On the needles and between the pages

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

  

Hmm, looks like there's more reading going on than knitting, 

but that's just on the photo ;)

I am knitting quite a lot as I am trying to finish the mittens by friday, so I can cast on the TTL Mystery Shawl :) I got the skein of yarn from Candy Skein today - and it's such a beautiful colour!

Knitting: Well, obviously it's the Octopus mittens on the right. I'm past the thumb on the second one, so not much left. Eirin is just waiting for me to finish them so she can have them :)

The purple/pink is my wingspan. I casted on yesterday and are halfway through the second triangle. So it's a fast and easy project to work on, perfect for tv knitting.

Reading: I finished Labyrinth last night. After a (very) slow start, the book got more exciting, but it never gave me that feeling of "I just can't put this book away". . .  I have the next book in the trilogy, Sepulchre, in my shelf, but I'm waiting a bit before I read it. And hoping it will be a bit more exciting to read ;) 

Endre and I have also finished Hugo Cabret. I think he liked it better than me, and I acyually think the movie might be better than the book . . .  We have started to read a new book before bedtime -  Ottoline and the Yellow Cat. I like this sort of books for reading out loud :) Eirin have read the two first ones and she liked them a lot. I think we have to buy the third one as Ottoline travels to Norway in it!

As I didn't start to read Sepulchre, I felt the need for a guilty pleasure book. So I picked up Fantasy Lovers by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I have read book 1 and 2 in the Dark Hunters series in norwegian, but they only translated those two books. . .  When I look on Goodreads I see that if I shoul try to follow the figures in this series I have to read two, maybe three other series at the same time as they seem to merge into each other. . . Not sure if I bother though.

Anyway, I also have a lighter book I can take with me and read everywhere without loosing the tread ;) Storm Warning by Nora Roberts.  So far it looks like it's going to be a little bit of mystery and a little bit of love. Perfect combination.

And last, a new book that came in the mail today. It's a crochet book by Tove Fevang. It's mostly potholders, but some other things too. And it's a bit of Tunisian crochet there too. I have tried Tunisian crochet, but can't say I am any good at it. So maybe I finally can learn it and at the same time I might get to use up some cotton stash ;)

I have two FO's too today. Two bright pink dishcloths to brighten up my day :)
Pattern: 55 st. 1st row knit all st. 2nd row p1, k1.
Yarn: Løve Garn Kick Multi in two different shades of pink.
Needles: 3 mm

Snowing

I know there's been a lot of squirrel photos lately, but I just can't resist as they are so cute. . .
And yes, it is snow you see. . .  It's been snowing big, white, fluffy flakes this morning and the temperatur is bearly above 0 C. So I am wearing two pairs of wool socks, have a good fire going in the wood stove, hot tea in my cup and are about to cast on Wingspan :)
Have a great Tuesday with or without snow :)

FO Hubby's Socks

First of all - Sorry for the crappy photos!
I think it's a mix of my camera not capable of focusing on the pattern and bad light. . .
I might try to take some better photos when the sun comes back ;)
Anyway. Hubby's socks came off the needles today. They fit great and I'm happy with how they turned out.

Pattern: Cuff down, 68 st, short-row heel
Yarn: 82 g BlitzColor #02536 from Regia
Needles: 2,5 mm

Weekending

Weekending, my favorite part of the week. A time to relax, live, love, just to be.
Joining with Amanda.

It's been a quiet weekend here.
Playing, knitting, a bit of bickering among the kids, mud paths and muddy clothes, jumping on the trampoline and icecreams.
Some time have been spent watching our squirrels :)
They are so cute and I really hope we will have squirell babies this year.
The south part of Norway are having some wonderful summer weather,
but we just try to ignore that here in the north ;)
Today the rain have been coming down more horizontal than vertical due to strong wind
... which is good in a way because it makes the ice on the water thaw and crumble.
Scones with strawberry jam and cheese, hot tea and a good heat from wood stove.
Watching all my plants grow and planing our garden.
Compare prices on the materials we need to fix the house and garden.
Really enjoying Labyrinth after a slow start:) 


How's your weekend been?
I'm going to watch Miss Marple and knit on Hubby's socks :)

Self-Improvement Sundays

A few days ago I found Ashley's blog Geoknitology and she has a link up each Sunday called Self-Improvement Sundays.

