Vote for my sweater!!

Dale of Norway are having a contest were you can design your own sweater. 1 among the 10 with most votes by 31st of May win a knitted sweater with their own design :)
I don't know if it's open to anyone outside Norway though.
But I hope you can vote for mine :) Click on the green thumb. I've made mine by using this picture. And I've called the design "You can't see the forest for the trees". Maybe not the most original title though *lol*

Ishbel is done :)

My Ishbel shawl is done! I'm so happy about how it turned out. I loved the colours when I looked at the skein, and I really love how they look knitted up too!!

My plan was to complete it as a part of the Knitting Olympics, but I lost all my knitting mojo :( And I didn't feel like knitting at all. Just another proof that it's not great to stress when knitting! It should be fun too.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague.
Yarn: 1 skein Spunky Eclectic Tough Sock - colorway Rolling Hills.
Needles: 4 mm
Size: Large. I wasn't sure if I would have enough yarn for the large size, but I hoped so and knitted along ;) I did ran out of yarn, so I could only make half of the last pattern section.

I've just steam blocked it. I'm going to wear it as a wrap around my neck anyway so I guess it doesn't matter if it gets a bit wrinkled :) Sorry about crappy pictures, but we're having freezing - 25 C today, and I was freezing my fingers off!! I really need to knit me a pair of photographer mittens...

When my knitting mojo got lost, I turned for my books instead - my other big passion ;) And when I saw that there was a swap involving yarn & a book over at the Ravelry book group, I had to join. And look what came in the mail yesterday! I'm sure I'll have my knitting mojo back with this two beautiful skeins of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock :) The book looks great too. I haven't read any of that author before.

And as I have mention before, our water is frozen :(
It's been for a month now, and it's not likely we'll have it back until late spring/early summer. (Which means June here...!) Our water well is running over with water, so that's not the problem. It's frozen in the waterpipe leading the water to the house. Hubby has been working hard several days to try to defrost it, without any luckiness... They say it's about 2 meters of ground frost - the normal is about 1/2 a meter... And it happend because we didn't get any snow before this very cold winter set in... So one really get another perspective on how to use water! We fill our water cans 2 to 3 times a week. And then we have about 90 liters og water. And to give you a hint of how much water is spend on a normal day when we have water running in the tap, flushing a toilet takes 10 liters! (So our "yellow is mellow" is being practising a lot now!) The only thing I could get used to by not having water, must be that I get all our laundry clean and folded every weekend! My mom does that for me, and I could never thank her enough!

Erlend 10 years

Erlend was 10 years yesterday! He celebrated his day on Friday with his friends. And as the Star Wars fan he is, I had to come up with a Star Wars cake. I'm not a great baker in any way, so I made a simple chocolate cake and made a stencil from a book and dusted icing suger over ;)
Yesterday we spent the day in the hills sledding - and he was happy spendig his birthday that way :) And the present - mostly Star Wars lego, books and figures ;) And I guess there is no doubt he'll spend the money he got on Star Wars too ;)

Sledding

The weather was great yesterday, with temperaures around -10 C, so there was no doubt. We had to go to our lean-to and do some sledding :) And it was great to get outside again after all this cold weather we've had this winter.

Even if the wind have made hard snow some places, it's not hard enough for us grown ups to walk on.

So we had to put on snowshoes ;)

The kids gets warm by the fire with some tea and cocoa before they set for the hills to sled.

Birthday boy - Erlend was 10 years yesterday!

Endre and I looked for animal tracks. We found tracks from fox and mice.

The mouse had made tunnels under the snow ;)

And the sun has begun to warm a little!!
Great to soak up some warmth!

52 books in 52 weeks

I love books! I've been readig books since I learned how to read, and there's no better way to spend some hours than with a good book and disappear into another world! So when I found the 52 books in 52 weeks group on Ravelry, I thought I'd make a list of the books I read and see if I manage to read 52 books in a year. And it's seems like I have no problem so far ;) I might even manage to do the reading 200+ books in 2010 challenge ;)

I've highlighted my favourite books :)

January

1 - Landet under isen - Lars Mæhle
2 - Alvenes lengsel - Thore Hansen
3 - Skogland 1, Gutten i dragereiret - Thore Hansen
4 - Skogland 2, Reisen til den glemte byen - Thore Hansen
5 - Skogland 3, Dragebyen - Thore Hansen
6 - Skogland 4, Demonene ved flodens munning - Thore Hansen
7 - Ruffen,The Sea Serpent Who Couldn't Swim - Tor Åge Bringsværd
8 - Skogland 5, Der skogstiene møtes - Thore Hansen
9 - Ruffen Escapes to Loch Ness - Tor Åge Bringsværd
10 - Skogene kommer - Thore Hansen
11 - Den vidunderlige leken - Thore Hansen
12 - The girl with the dragon tattoo - Stieg Larsson
13 - Beast Warrior Viking Werewolf - Eva gordon
14 - Hjertets valg (Tre søstre #28) - Bente Pedersen
15 - Kjernesunn familie - Ninka-Bernadette Mauritson
16 - Legacy (Anna Strong Series #4) - Jeanne C. Stein
17 - The mermaid chair - Sue Monk Kidd
18 - Langstilkbyen - Sturle Brustad
19 - Retribution (Anna Strong Series #5) - Jeanne C. Stein

February

20 - No place like home - Mary Higgins Clark
21 - Rystelser (Tre søstre #29) - Bente Pedersen
22 - I fiendens klør (Ildfuglen #6) - Hanna Sandvik
23 - Dawn on a Distant Shore - Sara Donati
24 - Veiskille (Livets døtre #21) - May Grethe Lerum
25 - Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone - J.K. Rowling
26 - Mørke makter (Livets døtre #22) - May Grethe Lerum
27 - The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
28 - Skuggeporten - Lene Kaaberbøl
29 - Twilight - Stephenie Meyer


And for those of you who like paranormal fantasy as much as I do - go check out the contest over at Urban Fantasy. But you need to hutty, it ends today!

