Swedish Grandma

I'm still here

2011-09-25T18:01:00.008+02:00

I work and I study so there isn't much time for knitting, but as I'm an knit-addict I have to knit every now and then. When I turned fifty-four last month one of my daughters gave me some lovely yarn from Astrids in Jönköping and the other one gave me two wonderful books by Ysolda.

I made this shawl with Noro's Kureyon Sock Yarn. The pattern is Summer flies by Holly and Ella knits.

I've also knitted a cozy for my new phone. It should look like an owl, in case you don't see it!

The pattern is Who? iPod Cozy by Kayleen Grage.

Recollections of summer 2011

2011-08-07T12:50:00.022+02:00

There was a great knitting assembly in Önnestad in July which I attended. We had some wonderful days with classes, lectures, an outing and a yarn fair. The first class I took was knitting jogless stripes in the round. Our very talented teacher was Maria Gustafsson. Some of the methods were really easy. I knitted a wooly hat.I have no pictures from my next class; knitting Charlotte Tøndering's favourite patterns. She was a wonderful lady from Århus, where she has a shop, and she brought some special Japanese yarn.

After the intensive day with Charlotte ,I was so tired that I relaxed during my sock knitting class. You should have preknitted some legs beforehand so you were able to try out a couple of different heels and toes, but I had just halfnitted one leg so I knitted at a very slow pace. Barbro Lindholm, our teacher, knew a great deal about knitting socks and stockings in the old days.

My finished socks in Regia Silk.

My last class was how to embroider on knitting. Not easy at all! But oh, so beautiful, if you are skilled. Inger Ohlsson also has classes where you learn how to make the old night sweater, "spedetröja", from Skåne.

The last day of July I went to Rügen with Leif. We had some wonderful days including visiting historical sites; Prora and Stralsund, visiting Königstuhl in Jasmund National Park, visting beaches, reading books and knitting of course.I bought a book in Sassnitz. Suitable for me I think. We'll see if I can figure out the German knitting terms.

In Stralsund I bought this adorable red pen with white dots.

I finally finished a top that I have been knitting on since April I guess. I've made every error in the book and the armholes look terrible so you can't see them. I will not try to change them because I don't want to spend more time on this piece! I love the pattern though and the yarn Egypto Cotton.

I've also bought another lovely yarn, ella rae, which I bought one skein of and made a very litte shawl from a Drops pattern.

Then I have spent time with my four grandchildren, but as I'm not such a good photographer you'll have to watch their mothers' blogs. They're all so special and everyday I remember something about them, what they've said and done and how they look and I keep it in my heart for winter...

Summer Blossom

2011-07-14T18:33:00.007+02:00

At last I found myself sitting behind the sewing machine, or is it in front of the sewing machine? I have had the intention since June but nothing has happened until now. Some years ago one of my friends, who have daughters in England, introduced me to the world of Cath Kidston. I love floral patterns, so I was interested to know more about her and when her book "Sew" was realeased in Sweden I bought it. Included in the book was a piece of the fabric " Summer Blossom", cut out for you. You just had to follow the instructions and make a bag

There was also a label included in the kit.( I'm not sure that Cath Kidston would approve of my second rate bag, but I put the label there anyway :)) There was no way I would even consider to hand-stitch the buttonholes on the handles, so I excluded buttonholes and just put the buttons on the handles as fasteners. Here is a nicer version of the bag.I have also visited this shop in my neighbourhood and I bought a pencil case.

...but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat

2011-07-11T09:22:00.009+02:00

I was a great fan of Peter, Paul and Mary when I was quite young and the lines from "Lemon Tree" has stuck in my mind and I sing it now and then. Like so many others I have knitted the shawlette Citron. Some knitters have found it boring and others have found it relaxing. I loved knitting it and I do love Malabrigo lace! The shawlette is a bit small so my next Citron will be bigger. As I'm never entirely satisfied with what I do, it's hard to knit for others, but for a very good cause you have to try. The babies in the Panzi hospital in Kongo need hats and blankets. Read more about it here. My daughter guided me through her pattern.

This is my hometown. Great, isn't it?

And this is what I do every now and then. I enjoy a Cappuccino.

Sunshine Top

2011-06-26T20:26:00.005+02:00

Sunshine Top is a suitable name for this top today but I'm not sure that it looks good on me. The designer is Marleen van der Vorst and I have already knitted one of her designs, the Kaleidoscope Vest. I like the fashion to knit everything into one piece starting from the top. The pattern appeared in Knit issue 37. I bought the yarn at Broderi & Garn in Göteborg and it's a hand dyed cotton yarn by the artist Mia Persson. Green? Me?

Anniversary

2011-06-18T21:21:00.004+02:00

I've been married for 35 years on June the 19th. My dear husband and I were married on the same day as king Carl Gustaf and queen Silvia of Sweden. Last year our crown princess Victoria and her prince Daniel shared the same date for their wedding. I feel quite royal! My husband is the best husband ever; kind-hearted, creative and clever.

Do I knit nowadays? Yes, a little, but it will be more because my summer holidays just started! Yeah!

Mother's Day

2011-05-29T15:27:00.005+02:00

I'm so rich. I have a wonderful family. For Mother's Day I've got phone calls, parcels, a letter with drawings of small hands, a musical greeting and a drawing of a Supergranny painted on the net. This lovely new outfit has my youngest daughter knitted for me. I had no clue what she was up to, so it was a WOW-feeling when I opened the parcel this morning.

From my husband I got a Duo herb pot for my rosemary and basil and two thermo cups.

I ordered this bag from my daughter some weeks ago. The fabric is from Åhlens.

I should have worn sunglasses

2011-05-01T14:59:00.018+02:00

I'm not sad, but the sun is "bothering" me here. My new and lacy shoulderette is made of a lovely lacy yarn - Manos Lace. The pattern is from Madebyme in Halmstad. This is how it looked first when I had finished it. Too wide at the top so I just crocheted around the necklineMemories of a lovely Easter with all my loved ones, but I'm afraid Grandma is the worst photographer ever!

In Springtime

2011-04-25T21:13:00.004+02:00

What a beautiful Easter we've had! I have spent the holiday with my husband, four grandchildren and their families. We've eaten the most delicious food, some of us have knitted and crocheted and we've been outdoors most of the time.

