...easterknitting...

DD2 is a knitter. She is knitting a pair of slippers that will be felted, but she wanted another project too (a REAL knitter- can't have only one project at a time!) So she and I decided that a pair of mittens would be good. Thanks to Rani, I had this great mitten pattern, and here she is well into the first, doing magic loop. She uses doubled Tove- yarn and 5mm needles(knitpicks even!!!) As I told you in a previous post, I've started the IcelandicLaceShawl, I didn't have all the colours stated in the pattern, but use a dark sand, a brown and a white singlepsun Navia (couldn't find a link, but it is a Faroese/Australian/Shetland wool blend, very nice to knit with. I bought it here. )Mr.Black is checking it out. I'm sure he will find several mistakes, but it doesn't matter, because the pattern is a bit "messy". I'm decreasing to the top, and will have to pick up and add the lace border afterwards...which means picking up 340 stitches and increase to nearly 700 over 30 rows... This is the morning view- at 8am- sun! At 9:30am, I had sun on my kitchenwindows! We've got more snow this easter than we've had for years! We thought spring was here two weeks ago, but they say we will get even more snow:-( It looks beautiful though. We moved the
sheep inside the barn yesterday- it was just snowing too much. The ewe with the twins was reluctant to go, but now they've settled down and are doing fine. We're haveing trouble with the fox and raven here, they catch lambs, so we didn't want to take any chances. There has been a bit of knitting going on. This is a hat for me knitted in Topp't Tå, on 6mm needles. I deleted the pattern! It was called Robin's egg or blue nest or something. The pattern called for a big button to hold down the flap, but I had a much better option, Lesley's lovely

corsage. Looks great, doesn't it? The colours of the corsage matched the colour of the yarn perfectly:-) I've been knitting another pair of socks! These are knit in Opal euel(owl), and they looks nice. I've had trouble knitting toe-up socks, because of the shortrow heel, but now I found a pattern with a proper heelflap
here! The pattern is in 3 sizes, which mean it is easy to use with different weights of yarn-and it is easy to change the stitchpattern too. These are knit toe-up, magic loop, both at the same time. I knitted the heels one at a time, but intend to try kitting both at once. That might involve an extra circular needle and a couple of DPN's, I think. Has anyone done it? Or is it customary to knit one at a time? It was easy to understand, and really fast! DD1 got them, she has alredy worn them, and they were wet when I took the photo, so they look a bit odd... Take a good look at this:!!! Some time ago, Kristy had a giveaway on her blog, and I was lucky enough to win! The package was waiting for us when we came back from a few days at my MIL's. I was dying to open it- but we had the evening filled up- feeding our own sheep, feeding the sheep at a neighbour, having dinner with friends at their house...we came home at 5pm, but ddn't open until 10pm- those were long hours-LOL!

I got a cute little bag perfect for small projects, a set of bamboo DPN's in size 2.75mm- great! I didn't have that size! And a lovely skein of Schaefers Anne yarn, in bright yellow/red/orange! It is soft and yummy! Thank you, Kristy! The BIG surprise, however, was THIS: A beautiful skein of handpainted yarn from Susie! Please notice the name of the yarn! "Marit's sky!" How cool is that??? Kristy asked me some time ago if she could copy one of my views- the sunset on the photo below- I said yes, of course, and she had Susie dying this special yarn. It is soft and beautiful and gorgeous!!! Thank you, Kristy, this is really special:-) I've been cuddling it, gazing at it, touching it, smelling it...the girls can't keep their hands away either! Any good suggestions on a pattern? It is probably sockweight- but too good for socks-LOL! A scarf? A stole? A hat with mittens? Or it might be staying on my shelf as eyecandy:-)
You have a great week:-)

...påskelam...

Newborn twin lambs in the snow... Lady Grey and Mr.Black resting...
The view...once again..

And- påskelam (easter lambs)....
Happy Easter to you all- may spring be here soon:-)
Have a lovely day!

..here we go again...