"Self-Improvement takes many forms. The post could be about your goals for the week. These could be fiber related goals, or just things that you want to get done for the week. The posts would consist of a picture of anything that inspires your, or your current work in progress. A picture of the knitting design that you are currently playing around with or designing."

I like this idea about setting goals for the coming week.
So what to do...
Well, I plan to finish Hubby's socks. Think that should be easy as I just have the foot left on the second sock.
I hope to cast on Wingspan with the skein you see under here :) Love the pink and purple and brown together, so I hope the pattern will go great together with the yarn.

I have joined the TTL Mystery Shawl that starts the 1st of June.  For this shawl I'm waiting for a skein of this beautiful blue shade of Candy Skein Sock Yarn Club. Speaking of Candy Skein. Her shop has it's 1st birthday this month and she is having a contest were you can win a lot of beautiful yarn, witch ends on May 31st. I have bought some skeins from Candy Skein and have yet to be disappointed. She makes beautiful colourways and the yarn is soft and great to knit with! I have knitted a cowl and a pair of socks with two of the skeins I have bought. I have one skein in green that I also think will become socks :)

Remember this mitten??
I had planned to finish them so I could use them this winter, but that didn't happend. . . And it looks like they won't fit me either. So I guess Eirin will get them instead. Anyway, I plan to knit on the second one and try to finish the pair this week. Need some bright and happy colours to knit with to brighten up the days as it just keeps on raining and raining here. . .

No knitting goals.
I think I can pack away our winter clothes and shoes now even though it's cold and not much that reminds about spring or summer here. . . So a second layer of clothes is still needed some days :( 
If the rain stops I might go and work in the garden. Since we had to dig up almost the whole garden last summer, I need to get rid of those big stones before we can make a new lawn and vegetable garden.

FO's - Market bag, blanket and a hat

It feels like all of my projects have been stuck on the needles lately... But I have a few fo's to show you today.
You can read about more FO's here on FO Friday :)

When I went through my stash last weekend I found out that  have A LOT of cotton... And I can't make dishcloths woth all of it, so I browsed through some market bag patterns on Ravelry and found one I liked.

Pattern: Grrlfriend Market Bag
Yarn: 100 g Tuva # 600 and 25 g Mandarin Petit # 6200
Needles: 3,5 and 5 mm
Moderations: I decreased until I had 116 st. Made 12 rows of  garter stitch before I knitted the handle.

In Norway we have a project called The Amanda Project - stitches with meaning! We knit for preemie babies at our local hospitals. I have some babywool in my stash, so I hope to knit 5 blankets and 10-15 hats. I have the first blanket and hat off the needles :)


Pattern: My own. 100 st.
Yarn: 81 g Spunky Eclectic Super Nova # Rubber Grapes

Needles: 3 mm

Pattern: My own
Yarn: Candy Skein Yummy Fingering Superwash Sock # Blackberry

Needles: 3 mm

Bury nuts ;)

Wordless Wednesday  ::  Outdoor Wednesday

On the needles and between the pages

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

 

We are having a taste of summer today :) Sun from a cloudfree sky, buds starting to sprout, but still not hotter than 11-12 C and a bit windy.  Yesterday was spent thinning out my seedlings, so no knitting done... So there haven't been much progress on my knitting projects this week.

Reading: Started Labyrinth by Kate Mosse a few days ago. Thought it was slow and a bit boring the first 150 pages or so, but it looks like it's starting to speed up on the mystery and action now.

Knitting: The preemie blanket from last week is done, but I haven't taken any photos of it yet. The market bag is almost done and I have a pair of socks for Hubby too on the needles. Almost done with the first one. I had hoped to cast on Wingspan, but that didn't happend... Maybe until next week ;)

Weekending

Weekending, my favorite part of the week. A time to relax, live, love, just to be.
Joining with Amanda.

It's been a weekend filled with food...
Cupcakes, shrimps and chocolate cake :)
We have had a bit of spring cleaning here
and I even went through my yarn stash.
So good to know what I have and where to find it ;)
Have a few plans for new projects soon.
Wingspan, Hüttenschuhe, Wingfeathers shawl, Liseron 
and Three Flavor Delight Top-Down Cardigan

It's been a very windy weekend with a bit of rain as well.
But it good as it makes the snow melt.
The kids have defied the elements and jump for hours on the trampoline
and have just been indoors to warm up and grab something to eat.