Before Easter I sewed a skirt. I used a pattern from Svenska Mönster and I bought the fabric, which is a Anna Huhta design "Mukava" from Finlayson, when I was in Helsinki four years ago.

Easter Holiday

2011-04-20T11:33:00.012+02:00

Yesterday I spent a big part of the day among friends in a countryside house. We ate, knitted, chatted and were given advice on knitting and sewing matters. Our lovely host had baked the most delicious bread with nuts and fruits in it. Yum! She also helped me to take photos of my new Kaleidoscope vest. I've used Schachenmayr's Cotton Bamboo.

Wrong season? Yes - some projects take their time. Here is my Stripes to keep me warm. The neck is too long for my taste and it feels huge around my shoulders, but when I look carefully on the original pattern I can see that it's not a slim fit there either. I was inspired by Ilsefin to make this cowl.

Christmas? No - but very red. When I saw the Stockholm Scarf at Knitted Bliss, I knew I had to make it at once, so I just whipped up some old Fritidsgarn from my stash and started. I love the pattern with it's cable-like stitches.

A balloon helped me with blocking this Whale Watch Hat from the book "New England knits". I made the hat with leftover yarn from weaving and from making long-pile rugs, so it's rather stiff and coarse.
The subject is a bit blurred because I'm not at all good at stranded colourwork patterns. Sometimes the floats are too tight and sometimes they're too loose.

Ribbed Cowl

2011-04-03T17:12:00.007+02:00

The winter-issue of Knit Simple contained five cowls and I wanted to make them all at once. But time is scarce these days so I've just managed to knit one of them. I used Step 6, a sock-yarn. This design is so simple and usable. I've also knitted a pair of wristwarmers in a marvellous yarn, Andes, from Debbie Bliss. It's made of silk and baby-alpaca. Nina Sagulin has made the design.

I have two daughters. One of them has a blog about knitting, crocheting, sewing and much more

and the other one has a blog about living in the countryside and cooking. I'm not very good at cooking but I want to be and yesterday my husband and I cooked a tomato soup from the Buffé magazine. It tasted wonderful with crispbread and Präst from Arla Foods, left to ripen for 14 months (my husband works with cheese development). I felt so good and we took a photogragh. Then it happened!! When we stored away the leftovers the lid fell off the plastic container and there was tomato soup all over the kitchen. It took an hour at least to clean up the mess. I'll never be a master chef.

Another beret

2011-03-13T08:44:00.005+01:00

I knitted another beret. It's turquoise-blue. I used a pattern from the book "Sticka mössor, vantar, sockor!". I'm not very good at guessing, so I had some problems when I should decrease 12 stitches every third row and not ruin the pattern. I tried to solve it as well as I could. Today, when I read the pattern again, I saw that it said in the introduction that the raised pattern would help you not to notice the decreases....

Bryophyta Cowl

2011-03-05T08:02:00.004+01:00

I love the colours even though they're not red or blue. I love the alpaca-yarn and this issue of Knitscene from where I've taken the pattern.

Holidays

2011-02-18T10:12:00.006+01:00

Time for rest and to regain one's strength. Leif and I started the day with breakfast in a café. Lovely! Here's my latest project - a crocheted bag. The pattern was in Hendes verden nr. 33 2010.

I couldn't get hold of the Danish yarn so I've used Catania instead and as my yarn was thinner I put on some extra rows here and there. I wasn't up to change colour every row on my handles either, so my stripes are 20 cm each. I just made one handle and of course I made it too long. I had forgotten that knitted and crocheted handles GROW.

Blowing in the wind

2011-02-13T10:44:00.007+01:00

It's not easy to be a model or a photographer when the wind is blowing, but I wanted to show you my cowl so yo have to excuse my untidy hair and my squint-eyed look. I've used Drops' pattern and the yarn Nepal. I was inspired when I read this blog.
Two of my grandchildren are coming today and we're going to a big family birthday party!

A lady in red

2011-02-06T15:00:00.006+01:00

Have you guessed my favourite colour? Yes - it's red! I've knitted Coddle by Lisa Richardson. I think the pattern was in a leaflet that came with the Knitting magazine. I like the pattern with this kind of false cables. And I like pompoms too. I think they're adorable. I've omitted the big 40 cm collar. One stitch is wrong in the pattern. I could not understand the pattern there, because I think I did as it said.....

Today I've been a grandma for five years!

2011-02-01T16:12:00.002+01:00

My eldest grandchild is celebrating her fifth birthday today. I can't believe it's five years since I got that first MMS with a picture of the newborn little girl. Well, today she's five, has started to read, write and crochet. She's lost her first tooth too. Happy Birthday T-L! I've sent her The Apple Hat. I bought a kit from Tant Kofta. Gorgeous yarn in texture and colour! Yum!

How many shawls can you have?

2011-01-23T15:27:00.004+01:00

That's the question my husband asked when we visited Helylle last summer and I bought Noro Sock Kureyon yarn and a pattern for this Birch-bark-shawl by Queen Mudd. The shop keeper answered him that she knew of someone who was knitting a shawl for every day of the year. He believes that I have a shawl for every week, but that's not true - yet. I was glad that I had knitted Nina Sagulin's entrelac shawl before because I think her pattern was easier for me to understand. My shawl is not perfect and there aren't enough squares, because with my gauge I needed more than two balls of yarn. I love all the colours, except the brownish ones in this variegated yarn

Short Sleeve Cardi became Long Sleeve Cardi

2011-01-16T14:06:00.004+01:00

I wanted long sleeves because I'm often cold, so Short Sleeve Cardi became Long Sleeve Cardi. As I'm always a bit hasty I hadn't read the pattern through thoroughly and now I have moss stitch stripes instead of knit stitch stripes. I haven't used the proper yarn either. It's Shetland de luxe from Gedifra. The pattern is from Knit Simple, Fall 2010. We've finally put away our Christmas decorations.

One of my pupils had made candles. I got two and here's one of them.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T09:13:00.006+01:00

A blessed Happy New Year Dear Friends! I look tired and that's what I am. I'm trying to rest as much as I can and I'm knitting too, of course.
Christmas was great and I love to be with my family and watch my grandchildren play and talk. I'm surely rich.
The hat in the picture is knitted in Lerke-yarn, bought in Norway last summer, a cotton/wool mix. The pattern is a "beehive"-thing and was hard to understand as you can see. Sometimes I got it right, but in some places I didn't.

