A new aggregat

My husband made me a new aggregate. A yarn holder!

I have missed one of those for ages, and meanwhile I have been very irritated at all the tangled threads, whenever I have been knitting something with many different colours of yarn. And at the same time I didn't want to buy and spend several hundreds of kroner on one, when I knew that Christian could make me a very fine yarn holder.

Christian made it from a heavy piece of oak wood and some metal sticks. It's so useful and I love that he put his time and effort in to it.

The wooden bottom doesn't move when I knit, something which I had pointed out as an important matter, before Christian started making it. We have searched for some metal helical eyes, to make the threads go through, but we haven't had the luck yet.

It works perfectly without them, though - and I especially love that the big spools with 5 kilos of yarn or more, don't turn over every time I pull out yarn.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Min mand har lavet et nyt aggregat til mig. En garnholder.

Jeg har manglet sådan en i evigheder, og imens har jeg været frygtelig irriteret over alle de filtrede tråde, når jeg har strikket noget med mange forskellige farver. Og samtidig ville jeg ikke købe en og betale flere hundrede kroner for den, når jeg vidste at Christian kunne lave en rigtig fin garnholder til mig.

Christian lavede den af et tungt stykke egetræ og nogle metal pinde (i mangel af bedre ord). Den er så anvendelig og jeg elsker at han har lagt tid og kræfter i den.

Træbunden bevæger sig ikke når jeg strikker, noget jeg havde fremhævet som en vigtig detalje, før Christian begyndte at lave den. Vi har ledt efter nogle metal lignende spiraler, som trådene skulle gå igennem, men vi har ikke haft heldet med os endnu.

Den virker dog perfekt uden dem - og jeg kan specielt godt lide at de store spoler med 5 kilo garn, eller mere, ikke vælter når jeg trækker i garnet.

A big hooray from a nightowl

Photo from Lindhart and Ringhof

Very late the other night, you would have heard me shouting yes in an entusiastic and happy way. A strange way to act in the middle of the night you might think - but maybe you will see why, when you hear that I won the most wonderful book.

Rakel at bare wunderbar had the pleasure of giving away 5 copies of this book - Liv og glade dage by Nicoline Olsen.

How lucky I were to win the book - it was already on my wishlist...at least for a little while. Thank you so much, Rakel.

And speaking of books, I just ordered Lene Holme Samsøe's new book Suveræn strik. I have been waiting for that one. Somehow she tends to inspire so many knitters in Denmark, every time she has been working on more fantastic knit designs. So I have my hopes up for this book too.

Photo from Lindhardt and Ringhof

.................

Et stort hurra fra en natteravn

Meget sent forleden nat, ville du have kunnet høre mig råbe et entutiastisk og glad yes. Du tænker måske at det var en underlig måde at reagere på midt om natten, men måske forstår du når du hører at det var fordi jeg vandt den mest fantastiske bog.

Rakel fra bloggen bare wunderbar havde fået fornøjelsen af at kunne give 5 stk. af denne bog væk - Liv og glade dage af Nicoline Olsen.

Hvor var jeg heldig at vinde at bogen...den stod allerede på min ønskeddel...i en lille stund. Tusind tak, Rakel.

Apropos bøger, så har jeg netop bestilt Lene holme Samsøes nye bog Suveræn strik. den har jeg virkelig ventet på. Hun formår altid at inspirere så mange danske strikkere, hver gang hun har arbejdet på flere fantastiske strik designs. Så jeg har viekwlig positive forventninger til denne bog også.

My favourite calendar

Today is the day when the calendar I love the most, is - finally - for sale.

For years and years I have bought the calendar made by Skals - skolen for design og og håndarbejde. Always excited to see which beautiful ideas the school has come up with for the coming year.

Each month represents a piece of craft or maybe some food related to the school. And the fact that you find recipes in the back of the calendar, makes it all even more lovely.

This is a photo of November from the 2012 calender, because I haven't been to town to buy my 2013 one yet. I keep it in my kitchen in a place where the fine photo of the month meets my eyes many times during a day. Often, I flick through the pages of the calendar, and refresh the ideas.

If you would like to get one for yourself, you can buy it at the school, at the online shop Sommerfuglen and in many shops in Viborg.

.....................

I dag er dagen, hvor min absolutte yndlings kalender - endelig - kommer til salg.

I årevis har jeg købt kalenderen lavet af Skals - skolen for design og håndarbejde. Altid spændt på at se hvilke smukke idéer de har fundet på til det kommende år. 

Hver måned indeholder et stykke håndarbejde eller noget mad der har relation til skolen. Og dét at du kan finde opskrifter på det bagerst i kalenderen, gør den bare endnu mere skøn.

Ovenover er et billede af november fra 2012 udgaven, for jeg har endnu ikke været i byen for at købe mit 2013 eksemplar. Min kalender hænger i mit køkken på et sted, hvor månedens fine foto fanges af mine øjne mange gange i løbet af en dag. Ikke så sjældent bladrer jeg gennem kalenderens sider og genopfrisker årets idéer.

Hvis du gerne selv vil have dig et eksemplar, kan du bl.a. købe det på skolen, hos online butikken Sommerfuglen og i mange forretninger i Viborg.

Hurra for Betty P's vidunderlige neon tråde

For et stykke tid siden begyndte jeg på et lille broderi. 

Jeg syer med den smukke koral farvede neontråd fra Betty P. Fra jeg så neontrådene for første gang, har de indbudt til at blive omsat til små broderisting.

At jeg købte alle de 5 ruller tråd i neon nuancer har jeg ikke fortrudt et sekund. Adskillige projekter har fået tilføjet et lille neon pift, og det er simpelthen en fornøjelse at arbejde med de livlige farver og den stærke tråd.

