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.

Japanese patterns

Photo from LINNET

I found the finest little Japanese shop the other day. And in it some lovely patterns for women. As I have mentioned several times before, I adore clothes which have simple and elegant lines - and with surprising details. 

Like this purple dress/tunic. It is just the kind I love, and the fact that Japanese books and patterns always get presented on photos in the most stylish ways, adds to my enthusiasm.

Photo from LINNET

That's why I ordered it- and without understanding a word of the written Japanese in the site. 

Another dress caught my eye while I were heading towards checkout. One, which I had to have a closer look at as well.

Photo from LINNET

Stunning was the word that came to my mind. Not that it was something we haven't seen before. But the sum of the few details on the dress, convinced me. So, now I hope to have the patterns here within a week or two. 

Photo from LINNET

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Jeg fandt den fineste lille japanske shop den anden dag. Og i den, nogle skønne sy mønstre til kvinder. Som jeg har fortalt adskillige gange før, elsker jeg tøj som har enkle og elegante linier - og med overraskende detaljer.

Som den lilla kjole/tunika. Det er lige den slags jeg godt kan lide, og det faktum at japanske bøger og mønstre altid bliver vist på fotos på den mest stilfuld måde, øger bare min begejstring.

Så derfor bestilte jeg det - og dét uden at forstå et eneste ord af det skrevne japanske på sitet.

En anden kjole fangede min opmærksomhed mens jeg var på vej til at checke ud. Én som jeg også bare måtte kigge nærmere på.

"Fantastisk" var det ord der først faldt mig ind. Ìkke at den var noget vi ikke har set før. Men summen af de få detaljer på kjolen, overbeviste mig. Så nu håber jeg at have mønstrene her om en uge eller to.

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...

Spring inspiration

2 beautiful books came in a flat envelope today - from Århus. I thought that I had ordered them in 

Copenhagen, but instead it was from Tøndering Strik. A gorgeous shop.

I must be getting older, since I can't remember things like that or perhaps my mind is too preoccupied at the moment. I almost know that it's the latter...

The first book is a funny little one - the kind which I adore. Strikkede striber forår. 

It's inspiring to see how the 2 authors think of knitting in another way, and that it doesn't has to be about making clothes when you knit.

Maybe you remember a book with a similar title, which I mentioned last autumn. It's the same 2 women who have written this new book about more stripes.

Strikkede striber forår

Strikkede striber forår

Nordiske Masker 2 was the other one of the knitting books. I absolutely love the colour scheme which has been used for the models in this book.

Nordiske Masker 2 Lone Gissel og Tine Rousing

Nordiske Masker 2 Lone Gissel og Tine Rousing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

2 smukke bøger kom i en flad hvid konvolut i dag - fra Århus. Jeg troede at jeg havde bestilt dem i København, men i stedet for var det hos Tøndering Strik i Århus. En fantastisk butik.

Jeg må være ved at blive gammel, siden jeg ikke kan huske den slags ting, eller også er min hjerne bare optaget af andre ting i øjeblikket. Jeg ved næsten at det skyldes det sidstnævnte.

Den første bog er en sjov lille en - den slags jeg holder af. Strikkede striber forår.

Det er inspirerende at se hvordan de to forfattere tænker på dét at strikke på en anderledes måde, og at det ikke nødvendigvis behøver at handle om tøj når man strikker.

Måske kan du huske, at jeg nævnte en bog med en lignende titel i efteråret. Det er de samme 2 kvinder der har skrevet denne nye bog om striber.

Nordiske Masker 2 var den anden af strikkebøgerne. Jeg elsker simpelthen farveskemaet der er brugt til modellerne i denne bog.

I dream of stary shoulders

Ever since I saw this fantastic cardigan, I have dreamt of making it. I like how the stars give the design a cool touch, and I must say that we could all need to live under lucky stars in my family these days.

The design is by Ann Højgaard Sloth and you can make cardigans for both children and grown ups. Somehow I do think that the stars look better proportioned on the children's size. Or perhaps I'm just influenced by the lovely purple colour along with all the grey, more than by the blue one.

Did I mention that it can be bought here as a kit?
For the time being I had better work on my existing projects, but dreaming is always nice...

 & & & & & & 

Lige siden jeg så denne fantastiske cardigan, har jeg drømt om at lave den. Jeg kan godt lide hvordan stjernerne giver designet et cool touch, og jeg må nok sige at alle i min familie kunne have brug for at leve under lykkebringende stjerner i øjeblikket.