This is my favourite garment! But what do you call it? Ponchonette? Shoulderette? Capelet? Pelerine? Tippet?
I found the pattern on Ravelry and the yarn is Colinette Art bought from Nysta.

Advent Knitting

2010-12-07T18:26:00.007+01:00

I invited some friends for an evening with knitting. I love every occasion for knitting and spending time with wonderful talented friends. Only one of them has a blog. Some can knit even if they've just got the cast off their broken hand!

Debbie Bliss designs - yum!

The colour is blue.

Mittens for someone.

Level 2

2010-11-21T14:41:00.003+01:00

I've reached the second level and made Stickfrossa's wooly hat. Do you see the little badge? It's my trademark (haha). The badges were a present from my youngest daughter. My eldest daughter lives in the countryside of Småland. She's just started a blog.

My Weddingshawl has been to a real wedding!

2010-11-11T15:32:00.006+01:00

I felt so honoured when my colleague Ingrid asked me if she could borrow my shawl to see if it could be used at her eldest daughter's wedding. Obviously it could! Here is the happy couple - Helena and Mattias.

I love events like this one!

2010-11-07T17:13:00.025+01:00

Just before the event I finished my "swatch" from the Entrelac-class with Nina Sagulin. Tada, a shawl - not beautiful, but extremely warm!

At the knitting-event in Gamla Köpstad we ate a lot... Here's Anna , one of the organizers, in the kitchen.

Here is Carin, her twinsister and the other organizer.

I met a lot of new people and I met old friends.

I can't turn this picture....

I brought my daughter Emilia.

I finished my Entrelac-socks which I've been knitting on since last year!

Better late than never.....

2010-10-17T20:31:00.008+02:00

Work has kept me very busy lately and I haven't found the time to update my blog. This is my only FO - The Fairy Lace Beret from The Knitter. In this pattern you should knit 4 tog! How can you do that? I could only do it when I put the needle through the back of the stitches. I visited the Göteborg Book Fair with yummy books

and the Borås Sewing Festival with yummy yarns.

No time for coffee breaks

2010-09-07T18:59:00.007+02:00

I´ve spent the weekend in Lidköping. Hundreds of quilters met there at the Quiltköping event, and there were a few knitters too. We were very busy and there was hardly any time for coffee, but I had lunch with my two travel companions and room mates at Café Rörstrand. We were served a lovely homemade bread. At first I tried to learn how to knit entrelac. Our teacher was Nina Sagulin from Nysta.

Next I learned how to make nice edgings in crochet. Our teacher was Linda Berglund from Deisy design.

They don't look so nice here, but on some garments I'm sure they'll look fine.

At last I tried to sew a Margo Handbag from the Lazy Girl design. It was hard and I had a little help from the friends in my class. Our teacher, Eva Andersson, was excellent, but she didn't stop for coffee. Phew...!

It's not my colours. I bought the fabric in a hurry from another excellent person, Veronica.

British socks and birthdays

2010-08-29T21:42:00.008+02:00

I was given some Regia Nation Sock Yarn in a swap in the spring by Camilla. Britain is one of my favourite countries and now I have a pair of socks in the British colours.

My birthday is in August and so are the birthdays of two of my grandchildren. Here is the other August girl.

I got some goodies. Vickevira yarn bought from Elses bod from my daughter and she had also crocheted a wonderful red bag to me.

Lavender or bluebells

2010-08-10T18:46:00.004+02:00

I will just let you know that my husband likes this sleeveless top. The pattern is from the Danish magazine Hendes verden. I don't wear sleeveless garments very often so I'll be wearing a T-shirt under. I love the blue colour, but I can't decide which shade of blue it is.

I shrug my shoulders

2010-08-07T21:00:00.006+02:00

When I asked my husband if he could take a picture of my shrug, he laughed and said that he could do it when I had finished knitting it, and when I see the pictures I can understand why. Have a good laugh! I'm not very good at lace knitting. When finishing a row I usually end up with either more or less stitches than there should be, so when the magazine Yarn Forward offered a masterclass and suggested this as a beginner-item, I had to try. I'm not sure I've succeded though. The pattern looks strange.

The wee bag and other things that happened this week

2010-08-01T19:27:00.007+02:00

I've baked again - cupcakes with pomegranates from a book by Mia Örhn. It's filled with classical recipes with a new touch.
Österlen is a lovely area in Sweden and we stayed there two days. Inspired by some twin sisters, we went to Brösarp's gästgiveri and ate Äggakaka, a national dish from Skåne. It's a really thick oven pancake with pork and lingonberries.

For some weeks I've been knitting on a lovely blue bag which I was going to felt. Last night I finished the knitting and was going to put it in the washing machine when I remembered this huge bag that I made over a year ago with old plant dyed wool yarn. I had used a pattern from a magazine and it should be a lovely little yarn basket. I put it in the washing machine and it didn't felt, I put it in again and it didn't felt. Then I boiled it - it didn't felt. End of story. I can only use that sack for gathering leaves in the autumn.

So the blue bag (which was really huge before felting) went into the washing machine in 60 degrees Celsius (otherwise I always start on 40 degrees) and out came a wee bag. I was SO disappointed..... Let's see, what I can use it for? Maybe for my laptop, it's a wee one too.

I like the colours though, but the purple yarn totally disappeared.

Autumn leaves? No way!

2010-07-25T20:21:00.009+02:00

It's still summer and I've spent time with my four grandchildren and their parents. They all love the sea and bathe until they're shivering. And no, I'm not fond of camping life as my friends know very well.

The caravan belongs to my eldest daughter and her family. It's nice to have a meal there with my beloved family on a sunny day, but to sleep and cook in it, that's not for me. I've tried twice so I know!
There's not much time for knitting when the children are around, but my youngest daugter and I sneaked off to a café early in the morning for some breakfast and knitting.

She was knitting a shawl of her own design.

I tried to knit a wrist warmer, but I couldn't knit the very simple pattern so I had to frog it when I got home.

I've made my version of the Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl .

I've knit it in Zauberball sock yarn, and when I blocked it I had forgotten that the modules should have a rounded form, not a pointed......

I'll see if I let it stay pointed or if I block it again. The shawl reminds me of autumn, but I hope that there will be at least two months before we are there!

Hey it's good to be back home again!

