The last January favourites

The last January favourites, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

Sweetsssssss..........

While I was surfing for old patterns for Kalle's Christmas tablecloth I came across this funny tablerunner. I love eating liquorice allsorts and that is excactly what is on the embroidered piece....So if you are into cross stitches you can buy a kit for the tablerunner here.

A while ago I fell so much in love with this yarn spun by theloneknitta on flickr. She has attached tiny pop tarts (hindbærsnitter in Danish) to the yarn - and every skein is a "one of a kind". The one in the picture is undoubtely allready sold.

So........I have to see whether I can buy a similar one at this etsy shop where she sells her yarn. I would love to have a scarf with tiny dangleling pop tarts.

My childhood's fashion

"Spændende børnetøj", originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

When I was a child, my mother got a sewing magazine every month. It was called "Alt om Håndarbejde".

I remember her excitement whenever the mailman brought it to our door. And she always "saved" it for a special time of day - usually at night when she was done making the domestic duties.

I found it rather funny to read "Alt om Håndarbejde" too. In the magazines there were special pages for children. Crafty things which were pretty but easy to make.

When I moved into my own flat at the age of 19, I subscribed to the magazine. I carried on the tradition about getting new and exciting ideas from a crafty sewingmagazine. Maybe you could say, that "Alt om Håndarbejde" was the flickr and ravelry of that time..... ( And a sentence like that, makes me feel like I was born in the Early Stone Age!!!!)

Sadly the magazine joined with another crafty magazine - But according to me nothing has been able to follow in the old magazine's footsteps.

Now it looks like this.

Luckily I have a lot of my old magazines left and I have this old book (1981) which a friend of mine gave to me. The book has a collection of children's patterns from "Alt om Håndarbejde" and it is quite funny to look in it. Both for knitting and sewing people...

I might just sew some of the clothes....

Knitter bracelet

For the enthusiastic knitter a bracelet like this must be wonderful. It is made by the Australian artist Liana Kabel and I just love the idea....

Lise Lotte

Lise Lotte, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

Oh, and I know why the sun was shining beautifully yesterday........It was the birthday of this wonderful friend of mine :0)

Snowdrop in my garden

A 1000 bloggers have probably show this kind of picture allready, but I don't mind. This little fellow popped up in our front garden, and made me so happy, excited and a bit surprised....I love it when plants start showing their lovely little faces!! Too bad that the camera focused on the weeds instead of the elegant snow-drop..... (Hrmmmpf!!) And the very, very old hyacinth has also begun to grow. Our old neighbour Marie, who lived in our road for more than 50 years, told us that the hyacinth has grown at the same place for at least 40 years. I find that quite amazing, and think about it every single time I see it and pass by it.... It gets the most wonderful blue colour when the weather gets warmer, and simply smells like heaven when its flowers unfold.

When it comes to sewing I'm making these tiny, stripy trousers. All that's left to do, is to put some trims at the bottom of the trouserlegs. Then they will be done... All ready for spring to appear!!

Boligliv made me think of Kalle...

On a WINDY and rainy day like this, I want to stay indoor....At least for now!!! Perhaps later I will put on a lot of warm clothes and go for a walk in the wind. Get my body and head full of big, wind gusts.... But........in my warm kitchen I read the new issue of Boligliv. At the end of the magazine I saw, that in February, Boligliv will tell us all about spending holidays in the South of England....

This immediately made me think of my dear friend Kalle. He lives in a small, English village in the South of England, which looks like this......

Kalle has been a friend of mine ever since we started off in school - when we were both 6 years old. We went to school/college together for 13 years.

He is such a wonderful, funny, caring man and I always keep him in my heart.

When ever I see Kalle it only takes a few seconds to "find" each other. Don't you know the feeling with this kind of friends? No awkward, embarrasing silence....

Now we email each other once in a while, but he is so often on my mind.

I had a lovely surprise this Christmas when Kalle all of a sudden showed up at our local grocery store, singing "Fiskerpigens sang". Don't ask - a very weird joke we shared in our youth!!!

And last fall, when Anne-Sophie and I went to England to see where I used to live, we spent a fantastic and funny afternoon with Kalle in London. And hopefully I will see him again this summer. I have been invited to his wedding with Daniel in July.

Kalle has the same edducation as me, and now works for RNIB, an association for blind people. This jobs says so much about the kind of person Kalle is. He really makes a difference - just by being himself......

I feel so lucky and proud to have a friend like him.....

Ginger Blossom and a "sømandstrøje"

Ginger Blossom by Sandi Henderson, originally uploaded by SandiHenderson.

These days I'm waiting for a new fabric to become available in the fabric shops.