 

Friday Flickr Favourites

1. Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them., 2. The Potential for Sock Knitting is Great, 3. Brioche, 4. IMGP4698, 
5. 4.6: Done!, 6. tiny snapping turtle, 7. Had to get these beauties in early tonight., 8. Winter Dream Tea, 
9. Untitled, 10. pointelle, 11. Weekend, 12. The Mist at sunrise, 
13. Untitled, 14. Tufted Titmouse Closeup, 15. Tiffany mittens, 16. Springtime Blues.

Spring - finally :)

Wordless Wednesday  ::  Outdoor Wednesday

On the needles and between the pages

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

 

Knitting: The blue square in the front is the start of a Grrlfriend Market Bag. I have some cotton yarn I need to use up, so I'm going to give this bag a try and see if it is any good.

The green and pink/purple project is a baby blanket. I am knitting hats and blankets for the local hospitals preemie babies.

The skein of yarn in the back is my newest and I am looking for a shawl pattern so I can make it my next project :)

Reading: Still dreaming about a kithen garden, but so far I'm just reading about it while I look at my seeds starts to sprout indoors. Hopefully we will have some carrots, leeks and potatoes at least when fall comes ;) The other book is Sacrifise by S.J. Bolton. And it's very good! I am almost done with it and are just waiting for the plot to unveil... Endre and I are still reading The Invention of Hugo Cabre and I think he likes it just as much as I do ;)

So, what are you reading and knitting/crocheting this week?

I am going to my lys with mom and my sister a little later today. Not that I need any new yarn, but you know. . . 

Weekending

This photo was taken on Saturday.
Today we woke up to 10 cm of fresh snow. . .  All melted now.
But we are used to it here up in the north. We call it "reinkalv ria" =  The snow that comes when the reindeers gives birth.                   

So all our little plants that are starting to sprout still waits indoors before I can plant them out in another month or so...
If you like you can follow my garden on Folia. It's a kind of ravelry, but for plants ;)
But we have had a great afternoon with sun and playing outside today :)
The kids have been at my mom this weekend, so hubby and I have had the weekend all by ourself.
Great to sleep a few hours longer in the morning!
We started to watch the second season of Sanctuary.
A new skein of yarn came in the mail :) And some new knitting projevts was casted on :)

Hope you had a great weekend too :)

On the needles and between the pages

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

Reading: Endre and I are enjoying a couple of chapters each night before bedtime with Hugo in The Invention of Hugo Cabre. I think it's a wonderful book so far. So, those of you who have seen the movie - is it any good? I really hope so, but I often think the books are better than the movies...

The other book is The Alchemist's Daughter, which I find a little hard to get into. Hopefully it will get more exciting after a few more chapters.

Knitting & Crocheting: I'm still knitting on the jacket for the book project. The sleeves are done andI have an inch or so left on the body. The body is knitted in the round, so I must get help from mom to sew seams for sleeves and in the front. I don't dare to get a sewing machine close to it....

I have a few small projects to switch to when I get bored with the jacket. A preemie hat and circles for a new sock yarn blanket.

Weekending

Weekending, my favorite part of the week. A time to relax, live, love, just to be.
Joining with Amanda.

It's been a weekend with lots of time spent indoors due to sick kids.
Endre has been home from school since Wednesday as he has had a sore throat...
Hopefully the rest of us will not catch it...
We've been to the library picking up a load of new books.
I started to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret to Endre
- and we are so looking forward to get the film on dvd :)
Nachos
Winning some yarn :)
Snowstorm - yes I know we are in May, but snow is not unusual in my part of the world...
Rayman
Chilly mornings so we have had to fire up the wood stove.
Apple cake
Frogging a knitting project as I didn't have the right gauge :(
But then again, knitting with larger needles makes it goes faster ;)
Many cups of tea
Lego building

Friday Flickr Favourites

1. three is never a crowd, 2. progress, 3. Oat cookies, 4. maaaaaaaaaa!, 
5. This Is How All Rude Ester Chocolate Bunnies End Up., 6. from an early spring day, 7. Stone-feet, 8. Vintage Kitchen, 
9. Catkins, 10. Can you see the love?, 11. Cassidy and Rosey Posey, 12. IMG_6354, 
13. Modeller, 14. simplest knitting, 15. Vintage Kitchen, 16. Untitled, 
17. Cortina Cowl3, 18. Untitled, 19. welcome..., 20. Hello little lamb!