2010-07-13T18:59:00.011+02:00

Look at this gloomy woman. Yes, she´s got fever and should be in bed, but she´s on her way to Norway and despite the heat she is wrapped in a Centipede scarf designed by Malin Flodin and the yarn is from Garnpaletten. Skeikampen was a good, quiet and beautiful place to recover in and after a day in bed I was out and about again.

I was afraid I should meet a bear but the only animals I came across were cows and sheep. Sometimes they came too close to my liking.

Here's the man who went on a walking tour in the mountains. This is what he looks like after seven hours of walking. Tired and pleased.

There was so much to see and photograph on our way down to the Geiranger fjord.

Time for a cappuccino in Lillehammer, wearing my new net-shawl.

We were met by a tremendous heat when we came back to Falkenberg, so I certainly don't need to put something warm around my shoulders but I want to show you........

.........a shawl in cotton. It should have been crocheted in mohair yarn and looks gorgeous in the book Sköna sjalar by Lena Blidell. My result is not so good and the shape is ugly.

........a shawl in wool, Heavens hand. Wow, that yarn is fabulous and the blue colour is so extremely beautiful! I'm rather pleased with the result. Anna's Shoulder Warmer will always remind me of Geiranger and mountains covered with snow.

Can't stop knitting and crocheting

2010-07-10T21:13:00.006+02:00

I never need days off from knitting and crocheting. On our way to Norway I came down with fever and wasn't able to produce as much as I would have liked. I got well and finished crocheting my net-shawl. The yarn was a present from Carin. When I sat on the bench crocheting a man with two small sons were passing by and he said to his boys: - Now the Yes-bench has turned into the Knitting-bench!
Cute! He is excused that he didn't see that I was CROCHETING. I have already worn the shawl when visiting Lillehammer.

We drove a whole day to see the beautiful Geiranger and it was worth the while. I finished Anna's Shoulder Warmer.

When your husband stops at every corner to take pictures it's good to have a hobby!

A red buttercup

2010-06-27T20:54:00.006+02:00

Last summer I noticed how some people knitted a top down design by Heidi Kirrmaier called Buttercup. I wanted to make it too and bought some cotton yarn. Well, I didn't start because I knitted a cardigan instead and the pattern and balls of yarn were hiding in some project bag. When spring was in the air I was reminded of the project and started knitting. It was very hard to see exactly how it would turn out as a finished item. At some point it looked enormous, at another point I didn't understand the pattern and put away the bag again.

Finally I pulled myself together and finished it. Well, there was a row I skipped altogether at the end: " On last round, m4 (m6, m4, m6, -, decr.2) evenly spread out ( gives you a multiple of 18) ".

Explanation anyone?

I like my new top and it fits perfectly!

Förra sommaren såg jag en massa människor som stickade en sommartop med namnet Buttercup. Jag gillade den starkt och inhandlade garn. Garn och mönster blev liggande i en påse och jag stickade en kofta istället. När det började våras kom projektpåsen fram igen. Från början var det svårt att se exakt hur stor toppen skulle bli och så förstod jag inte mönstret riktigt heller. Påsen åkte in i skåpet igen. När sommarlovet startat bestämde jag mig för att slutföra projektet. Det gjorde jag, men när jag var nästan i mål så förstod jag inte mönstret igen. Jag skippade helt enkelt ett varv. Det gick bra ändå, men jag vill gärna ha en förklaring av det förlorade varvet av någon. Toppen blev fin och lagom tycker jag.

Summer at last!

2010-06-21T21:51:00.009+02:00

What could be better to start your holidays with than knitting with your friends? Ingegerd has crocheted this beautiful blanket with granny squares and she is thinking of making it even larger. I love it. It's a blues in blue.

Kicki has many shawls and they're all incredibly beautiful. She loves to compose with colours.

Carin is also extremely accomplished and as she is a crafts teacher she's started her holidays too.

She's making a cardigan of granny squares. I'm looking forward to see it on!

I got yarn and a pattern from Camilla to make a shawl with love knots. Love knots are not easy to make and I've tried and tried to read the pattern, but failed to understand how to make them.

Carin who is a very good pedagogue showed me and at first it looked just like a big tangle of yarn but after a while I could understand how it hung together. This is the result. There are blue tree pearls on the edging.

I've been in Granhammar with my husband, daughter and grandchildren. The studio was filled with the most wonderful yarn and I had a hard time deciding what to buy.

We didn't find all the animals we believed should be there, but we met Gustav the cat and we found some swings.

Sommarlovet började skönt med stickning och virkning i glada vänners lag. Ingegerd har virkat en underbar filt med mormorsrutor. Den är som en blues i blått. Hon funderar på att göra den ännu större. Kicki har gjort massor med underbara sjalar. Hon älskar att komponera ihop färger. Carin som är slöjdlärare gör otroligt fina saker. Just nu håller hon på med en mormorsrutekofta. Det blir spännande att se hur den blir. Den här gången lärde hon mig göra kärleksknutar. Först fattade jag inte hur trasslet hängde ihop, men efter ett tag gick det upp ett ljus. Jag fick ett sjalmönster av Camilla men lyckades inte klura ut hur man gör på egen hand. Nu är den blåa sjalen färdig och längst ut i kanten sitter blåa träpärlor.

Vi har varit med barn och barnbarn på utflykt till Granhammar. Det var rena garnhimlen i ateljén, så det var svårt att välja vad som skulle få följa med hem. Vi kunde inte se så många djur tyvärr men Katten Gustav hittade vi och gungor till dotterdottern.

Summer Holidays

2010-06-11T12:19:00.007+02:00

At least for my pupils. I start on Wednesday next week. I've made a plain white linen shawl for summer use.

I hadn't expected 100 g to be such a big shawl.

It occurred to me that it was a long time since I had made any socks, so I had not had a chance to try my excellent sock blocker made of plexiglass by Carin. It worked wonderfully. Thank you Carin!

My happysocks are made of Regia sock yarn.

Äntligen sommarlov för mina elever! Jag börjar mitt lov i mitten av nästa vecka. Jag har stickat en enkel vit lin-sjal att använda i sommar. Av 100 g blev det en jättesjal. För ett tag sedan kom jag på att jag inte stickat några sockar på evigheter så jag har inte haft en chans att använda den utmärkta sock-blockaren som Carin har tillverkat i plexiglas. Den fungerade fint och sockan blev så slät och grann! Tack, Carin!

