Friday, April 27, 2012

A - F r i d a y - e v e n i n g

Liselotte will soon be done. The cardigan. I have truely enjoyed knitting it. Because of the amazing yarn and because of the size 5 knitting needles. What a difference that is instead of size 2½-3 which I have been using a lot for recent projects. And the pattern has been so easy and wellwritten. No procrastinations, only kind and necessary knitting information to make the work go as smooth as possible.

1 button at the top of the front pieces when the cardigan is done. Perhaps 3, but time will tell. If I go for a single button, it will be this one. Or perhaps some dots

The other day the prints from Jennifer Davis arrived, and they completely fulfilled my expectations. For now they are standing on my grandmother's old chest of drawers, until we decide which frames they are to be put in. (The hen bowls keep them from sliding down on the floor - in case you wondered why they were standing in front of the prints).

Now I will go talk to my husband - he has just come home from work. And give him a big hug. He has been working hard lately, which means away from home for far too many hours. 
This evening it's just him and I - Emil is visiting his sweet girlfriend Ronja.

Have a lovely weekend...


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

I cross my fingers . . .

. . . and hope to get money for this lamp for my birthday (or else I will get it myself). It's brilliant and with the right amount of colour and inventiveness. It would give me light over my cosy chair and something beautiful to look at during the day. 


I'm 99% sure that my husband will like it too - he loves our Le Klint lamps so this should do as well. This is kind of like Le Klint + modern youth.

Wall fixture Klimoppe with paper lamp Moth
Photo from Studio Snowpuppe

The clever people who made it are Nellianna and Kenneth - an architecht and an industrial designer from the Neatherlands. They have the etsy shop Studio Snowpuppe.

If you don't like this particular lamp, then try to see what else they made. I could easily pick out more desirable stuff for my home . .  but I had better not.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

The - almost - perfect cardigan

In the newsletter from lovely Bettekun, I saw this fabulous cardigan designed by Kaffe Fassett. It's so much me. The colour makes me smile and the big redish dots make my smil even wider. Don't you know the feeling when you find a piece of clothes, which really appeals to you? It doesn't happen often for me, but today I were lucky.

Cardigans are almost a must for me. They are so easy to get rid off when it gets too warm. No troublesome sweaters, which make me fell irritated in the blink of an eye, and stuffy if they are too tight in the neckline. I hated that as a child, and I hate it now.




I definitely have enough yarn for now - and many years to come - but this cardigan I had to have. The stripy Liselotte cardigan I'm kniiting for myself, is coming along fine. (I'm still amazed by the yarn).

Maybe I will have it done in time for warmer spring days. How wonderful it would be to be able to take of a cardigan, because it's sunny outside...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A favourite artist

It's actually not that long ago, that I discovered the amazing artist Jennifer Davis and her breathtaking work.
I knew from the minute I saw her paintings and prints, that I wanted to buy a print from her.

So I did - these 2 are the ones which I decided on. 

limited edition print - Juggling
Photo from Jennifer Davis Art


limited edition print - UpsideDown
Photo from Jennifer Davis Art





Tuesday, April 17, 2012

In one way or another. . .

. . .I'm going to get this little beauty inside the walls of our house. (My husband doesn't think that it's cool nor beautiful at all).

I can imagine it having a purpose in almost every room of our house, so that part will not be a problem. It oozes 50ties style and charm in the right way. I just know that it will look fine, no matter what one decides to put in it.



It will become available in IKEA soon - in case you like it too. . .It's called RÅSKOG and it's already in the IKEA stores in Denmark. You can get it in a wonderful turquiose or in grey.


Saturday, April 14, 2012

I told you so . . .

There would be more Djævlehuer/Devil-hats...epidemic. With little yellow x x x'es.




Thursday, April 12, 2012

12 yards of beauty

Quilt Binding - Ta Dot in Lipstick Handmade Quilting Tape, 3 Yards

I have such a soft spot for bias tape (and handsewing), but finding cool and lovely bias can sometimes be a bit of a problem.

Alternatively I could make my own bias tape, I even have the right kind of tool for it. But somehow I haven't tried it out yet. Maybe I'm too lazy.

But look what I found the other day. Bias which will make a difference...at least for me.

I love it!

Quilt Binding - Space Invaders Handmade Quilting Tape, 3 Yards

Quilt Binding - Remix Chevron in Black and White Handmade Quilting Tape, 3 Yards

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A kickstart to Hannah

Have you ever heard of
 
 I hadn't...until today.

Kickstarter is new and brilliant way to fund creative projects. It's a long story to explaine every aspect of the concept, but if you have a look at this you will know more.

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


Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Every week, tens of thousands of amazing people pledge millions of dollars to projects from the worlds ofmusicfilmarttechnologydesignfoodpublishing and other creative fields.
A new form of commerce and patronage. This is not about investment or lending. Project creators keep 100% ownership and control over their work. Instead, they offer products and experiences that are unique to each project.
All or nothing funding. On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Why? It protects everyone involved. Creators aren’t expected to develop their project without necessary funds, and it allows anyone to test concepts without risk.
Each and every project is the independent creation of someone like you. Projects are big and small, serious and whimsical, traditional and experimental. They’re inspiring, entertaining and unbelievably diverse. We hope you agree... Welcome to Kickstarter!
Thanks! All done.                 
Source - http://www.kickstarter.com                
- - - - - - - - - - - - -

In short you donate an amount of money of your own choice in order to help a person make his or her dream project come true. And you get something in return besides the pleasure of helping.
I decided to be a backer on Hannah Stevenson's paperdoll project. I have followed her blog Lily & Thistle for a long time, and already knew her amazing handdrawn and customized paperdolls. She sells them through her shop Minime.

