Happy New Year!

Thank you for all your nice christmas greetings :) We've had a great christmas with lots of good food, great presents and even snow on christmas eve. But the combination of sugar and bad weather is not great... We've had storm, electric current break and rain - lots of rain, so we have not been out much the last week so the kids climbs the walls... Today the snow has been pouring down so hopefully the weather will be on our side tomorrow. I need to be outdoors for some hours...
But I have been knitting and finishing some ufo this last week :)

First out is Santa.
Pattern: Super Santa by Alan Dart. Pattern in Simply Knitting #47.
Yarn: 100 g red Rubin, 50 g white Mor Aase, 50 g ellow/orange Daletta, 50 g Sara pelsgarn, 50 g Funny and some leftovers of black.
Needles: 3 mm.
I didn't have any brown yarn, so he has no sack...

I needed some mindlass knitting while watching tv, so I knitted myself a pair of simple k3, p2 socks.
Yarn: 100 g Opal Brasil #5002
Needles: 2,5 mm.

And I've finally knitted up the TTL Mystery socks I started for socktober...
Pattern: TTL Mystery Socks by Kirsten Kapur.
Yarn: 100 g Silja.
Needles: 2,5 mm.
I knitted the simple version without the cables.

And finally a hat for Erlend.
Pattern: Round Dance .
Yarn: 50 g black Sisu and 50 g white Lanett.
Needles: 3 mm.

My FO for 2008 :)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you!
See you after the holidays :)

Sleep well, little children.

Sleep well, little children,
wherever you are;
Tomorrow is Christmas
beneath every star.
Soon the snowflakes will fall
and tomorrow you'll see
Every wish, one and all,
waiting under the tree.

Sleep well, little children,
pleasant dreams through the night;
Tomorrow is Christmas,
all merry and bright.
Soon you'll hear the bells ring,
time for dreams to come true
As the world wakes to bring
Merry Christmas to you.

A.Bergman, L.Klatzkin (c) 1956

Winter solstice

Finally the sun has turned and we can look forward to some lighter days :)
We woke up to fresh snow and -15 C / 5 F today. Despite the urge to go out, we have spent the day inside baking cookies and wrapping the last christmas presents ;) So this picture is from last weekend, but it shows you how dark/light we have it in the middel of the day. I found this beautiful poem at Ninny Noodle Noo.

Silent night, Solstice Night
All is calm, all is bright
Nature slumbers in forest and glen
Till in Springtime She wakens again
Sleeping spirits grow strong!
Sleeping spirits grow strong!

Silent night, Solstice night
Silver moon shining bright
Snowfall blankets the slumbering Earth
Yule fires welcome the Sun’s rebirth
Hark, the Light is reborn!
Hark, the Light is reborn!

Silent night, Solstice night
Quiet rest till the Light
Turning ever the rolling Wheel
Brings the Winter to comfort and heal
Rest your spirit in peace!
Rest your spirit in peace!

Author Unknown

We light four candles tonight

Vi tenner fire lys i kveld
og lar dem brenne ned for lengsel, glede, håp og fred,
men mest allikevel for fred på denne lille jord
der menneskene bor.

-Inger Hagerup-

We light four candles tonight
and let them burn down,
we light them for our heart's wish, happiness, hope and peace
but most of all for peace on this little earth
where all the people live.

Friday flickr favorites - Enjoy :)

1. Little Santa-dude, 2. Blue_tree_01, 3. Sterne, stars, étoiles, 4. Forest Children | Tomtenbobarnen, 5. 3EyedBear SnowBoy, 6. Snowflake Curtain, 7. Hats for a Sack, 8. redcookies2, 9. Hazel, 10. dreams of sleepy, 11. candy dwellings, 12. Felt tree, 13. in the wood, 14. Fresh from the oven, ready to be given away, 15. snowman, 16. Aspen, 17. soft trees , 18. Happy Holidays!, 19. green dwelling, 20. Chickadee and the Snowman, 21. Heart Ornament, 22. Styrofoam Snowmen, 23. Nightmare - Tu Magazine, 24. Christmas on My Street

Russesokker

I found this pair of socks in the back of the sock drawer the other day. I knitted them before I started blogging, so I guess they have been there for about four years... It's a variation of the russesokk (russian sock), these are called Murmansk socks.