View from the top

2010-06-02T18:40:00.004+02:00

Here's a view from the top of my house, on the balcony. I've knitted a shawl again, this time rather from a "recipe" than a pattern. It's the textured shawl by Orlane. The yarn came straight from the sheep and the smell of wool was strong. I like that!

Här står jag med min nya struktur-sjal på balkongen. Den är stickad av ett garn som nog kom direkt från fåret för ull-lukten var stark och härlig! Nu är den dock tvättad och blockad.

Lycky me!

2010-05-30T15:55:00.008+02:00

I was so lucky in the Mixa & Matcha 4 swap to get Camilla from Örebro as my exchange buddy. She sent me a wonderful package full of goodies and she'd given it a lot of thought. There was a note-book and I love notebooks. This one is so summery- my favourite season. There was blue Faerytale-yarn to crochet a love-knot shawl. Blue is one of my favourite colours and I want to understand crochet-patterns better. Then you can see a ball of Regia sock-yarn in the British colours and I love Great Britain and English. Red is also my favourite colour and there were two light red skeins. They can be knit into a nice shawl. I was in great need of stitch markers and here they were - two blue little angels made by Ulrica Rymal. There was also some yummy chocolate and cardemom coffee. And Camilla - my husband loves knitted and chrocheted dish-cloths, so thank you! It was all spot-on!
It is Mother's day and Grandma's Day today and I suggested something to my daughter and here it is - my hexagon-bag.

There was a third package this weekend. I ordered something from Stickfrossa's new webshop. I liked the pattern on the fabric so much. I think it was a Kaffe Fassett fabric.

Last night I enjoyed some Swedish strawberries and a cup of coffee on my new front porch.

Vilken helg! Jag har fått tre paket. Ett av min bytes-kompis i Mixa & Matcha; Camilla i Örebro. Hon hade tänkt ut fantastiskt fina saker. Sen fick jag en hexagon-väska av min dotter i Mors Dags-present. Så hade jag själv beställt ett stick-fodral i Kaffe Fassett-tyg från Stickfrossas nya web-shop. Sist men inte minst så har jag smakat skånska jordgubbar sittandes på min nya lilla uteplats på framsidan.

Old stuff

2010-05-21T20:33:00.004+02:00

I've seen granny squares here and there lately so I guess they are in fashion right now. Here's a dress and a cardigan I made some years ago. The sweater-pattern was in a Knit Simple magazine and the dress in a Sandnes pamphlet.

Jag har sett mormorsrytor här och där på stick-cafén och bloggar, så jag gissar att det är en inne-grej just nu. Jag ville bara visa en kofta och en klänning som jag virkade för några år sedan. Koftmönstret kommer från Knit Simple och klänningsmönstret från ett av Sandnes häften.

A new lawn and some soft flowers

2010-05-09T14:06:00.004+02:00

The lawn you see in the background is actually rolled out by my husband some days ago. I'm so old that it feels really strange to get a lawn that way. My husband works in Denmark now and then and when he does he buys me the magazine Hendes Verden which contains a great deal of crafts. Sometimes it even includes a pamphlet with a theme - like summerknits or vintageknits. This is a waistcoat with the name Bløde Blomster ( Soft flowers) from the summerknits-pamphlet, issue 14, this spring. I've not used the proper yarn. The armholes are huge. The stems on the back should not have been the same size, but it was a crocheting-test and I like to try out new things.

Mannen har rullat ut gräsmattan med gröna sidan upp. Otroligt i min värld. Ibland jobbar mannen i Danmark och då köper han alltid tidningen Hendes verden till mig. Den innehåller en hel del handarbete och ibland finns det också med små tematiska häften om t.ex. sommarstickning eller vintagestickning. Ur nummer 14 har jag virkat en väst med namnet Bløde blomster. Den är virkad i fel garn. Den har jättestora ärmhål. Stjälkarna på baksidan skulle var olika långa. Fel, fel, fel - men det var ett virk-test och jag gillar att testa nya saker.

Ishbel - I did it my way

2010-04-25T19:59:00.004+02:00

Like many other people I've been knitting an Ishbel by Ysolda from Whimsical Little Knits. I like the pattern very much, but I'm not sure that I've followed it correctly. When I had 5 more rows to go there was no more yarn from Ullcentrum left so I took out some old pink yarn and finished it. Fine! I like it!

Jag har som så många andra stickat Ishbel av Ysolda ur Whimsical little knits. När det var 5 varv kvar tog garnet från Ullcentrum slut. Jag tog ett gammalt rosa garn och stickade färdigt den och det är helt okej. Jag gillar den!

The winter is over...

2010-04-08T14:39:00.005+02:00

Last summer I bought some fabric and a pattern to make a bag in the cosy little shop Annalunda in Skåne. Rosalie Quinlan from Australia has designed the bag. She is also involved in Melly and me.

The bag is a mixture of sewing, backstitch-embroidering and painting with fabric markers.

The words come from the book Song of Songs in the Bible.

I live close by the river now and when I walk along the river to town I can hear an orchestra consisting of a multitude of birds and I can see some flowers in bloom. I'm overwhelmed with happiness. I just wish I was a better photographer!

Förra sommaren köpte jag tyg och mönster till en väska hos Anna i Annalundaaffären i Förslöv. Mönstret är gjort av Rosalie Quinlan från Australien. Hon är också en del av Melly and me.

Väskan är sydd, broderad med efterstygn och målad med tygpennor.

Texten kommer från Höga Visan i Bibeln.

Jag bor nära Ätran nu och när jag vandrar utmed ån till stan så hör jag en ljuvlig fågelorkester och ser blommor knoppas. Det är en överväldigande glädje.

Jag önskar att jag vore en bättre fotograf bara.

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

2010-04-04T15:02:00.006+02:00

It's Easter Day and I've spent some days with one of my daughters and her children. Lovely! The Accordion Scarf is an FO now and I've also got a new blue jacket to wear it with.

I've taken a step out of my comfort zone. PINK is the favourite colour of my sisters, not mine, but I wanted something bright for the spring and here it is - my pink ponchonette. The name of the pattern is Hott Pink and the young model looked great in her outfit. This is the older version!

This is my lovely granddaughter in her Easter outfit. Happy Easter to you all!

Jesus är uppstånden! Ja, Han är sannerligen uppstånden!