Den er designet af Ann Højgaard Sloth og du kan lave cardigans til både børn og voksne. Men på en eller anden måde synes jeg, at stjernerne ser bedre proportioneret ud på børnestørrelsen. Eller også er jeg bare påvirket af den smukke lilla sammen med alt det grå, fremfor det blå.

Sagde jeg at den kan købes som et kit her?
For nu må jeg hellere arbejde videre på mine eksisterende projekter, men man har jo lov at drømme...

A big hooray from a nightowl

Photo from Lindhart and Ringhof

Very late the other night, you would have heard me shouting yes in an entusiastic and happy way. A strange way to act in the middle of the night you might think - but maybe you will see why, when you hear that I won the most wonderful book.

Rakel at bare wunderbar had the pleasure of giving away 5 copies of this book - Liv og glade dage by Nicoline Olsen.

How lucky I were to win the book - it was already on my wishlist...at least for a little while. Thank you so much, Rakel.

And speaking of books, I just ordered Lene Holme Samsøe's new book Suveræn strik. I have been waiting for that one. Somehow she tends to inspire so many knitters in Denmark, every time she has been working on more fantastic knit designs. So I have my hopes up for this book too.

Photo from Lindhardt and Ringhof

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Et stort hurra fra en natteravn

Meget sent forleden nat, ville du have kunnet høre mig råbe et entutiastisk og glad yes. Du tænker måske at det var en underlig måde at reagere på midt om natten, men måske forstår du når du hører at det var fordi jeg vandt den mest fantastiske bog.

Rakel fra bloggen bare wunderbar havde fået fornøjelsen af at kunne give 5 stk. af denne bog væk - Liv og glade dage af Nicoline Olsen.

Hvor var jeg heldig at vinde at bogen...den stod allerede på min ønskeddel...i en lille stund. Tusind tak, Rakel.

Apropos bøger, så har jeg netop bestilt Lene holme Samsøes nye bog Suveræn strik. den har jeg virkelig ventet på. Hun formår altid at inspirere så mange danske strikkere, hver gang hun har arbejdet på flere fantastiske strik designs. Så jeg har viekwlig positive forventninger til denne bog også.

Hurra for Betty P's vidunderlige neon tråde

For et stykke tid siden begyndte jeg på et lille broderi. 

Jeg syer med den smukke koral farvede neontråd fra Betty P. Fra jeg så neontrådene for første gang, har de indbudt til at blive omsat til små broderisting.

At jeg købte alle de 5 ruller tråd i neon nuancer har jeg ikke fortrudt et sekund. Adskillige projekter har fået tilføjet et lille neon pift, og det er simpelthen en fornøjelse at arbejde med de livlige farver og den stærke tråd.

Neon embroidery on a new tunic for me, a photo by lille-ursus on Flickr.

Jeg laver bogstaver på en tunika jeg syede til mig selv i sensommeren. Den er lavet i en let chambrey i grå. Jeg holder meget af den slags stof, da det ikke blot er én stor flade af en bestemt farve, men derimod et virvar af grå tråde på kryds og på tværs.

Hvad jeg skriver med neon er ikke til at vide...forhåbentlig dukker det op inden længe.

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...

Jeg strikker af - og i - gamle jeans...

                            ENGLISH BELOW THE DANISH POST

...og hvor er det fedt. Garnet er Blackhill Recycle Cotton Indigo Tweed i farven lys lime, købt hos Garnudsalg.dk. Garnet er fremstillet af vintage jeans, og jeg kan rigtig godt lide tanken om genanvendelse.

Egentlig havde jeg forestillet mig, at det muligvis skulle bruges til endnu en dejlig Liselotte cardigan, men jeg bestemte mig for at strikke BIG rubble af Alison Brookbanks. En løs og luftig model til at smide over en t-shirt, når man fryser.

Og det er den slags opskrift som man ikke behøver tænke det mindste over, hvilket måske ikke gør den til den sjoveste, men jeg synes at trøjen er smuk med sin vidde og de brede rib borter ved ærmer og bul.

Billedet af BIG rubble tilhører Alison Brookbanks

. . . . . . .

I'm knitting with - and in - old jeans...

...and ít's so cool.  The yarn is Blackhill Recycle Cotton Indigo Tweed in the colour bright lime, bought at Garnudsalg.dk. The yarn has been made from vintage jeans, and i really like the idea of recycling.

Actually I had imagined that it should have been used for yet another lovely Liselotte cardigan, but I decided to knit BIG rubble by Alison Brookbanks instead. A lose and airy design to put over a t-shirt, when you are cold.

And it's the kind of pattern which you don't have to think the least bit about while knitting it, which perhaps doesn't make it the most fun one to make, but I think that the sweater is beautiful with it's width and the wide ribbing on the sleeves and the body.

