Wonderful phonecalls

I have the most lovely, little phone friend you could ever imagine.

It's my beautiful 10 year old niece Emma - you know the girl with the broken arm and the hippo called Ulla :0)

One day when I picked up the phone, I heard that the little voice belonged to Emma. "I just wanted to say hi to you, Ulla"....what else could happen to me than a melted heart?

We have long conversations Emma and I. We talk about what she is doing at school, who she plays with and what she thinks is interesting and funny. Emma always has something exciting to tell. She's a girl with so much joy inside of her and she never says no to explore the possibilities in life....

When ever she has called me, I always feel so lucky and very honered that she wants to call me just to have a little chat.

She's such a clever and happy girl our Emma - and so is her sister Ida and her brother Andreas.

I feel so proud to be their aunt....and to be a phone friend too!

Fluffy cakes

I have been baking..........for some days.

Haven't we seen that before??

I spent some of my Sunday afternoon making this little skirt.

I knew that our little neighbour girl Maria would turn 5 years today, and knowing how much she loves dresses and that sort of clothes, I thought that a skirt would be a suitable present...

If you think it looks familiar to the dress I recently made, then you are right! I used some of the same purple Marimekko and Gingham fabrics.

But, as you can see for yourself, I also added a piece of Marimekko with black flowers. Actually I have been saving that exact piece of fabric for a while - for this particular skirt for Maria.

I also wanted to give the skirt a little, funny detail to make it a bit more girly and childish.

So I knitted a tiny, tiny rabbit girl. I used the free pattern which Little Cotton Rabbits so generously shared.

It took me longer than I had expected to sew together the tiny body, ears and limbs. But when I was done, I knew that it isn't the last bunny I'm going to make...

A bow was tied to her girly bunny ear and of course she had to have a skirt herself....made out of tulle.

Then she was ready to be sewn into the pocket, so she could hang in a string and watch the world passs by.

The bunny - and the skirt - was wrapped and given to sweet Maria........and I got wonderful, tasty birthday cake to bring home to Emil. (He has hurt his knee rather badly, and hasn't been allowed - by the doctor - to walk around the whole weekend and today. Tough deal for a skaterloving boy!!)

Oldfashion dress

Parallel with the duffelcoat, I have been making this little dress in the purple, white and green Marimekko.

I found the pattern in this book - a book which is about to become one of my all time favourites! The fact that the book was made 3 decades ago, gives the various models a very special look and touch of details.

I'm actually rather happy about the way the dress turned out. I think the fabric and the dress go so well together, maybe because both things are designed and written at the same period of time - in the 60ties and the 70ties.

I enjoyed making the mandarin collar and adding the covered button from Små Tekstiler. To close the button I sewed a loop in the same lime green colour as inside the Marimekko flower.

I also tried out some jetted pockets and that I haven't done for a long time. I believe the last time I made them, was when I sewed my own clothes - for parties - in highschool.

(And I'm still crazy about Picnik!)

4 seconds...

Og mange tak, Anne for mit nye legetøj....

The never ending dream of Etsy stuff

Etsy is the most amazing treasure box you can dream of - I think we all can agree on that. But I must warn you - it's habit-forming (perhaps that's not new to you ;0)) So many gorgeous things, made by people from all over the world, gathered in one place - not literally speaking - to admire, to get inspired by and not least to buy....

As for instance KTB Designs a little Canadian shop where you can buy PDF patterns for crocheted toys.

If my children were younger I would most certainly buy these patterns...(even though I'm not that good at crocheting, I would have to try it out anyway!!)

The kitchen supplies to make a cake...

The cake it self....

......and finally a tea pot!

What a day that would make. No broken china, but more likely a fluffy feeling in your mouth from eating the delicious layer cake!

I know many boys who would be part of a tea party like that, but I guess that most of them would love to "fix things" as well!

For that kind of job you need to have some tools....

No cuts in fingers and without danger for hammering your thumb!

I'm so excited about the never ending list of things, which can be crocheted...it's just a matter of imagination!! ( And in my case, better crocheting skills!)

