FO :: Pink komi mittens

First of all, thank you so much for your nice comments on my Nuthatch mittens!
I've been awake since 5 this morning... Woke up because the wind made so much noise. So due to the strong wind all the beautiful white snow on the trees are gone. The temperature jumped from -25C to -10C in just a few minutes and it's freezing cold inside. So I just have to feed the stove with wood today. I desided that the kids get to stay home today. The two eldest complained about sore throats last night... I guess that's one of those things that makes me want to continue to be a sahm mom - I do not need to send them to school when the weather is bad or when they feel a little sick, but maybe not enough that I could have taken time off from a job.
Anyway, my komi mittens are done :)

I love, love, love them!!!

Pattern: Komi mittens #13
Yarn: 61 g baby ull
Needles: 2,75 mm
Size: 64 sts

Started: January 22 2013

Completed: January 26 2013

Weekending :: Snowy and cold

Our plans about going snow shoeing got canceled due to a new 12 cm of snow when we woke up Saturday. So instead we spent yesterday shoveling snow, playing, building snowforts and drinking a lot of hot chocolate :)
I finished my Komi mittens (fo post tomorrow) while hubby made Empanadas.
We watched Salmon fishing in the Yemen when the kids was in bed and had a glass of wine.
We had plans to go out playing more today, but woke up to -27 C, so instead the day has been spent inside baking bread, casting on a new pair of mittens, sipping tea and feeding the fire.

Joining Amanda for Weekending.

FO :: Nuthatch Mittens

My Nuthatch mittens are done. I love them although they came out a little to short and the thumbs are a little tight. So when I make more mittens from the book I will use 2,25 mm needles and maybe add a few rows of salt and pepper pattern before I start the decreasing.

Pattern: Nuthatch mittens
Yarn: 59 g Mor Aase baby ull
Needles: 2 mm
Modifications: The mittens (and gloves) in this book is all knitted from the top down. I have never done it, so I made them the usual way from the cuff and up.
Started: January 20 2013

Completed: January 25 2013

If you like to see other fo's, head over here
Natural Suburbia, Wisdom Begins in Wonder , I've Made Friday and Tami's Amis

I got a question the other day if I block my mittens.
Well, I usually don't block my mittens. Only if they are very "curly/bumpy" due to the stranded knitting. And then I use a wet cloth and my iron and steam them flat.
Eskimini Makes had a post about mitten blocking a few days ago, so you might get a few tips there.

My Komi mittens are almost done too, just have a few rows on the second and the thumbs left to knit, so there might be another fo post this weekend :)
Some of you have been asking how the water is. Well, hubby managed to break the ice that had packed itself in the hill above the well, so now it's melting and runs into our well. And fortunately we had a week with rain after we almost lost it. It's been a very dry fall/early winter here, so we still have to save our water.
I've promised the kids a snowshoe trip so hopefully we manage to do it this weekend.
What plans do you have? Whatever it is I hope your weekend will be great!

On the needles :: Mittens

It's snowing like crazy in my part of the world today and it has since yesterday. Throw in some wind and you have a nasty weather outside... I spent an hour yesterday shoveling snow and I guess I must out later today and do the same. It's good exercise at least ;)
But I'm waiting to see if the weather gets any better first, no need to shovel all that snow now when I now there's more to come.  So I'm comfy here on the sofa with my cup of tea, my knitting and Being Human on Netflix, waiting for the kids and hubby to come safely home from school and work. I'm so glad I don't have to be out driving when the weather is like this!
How's your day?

Reading: I've picked up Heartless again after putting away a few months ago. I really love the story and better read it so I can buy the last book in the series :)

Knitting: It's all about mittens now. My Nuthatch Mittens is just missing their thumbs and I have started on a new pair of Komi mittens yesterday.