This picture was of course intended at the end...but every time I try to move something around, it is impossible to click on it and enlarge...so here you go: Mr. Black trying his best to knit together ith me:-)
I'm sitting there knitting away on my March Sockamania socks, a new challenge, as I knitted both at the same time using magic loop. Not half as difficult as I had anticipated, but I had to rip back a couple of times...when I forgot that I had two socks with two different balls of yarn...and knitted both from the same... It took me some time to finish, but I really like the idea of having both done at the same time! Next challenge will be toe up, two at a time, using magic loop:-) I've found a nice pattern, in Simply Knitting, here, it has a "normal" heel, and I'd like to give it a try, since I really don't like short rows!
I've casted on for a shawl, IcelandicLaceShawl, with some faroese/shetland/australian blend of natural coloured wool. Very thin, but I think it will be nice. If only I get the pattern to work as it should!
Since last I've been doing some embroidery too...not much though, but it IS Hardanger (this webpage was in Danish- I just googled it, but haen't read it yet. It does show some of the stitches used.) My mum embroiders Hardanger (tablerunners and so on), I've done a couple, but am not particularily fond of embroidery. But I had some fabric that I bought a year ago, and some thread, and out came these little needlekeepers. Mum made me the one with blue lining, inside is a piece of felt to stick your needles through. I didn't have any felt... so I used fleece. I seriously need to stack up on some craftsupplies!
Cute, or what?
It was fun making them, and quick!
Do you see this pile of ...whatever...? It looks like a pile of cutoff threads, right?

Wrong. Remember this blogpost? Thanks to Lesley, I got this magazine (and a lovely corsage, which I haven't photographed yet...), and found lots of nice projects!

This is the pile of wool all steamed... And THIS is what he looks like! Sitting on top of my teabags...
He is NOT very tall, less than 10 cm (4 in). I used a baby wool yarn called Lanett, and 2mm needles. I didn't find any beads for his eyes, so they are embroidered. My DD1-13 later this year- just looked at me when I was working on him, sighed, and said: Mum, you are sooo childish.
We're off to see my mother-in-law for a couple of days. After all, it's Easter holidays in Norway. I'll try not to be gone too long from the blog...but getting computertime in between 4 kids on springbreak....well...enough said!

Have a great week:-)

...views...

Hi there! Sorry for the absence...life got in the way...

Just wanted to share a few pictures of our winter- after reading about YarnHarlot's adventures today...



We've been shearing the sheep again, it's done twice a year on spælsauen. I don't have to do it myself, we hire a professional. That saves us a lot of work, and my back-LOL!

There has been knitting too! March Sockamania socks- a new challenge, knitting both at the same time on a circular needle(magic loop) I thought it would be disaster, but it might well be my favourite way of knitting socks! It takes longer to finish them, but they will be done! No second sock syndrom! For some reason I followed the pattern to the letter on the cuffs...they are now very long... pictures will come later...

I'm also knitting this little fellow (scroll down...), thank you, moogsmum! He gets tiny...the pattern says needles 2.75mm....I'm using babywool and 2mm....he's cute though!

Easter holidays are coming- the kids will be off school for ten days...maybe we'll have proper spring by the time they return:-)

Have a great weekend:-)

...new projects...

March already? Time flies- only two months 'til son #2's confirmation- a non-religious ceremony, just like his brother last year. Saturday was his last session with the group. That took place in Eid, and since I had to pick up something there, I drove him and his friend. I did a bit of shopping too, just realizing that I haven't taken any pictures of it yet! Found some beautiful yarn here, some of it being called Navia, it is faroese/shetland wool, and I might finally be able to knit myself a shawl! I've been wanting to for so long, but haven't found yarn I like, and I don't like shopping online, I prefer to see it and touch it first...Since I was all by myself, I spent quite some time in the shop...

Some days ago, I had an e-mailcorrespondence with a fellow blogger, Lappetausa! We met at Inguns store Primula, for once I came first..doesn't happen too often...LOL! Shortly after Lappetausa's niece, STRIKKEMOR(O), came too, (if you go to her blog, there are pictures of us together, I'm the tallest one. She had been clever enough to bring her camera!). It was really nice meeting Elin and Hilde! We stopped by yet another yarn/quiltstore, EnRødTråd, where I bought some Opal sock yarn. I'm eager to try it.

After all this shopping, we tried to find a cafe...which wasn't easy, two were full, but the third had room for us. We were joined by Strikkemor(o)s sister, LilleMø. Thank you, ladies, for a very nice meeting! I sure hope we can do it again some time!

Anyway- I've done some sewing! Haven't touched a sewingmachine in 4 years! I lost the one I had when we lost our house in a fire 4 years ago- it took me months to get back to knitting, and I still haven't replaced my sewingmachine. Have borrowed one from a friend now, but it has been sitting in my sewing room for two weeeks...I've only looked at it, wondering where to start! Then I saw some cute bags over at Strikkemor(o)s blog, and bought the pattern on Saturday. I showed it to her when we met, and she pointed out that they realy wanted to see one on my blog shortly. So, here it comes! The pattern is AnnAKa, very easy to follow, and very cute. I've cut 4 more that should be sewn...I bought the plastic for the window, but forgot to buy the batting, so I confiscated a fleeceblanket and used that...
There are news about the blue sweater from a previous post too, but that will have to wait:-)

Time to hit the sack. It is actually snowing outside...!