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??

Bebe Dress fra Serendipity

Jeg har købt et nyt symønster - til mig selv. Til en sommerkjole.

Jeg kunne ikke stå for de små ærmer og empire snittet, og ser kjolen for mig i en let og luftig hvid udgave (fremfor de blomstrede på billederne). Den vil være et kærkomment stykke tøj på en dejlig sommerdag. Eller med lange bukser under. 

Mønstret er fra Serendipity og hedder Bebe Dress. Designerens - Kay Whitt - udgave af den velkendte Baby Doll kjole.

Jeg er også helt vild med den grønne og hvide udgave med zig-zag mønster. Faktisk er det Kay Whitt selv der bærer alle kjolerne på billederne.

* * * * * * * * 

I have bought a new sewing pattern - for myself. It's for a summer dress.

The little sleeves and the empirecut were irresistible to me, and I picture the dress in a light and airy white version (rather than the flowery ones in the photos). It will be an appreciated piece of clothes on a lovely summerday. Or worn with trousers.

The pattern is from Serendipity and is called Babe Dress. The designer's - Kay Whitt - version of the wellknown Baby doll dress.

I also like the green and white one with the zig-zag print. Actually it's Kay Whitt herself who models all the dresses in the photos.

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...

A l f r e d

This weekend my husband has been in Sweden with his brother. And while Emil visited his sweet girlfriend Ronja yesterday, I had nothing but time ahead of me.

So, I picked out my brown Coast yarn from Holst Garn, and found the pattern for (Big) Alfred. A while ago I showed Christian several different patterns for men's sweaters. I payed attention to the ones he liked, because I wanted to make him a new one.

The last time I did so was when I knitted this. He loves it but somehow the sleeves and the yoke tend to get longer and loooooonger! So sadly the Cobblestone sweater has been more in his wardrobe than on his upper body!

But now I'm - secretly - making him an Alfred. He talks and talks about how beautiful brown sweaters are, so that's what he's getting.

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...

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.

I never thought . . .

. . . that I would be in a spin over tea towels! But I am.

The other day I bought these 2 beauties from HAY. 

Of course I were beckoned by the combination of the colours when I saw them, but when I got to touch the fabric they were made from, it got even better. And the graphic designs in the fabric!

A little box with 2 different towels cost 129 Danish kroner - about 22 $. Not bad for tea towels in that fine quality.

I'm not sure that I will ever get to dry any dishes in the lovely towels. I wouldn't have the heart. But what I do know is, that I want to buy the orange and paleblue set as well.

Or maybe I get lucky and get them for Christmas . . .

For our hands - and eyes

Anne-Sophie has been busy with her studies for a long time, but she has spent some of her precious sparetime on making the most beautiful Christmas ornaments I know.

A whole bunch of Froebel Stars were among the things she showed me, when she was home this weekend. She's going to use the lot for a mobile. And the ones you see here are not all of them - many more were folded in her hands while she was here. 

It didn't take her many minutes to finish a star. My skills, on the other hand, are a different story. I'm not good at making the stars - they always tend to look inaccurate and somehow I manage to get the paper shreds wrinkled. As a side befinefit my temper usually gets the better of me.

Today we had a wonderful afternoon, playing with self-hardening clay and listening to so far unheard Christmas music from the radio. Both of us enjoyed it (apart from the music).

It's a magical feeling to mould the clay in your hands and get things to come out of it.We mostly made ornaments for Christmas, but also a bit of jewlry and some signs to put on jars containing flour, sugar and the likes of it.

Anne-Sophie didn't get to bring home her things made from clay this time. They hadn't dried up yet, and I think that the items need the night to set completely hard.

Maybe we are going to paint some of the letters which we put into the clay...and of course add some string in different colours to the ones which need that.

It's was almost too late to begin with the Christmas stuff, but we are absolutely not done playing with self-hardening clay.

Laz(c)y day

It's definitely a lazy day today - in more than one way.

Emil and I slept through the morning and I barely heard Christian go off to work. Now we are having a cosy time doing absolutly what we want to, and maybe I can find a little moment in a while, to do some more knitting on the Lacy Baktus I'm knitting. And some flicking through the magasin RUM.

I have a thing for mustard colored scarfs at the moment. And ever since I saw the Lacy Baktus made by Terhi on flickr, I have wanted to have one of my own. With holes and everything...

Later on we are going to spend time with some of the people we love the most - my sister and her family. Not a bad day in the middle of December.

The little red pig is Christian's from his childhood and the angel is my childhood favourite at Christmas.