Ouch

I'm going to take a bit of a break from all things phone, computer and unfortunately - crafting. I put my knitting needles and crochet hooks away a couple of weeks ago since my thumb and index finger on my right hand are aching. From what, I have no idea, but it's not getting better. Could this seriously be from knitting/crocheting? Seems ridiculous to me, but it's the only thing I can come up with that could be causing this. 

Such a bummer, I had just gotten started on my boys new granny square blanket that I wanted to have finished by the end of the month, for his birthday. Hopefully a week or two of "rest" will do the trick. I'll be back in this space eventually. Until then, have a lovely summer!

Etsy love and a new list

I love the idea of supporting small businesses instead of mass-produced crap, that's why I love Etsy.  In the spirit of helping those small businesses I thought I'd share my latest purchases. I don't buy much, but these lovely things somehow made their way to my home within a few days of each other. Excuse the bad photo's, we don't have the best light today.

My birthday present to myself - a fern fiddlehead coffee mug, by Bunny Safari Pottery. I love the look and texture of fiddleheads, so I fell in love with this mug when I first laid eyes on it many months ago. Now it's finally here, and yes, my coffee does taste better in it!

These were meant to be new spring/Easter ornaments, but I ordered them a bit too late. Linen and Roses makes lovely handmade ornaments from felt.

Last but not least, I purchased a new smock for Esther from Pinkdixie. I adore these smocks, and I think they are perfect for summer. Better yet, they're on sale and since the owner won't be making any more of these lovely smocks you'd better get yours now if you are interested!

Now, my birthday was way back in February (I can't believe it's almost JUNE!), but I have been meaning to make a new birthday list. A "34 before 34"-list. I'll be stealing more than a few things from my last list since I've been terribly bad at crossing things off, but thankfully the doing isn't so much the point for me. It's the dreaming and wanting and reminding that I need!

Here are the things I can cross off:


1. Find a reason to crack open the expensive bottle of champagne we have had at home for way too long.
2. Step out of my comfort zone when it comes to clothes & accessories
4. Enjoy a quiet morning alone with my cuppa and other morning indulgences
5. Go crab-hunting with my boy
6. Go completely organic on the beauty products front.
7. Grow potatoes on my balcony
8. Find my abs again (where did you goooo?)
30. Lie on a blanket in the sun with my bare feet on the grass

14. Do my best to make sure my crazies (that is, the kids) know their worth and feel good about themselves.
18. Move out of the shoebox
21. Go through our storage room and get rid of things we don't need anymore
24. Get a full-length mirror
29. Have a picnic in a meadow
31. Give an unexpected gift
32. Go for more walks in the woods alone. Pure meditation.
33. Make a campfire with my kids

The most fulfilling was definitely moving out of the shoebox, even though we are temporarily in a smaller shoebox. That was my reason to open up that expensive bottle of champagne and led to me finally doing something about our over-flowing storage room. Nr 14 is permanent and the most important. That one stays on in the list indefinitely!

Here's my new list, things I really want to do whether it is this year or the next. I started writing this post a while ago, so I've already started crossing things off.

:: Take my family to Iceland
:: Have a pedicure
:: Make sourdough bread from scratch (I did try, but the starter died on me!)
:: Get that tattoo I've always wanted. (Still undecided on this one, a tattoo at the age of 33 just feels sort of like a midlife crisis, doesn't it?)
:: Improve my photography skills
:: Participate in a run, 5 km minimum I did this one two days ago, a 5 km run with friends!
:: Send someone a hand-written letter
:: Take the kids to the butterfly house in Stockholm  Done! We had the best time.
:: Plan a garden
:: Take the kids on more outings
:: Knit something for my husband
:: Have people over to our place more often, especially family
:: Make the time to slow down and just be, even if it's just five minutes a day
:: Sew a dress for Esther
:: Buy a new piece of art (be it a painting, pottery etc)

I'm sure I'll come up with more things, but for now these are the things that are foremost in my thoughts.

The gauge-gods were with me! (but I'm sure I won't get away with it again)

I'm finished! I am so happy with this cardigan, it fits just perfect. I've been having the hardest time taking pictures of my girl in it, I actually had a hard time coaxing her to wear it at all. I always despair just a bit - on the inside -  when my kids initially reject something I've spent so much time on. They usually come around in their own time, I just have to be patient and not force anything on them.

I was so afraid this cardigan was too small (I didn't check gauge as usual), but after a good ole blocking it fit perfectly. It was a very easy project, I will definitely be making more of these! The pattern can be found here.

I'm still on a high from this perfect weekend we had. It was exhausting and wonderful, we only came indoors to eat and sleep. The rest was walks and playing and biking, we biked miles and miles. I went on a solo adventure with my girl, searching for signs of spring, and this is what I found:

Hepatica nobilis, a splash of purple amongst all the brown. A sure sign of spring and a sight for sore eyes!

There is still ice on the lake nearby which we visit many times a week, but the ground is finally free of ice and snow.

Each spring I feel like I am waking up  from a long sleep, all senses coming to life again. I can't wait for what lies ahead.