It is designed by Sandi Henderson and called Ginger Blossom. There are several designs in the line that I would like to turn into clothes, but for now I really just want the one in the picture.

The colours are perfect - red, pale blue, pale pink and a little yellow to keep all the pastels company.

The fabric is due to be on the market in December/January, so I guess it is just a matter of time. I will wait.....

I have ordered some yarn here for a little sweater size 1 year. I think it is going to be for my cousin's future baby....

The pattern is what we here in Denmark call a "sømandstrøje" - in English the direct translation is a sailorsweater. But it looks like this.

The yarn is a beautiful grey-bluish colour called aqua and made out of 50% cotton and 50 % acrylic.

Pure cotton never seems to keep the shape on the final result, so that is why I "allowed" the acrylic! I dislike un-natural materials and try to avoid them if possible.

I'm sorry that the picture looks like I've been taking it at night time - but these rainy, dark days.....

January Hat

January Hat, originally uploaded by NuttyIrishmanKnits.

Knitting is a wonderful way of spending your time - that is a fact.....

Some of us learn it in our childhood, some of us doesn't learn it all, and some people discover the beauty of knitting as adults.

This beautiful hat - January Hat - is made and designed by a girl called Jen. (On flickr she is NuttyIrishmanKnits....) She started to knit a year ago!!!!! And look how far she has come.

I admire the drive that Jen most have had while developing this fine abillity.....

I love the shape of this hat and the red stars in the pattern. I'm going to knit it for myself sometime. Maybe in paleblue and brown or 2 shades of green.

Jen generously allowed me to show her beatiful hat on my blog - I thought you should have the pleasure of getting to know her and her knitting!

The January Hat is available for everyone to download. Go to the blog "NuttyIrishmanKnits" and find the pattern.

And while you are there, have a good look around. I'm sure you will get some inspiration.....

Looking for new blogs?

From lovely Marmee Craft

Sometimes I come across the most marvellous blogs. Blogs that take me to a totally different universe, where I forget everything around me.

This is often due to the fantastic ideas, beautiful things and inspirering writing that are in the blogs.

One of the blogs which has this special kind of magic is Marmeecraft. (I know I have referred to her before, but she deserves all the attention she can get)

First of all the blog simply looks amazing - I'm so fond of Marjorie's art and the way the blog is designed.

Secondly, Marjorie always writes about a lot of interesting stuff. I.e she recently started to make a copy of a dress from the 1840's. And her language and personality!!

I just adore visiting her blog....

Another exciting blog, that I found the other day is Du Buh Du Designs. As well as Marmeecraft this blog also has the most wonderful handmade dolls. The artist Christine is so talented.....The expressions on the tiny ladies' faces are simply breathtaking - at least I think so...

Dolls at Du Buh Du Designs

Actually the rest of us are so lucky, that both blog owners have an etsy shop.

You can find Marmeecraft's shop here and Du Buh Du Designs' here.

I hope you will enjoy their blogs if you take the time to see them. They sure get my best recommandations...

Found this beautiful, dotty bowl on my little shopping trip to Eva Jessen - and the 2 green vases....

Done!

My creation, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

Now I'm done with the tiny blouse - I sewed bias tape at the end of the sleeves and at the bottom of the blouse. Unfortunately that didn't make it in the pictures!!

The 2 textile buttons (from lovely "Små Tekstiler") don't have a purpose other than looking nice! I sewed in small, hidden poppers instead.

Yesterday I also got new fabric from the USA. I love it when spring colours start to appear again. I'm so fond of pastels and like to mix it with other colours such as brown and purple.

Finally I need to mention that this georgeous little shop has a 50% sale on Marimekko clothes...I'm going there this afternoon!!

Perhaps I will ask me dear friend Lise Lotte if she wants to come along....we often go there together!

You made my day, Marie....

Today I got really surprised and very, very happy. This wonderful girl , Marie gave me a nice "you make my day award"....And she even wrote some really sweet words for me....I got all embarrased and moved!! It is nice to know that she likes my blog and get inspired by my work... Thank you so much, sweet Marie :0)

With this award you have to pass it on to other bloggers you feel make your day. I hope I do it the right way - I have never had one of these before!! I think it has to be these wonderful people:

Well, Marie if you hadn't had the award recently I would give it back to you. I don't know if that is possible? You deserve it for being a wonderful mother from what I see and read, for having great and creative taste and for being the sweetest thing...

Gitte from Dit og dut for always being so happy, creative in SO many ways, very thoughtful and a marvellous embroiderer....And for being an "old" new friend.

Anne from Hverken fugl eller fisk for being SO heartwarm, sweet, the fastest knitter I have seen and a brilliant writer that moves me deeply....