Jag har firat påsk med ena dottern och hennes barn. Det är så härligt att vara med familjen.

Jag har stickat klart min Accordion Scarf och dessutom har jag vågat mig ur min komfort-zon och stickat en rosa ponchonette. Rosa är mina systrars favoritfärg, inte min, men ett litet rosa plagg kan man ju ha. Modellen i tidningen Knitter's Magazine var så fin i sin Hott Pink. Jag är en äldre version!

Mitt barnbarn och jag önskar er alla Glad Påsk!

Shoulderette for the early bird

2010-03-23T18:41:00.005+01:00

Picture taken at 5.15 in the morning. I'm on my way to work.

I'm keeping my shoulders warm with my new shoulderette. It's Tant Kofta's design. I really like the texture and the quality of the yarn. The blend of extrafine merino and silk is awesome.

Another batch of cookies.

Nu har jag en härlig axelvärmare. Det är Tant Koftas design och mönster finns att köpa hos Koftans Koffert. Garnet är ljuvligt att ta på och strukturen är så fin.

I söndags bakade jag igen. Det blev smörringar till gubben. Inte så fina i formen, men de slinker nog ner.

You never know what you can do until you try

2010-03-14T11:50:00.011+01:00

I visited my daughter and her family in Örebro some weeks ago. The library has a good café and the children can amuse themselves with various activities. Here's my latest ponchonette. The pattern is from The Knitter's Magazine, SUMMER 2009.
Of course I made an error when I knitted my ponchonette, but I've worn it a lot and I LOVE it!

Yesterday we had a meeting with our local group Sandstickan. It's so nice to knit together and share advice, knowledge and patterns.

New in my circle of knitting-acquaintances is Månen mellan mina fingerspetsar.

Here is Kicki and she ought to have a blog because she makes so many beautiful knitted shawls, bags, sweaters and......you name it.

Eva i Halmstad is making a pattern. We're looking forward to try it out.

I'm knitting an Accordion Scarf from a pattern from Knit Simple, the latest issue.

Karin has given me an award. Thank you so much! I give the award to all the blogs that I read. You give me great pleasure! I hope that the few readers of my blog will get to know new things about me now and then. I'm not good at cooking and baking, (my grandfather was a baker and a confectioner) but I want to be. So I try!

I was inspired to make Chocolate Chip Cookies by this blogger from New Zealand.

I'll serve the cookies and these rolls to my colleagues tomorrow.

Jag har varit hos den lilla familjen i Örebro igen och då besökte vi biblioteket och Mummel och Mums, där barnen gillar att leka och fika. Min senaste ponchonette är en ny favorit trots stick-felen.

I går hade vi möte i Sandstickan på Stålboms kafé. Det är trevligt att träffa likasinnade.

Bloggaren Månen mellan mina fingerspetsar är en ny bekantskap för mig.

Kicki borde ha en blogg för hon gör de mest underbara alster.

Eva i Halmstad snickrar just nu ihop ett mönster på halvvantar.

Jag har fått en award av Karin. Den tackar jag så mycket för och ger vidare till alla bloggar som jag läser.

Det fåtal personer som läser min blogg hoppas jag ska få veta ett och annat nytt om mig.

Jag är urdålig på bakning och matlagning, fastän det finns i mina gener eftersom farfar var bagare och konditor. Men jag vill bli bättre och därför gör jag en del försök.

I morgon när vi har studiedag ska jag bjuda mina kollegor på fika.

A scarf and a shawl

2010-03-07T06:51:00.006+01:00

When I was at a wonderful knitting-event I got a lovely knitting-bag containing yarn and a pattern for a scarf and here it is. Pattern from Drops.

A Diamonds and Pearls Shawl from The Knitter's Book of Yarn. Beware! There are some errors in the pattern. I hadn't enough yarn to bind off my shawl made of mohair so I used a yarn of viscose and flax for binding off.

På ett underbart stick-event fick jag en stick-påse fylld med garn och mönster. Av Alpaca-garnet har jag gjort en Mjuk halsduk med resårstruktur i ett Drops-mönster.

Jag har också stickat en sjal ur boken The Knitter's Book of Yarn. Det finns en del fel i mönstret, redan på varv 1. Sen har jag förstås stickat in en del egna fel som vanligt. Sjalen är gjord i ett mohairgarn som jag köpt på en hantverksutställning och tog slut när jag skulle avmaska. Det löste jag genom att avmaska med ett viscose/lingarn.

I've reached my goal!

2010-02-20T13:38:00.004+01:00

Sport is not my biggest interest in life, but this year I joined Team Sweden on Ravelry and I challenged myself to compete in event Mitten Moguls. I haven't struck gold but last night I accomplished my task and reached the Finish Line! Yeah! Maybe I can claim a medal anyhow?
Pattern and yarn from Yllet.

Sport är inte mitt största intresse i livet men jag utmanade mig själv att ställa upp i grenen Mitten Moguls på Ravelry och tävla för Team Sweden. Jag har inte vunnit guld men igår kväll slutförde jag mitt uppdrag och gick över mållinjen. Kanske får jag en medalj trots allt? Vantmodellen och garnet kommer från Yllet.

I like the moss-stitch, I like the ponchonettes....

2010-01-22T09:00:00.007+01:00

Packing is so tiresome. How many things can a house consist of ? It never ends..... so I'll take a break and show you my ponchonettes. On the knitting-event I was taught how to make hairpin lace and I bought Stickfrossa's ponchonett-pattern which included hairpin lace. When I got home, I tried to do it on my own, but sadly I couldn't. So I made the ponchonette with another lacepattern. I liked it and made another one!

Att packa är tröttsamt. Hur många saker består ett hus av? Det tar aldrig slut.....så nu tar jag lite rast och visar mina ponchonetter. När jag var på stick-event i Gamla Köpstad så fick jag lära mig att gaffelvirka. På egen hand därhemma lyckades jag inte alls, men jag gav inte upp helt utan stickade en ponchonette efter Stickfrossas mönster, och istället för gaffelvirkning blev det ett annat spetsmönster. Jag gillade resultatet och stickade en till!

Mittens

2010-01-07T20:02:00.003+01:00

Today I finished writing my paper on Language and Literacy learning in new Textual Landscapes - Literacies and sent it in. It's worn me out, so I hope I can think of something else the next couple of days, like work. Just kidding...... knitting of course! I've crocheted a pair of mittens in the car on my way to my daughter and her family at Christmas. 5 hours= 1 mitten.