Joining this weeks Yarn Along.

                       

For Anna

Yet another loved teacher is leaving the daycare, it came as quite a surprise to me. So I was ill prepared and needed a very quick project since we wanted to give her a little something to say "thank you" for being such a darling with the kids.

It's still quite cold here, so I figured wrist warmers would be perfect. I used alpaca yarn from my stash and kept it simple - off-white with a dash of light yellow in the second row of shells (can you see it?). This project was done in just a few hours, but I have to admit I had a hard time with the chart. I ended up winging it and doing it my way. Don't know if I was right or wrong, but the end result was pretty! Project notes here.

Pictures were taken in our early morning rush, and Esther was so attached to my hands that I had a hard time getting pictures at all! My hands are her lovies you see, always have been. She like to rub my fingers on her nose and play with my fingers, she's done this since she was a baby. I've tried to slip a small stuffed animal into her hands and tried with blankets and other soft things. She's had her favorites, one of them a small bear her cousin made for her, but they've always just been "a little something on the side". She wants my hands, always. A bit trying at times and I sometimes wish I had a third arm so everyone is happy, but I know I will miss her little hands playing with mine when she doesn't want them anymore.

This last pic is taken by my son, who decided to try and help. Sweethearts the both of them.

Lake therapy

I borrowed the sweetest book from the library for my kids, a collection of poetry about the four seasons. A particular poem got stuck in my head and as we stood by the lake yesterday I kept on reciting quietly "Winter is dead, winter is dead". The ice on the lake is melting and I saw my first butterfly this weekend, a Small Tortoiseshell . Yes, winter is indeed dead, hurray for spring! 

Daffodowndilly (A.A Milne)

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet, 

She wore her greenest gown;

She turned to the south wind

And curtsied up and down. 

She turned to the sunlight

And shook her yellow head, 

And whispered to her neighbour:

"Winter is dead".

A quiet Monday post

Easter was a complete disaster. The kids colds just got worse and Sebastian and I got a stomach bug. We spent most of our vacation at home praying to the porcelain god, blowing our noses and climbing the walls here at home with the frustration of being locked in, sick and miserable. I think the only good thing about easter was my new ornament, "Skatan Frida", an easter witch made from wood, felt, Icelandic sheeps wool and feathers (The artists name is Åsa Götander,  love her stuff!) I'd just as soon erase the past two weeks from my memory. 

I did manage to finish the teachers shawl before Easter, and I was very happy with the end result. Ta-daaah!

This was such a fun knit. I have never done lace - let alone a shawl - before, and it was exciting to see the pattern emerge row for row. I have to admit that I was a bit worried at first, I kept screwing up the first lace bit and was not looking forward to the frustration of having to backtrack my work with 200-something stitches on my needles. But I got into the rhythm of it and all went smoothly, despite this being a very hurried project. Ravelry notes found here.

I've spent this blissfully quiet morning updating my ravelry account. I've been bad at keeping track of the projects I've been working on this past year, and it was high time I remedied that. I thought I'd share one that I am especially happy with, Esthers blanket: 

I actually started this crocheted blanket on a trip to Iceland when she was 6 months old, using blue yarn only.  Blue is just the best color for my girl, what with her golden brown hair and fair skin, but after crocheting up a bunch of squares I found it to be too dreary. The blues were just too dark for a baby blanket. For some reason this project got put on the shelf and when I picked it up more than a year later (*ahem*) I decided to add some pink and plum colors to the mix. My crocheting had been so very tight (stressed and tired? yes!) that I had to start all over again - the squares I had made in Iceland were much too small compared to the new ones I was making. 

Esther finally got her blanket on her second birthday. It fits perfectly on the end of her bed, and is just big enough for her to snuggle in when she takes a nap. Ravelry notes here.

After seeing Esthers blanket, Sebastian of course requested one of his own.  There are so many beautiful blankets on ravelry that it was hard to decide which pattern I'd make for him - I have about a gazillion blankets in my favorites.  After much perusing I fell for Alicia Paulsons Sunshine day baby afghan. The base colors will be brown/beige and I'm leaning towards the squares being mainly in blue hues with a splash of yellow, grey and green. 

I can't wait to get started with this blanket, but first things first - I have a cardigan to finish!

Oh the cleverness of me!

Can't say I've done anything clever these past few days, just had a total overload of Peter Pan and that line is permanently stuck in my head.

The littles have come down with the most horrid cold. High fevers, constant night coughing. All of this nasty coughing and fever business leaves little time for knitting, but I pick up the needles every chance I get.

The weekend was spent in pyjamas, cooking up lovely things that I like since the kids only had an appetite for bread and pancakes. So to calm my own hunger I made:

Baba Ganouj. Eggplants are such an unappreciated vegetable, don't you think? Looks unappetizing, but it's so, so good.

Basil pesto, with lots of olive oil.

Plum marmelade, at the request of my boy. A guilty pleasure, since plums are terribly out of season, but how can I resist when I'm asked to make mamma-marmalade?