Do you darn socks?

A few days ago someone asked me if I do a lot of darning on all the socks I knit. I don't. Mostly because I knit most socks in a yarn with some kind of nylon blend. In the last 5-6 years hubby and I have worn holes in just a couple of socks. The kids do wear holes in socks if they are knitted in pure wool though. Like the pair under here...

I knitted this pair for Erlend some years ago, but he don't use socks much, so they survived until they fitted Eirin's feet :) But after this winter they have been darn once and not in a pretty way... I have never learned how to darn socks, but there is some great tutorials to find at youtube and here is a great article about reinforcing socks. My mom have a darning mushroom, an old one painted like a toadstool and I think I have to buy one too ;)

I found these two old advertising in Invisible threads in knitting by Annemor Sundbø :)

I like this way to darn holes. By making st around a thread seems like a way to both make the sock stronger and beautiful at the same time.

Despite that I know that they will get holes after a while, I've knitted Eirin a new pair in pure wool ;) After all they keep little feet warmer!
Pattern: Simple k2, p2. 56 st.
Yarn: pt2, 36 g purple #48 and 13 g gray #82.
Needles: 2,5 mm.

# 22/52 Arch-shaped socks

My pair # 22 in the 52 ppiii along and my first project to be added to the WIPs Dancing in the Ravelympics :) I love the colours and it's the first time I'm knitting with a sock yarn with stretch. The yarn feels a bit "loose" when you hold the tread, but it knits up great. And they are good to wear too.

Pattern: Arch-shaped socks by Jen Showalter.
Yarn: 72 g Meilenweit Mega Boots Stretch #503.
Needles: 2,5 mm.
I knitted the toe by decreasing at the end of each needle = 4 st decreased every other row. To make the decrease go oposite ways, I made a ssk at one sock and a k2tog on the other ;)

This week I've loved...

::The view after a snowstorm::

::Playing boardgames with Endre, while knitting::

::That Otto Owl still is loved::

::Feeding the birds::

::Watch my kids being creative::

::Snowman::

::Playing monopoly with Eirin::

::That she loves her vest - she even sleeps in it::

::Playing in the snow::




::Projects that knits up fast::

::Watching the kids having fun::

::Red cheeks::

::Dawn on a distant shore by Sara Donati::

Elizabeth and Nathaniel Bonner have settled into their life together at the edge of the New-York wilderness in the winter of 1794 when Elizabeth gives birth to healthy twins. But soon events in Canada draw Nathaniel far away from his new family: word has reached them that Hawkeye has been arrested by crown officials in British Canada. Nathaniel reluctantly leaves Hidden Wolf mountain to set out for the distant city, determined to see his father freed. Instead, Nathaniel is imprisoned, and finds himself in imminent danger of being hanged as an American spy. In a desperate bid to save her husband, Elizabeth bundles her infants and sets out on the long trek to Montreal. Accompanied by her stepdaughter, Hannah, their wise friend Curiosity Freeman, and Runs-from-Bears, a Mohawk warrior and life-long friend of Nathaniel's, Elizabeth's dangerous journey leads her through the snowy wilderness and treacherous waterways. But Elizabeth soon discovers that freeing Nathaniel will take every ounce of her courage and inventiveness. It is a struggle that threatens her with the loss of what she loves most.

Torn apart, the Bonners must embark on yet another perilous voyage...this time all the way across the ocean to the heart of Scotland, where a wealthy earl claims kinship with Hawkeye. In his heart, the Mahican tribe of Hawkeye's youth is the truest kin he will ever know, just as Nathaniel will always remain loyal to the Mohawk nation. But with this journey, a whole new world opens up to Nathaniel and Elizabeth-and a destiny they could never have imagined awaits them.

The Knitting Olympics

I desided to join in The Knitting Olympics and Ravelympics this year :) I'm knitting Ishbel for the knitting olympic, and in the Ravelympics I've joined several events. Hopefully I'll manage to knit up some wip's :) And if I find the time, I might cast on some projects too.

Here's the beginning of Ishbel. I'm halfway through the stocinette, and are looking forward to start the lace part! Ishbel is also my project in the Adventure in Lace kal :)

Finally the sun is back!!

Finally we get a glimpse of the sunrise here! It's so great to see the sun again, even though it's going to be a while before we can feel any warmth from her... And we really could need some now. It's cold again with -26 C, brrrrr! The water is still frozen, but hubby has been working hard since Friday to try to get it back. Hopefully he'll manage to defrost it.

Wild black bears

Spending Sunday evening with this great documentary about wild black bears while knitting on a pair of socks ;)

Finally the snow came

Our weekend :)
Snowmen :: Sledding :: Read cheeks :: Happy kids ::
Skiing :: Feeding the birds :: Lots of fun