I used Stickfrossa's pattern " Curly mittens".

Idag har jag skrivit färdigt och skickat in mitt paper om Tal-, läs- och skrivlärande i nya språklandskap - literacies. Pust! Jag är helt slut, så jag hoppas kunna tänka på något annat framöver, som jobbet t.ex. Jovisst, men avkoppling behövs - som stickning! Jag virkade ett par vantar efter Stickfrossas mönster på Krulliga vantar när vi åkte till dottern och hennes familj i julas. 5 timmar = 1 vante.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T06:57:00.005+01:00

Long time no see.....

After a year of studying, working, selling our house,buying a new house and spending time with family and friends I can see that there wasn't much time left for blogging. I hope this year will be better!

I finally finished my icelandic sweater which I first saw in one of my favourite blogs. I really love this sweater and it's enormously warm so it's made for a cold day like this when it's below zero.

I wish you all a Happy New Year!

Det var länge sen sist.

Efter ett år med studier, jobb, husförsäljning, husköp och stunder med familj och vänner så inser jag att det inte har funnits så mycket tid att blogga. Jag hoppas det blir bättre det här året!

Till slut blev jag klar med min Islænder som jag först såg på en av mina favoritbloggar, Slagt en hellig ko. Jag älskar verkligen den här tröjan, men den är otroligt varm och passar bäst på en kylig dag som idag med grader under noll.

Jag önskar er alla ett Gott Nytt År!

Red, red is the rose... Blue, blue is the sky........

2009-10-08T22:48:00.010+02:00

I've made two new shawls; a red simple shawl of wool and a blue pineapple-patterned shawl of cotton. The red yarn comes from Wålstedts and is an amazing colour.

I got a lot of encouragement and help from Bettan in my LYS when I crocheted the pineapple shawl.

Jag har stickat en röd enkel sjal i Wålstedts ullgarn. Garnet har en vidunderlig färg. En virkad blå bomullssjal med ananasmönster i Catania har jag också avslutat. Bettan i min LYS peppade och hjälpte mig när jag kämpade med den.

Sewing Festival with a lot of Yarn and Knitting

2009-09-27T18:18:00.009+02:00

I spent Friday in company with Carina, an old school friend, and Yvonne, a rather new friend in the sewing world. After a short stop at Skroten in Kinna we went to The Sewing Festival in Borås. The building was a home for the train engines in the old days. We had a great time looking at fabrics and yarn. In the morning we learnt the technique of shadow knitting. It was fun! The workshop was led by Viveka from ViKanGarn. We made wrist warmers. As I knit loosely my warmers turned out to be 4 cm too big. I felted them.

I met Aunt Cardigan too. That was nice. You could see some of the cardigans live. They are all so beautiful. There were workshops too.

We visited the cafeteria three times and after a long day we made our way home, and on the way, just before closing time we managed to take a look at some lovely fabrics at Fritsla Tyglager. My bags were full of goodies!

I fredags så var jag på utflykt med Carina som är en gammal skol-kamrat från lågstadiet och Yvonne som är en ganska ny sy-vän. Vi startade tidigt på morgonen och vår första anhalt var Skroten i Kinna. Färden fortsatte till Syfestivalen i Borås. Byggnaden var lokstallar en gång i tiden. Det var mycket trevligt att vandra runt i de gamla lokstallarna och titta på garn och tyg. Vi var med på en workshop i skugg-stickning som hölls av Viveka på ViKanGarn. Vi skulle göra pulsvärmare. Eftersom jag stickar jättelöst blev mina 4 cm för stora, så därför har jag filtat dem.

Jag träffade också Tant Kofta. Det var så kul att träffa henne och se några av alla dessa fantastastiska tröjor live. Jag lyssnade när hon lärde ut sin tröjmetod.

Tre gånger besökte vi kaféet och efter den långa dagen började vi vår hemfärd. Precis före stängningsdags hann vi in på Fritsla Tyglager.

Mina kassar var fulla med godsaker!

Two scarves

2009-09-13T20:29:00.016+02:00

Not much happens here right now as I'm working 80% and studying 50%, but during summer I finished two scarves.

The yarn to number one was bought at Isager in Aarhus, Denmark. It's a little spiral and the wool -smell is so strong. My husband couldn't hide what he thought about it.......U-G-L-Y!

Number two is made with yarn from Garnpaletten. The pattern is called The Crest of the Wave and comes from the stitch library in The Knitter's Bible by Claire Crompton.

Det händer inte så mycket på stickfronten nu när jag arbetar 80% och läser 50%, men i somras blev jag färdig med två halsdukar.

Garn till den första köptes på Isager i Århus. Det är en liten spiral och garnet osar ull! Mannen kunde inte hålla inne med vad han tyckte om den....just det!

Den andra är gjord i Garnpalettens garn med ett mönster från The Knitter's Bible av Claire Crompton.

The Leftover Shawl

2009-08-22T17:32:00.004+02:00

I crocheted a shawl with leftovers but hadn’t enough yarn, so I had to buy some more…
One of my daughters liked the shawl though, and brought it home.

Jag virkade en sjal i restgarner, men garnet tog slut slut så jag var tvungen att köpa mer...
Dottern J gillade sjalen och tog med den hem till sig!

The Owl and the Pussycat

2009-08-06T19:40:00.006+02:00

About two years ago I won a bag-pattern from Melly and me. I guess the pattern is based on the poem by Edward Lear. I made each of my eldest grandchildren a bag. I think they have used them...
I had great fun making them

För några år sen vann jag ett väskmönster från Melly and me. Jag tror motivet kommer från en dikt av Edward Lear. Uggleväskan fick äldsta barnbarnet T-L och kattväskan fick näst äldsta barnbarnet N. Jag tror att de använder dem....

De var jätteroliga att göra.

Aunt Cardigan's Cardigan

2009-08-01T18:15:00.008+02:00

I started to knit my cardigan on June the 13th, WWKIP Day, and now I've reached my goal! I couldn't have done it without help from some of my knitting friends in Halland. Thank you Carin, Eva, Rachel, Kicki, Gunilla, Ingegerd and Kerstin.

I am so satisfied because I used old yarn from the stash, way back from the eighties when my husband wove and dyed yarn with plants and mushrooms. The yarn is from Borgs Vävgarner and is called Borgs S. N. 2 garn. I used 270 g white yarn and some coloured scrap yarn.