Oh, Etsy!!!! (You even convinced me to buy this some weeks ago...crocheting skills needed for that too!)

Not all done...

Hope springs eternal as they say - so does that give hope for the duffelcoat?? I'm still not all done, but I'm getting there!

I only need to sew on the many press studs, which I have decided to have on the backside of the jacket. I want the studs to be invisible, and easy for a 3 year old to button. The big buttons are actually just there for the sake of appearances.

I didn't put on the usual duffelcoat closing device - I think that it might seem a bit clumsy on such a small size coat.

In the left pocket I fastened a Gingham bias tape in which I tied a reflector tag. Then there's no excuse not to be seen in the dark - and I hope our little fellow might think that it's fun to have a ghost in his pocket...

Now I'm curious to know whether it's fits....and whether the colour is well received!

P.S. Maybe I can sew a brown hat to go with the duffelcoat...with a ghost embroidery in front of it!

D... pockets!

I'm making a duffelcoat!! Well, right now I'm taking a break, because the d... pockets look horrible! Don't you know the feeling when a craft just makes you so angry? I always leave it for a while otherwise I make more mistakes and get even more irritated! I haven't taken any pictures of it either - maybe later on you will see it....when the little fellow who is recieving it for his birthday has had it. (Not that I think he blogs - he's turning 3 - but you never know about his mother)

At least I can tell you that it's somewhat lime green-ish...and it's made out of wool - felted wool from Fjølner. I have allways been such a great fan of Duffelcoats. I have one myself and when my children were younger I made some for them as well.

Yesterday I googled the word duffelcoat, because I needed some ideas to make an alternative way of closing the jacket. So many gorgeous coats turned up - in all sizes. I'm crazy about these ones, knitted by the talented Anny purls.

Aren't they adorable?? I think so....

If you like them as much as I, you can buy the pattern on Ravelry - right here or in the shop Jujube & Lolo right here.

If you rather want to buy a - childrens' - duffelcoat, then this would be a fantastic choice.

It's a wonderful classic look and the colour never fails if you ask me...

Well, I had better be off. The birthday duffelcoat has to be done by Monday, and with my speed I have to get back at it right away!

The purple post

Every picture I have taken today has the color purple in it.....Even though it's one of my favourite colours, it wasn't my intention to take purple shots. The fabrics on my washing line were purple - the flowery Marimekko and the lovely Gingham. (Which I'm just about to use one of these days) In the garden my eyes caught the Franske Anemone - which is as late as the red one - and it had the same colour...purple!

On my way back inside I also saw the Kobjælde beside our frontdoor. It's DEFINITLY not supposed to have - purple - flowers in October either!!

Oh, I did see something not purple though (I wish I hadn't seen it!) - my skein of yarn, which was for a ghost hat for a nephew. It was laying on the way into our garden, where Otto left it.....not suitable for knitting!!

Pocket, bow and loads of dots

The tunic is now all done - it turned out to be a pocket I put on it instead of a covered button.....I think Iinu inspired me to give the pocket a go!

The apron dress and the trousers to go with it, are also done....The dress is supposed to be tied at the back, but I think that doing it in front looks nice too.

BIG surprises

Last night and this morning I got 2 wonderful surprises.... When I opened my mailbox late last night, I saw a mail from this sweet, sweet woman. It contained lovely words and a georgeous pattern on a sweater, from a magazine which is no longer available. Both Anne-Sophie and I adored the sweater, and now we are able to make it!! Thanks a million, Rosanna... I got really happy and warm inside, because I didn't see it coming. Isn't it nice when something like that happens?

And this morning a packet arrived at my doorstep. I was expecting some fabric which I had ordered from the USA, but it didn't look like the usual flat rate envolope....

But when I saw the adress tag in front of the packet, I knew who had sent it!

It was from this lovely woman, which I sent some fabric and trims a while ago. It wasn't a swap so I really didn't expect anything in return!!