But after just a few days use it became a hole in them. So I have knitted these in pure wool no doubt about that... I have to see if I can find the pattern and knit up a new pair in finer yarn. I also see that I have missed to knit a few red stitches in the last pattern report before the toe. And not just on one sock, but on both AND both over and under the foot...

This is also a pair I knitted some years ago. It's with a different pattern, and for me this is the "real" russesokk :) These are knitted in sock yarn and are big and thick. I use them as slippers over another pair of wool socks when it's very cold.


And finally a pair of toddler socks that our santa has on his feet now. I have not knitted this pair, I think Eirin got them when she was little.


I guess there isn't a real definition of the russesokk, they are often called Turkish and Yugoslavian socks as well. But they all have the common afterthought heel.

The reason they got the name russesokker here in Norway is because women in the north of Norway used to knit these kind of socks and traded them with the Russians for other goods.

Here you can see more at Ravelry.

My last knitted christmas gifts.

I have knitted the last gifts now. And I'm so glad to be done! Now I can finally consentrate on some other stuff like a new sweater for Endre, Super Santa and some socks ;)

This is a hat for a little boy. I find it a little difficult to knit hats for other kids... My kids have very strange heads *lol* While my boys have heads as big as an adult, my daughter has a head like a toddler. So I just hope these hats will fit...

Pattern: Quaker ridge pixie hat from Little Badger.
Yarn: Mor Aase and some leftovers of Telemark.
Needles: 3 mm

This is my second Hello Kitty hat and I think the little girl who gets it will love it ;)
Pattern: Hello Kitty Winter Kids by Linda Stoll.
Yarn: 50 g Silja and leftovers.
Needles: 2,5 mm & 3 mm

And a pair of fingerless mitts. I have knitted a pair of red for myself before ;)
Pattern: Strata from Knitting new mittens & gloves.
Yarn: Moor Aase
Needles: 3,5 mm

We light three candles tonight

Så tenner vi tre lys i kveld,
tre lys for lengsel, håp og glede.
De står og skinner for seg selv
og oss som er til stede.
Så tenner vi tenner vi tre lys i kveld,
tre lys for lengsel, håp og glede.

-Inger Hagerup-

We light three candles tonight
We light it for our heart's wish,hope and happiness.

Santa Lucia

Picture borrowed from Santa Lucia dolls by Alicia Paulson

Picture borrowed from Alicia Paulson.

Svart senker natten seg
i stall og stuer.
Solen har gått sin vei.
Skyggene truer.
Inn i vårt mørke hus
Stiger med tente lys
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia!

Mørket skal flykte snart
fra jordens daler.
Slik hun et underfullt
ord til oss taler.
Dagen skal atter ny
stige av røde sky
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia!

Natten er mørk og stum.
Med ett det suser
i alle tyste rom
som vinger bruser.
Se på vår terskel står
hvitkledd med lys i hår
Sankta Lucia, Sankta Lucia!

We haven't celebrated Santa Lucia today with the traditional lussekatter this year.
We finally got some "warmer" weather so we have been outside twice today ;) First we looked for animal tracks and then we went out in the dark with headlights ;)

The night goes with weighty step
round yard and (stove i.e. house, hearth?)
round earth, the sun departs
leave the woods brooding
There in our dark house,
appears with lighted candles
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

The night goes great and mute
now hear it swings
in every silent room
murmurs as if from wings.
Look at our threshold stands
white-clad with lights in her hair
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

The darkness shall soon depart
from the earth's valleys
thus she speaks
a wonderful word to us
The day shall rise anew
from the rosy sky.
Saint Lucia, Saint Lucia.

Dyrespor / Animal tracks

Det har vært lite med turer de siste månedene. Vi har vært opptatte med andre ting og været har ikke vært helt på vår side. De siste par ukene har temperaturen ligget stille på rundt -15, så da er det ikke moro å være ute på tur for de små.
Men i dag hadde endelig temperaturen krøpet oppover og det var helt vindstille, så vi gikk på let etter dyrespor.