Thank you Aunt Cardigan for this time. From now on this is my favourite cardigan!

På själva WWKIP- dagen startade jag min kofta och nu är jag i mål! Jag hade inte klarat det utan hjälp av några av café-stickarkompisarna Carin, Eva, Rachel, Kicki, Gunilla, Ingegerd och Kerstin.

Jag är dessutom så nöjd att jag använt gammalt garn från 80-talet då min man

vävde och färgade garn med växter och svampar. Garnet är från Borgs vävgarner och heter Borgs S. N. 2 garn. Jag använde 270 g vitt garn och några kulörta restgarner.

Ett stort tack till Tant Kofta för ett super-projekt. Koftan kommer att bli en favorit!

Bleeding!

2009-07-18T19:23:00.005+02:00

I've made a shortsleeved sweater with indigo cotton yarn and it bled, enormously! After finishing I washed it a couple of times and it bled even more. And then when I blocked it I realised that it had shrunk and there was no elasticity in the rib anymore. I tried to fix it by sewing elastic into the rib but it didn't work.

Then I sew a new blue skirt with dots. It's a bit see-through and I didn't know and still don't know how to put in a zipper. Can anyone help me?

Min överskottsfärgade tröja är klar. Efter tvätt tappade den formen och blev kort med slapp resår. Detta försökte jag åtgärda genom att sy på ett resårband. Usch!

Jag har också sytt en prickig kjol. Den blev lite genomskinlig och trots anvisningar kunde jag inte få i dragkedjan snyggt. Kan någon hjälpa mig?

Finished!

2009-07-17T19:32:00.006+02:00

Something new on the blog at last! I've finished my white shawl with pattern from Land magazine. I've made a hundred mistakes, but I love it. I should have had it 33 years ago when I got married........

Tee-tee yarn is yum-yum yarn!

Nu äntligen blir det lite nytt på bloggen. Jag har stickat färdigt Land-sjalen. Under resans gång har jag gjort många fel, men trots det är den ljuvlig och jag älskar den- en riktig bröllopssjal!

Tee-teegarnet är ett gosegarn!

Farmer´s Market Bag

2009-07-05T20:16:00.003+02:00

Älskade att sticka den här kassen! Mönster av Elisabeth Taylor.
I absolutely adored knitting this bag. It turned out exactly as I wanted it to. I added one report on the top. I used smaller needles and two strands of my thin Russian yarn.

Lady Sweater

2009-06-27T16:54:00.005+02:00

Stickade i storlek XS (har M annars) och den är nästan ändå för stor! Härligt att slippa sy ihop den!
I’m quite satisfied to have finished this project. Nice to have no seams to make! I knitted it in X small( I’m a medium size normally) and it is almost too big….
Yarn: DROPS alpaca. Pattern by Pamela Wynne.

Wristlets

2009-06-24T06:04:00.005+02:00

Muddar i rosa (ser lite beiga ut på bild) babycashmerino, mönster av Nina Sagulin.
I missed two rows in the pattern, but I still think it looks quite good.
I quote my husband when he took the photograph:
“You’ve made many nice things, but these were TOO MUCH!”
I was given the yarn and the pattern at a knitting camp, and I would never have chosen the pink colour otherwise.

Crosswise Little Cardigan

2009-06-18T07:54:00.005+02:00

Stickad kofta i mönster och garn från Färgkraft - gillar färgen.
My second crosswise knitting. I didn’t take notes during the knitting as I should have done, so the two parts had become more identical than they did. But I like the colour though.

Crocheted Shawl

2009-06-14T16:09:00.003+02:00

Jag har virkat en enkel sjal av garn från en rea-låda.
I’ve crocheted a simple cotton-shawl from yarn that I found at a sale recently. It was easy to make and I needed that now while I’m studying, and have to concentrate on many things at the same time. I quite like it!

Dragon Skin Scarf

2009-06-10T17:27:00.005+02:00

Roligt och enkelt mönster.
Nice and simple pattern by Alisa Daily.
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden

Wrist Warmers

2009-06-07T07:14:00.004+02:00

Enkla muddar - perfekta att ha med till stickcafét :)
Maken har fotograferat.
My friend Kickie made these and she told me the pattern orally. The pattern originates from the yarn shop Helylle in Kristianstad.
The last four rows are so hard to do with all the stitches on the dpn:s, but the rest is wonderful to do. You can talk a lot while doing them - the perfect café-knitting :-)

Clapotis

2009-06-05T07:52:00.004+02:00

Stickad sjal i Malabrigo Lace.

Exciting knit with the lovely yarn Malabrigo Lace, but one skein wasn’t enough and I couldn’t get hold of any in Sweden, so I finished it with a corner of another colour……
Pattern by Kate Gilbert.

Knitting bag

2009-06-03T10:13:00.005+02:00

Rolig väska att sticka - lite svårare att montera!
Quick and fun to knit. A bit harder to get the lining to look nice and get hold of handles.

Pattern: Knitting Bag by Denise Bliss
Yarn: Garnstudio DROPS Eskimo

Ballerina Slippers

2009-06-01T07:02:00.006+02:00

Tovade ballerina-tofflor till mitt barnbarn.
I made these for my grand-daughter.
Easy quick and fun to make. But I made two left slippers, and when I tried to unravel one strap I almost destroyed the slipper, so I sewed the straps to the slippers before felting and have no buttons.
Pattern: "En pointe-tossut" by Ilu
Yarn: Sandnes Garn Tove

Poncho

2009-05-31T08:11:00.005+02:00

Poncho som det tog evigheter att sticka!
It took ages to knit!
Pattern from Stickverk, Birgitta Engardt
Yarn: Fonty Ombelle

Ladybird Tape Measure

2009-05-30T06:45:00.003+02:00

Svårt att förstå mönstret från loveknitting.se till denna nyckelpiga - och garnet räckte inte!
I bought this as a kit from loveknitting.se, and I like it, but the pattern was hard to understand and there wasn’t enough yarn!! Ugh!

Big Bag without Bellflowers

2009-05-29T18:51:00.002+02:00

Snabbstickad väska!

Easy and quick knit, but after felting there are fibers everywhere!!
Pattern from "Filtede tasker nr.3".
Yarn: Hjertegarn Lima.