Now she had a dream of making her own book with paperdolls, and that luckily seems to fullfilled through Kickstarter and a lot of hard work.


You still a chance to help Hannah. You can donate money for the next 50 hours.

Or maybe you would like to have a look at some of the many other projects on Kickstarter? Or perhaps you have a dream project yourself, which you need some help to carry out....

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

1 became 2

2 Djævlehuer are done. I made them for Anne-Sophie and Tim, so they had a little extra something to give Tim's sister, when she has her baby girl. Hopefully today according to plan.

I'm not pleased with the lace one. The lace part seems too big and flapping - probably a result of the fact, that I'm a very unexperienced lace knitter.



So, I decided to make yet another little hat. This time from the Britta Wilfert pattern which I have used before - here and here.


And now it has started. I can feel it! The urge to keep making lots and lots of small baby - Djævlehue - hats...

Good old Bjørn!

When I were a child we had some of Bjørn Wiinblad's plaques (like many of other children at my age had at home). Right there on the wall next to our dining table in the kitchen.

I remember how much I loved the women on the plaques. Their big dreamy eyes and their little pointy  noses, made me admire them whenever we sat at the table. I made up stories about them if I were bored, which happened once in a while, when I sat at the same table doing my homework.

What I didn't think of at that time, was the way the plaques could appear 32-33 years later.

This one below is from Anne-Sophie's kitchen. She has collected 5 or 6 plagues from thrift shops, and has added her own touch to Bjørn Wiinblad's people.




I like what she did. A lot. Somehow the black lines on the porcelain, invite you to fill out the spaces. To prepare them for a life in 2012.

How funny and wonderful that we both - with a time interval of 30+ years - got to look at the same kind of plaques in our kitchens...

Friday, April 06, 2012

Details...I just love details.

Details..I just love details. by lille-ursus

Do you remember when I made the flickr group - Gorgeous Crafting Details?
No? I don't blame you. It's about 3½ years ago by now!

It has been a long time since I added something sewn to the group. But luckily a lot of fantastic crafters have done so. 850 people to be excact. I'm so thrilled that so many sweet people want to share the details on what they make.
When I - with a quivering heart - started Gorgeous Crafting Details, I had hoped for about 50 members - 100 if it was a success. A big and warm thank you to those of you, who decided to play along.

I enjoy every photo and feel very inspired by the creativity, and by the detail-oriented way everyone works.

And there is always room for more people, so feel free to join the group. Or maybe you just want to flick through all the photos of details. That would make me happy as well.

Here are so more of my own details - but I would much rather see yours...

More details...

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Number 5

Rose baby hat by lille-ursus

Rose baby hat, a photo by lille-ursus on Flickr.

While I'm knitting the other projects, I have started yet another Djævlehue.

This time I know that the baby is going to be a girl, so it was finally time to try out the pattern with a fine lace. I love how it frames the chubby and sweet cheeks in a baby face.

It's so fun to make the lace. I'm no good at envisaging how a written lace knitting pattern will look like in the end, so it was with excitement that I started it. Especially with my other failed attempts with lace knitting in mind.

The pattern is made by Lene Holme Samsøe and from her book Sødt og Blødt. It has numerous patterns which I have used through the last 6 years.

If you don't have the book, I can highly recommend it. It has been reprinted and I actually saw it in a supermarket the other day, for the minor sum of 50 Danish kroner! Much, much less than the use value of this gorgeous book...


Tuesday, April 03, 2012

A lucky man got acrylic and eggs

Yesterday my husband had his 43th birthday. Anne-Sophie made him these acrylics boxes. She had herbs in mind when she made them, because Christian always uses a lot of those when he cooks. Fresh ones which could look lovely in the many rooms of the boxes.

Box 1 #3


Box 1 #2


I know that he hardly has the heart to put soil in his fine present, so he has considered using one of the boxes for his pencils, ballpoint pens and other bits and bobs.



I love the fact that Anne-Sophie gave him a homemade gift. And so does the lucky birthday man. I sure know what to put on my wishlist!
(The last 2 photos of one of the boxes, were not how I intended them to be. I promised to take some photos to send to Anne-Sophie. She needs them for her Project Journal).

Christian and his guests also got cupcakes - which didn't turn out well at all if you look at them. But they did taste okay and Christian got happy, so I couldn't ask for more. I do however wonder how people make the frostning more firm, so the lines in it stay sharp!


Sunday, April 01, 2012

Working on details

I'm sewing on some fungus ribbon, which I once bought from Stof & Stil. The purpose of adding it, is to make the edges in front more firm, and to help keep the fit, after numerous times of buttoning and unbuttoning the cardigan.



I haven't been able to find the right size of press studs yet, but hopefully I will succeed with that when I get to town. Not tomorrow though. That day is devoted to celebrate Christian when he turns 43...


All those final details are absolutly not my favourite part of knitting. Somehow I don't feel the need to get it done and ready, as fast as possible. Instead I would rather start a new knitting (and leave the many ends of yarn alone).It's actually strange because as you already know, I  l o v e to sew by hand. But I will get it done eventually - it's just a matter of time before I get annoyed by the looks of an unfinished cardigan.

Luckily that's a closed chapter with this cardigan...