There hasn't been much hiking for us during these last months. We have been busy with other things and the weather hasn't been on our side. The last couple of weeks we have had around 5 F, so it's not fun to be out for the kids.
But today the temperature crawled up and it has been calm, so we went looking for animal tracks.

Revespor.

Fox tracks.

Harespor.

Hare tracks.

Elgspor. Her har elgen kryssa myra bak huset vårt. Månen på en himmel som var farga blå og lilla idag. Fargene var så klare, men jeg klarte ikke å få det frem med kameraet mitt...

Moose tracks. The moose has crossed the bog behind our house. And the moon at a sky colored in blue and purple today. The colors was so bright, but I didn't manage to catch it with my camera...

Etter at vi hadde kikka på de forskjellige sporene funderte vi litt på hva som kunne ha skjedd med reven og haren. Sporene møttes, men haresporet slutta. Det var ingen tegn til kamp...Får bli et av mange uløste mysterium ;)

After looking at the different tracks we ponder a little about what could have happend with the fox and the hare. Their tracks meet each other, but the hare tracks ended. There was no sight of a fight... So it will be one of many unsolved mysteries ;)

Da vi kom ned til huset igjen oppdaga vi at elgen jammen meg hadde vært og traska over gårdsplassen også.

When we came back down to the house we discovered that the moose had been trudging over our yard too.

Friday flickr favorites - Enjoy :)

1. miniature dwelling ornaments, 2. More Tomtes, 3. O, little felt Christmas tree, 4. Pigs for Christmas made out of ceramic, 5. Tiny Hanging Santa Claus, 6. A magical night Jenny Nystrom 1921, 7. The Christmas Calendar, 8. merry christmas, 9. 01-02-07, 10. Small "nisser", 11. yuki04, 12. Biscuits.8, 13. mrs. claus & her cookies, 14. One of the Other Reindeer... 6426, 15. Adventskalender und Sternenkette, 16. Untitled, 17. WAITING FOR XMAS, 18. santa1, 19. ultramarina, 20. little Sylvi, 21. 9th December 2008, 22. Family, 23. New teti longlegs, 24. ~Jane~ Prototype Ami Bear, 25. Santa Tux, 26. ~Snowbelle~ a Jointed Amigurumi Snow Bear, 27. Untitled, 28. mochimochi elves!

Kakemenn

I don't bake much for christmas, but we have to bake "kakemenn". The kids are not hugh fans of christmas cookies, but these soft cookies disappears from the boxes in a hurry ;)
They are also one of few traditional christmas cookies Endre can eat since they are egg free.

4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
4 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of powdered baking ammonia

cup= teacup or coffee cup ( about 3 dl)
I have used butter without milk and ricemilk.

Mix all the dry ingredients and work in the butter. Add milk and more flour if needed until the dough is unsticky. This is enough to fill about four baking trays.

Roll out to about 5 mm and cut out desired figures. Bake at 200 C in the middel of the oven for about 10 minutes.

Not much can be better than this. Hot tea, cookies still warm from the oven, knitting and the kids playing peacefully with lego :)
(And I try not to think about the pile of dishes in the kitchen...)


Ziarah has challenged me with this:

* Link to the one who challenged you, and write these rules in your blog.
* List 7 things about yourself, both everyday and crazy stuff.
* Challenge 7 people at the end of your post by mentioning their names and linking to their blog. Let them know that they've been challenged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I hate lumps (strawberries) in my jam, so I always mash it in a blender.
2. I love to read pocket series ;)
3. I am a wimp when it coms to driving a car, specially during winter...
4. Since I love to read books, I have started a bookreading blog too - Leseglede, but only in norwegian.
5. I am a little afraid of the dark, but try not to let it shine trough because of my kids. Don't want them to become afraid aswell...
6. I really need a haircut...
7. A week without chocolate is bad.

Since it looks like this challenge has taken it's turn around blogland I'm not going to ahallenge anyone ;)

Proximidade!

First of all, thank you so much for all of the nice comments on the Rudolph mittens :)
I see more mittens with these fornicating deers around in blogland.
Norwegian love mittens
Happy reindeer selbu style
Lykke i skogen


The blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and realationship! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prices or self-aggrandizement.Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prices are cut, even more friendship are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their awards.


