend Tim take off to Los Angeles. They have been wanting to go to the USA for a long time, and all of a sudden they decided that the autumn break would be a suitable time to travel.

I totally understand why they look forward to their 10 days in the country. I really hope to go there sometime in the future.

It's truely interesting to visit a new place and meet other people. What is their culture like, how is the weather and how do the local people deal with the many issues in life??
Besides that, it's always lots of fun to get to use a foreign language. And Anne-Sophie loves speaking English as much as I do.

When Anne-Sophie and Tim come back, I know that they will tell us all about their adventures, and probably show a bunch of lovely photos as well.

I can hardly wait for them to come home.

Glimpses of a Sunday

On a rainy Sunday afternoon I did a bit of knitting...

Made the frosting for cupcakes....

Enjoyed the sight of my new old owl...which only cost me 10 Danish kroner...

And felt happy that I now get to wear colourful, shiny, wooden beads around my neck.

Today is a special day...

...for my niece Ida.

It's the day where she gets to hold a photo exhibition - PERSONLIGT FOTOGRAFI - along with her fellow students. If you live in Aarhus, I think that you should go have a look at the many wonderful photos.


Or else you could take a look at the beautiful website Ida has made. She also have a flickr.

Today I'm definitely one extra, extra proud aunt. (I always am...)

Photo from Ida Velling's flickr

Ready for a second life

Yesterday Anne-Sophie came to pick up her new machine - or should I say new old machine.

When I got my new sewing machine a few years ago, I promised Anne-Sophie that she could have my old Singer. (Actually Emil was supposed to use it as well, if he ever had the need for it! I have a feeling that it might never occur again. I think that we must see it as a thing he loved to do, once in a while, when he was a very little boy). ;)

The old Singer has been standing at home waiting for Anne-Sophie to need it. And so she did yesterday.

She is making a project at the architecture school, which needed just that kind of tool. Now I hope that having the sewing machine close by, will inspire her to sew again. She used to sew when she lived at home, but in recent years she has been too occupied by her studies.

The Singer was my very first sewing machine and a graduation gift from Christian. I still remember how happy it made me, when I opened the present.  A gift he knew I would cherish and use a lot.

By now it's time that it starts a new life, with new hands operating the buttons and buttom thread - and another person who finds out about all the many funny advantages and - not so funny - disadvantages such an old machine has.
I know that it will do a good job, even though it has become a bit more yellow over the years.

I couldn't be more delighted about the new owner...I hope that she will get as many wonderful hours of creating with it, as I have had...