I'm sure most of you have seen this as it was all over facebook yesterday, but I just have to share!
Aren't they cute? Shetland ponies in cardigans.  And I agree, if I visit Scotland and if there aren't Shetland ponies waiting for me in cardigans, I'll be very disappointed ;)

FO's :: Komi Mittens & Marius hat

My mittens are done. And I'm sorry for the yellowish indoor photo, but as you can see below, outdoor photos makes the colours blue...

Pattern: Komi mittens #6
Yarn: 55 g hifa2
Needles: 2,72 mm
Size: 56 st
Started: January 14 2013

Completed: January 20 2013

I'm in the mood for knitting mittens, so I casted on a new pair right away. This is the Nuthatch Mittens. They're ment to be knitted from the top down, but I'm knitting them the usual way from the cuff and up.

And I guess you begin to be a bit bored to see this pattern now, but I've made my brother a Marius hat as a birthday gift.
Same pattern as the hats I made for the kids.

90 years

I've got mittens on my needles, but first...

My grandmother (my moms mother) is 90 years today!

And I guess she has been knitting for at least 85 of those years.

These photos were taken last summer and since then she has become more and more forgetfull, so she doesn't knit anymore...
She has trouble remembering who we are, but my mom has taken the kids and visited her often, so she has been able to remember them until recently. But I don't think she would know who we are now and that's sad...

At the end my mom had to cast on and bind off her knitting. But she managed to knit up the yarn mom bought her into squares. There is several layers here, so I hope I will have enough to make at least two blankets.

Now for my wip. I casted on a pair of komi mittens the other day. I ws a bit worried I would run out of yarn, but so far it looks like I have enough.Hopefully I'll have a pair of new mittens before the weekend :)

And the sun is back! SO looking forward to sunny days again :)

FO :: Align mitts

A pair of mitts for Erlend :)

Pattern: Align mitts
Yarn: 39 g Supersocke 6-fach Media Color by ONline

Needles: 2,75 mm
Modifications: I put ribbing all the way around at the bottom to prevent rolling.
Started: January 9 2013

Completed: January 11 2013

FO :: Marius socks

Eirin wanted me to knit her a pair of socks with the Marius pattern, so I digged in my stash and found the right colours. They are a bit snug in the leg, but I guess that will get a bit looser when they get worn a bit. I had to knit the heels and toes in red as I didn't had enough ble, but I like it.

Pattern: Marius sokker from Marius strikkebok
Yarn: 53 g Sisu. 16 g red, 28 g white and 31 g blue.
Needles: 2,5 mm
Size: 54 st. Ca. shoesize 34
Started: January 5 2013

Completed: January 10 2013

FO's :: Marius hats

Pattern: Marius lue from Marius strikkebok - can also be found here  and Marius hats - scull, heart, smiley
Yarn: Mor Aase ull/akryl, ca. 42-44 g each hat
Needles: 3 mm
Size: 108 st, 12 rows with blue before decreasing for the boys and 8 rows on Eirin's. 
Started: January 1 2013
Completed: January 3 2013

The kids are back to school, so it's dark before they come home - so no daylight photos...
And I've casted on a headband in marius pattern for myself as I had enough yarn left :) 

On the needles, on the nightstand and plans for 2013

Keep Calm Craft On :: WIP Wednesday :: Yarn Along

Knitting: It seems like everyone here in Norway have knitted a project with Marius pattern except me ;) So I had to cast on a hat for each of the kids. If I have enough yarn I might cast on a headband for myself too.

Reading: I manage to read my goal of 100 books in 2012, but I had to speed read a few books and that was not fun. So this year I have set the goal down to just 80 books. The book I am reading now is the 39th book in a norwegian serie called Tre Søstre (Three sisters), set in a nearby village around 1890. Book 52 is coming mid January, so I am a bit behind... My plan is to read all the books from 39 to 52 until the 53rd come out in March/April.


So with a new year ahead of you, what plans do you have?
Each year I join a couple (or more) kals. I usually just manage to keep up the first few months... But this year I have joined a few kals where I can decide myself what I will knit throughout the year.
Like 13 in 2013.