Muffin and Monica has given me this award - thank you so much!
And I will give it too:

Hannah
Elisabeth
Lise
Mimouna
Beyla
Blomstermamma
Heidelweiss
Leena

Now we know what Rudolph is doing when he's not working for Santa ;)

I just had to knit up a pair of fornicating deers after seeing the chart at Ravelry ;)
There has been a discussion at Hobbyboden (norwegian craft forum) wether it's a couple of deers or mooses. And if it's mooses they have to be gay.. because the female moose dosn't have antlers...
But I have desided that mine are deers, and as you can see it's Rudolph who is having a good time inbetween working for Santa :)

Pattern: I've made it up along as I knitted, but the deer chart can be found here.
Yarn: 100 g black and 50 g white Mor Aase superwash
Needles: 3 mm
Made for: Hubby

I'm pleased with how they turned out, but as you can see I made the thumbs on the wrong side of the mittens...

We light two candles tonight

Så tenner vi to lys i kveld,
to lys for håp og glede.
De står og skinner for seg selv
og oss som er til stede.
Så tenner vi tenner vi to lys i kveld,
to lys for håp og glede.

-Inger Hagerup-

We light two candles tonight
We light it for hope and happiness.

We've had a couple of days with temperatures at -20 C / -4F, so there have been a lot of indoor time. And boy have the kids been giving me a hard time... So I was happy to see that it was "warmer" today with just -10 C /14F, so they could go out and run around ;)
But the trees really look beautiful covered with frost.

In the kids advent calendar today, they got a note telling them that we should make some christmas decorations. And here they are. A hole bunch of santaboys & girls and one angel.

Friday flickr favorites - Enjoy :)

1. lotta, 2. 081115, 3. Esmerelda Dragon Sock, 4. merry christmas, 5. Amigurumi bear in baby pink, 6. christmas toys, 7. The hunter, 8. Fluffy - Amigurumi Pig, 9. ollie and pip., 10. Happy Trees 2008, 11. Kids' Kitten Mittens, 12. Christmas Tree & Presents, 13. Untitled, 14. Woolly Kitty Litter, 15. Christmas Kisses, 16. galletita, 17. Day 27 - 11/29/08, 18. Papai Noel Peladinho, 19. Dear Santa Brooch, 20. lars, 21. freya, 22. Santa face Christmas tree ornament, 23. Normy, Hefty, and Lil Gnome, 24. ארנבים סרוגים מאת אורית דותן מהבובות של אורית-מלאכות יד ע"פ חינוך וולדורף אנתרופוסופיה

Car mittens and snowploughing

I desided to knit cars on Endre's mittens. And I think they turned out pretty cool ;) Just need to wrap them up and put them in the advent calendar.
Pattern: My own
Yarn: 50 g black Mor Aase and some leftovers of Telemark
Needles: 3 mm

After some snowfalls and ploughing, the yard is hard enough for some kicksledges and snowploughs ;) Now I'm off to feed my kids with icecream, they got it as a treat in the advent calendar today ;) And after that I'm going to cast on for a new pair of mittens.

Hello Kitty & Monster

Like last year the kids get something knitted in their advent calendar. This year I have made them mittens. Eirin gets a felted pair with crochet Hello Kitty faces :)

I'm so happy with these mittens! I have used a wooden star button instead of a crochet bow or flower.

Pattern: From the book Krymp. And here's how to crochet Hello Kitty :)
Yarn: Hifa 2 and leftovers for the face
Needles: 6 mm
Hook: 2,5 mm

Erlend is also getting a paair of felted mittens.
Pattern: From the book Krymp
Yarn: Hifa 2 and pt2
Needles: 6 mm

So now I just have to knit up a pair of mittens for Endre. I think they will either have cars or elephants on them ;)

And I have knitted my second pair of monster pants. They will be a christmas present.
Pattern: My own, more pictures at Ravelry.
Yarn: 150 g drark gray, 50 g gray Rubin and leftovers of blue, white and red
Needles: 3 mm