FO :: Stripe Tease Socks

Pattern: Stripe Tease
Yarn: 73 g Opal in an unknown colourway
Needles: 2,5 mm

This was a fun pattern to knit when I just read all the instructions ;)
I casted on with the same number of st as in the pattern - 72 st. I was afraid I would run out of yarn, so the leg got a bit short... I also made a short row heel.

Weekending

Weekending, my favorite part of the week. A time to relax, live, love, just to be.
Joining with Amanda.

Dinner menu planning for the next two weeks
Muddy floors
Icecream
Eirin having a sleepover
Birthday party and one grumpy Endre when he got home
as he was high on sugar and tired
Starting a new crime book
Going through the pantry
Lots of good food - Curry, Sunday dinner and Berry crumble pai
Baking a load of my favourite bread whit the result of
kids not wanting to eat it due to too much grain - in their opinion,
but I'm going to bake them anyway because I know it's good for them
Finishing my stripe tease socks
Watching this after the kids was in bed on saturday
Lego building
Rain, wind and temperatures as high as 10C = the snow is melting!
The joy of jumping in water puddles 

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week :: Crafting Balance kcbwday7

Are you a knitter or a crocheter, or are you a bit of both? If you are monogamous in your yarn-based crafting, is it because you do not enjoy the other craft or have you simply never given yourself the push to learn it? Is it because the items that you best enjoy crafting are more suited to the needles or the hook? Do you plan on ever trying to take up and fully learn the other craft? If you are equally comfortable knitting as you are crocheting, how do you balance both crafts? Do you always have projects of each on the go, or do you go through periods of favouring one over the other? How did you come to learn and love your craft(s)?

I both knit and crochet. 
I always have a knitting project (or five) on the needles, but not so often a crochet projects. Right now the only crochet projects I have is blankets that I never seem to finish... Don't know why as I know it wouldn't take me long to crochet the squares I need as crochet goes much faster than knitting ;)

I learned to both knit and crochet when I was around 7-8 years old I think. My mom and my grandmother learned me. I remember being at my grandmothers house with my cousins and we would all sit and crochet :) I have one memory I remember very well. I and one of my older cousins sits together in a chair and crochet one the same piece. I do the first move in a single st, going through the loop and grab the tread to make two loops on the hook. But I found the move to pull the yarn through both loops so hard that my cousin had to do that part.

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week :: Improving Your Skillset 3kcbwday6

How far down the road to learning your craft do you believe yourself to be? Are you comfortable with what you know or are you always striving to learn new skills and add to your knowledge base? Take a look at a few knitting or crochet books and have a look at some of the skills mentioned in the patterns. Can you start your amigurumi pieces with a magic circle, have you ever tried double knitting, how's your intarsia? If you are feeling brave, make a list of some of the skills which you have not yet tried but would like to have a go at, and perhaps even set yourself a deadline of when you'd like to have tried them by.

As a child I learned to knit, purl and somehow turn a heel. I also learned the basic crochet stitches. I remember that I loved craft classes at school. I used to knit small doll clothes and when I was 13 and my little sister was born, I knitted her a jacket almost by myself.
In my teens I didn't knit much, so it's the last 12 years or so that I have been knitting almost daily due to having kids ;)
I still feel that I have lots to learn. As spinning. The above picture was taken last May and I'm sorry to say that I haven't thouched it since... I really want to learn to spin my own yarn, but I haven't given it a proper try yet.
When it comes to knitting and crochet, I feel there are a few things I still have to try learn:

- Entrelac. I'd love to make myself a pair of Entrelac mittens.
- Sew in a zipper. I avoid patterns with zippers because my sweing machine and I are not friends....
- Broomstick lace
- Double knitting. Imagine the thick and warm mittens I could knit.. Like these or these.
- Naalbinding - I'd love to learn this!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week :: Something A Bit Different 3KCBWDAY5

It's back, and this time it has the most amazing of prizes (look for the prize for 'most creative post'). This was a massive success last year, and for many it was the highlight of the Blog Week, so this year you are challenged, again, to find a new way of blogging.
This is an experimental blogging day to try and push your creativity in blogging to the same level that you perhaps push your creativity in the items you create.There are no rules of a topic to blog about but this post should look at a different way to present content on your blog. 