My goals for 2013

1. 13 pairs of socks/slippers
2. 13 pairs of mittens/mitts
3. 13 shawls/cowls
4. Make 13 things for my kids
5. Use up 13 of my prettiest skeins in my stash
6. Make 13 projects from my knitbooks
7. 13 gifts
8. Hike to 13 mountaintops
9. Make 13 projects total for hubby and me
10. Make 13 projects for the home
11. Read 13 books with more than 500 pages
12. Listen to 13 audiobooks
13. 13 walks / exercise sessions per month

And I guess I'm not the only one with lots of knit books on the shelf  that hasn't been knitted from..?
So I joined the group - Knit in 2013: 13 Patterns from 13 books and here is my list of projects and books to knit from :)

1. Vott fra Kautokeino from Håndplagg til bunader og folkedrakter
2. Sweetheart from Knitting Knee-Highs: Sock Styles from Classic to Contemporary
3. Nuthatch Mittens from Colorwork Creations: Knit Woodland Inspired Hats, Mittens and Gloves
4. Celtic Spirit Socks from Sock Club
5. Inro from Knitted Socks East and West
6. Hals i hullmønster from Myk design
7. Plush from Knitting New Mittens & Gloves
8. Hip and Happenin’ Wristwarmers from Twelve Months of Knitting
9. Norwegian Snail Mittens from The Knitter’s Book of Yarn
10. Komi Mittens from Knitting Marvelous Mittens: Ethnic Designs from Russia
11. Estonian pig from Kiri Kari
12. Sunshine from Sock Innovation
13. Lithuanian Amber Socks from Folk Socks

I'm also going to try to knit along with these groups. It might not be each month as I probably only will knit the patterns I like, but it would be great to have a box of finished gifts for next christmas ;)

Dozen Neckwarmers 2013
Dozen Fingerless Mitts 2013
I Make Mittens
Solid Socks
Fingerless Gloves Fanatics 

And a hat and sock kal on a norwegian forum - Uformelt.
I am also going to try to knit up more yarn than I buy.

The last day in 2012

The ice on the lake is safe. So we brought our kick-sled's and went for a ride :)

Some of you might remember that we spent over six months without water a couple of years ago as it froze. We had the same kind of weather as we are having now with little snow and cold temperatures.
Yesterday we noticed that our water turned muddy and it lost pressure. So Hubby went up to our well made a hole and checked how much water we have. It's water there, but it's not much water coming in to the well as the ground is frozen and the water has packed it self above the well as you can see in the photo below.
So we are saving water to prevent the well from going dry and we are hoping the water won't freeze. Some of our neighbors have already lost their water...

Knitted in 2012

I had this idea that I hadn't knitted much this year, but as I made these mosaic's it turned out that I have knitted a bit more than I thought ;)

FO :: Socks for Hubby

It's the last day of 2012 and my last finished project is a pair of socks for Hubby :) They were ment to be his knitted christmas gift, but I didn't get them done in time...

Pattern: Cuff down, 64 st for ribb k1,p1, 60 st for leg, k1, p1 rib about 8 row before heel, short row heel
Yarn: 96 g ONline Supersocke 6-fach Media Color

Needles: 2,75 mm

Sharing the (knit) LOVE

Tin Can Kits is giving all a Christmas gift - a free pattern of choice. How awesome is that!
Earlier this fall i fell in love with their Snowflake sweater, so I had to choose it ♡

FO :: Angry Bird hat

Endre loved his knitted christmas gift! And it fits perfect.

Pattern: Angry Bird hat
Yarn: Mor Aase ull/akryl by Sandnes Garn

Needles: 3,5 mm
Size: 96 st

Started: December 17 2012

Completed: December 23 2012

Merry Christmas

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

December light

Photos taken on the darkest day here in the north.
We might have polar nights and no sun, but the light is awesome!