Mette from Erle Perle for being a very caring blogger, so funny, extremely thoughtful and openminded.

You all inspire me a lot and make me get so many different feelings while reading your blogs.... You all touch my heart by being yourself and make me laugh with your funny litlle stories and experiences from everyday life!!!

Ah.....sewing by hand

Ah.....sewing by hand, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

Slow and lovely work that goes perfectly with "waiting for slow fabrics"......

Slow fabric

Waiting for this beautiful fabric to show up!!

I wonder where it is??

For tiny legs....

For tiny legs...., originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

I know - I have a "thing" about trousers....But most fabrics scream "trousers" at me!!!

Sofus and Ludvig

While looking for a pattern for a beautiful baby sweater seen on ravelry from www.raumaull.no,

I came across these 2 little fellows.

Does any of you remember them? I certainly do!!

It is Sofus and Ludvig from "Bjergkøbing Grand Prix" - a wonderful movie about a race in a car called "Il Tempo Gigante".

In my childhood it was so stunning that it was made in a way, so you felt like you were driving in Il Tempo Gigante yourself.

I can't recall exactly how many times I have seen the movie....but it is quite a few...My children love it too - perhaps you could say that they HAD to be introduced to it!

As you probably can guess, a pattern can be bought so Sofus and Ludvig can be knitted. They actually look very much like the caracters in the movie. I just love Ludvig and his little backpack!

Our children has "Bjergkøbing Grand Prix" as a game for the PC, and this I can highly recommend.

We have spent so many hours playing it - it is simply amazing and a habit-forming experience.

And if you love the movie you will not get dissapionted by the game...

a Birthday.....

En dejlig fødselsdag har nået sin afslutning:

• 16 lys er pustet ud - kun halvdelen lod sig ikke slukke!
• mange fødselsdagsknus har skiftet ejermand
• et hobetal af velvalgte gaver er pakket ud og har begejstret
• smukke ord i fødselsdagskort er læst og taget ind i hjertet
• varme boller (der kun smuldrede en smule!) er spist med velbehag
• flag har blafret lifligt ved vores hoveddør
• solen har vist sig i korte øjeblikke imellem kaskader af vand
• syge gæster har måttet ringe afbud fra deres varme senge
• tanker er fløjet 16 år tilbage i tiden...hvor blev den af?
• film af et lillebitte 10 måneder gammelt fødselsdagsbarn er blevet genset og erindret med store smil
• i kulde og regn er familie blevet vinket farvel til, med et ønske om snarlig gensyn.....

Det har været en rigtig vidunderlig dag. Jeg fryder mig over alle de vigtige mennesker i vores elskede Anne-Sophies liv, som har gjort hende glad og fuld af smil på endnu en fødselsdag.

Jeg glæder mig inderligt over vores dejlige, livskloge pige......nu 16.

16th birthday :o)

16th birthday :o), originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

I dag er det Anne-Sophie's fødselsdag, hurra, hurra, hurraaaaaaaa....

Happy birthday my sweet, sweet girl :0)

Tiny shorts with dogs....

Tiny shorts - longer at the front (on purpose!), originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

The past 2 days I have been making these tiny shorts size 80 cl. In dog fabric from the USA. I have a thing about animals drawn in a funny and naive way. The tiny details, such as the collars, just make the fabric even better to me.

Now all we need is some sunny and warm weather, to be able to use the shorts! Who knows when it comes with the kind of weather we are having??

Perhaps tomorrow - January 12th - will be the perfect time for a beautiful, sunny day, since it is Anne-Sophie's birthday.

She turns 16.....

It seems like it was yesterday, that this beloved girl of ours came into our hearts and lives.

Finally at my sewing machine again...

Dotty tunic/dress, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

For some time I haven't had the energy to sew on my sewing machine at all. I know exactly why, and I just have to deal with that. (the old, lousy back and neck!!!) I guees things didn't get any better by the fact that I had set up my mind to make a lot of (TOO many) Christmas present myself this year....

But the last few days my motivation and energy have returned, and yesterday I finished this little tunic/dress size 92 cl.

It took a deep breath to put my pair of scissors into this adoring, dotty, Swedish fabric - I like it SO much. But I am satisfied with how the project turned out, and then I don't mind having used some of it.

In fact it is also my 1st contribution to the flickr group, which this sweet girl started....

I still have about 1,50 m which is entirely for me. I think I'm going to use it on a tunic for myself, or some pillows for the couch, or a runner for the table in the kitchen, or.....

In the mail today

In the mail today, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

I got this lovely packet in the mail today. It was no surprise at all, because I ordered it myself. It is from this shop, a new one I never have tried before.