Never the less these are the goodies which were inside:

Great stuff, Amy - I have lots of ideas on how to use it all. Thank you SO much!!

It's amazing what blogging and flickr bring along..sweet and wonderful people, who write nice words and send you surprises. I am indeed a happy and lucky person these days....

In the making

In the making, originally uploaded by lille-ursus.

A little apron dress and some dotty yoga trousers - size 3 years - is what I'm making these days.

The dress is 2 aprons - one in front and one at the backside. It's nice to try something else once in a while...

The dress is supposed to be used over the trousers. I really like that look - both on little girls and women.

I'm not done at all yet, but I think that I will be so, in a few days. We have a lovely autumn break - full of days - ahead of us.

"The Fabric Syndicate"

Picture from Stof Syndikatet

If you have been to the annual exhibitions at "Skals Håndarbejdsskole" you will probably be familiar with these GEORGEOUS, georgeous fabrics....

Picture from Stof Syndikatet

It's the most wonderful wowen cotton, in pretty colours. It feels so nice when you hold it, and the feeling of it tells you how great it is to use and wear.

When I took embroidery classes at "Skals Håndarbejdsskole" I saw these amazing pieces of fabric all the time. I also had the possibility to buy them for the projects I embroidered. But after I stopped, I have thought about the fabrics many times since....

Picture from Stof Syndikatet

They all come from a shop in Copenhagen which is called "Stof Syndikatet" (the fabric syndicate) So it's a bit far away for me to go there every other day ;0)

Picture from Stof Syndikatet

Luckily I recently discovered that the shop sends their fabrics all over Denmark. What a surprise.....and a way to make lots of ideas come true!

I will definitely recommend that you have a look!

Are you here NOW??

I don't really know whether it's me who has too little experience in gardening, or if it's nature going weird??

I picked this flower - Fransk Anemone in Danish - in our garden. Another one is on it's way. I thought that they were supposed to bloom in early summer.....

I have a hippo named after me....

Do you remember this dotted hippo?

I made it for my wonderful niece Emma, when she broke her arm in the spring.

After she got it, she asked me whether she could call it "Ulla". I was very honored, so "Ulla" it was....

Some days ago my dear sister, Lotte, asked me if she had told me the latest news about Ulla the hippo? She hadn't:

Emma has a safe, in which she keeps her treasures.

Inside the safe she has all her medals, which she has won by playing soccer. (Emma is extremely good at soccer...actually all my sister's children are great at sports) And she also keeps "Ulla" the hippo inside the safe.

This is to prevent anything from happening to the things in case of a fire...(7,9,13!!)

This little story is so touching, that it almost made me cry - well, it did make me cry.....and it really says a lot about the beautiful person Emma is...

En prøve!!

Det er bogstaver det hele, men måden hvorpå de bliver sat sammen er alt afgørende for om vi forstår hinanden fra land til land!

Jeg har længe tænkt på at skrive på dansk, og nu hvor der findes Google Translate, vil jeg lige undersøge om det overhovedet er muligt at gøre som jeg har forstillet mig:

at det danske kan oversættes til nogenlunde tåleligt engelsk - med et snuptag!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Min idé forblev kun god på det teoretiske plan.....det virkede ikke i praksis!!

REMEMBER!!!

It's time to wear reflector tags, and if you live in Denmark you can order one for you and your family right here - for free!!!

Last year it was tiny ghosts!!

A little of everything

I just ordered the most beautiful fabrics for autumn clothes....

The brown and the red one are by Kaffe Fassett. His design always surprises me, and I never get tired of looking at his fabrics....Many of his patterns for knitting are very adorable too and actually he just sent a new book into the shops.

The green fabric is going to be used for a pair of boys' trousers - maybe they will be reversible as the other two pairs I recently made. That's a good thing for tiny legs which often sit on the floor - or even on the ground - to play....

Speaking of trousers, these are some itsy bitsy ones, which I just put in the mail for my cousin's little Christoffer. He was born a month ago and I sure hope that they still fit him!!

He was also the reciever of the two "Djævle huer".