1. the knitter"s tale, 2. Portrait of two women, 3. VV8946, 4. PG10840, 5. U999343INP,
6. U163631INP, 7. IH014745, 8. U774751ACME, 9. HU032662,
10. 8 Katherine Hepburn knitting, 1935, 11. Knitting, 12. Look at our knitters face., 13. BE034407

On the needles and between the pages

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

Knitting: Still knitting on my Stripe Tease... I have the front leg and the toe left, so I think I can have it done in a few days. The socks are the knitting I bring with me outdoors while the kids play. I don't dare to take my secret project with me out in case the kids spill something on it. I'm halfway done with the body, so it's going great. the pattern is easy to memorize too, so it goes fast to knit.

Reading: I loved The Flying Troutmans which I read last week. If you haven't read it, you should! Another book I picked up at the library was The White Queen. I was about to give it up, but desided to read on. And I'm glad I did. I like it, but I would have liked it more if there was a bit more details and if the main person could share a little more of her feelings perhaps... 

When I was in the thinking box about stop reading The White Queen or not, I picked up Runemarks. I have only read a few chapters, but it looks like a book I will like :)

So, what are you reading and knitting/crocheting this week?

Don't forget to check out my post in the Knitting and Crochet Blog Week. I'd be very happy if you would nominate my photo in the Photographer Challange :)

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week :: Your Knitting Or Crochet Hero 3kcbwday3

Blog about someone in the fibre crafts who truly inspires you. There are not too many guidelines for this, it's really about introducing your readers to someone who they might not know who is an inspiration to you. It might be a family member or friend, a specific designer or writer, indie dyer or another blogger. If you are writing about a knitting designer and you have knitted some of their designs, don't forget to show them off. Remember to get permission from the owner if you wish to use another person's pictures.

Well, I can't say I have a hero. But I get a lot of inspiration from all of you knit and crochet bloggers here on the www :)
But both my mom and my garndmother have always been kniting and crocheting, so ofcourse they are the ones who inspire me in my daily life. My grandmother will be 90 next year and even though she is getting a bit forgetfull, she still knits. It's just small squares one can sew together as a blanket, but I'm sure her love of knitting and crocheting have kept her mind so clear for so long!
The bedspread in the picture below is one of my treasures. My grandmother crocheted it to me years ago.

My mom, even though she has a full time job, seems to knit faster than me ;) She knits sweaters and jackets to friends and family in a speed I can just dream of. This Marius jacket is her latest project of the needles. It's for my brother and I think I might have to ask her to knit one for Erlend.

Knitting And Crochet Blog Week :: Photography Challenge Day! - 3kcbwday2

Today challenges you to be creative with your photography, and get yourself in with the chance to win the photography prize. Taking interesting photographs in this instance isn't about flashy cameras or a great deal of technical know-how, it's about setting up a story or scene in a photograph and capturing something imaginative. Your photograph(s) should feature something related to your craft, so that might be either a knitted or crocheted item, yarn, or one of your craft tools.

The kids love Star Wars and have quite a lot of legos of it too. The idea is not totally mine... I once saw a drawing of the same plot, but wanted to capture it with mini figures and real yarn ;)
If you like this, please nominate me for the Photography Challenge Price here . Thanks :)

World Book Day

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

― C.S. Lewis

“Why do I read?

I just can't help myself.

I read to learn and to grow, to laugh

and to be motivated.

I read to understand things I've never

been exposed to.

I read when I'm crabby, when I've just

said monumentally dumb things to the

people I love.

I read for strength to help me when I

feel broken, discouraged, and afraid.

I read when I'm angry at the whole

world.

I read when everything is going right.

I read to find hope.

I read because I'm made up not just of

skin and bones, of sights, feelings,

and a deep need for chocolate, but I'm

also made up of words.

Words describe my thoughts and what's

hidden in my heart.

Words are alive--when I've found a

story that I love, I read it again and

again, like playing a favorite song

over and over.

Reading isn't passive--I enter the

story with the characters, breathe

their air, feel their frustrations,

scream at them to stop when they're

about to do something stupid, cry with

them, laugh with them.

Reading for me, is spending time with a

friend.

A book is a friend.

You can never have too many.”

― Gary Paulsen, Shelf Life: Stories by the Book