But at "Tidens Hjem" they had the green and pink Christmas balls, which look like the ones we had at home, when I was a child. I loved them dearly and allways put them on the tree.

I haven't been able to find them anywhere untill now - sadly they didn't have them in pastel colours, but these will do just fine.

Since all the Christmas ornaments are on sale at this time of year, I usually look for Maileg stuff. Emil has talked about adding a cat to our row of hanging Maileg pixies, for quite a while. Today we got one - all stripy and with magnets in his paws.

Now the cat has a lot of days to get ready for Christmas - because it takes a strong and fit cat to hang in it's arms for 30 days....

Jamming...

If you visit our house these days, you will hear a lot of jamming....Even if you just pass outside it!!

This Christmas Emil put a guitar on his list of wishes. And lucky he was indeed - his grandparents went to the music store and bought him one. I must not forget the fancy, black bag to carry the guitar in, which they bought him too. (He looked rather tough when he went off to sleep at a friend's with his guitar on his back!!)

All Christmas he played for us - happy songs, quick songs, saaaaaaaaad songs, rock songs, classic songs and pop songs. The fact that he hasn't learned how to play guitar yet, didn't stop him at all....

He also got two EM footballs, but changed one of them into a tuner (I think it is called that). So now he can play IN tune.

He now has a guitar book, a guitar DVD and the will to learn, so I guess it will not take long before he plays real songs.

Anne-Sophie plays the piano and has done so for quite a few years. So when she started playing "Right next to the right one" by Danish Tim Christensen, Emil quickly grabbed his guitar and ran upstairs to her room. "Would you like to jam, Anne-Sophie?" he asked her.

This really made me smile....that boy is always so positive and openminded. I don't think that I know any person as happy as him - he hardly ever is negative nor angry..........

The last thing I need to mention is that Emil agreed for me to write about him and his guitar!!

Hvor er jeg bare heldig!!! - I'm so lucky!!!

Cozy, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

A perfect day for being crafty..........and yes, it IS the one and only Cobblestone I am knitting!!!

Have a lovely weekend....

How do you make a man buy yarn?

For quite a few days, I have been asking Christian when he decides on the yarn for his Cobblestone.....

I'm getting rather restless - I really want to knit it for him.......and it does look like a fun pattern to make. He has been seing a lot of yarn on the internet - sometimes because I "push" him a little or because I accidently find a yarnshop on the computer when he is the same room as me!

Brown or green are the colours he has in mind - but being a hunter and a lover of naturerelated activities, he already has a whole lot of green/grey Fjällräven or Haglöfs clothes (if I may say so!!) Now, it isn't me who is going to decide nor wear it - so hush, hush Ulla!!!

In my search for yarn I found this lovely shop called "Tante Hanne" which I haven't seen before. In her shop she carries all these wonderful yarns, which you can see in the pictures.

In the left hand upper corner it is "Pure Lana", in the right hand upper corner "Navia" and finally it is "Gotlandsk pelsuld" from Filcolana.

Christian (very funny!) suggested a sweater made entirely in wool from Musks from this shop: Arnica.dk It wouldn't become very expencive to knit - only 5040 Danish kroner!!!! But I bet it will be warm then......

Actually he is rather sensible, my dear, sweet husband - he doesn't want to buy the yarn on the internet because he can't feel and see the yarn properly.....I can't blame him for this point of view though!

No wonder why I love my sewingmachine.....

The christmas present from my daughter

originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

Anne-Sophie made me this lovely gift for Christmas. She had picked out some of - the many - pictures we have taken ever since she was a baby. And a few of the ones with her and I, she put into a frame. Pictures have always been an important part of Anne-Sophie's life. In her room her walls are full of pictures of Emil and the rest of her family.... She made a frame for her father too - the sweet, loving girl. Of course with pictures of herself and her dad. We did cry a little and felt so proud of our girl......it was such a typical Anne-Sophie idea!!!

PS. Some of them were old pictures with old, outdated (and awful) haircuts!!!!!!!!

A slow day

zoo, originally uploaded by miss pompon.

Having had a wonderful, funny NEW YEARS EVE all I need on a day like this is simply some hugs from my loved ones, PJs, a good movie on TV and lots of wonderful inspiration.....Like this little zoo from miss pompon on flickr!

It is a if the entire country has gone to sleep - aparte from the occasional couples passing our windows on their afternoon walks.

But tomorrow the children go back to school and everyday life returns.
On the 1st day after holidays I always miss my children terribly after being with them all day long....

Well, of to the couch and some hugs.......

I wish you all a happy new year and hope that some of your tiny and big dreams may come true...