The non-cooking cooking continues, wonder what I can be bothered to make next?  Day 5 of sick kids and I am absolutely DESPERATE  for spring to make an arrival and put an end to all of these illnesses!!!

March days

The month March gets its name from greek mythology. Mars was the roman god of war, and a war it certainly is - at least in our part of the world. Winter and spring battling it out, and we are definitely rooting for spring. Unfortunately winter still has us in its clutches, and until spring wins we will just have to make the most of what we have.

Indoor fun. The kids call this making experiments. Such a mess, and so much fun to get dirty and gooey.

Baking. My mamas chocolate chip cookie recipe. So, so good.

Spending time outdoors despite the cold, taking in the bare and cold beauty of winter.

And all the while knitting like a fiend from hell, I have to finish the shawl before Easter, much sooner than I'd anticipated. Have a lovely weekend!

Goodbye 49

I'm almost done packing, and on Friday we move out of the home we have lived in for almost five     

years. I am looking forward to the change, but I really am going to miss this place. So many memories. What I will miss most is my kitchen. We are kitchen people, feels like the heart of a home is in the kitchen, doesn't it? My kids are constantly with me while I'm cooking, and it feels like they've grown up sitting on top of our kitchen counter "helping" me. That I will miss. I will even miss all of the things that annoyed me about this place. Thankfully we have all of our memories and are moving on to something we have been wanting for a very long time. Goodbye 49.

On to the crafting! I can start by saying that I am reading nothing at the moment. I'm either packing or knitting, reading is on hold at the moment. I have two projects on my kneedles and hook at the moment.  I'm almost done with Esther's cardigan, just have the sleeves left and need to tuck away loose threads. I love the way it turning out! I should be done with it this week if packing and unpacking doesn't take up all my free time.

I started another project just this morning, a "Dinner in the Eiffel Tower" shawl. I've never knit a shawl and have wanted to make myself one for a long time, but that will have to wait. This shawl is a present for the sweetest, warmest daycare teacher ever. She is starting a new job and will be leaving the daycare my kids go to in mid-April. I cried a little when I got the news, she is just that precious. She has so much patience, oozes warmth and caring and you can tell that she really loves the children she teaches. She and I have come to know each other quite well throughout the years and she has helped me a lot with my sensitive little boy. She gets him, knows how he works and can appreciate his sensitive, careful nature and gives him the gentle nudges he needs to take on scary things. I really want her to know how much she has meant to this family, and I'm hoping this little gift will be a reminder of us and how much we appreciate her.

As for the shawl itself, I'm not sure about the yarn. It's 100% wool and feels so coarse and chunky. I usually knit in blends of alpaca and wool. Might just be my knitting, I'm a stressed person at heart I guess and I knit HARD. I'm trying to be as relaxed as possible, surely a challenge for me! I'll give the yarn a chance, I would like to use it since my son chose the color for his teacher. We'll see how this evolves.

Joining Ginny and a whole lot of crafty souls over at Small Things.

Breaking the silence once again

I went quiet again. Admittedly, I was overwhelmed by life in general, and this space became a source of stress instead of something fun. I've found myself in that downward spiral more times than I'd like to admit, but I'm doing my best to work my way up again. I won't make any promises about how often I will share some pictures and words on the blogosphere, but I have missed it and would like to give this another try. So we'll just see how this goes!

I hate starting my first 2013 post with a totally uninspired instagram shot of my latest work in progress, but we are in the process of moving and I can't find the cord to connect my camera to the computer. We finally bought our first house, I still feel all giggly when I mention it! Unfortunately we have to make a temporary move to a rental apartment before we get the house, but I'm choosing to see that as a small hiccup in my life. I'll cozy the place up for the kids, grow my balconatoes out on the balcony just like I did last year and make the most of it. 'Cause I know we have something really good to look for in August. August isn't that far away, right?!

On to the my latest project. A cardigan for Esther. I'm a cardigan person, I don't even remember the last sweater I owned, but my cardigans, those I have loved and worn until they have basically fallen off my back. Esther requested a cardigan of her own, and after perusing the stores and coming up short I decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm using double strands of "Inca alpaca", a yarn I bought on my last trip to Iceland (it's not Icelandic though, but Norwegian), without knowing what I'd do with it. The pattern is "Girls Classic Cardigan", a beautiful and very easy pattern. I'm about halfway through, and hope it turns out well. I'm nervous about the openings for Esther's arms being too tight, but so far she hasn't complained.

As far as reading goes, I've been reading Guy Grieve's "Call of the wild: My escape to Alaska". The author recounts his adventures after leaving his life in Scotland and moving to Alaska to live in solitude out in the wild for a year. I am such a sucker for these types of stories, I absolutely love them. I'm a nature-lover at heart, I'm the type of person that is happiest outdoors and stories like these just bring out the daydreamer in me. The book is a good read, and I appreciate the authors candor in admitting his mistakes and lack of know-how when it comes to living in such harsh conditions.

I have been gone for this space so long that I feel like I have a million things I want to share, old projects that need photographing and words that want out of my fuzzy head. Feels good to be back, I've missed you.

Joining this weeks Yarn Along.