Have a nice week:-)

Sorry, I know the two pictures are exact the same, but today when I wanted to delete one, it wouldn't dissappear! Other times, when I DON'T want to delete, everything is gone...

... a bit of knitting...

Hi again!

Winterholidays are over, the kids are back in school- for three weeks-and then it's Easter...

I'm back to quiet mornings all by myself, exept for Mr.Black, he always keep me company. He usually leaps into my lap and try his best to get me to put down my needles-LOL!

We woke up to a cold morning, with snow pretty far down the mountain. A time when a sweater like this would come in handy:-) Only I'm ripping it... It's a sweater I knitted 20-25 years ago, used it myself for some time, but then gave it to my sister. She didn't use it a lot either. So a few years ago I took it with me. I don't like to use it! It's too boxy, the sleeves are too wide, the shoulders are too wide, and it is too short. But the colour is great. The pattern too. All cables and seedstitch. My plan is to frog it, and knit something new out of it, a slimmer jacket I think. Preferably something with cables, because that is fun. Only have to find a pattern. You would think that was pretty easy- with all the hundreds of free patterns "out there"? It's not. I've been looking and looking and looking- no one stands out! I've never been into designing my own sweaters or patterns, so I still hope to find THE pattern.
Sweetheart! Found on Tora's blog. Cute and cuick. She has better photos on her blog. Why is it that red is so difficult to photograph? It comes out all blurry. There is a cute heartpattern to begin with- it is knitted top down, and I added hearts to the hemline(only remember if you do that that it will add five stitches per heart, so the hem will be more swirling.) Now I need to find some buttons! Yarn? Gjestal babyull, 100 % mernowool, 50g/175m, 28st=10cm, I used needles 2.5mm, the colour is 840, it's a semisolid, quite nice one. The pattern says 50-70 grams for a dress, I knitted in size 12 months and used 132 g.... Length approximately 42 cm.
Some time ago I knit EZ february sweater from Knitter'sAlmanac . Buttons, yes, I need those...have you seen Yarnhog's blog lately? She makes her own buttons out of polymer clay. Great idea. Now I'm off to feed the sheep. Before it starts raining again...
Have a great day:-)

...twice in one week...?

Hi, there!

Twice in a week? hehe, my only exuse is that the kids are still asleep(yes, it is past noon, yes, they are teenagers, yes, it is still winterholidays...), which means that I can get to the computer! The kids and I share one which is placed in our livingroom, and it is hard to get my hands on it- LOL!

Thought I'd show a picture of the blanket when it's done. It is a doilypattern that I found in a book or magazine, and it can be done with any pattern. It is 120 cm (nearly 50 in) across. Knitted in Alfa which is a wool/mohair blend. I like it, but still haven't decided wheter to keep it myself or use it as a gift. At one point, during my "no christmas stress"-time in december, I mde plans to knit one for each of my nieces and nephew... No Christmas stress... Oh, well, the plans are still there, and it IS a while till next, right? I seem to be on a babyknitwhim these days. I'm knitting on a babydress, which now is only stockinette on the skirtpart....mindless tv-knitting, but boring!

I found this cute pattern in an old magazine, jacket and cap with sheep, and since DD2 is off to
town, I asked her to buy the yarn for it. (She's going with a neighbour- I'm not sending her off alone!)

Living on the westcoast means that we have weather, lots of weather. Last night another storm hit, it rained buckets, and it was really windy.We lost the power in the middle of "Numbers"...it came back in time to nail the bad guy, but not in time to find out why he was the bad guy!LOL!

Today it hails... However this guy is still playing his accordion, overlooking our yard. My father-in-law used to make these with a chainsaw. He would also collect old farmtools-of iron- plows, hackets, knives, horseshoes, everything people threw out when they got tractors and more modern machinery. He would put it all together, welding it together into sculptures, thus taking care of an important part of history. All the tools can still be used, just get it off the sculpture. He was a trained blacksmith, but worked most of his life as a panelbeater/car repairman. 5 years ago he passed away. We still miss him.

Todays view...in between the hailstorms...
Take care, and have a nice weekend!