Neon embroidery on a new tunic for me, a photo by lille-ursus on Flickr.

Jeg laver bogstaver på en tunika jeg syede til mig selv i sensommeren. Den er lavet i en let chambrey i grå. Jeg holder meget af den slags stof, da det ikke blot er én stor flade af en bestemt farve, men derimod et virvar af grå tråde på kryds og på tværs.

Hvad jeg skriver med neon er ikke til at vide...forhåbentlig dukker det op inden længe.

Jeg venter...

...med glæde i hjertet på at Christian skal komme hjem. De seneste 5 dage har han været på mandetur til Sverige, og nydt naturens mange fornøjelser - noget han holder utrolig meget af. Men jeg ved, at han også glæder sig til at komme hjem igen.

Det er underligt hvordan man med tid får sværere og sværere ved at undvære hinanden, men samtidig gør det mig glad at det er sådan. Tænk hvis vi hver især bare ventede på at skilles for en stund.

Imens har jeg været herhjemme og haft huset fuld af glade unge mennesker. Jeg synes at det er sådan en fornøjelse, at være sammen med dem alle og mærke hvordan de hygger sig i hinandens selskab. Gode film er altid et must og i går aftes var det True Grit der var på plakaten. En god film - med Jeff Brigdes og Matt Damon - på trods af at den tilhører western genren.

Om lidt vil jeg gå ud og lave Skinkestang og bønnesalat - det gælder om at lave de livretter ens mand ikke ynder, så længe han er på tur.

Og så har vi efterårsferie - hold op hvor bliver det godt. Det er tiltrængt for os alle - ikke mindst Christian som har arbejdet hårdt i lang tid...

.........................

I'm waiting...

...happy at heart, waiting for Christian to come home. For the last 5 days he has been in Sweden with some of his friends,  enjoying the pleasures of nature - something which he loves a lot. But
I know that he looks forward to coming home as well.

It's strange how it gets harder and harder doing without one another as time goes by. But at the same time it makes me glad that we both feel that way.

In the meantime I have been at home with a house full of young people. I think that it's such a pleasure to be with them all, and feel how they like each other's company. Good films are always a must and last night we saw True Grit. A good movie - with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon - in spite of the western theme.

in a minute I will go start making Skinkestang and bean salad - the idea is to make the favourite dishes my husband doesn't like, while he is away.

And then it will be autumn holidays - oh, man it's going to be nice. We all need that - especially Christian who has been working so hard for a long time...

E m m a ' s - d a y

Sunday was a wonderful day for my sweet and lovely niece Emma. She's my beloved bigsister's daughter and the very last of my parents' grandchildren to be confirmated.

You hardly ever see Emma without a big smile on her mouth and in her eyes - she's positive and such a good friend. Besides that she's a very sporty person and loves her dance classes and her football training.

Emma's family had done so many fantastic things to make her day special and happy. And of course a football match was played. Emma picked out her dress with that in mind. I think that was such a cool thought.

We all enjoyed celebrating her and she definitely seemed to have had a great day.

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...

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. 

Photo from Jennifer Davis Art

Photo from Jennifer Davis Art

All the way from Italy...

...came these shiny bells. They look as if each and every one has been painted and lacquered - one after the other.

The most lovely bells I have ever seen. So I ended up buying the stock of this particular kind. 

It will not be long before I have to use a few of them. But the rest will be saved in a transparant box. Or maybe I should put them all on a long piece of string, and let them do what they do best - jingle.

It doesn't need a whole lot of letters...

...my new neon geometric Stag Brooch. Its beauty speaks for itself - at least I think so.

It has already become a favourite...it did so within a few seconds.  The colourful triangles neatly placed beside each other. Just my kind of style. (A bit of mess wouldn't have done anything either).

I'm sure that I can make room for a similar bear on my tunics and sweaters...

Joys of a Thursday

On Thursday afternoon I got this beautiful, beautiful lot of yarn. To open the cardboard box was a burst of colour and life. I have so high hopes for this quality. The mix of cotton and wool will be perfect for me. 

Once more I gladly bought yarn from Garnudsalg.dk.

I'm so amazed and satisfied with the colours and the vivid glow, which has been captured in the threads. Skovbær (forest berry) and Appelsinskræl (orange peel). Even the names are cool and kind of marvellous.

He must be a clever and talented man, that Kenneth, who owns Garnudsalg. A man who very clearly knows his way around fibres, and it shows so much that he puts a lot of carefulness, knowledge and passion into the yarns.

My plan is to make a cardigan for myself - I really, really hope that I get to carry out that wish, before I turn the yarn into something for children. That happens far too often for me!

Another lovely moment was this evening.
I heard a knock on our frontdoor, but when I opened the door, there was no one to be seen. But something was - these 2 fine and transparant ice lanterns. Shaped like stars - with a light so soft and welcoming.

I can't tell you how happy they made me and Christian - whom I yelled at right away so he could see them (at first he thought that something had happened to me!!).

Where on earth did they come from, you might ask yourself? Well, right away I knew who would do such a
heartwarming and brilliant act. This sweet woman.

I hope that I can make Dorte and her family just as surprised and happy some day soon...

I always knew. . .

. . . that Anne-Sophie's 20th birthday would have a bit of a different touch to it. Well, first of all it's special because she turns 20, but also because of the fact that at the exact same age, I gave birth to Anne-Sophie.

It's strange to imagine that I were 20 years old - 20 years ago! So much has happened and somehow time has gone far too fast, and yet suitable slow.

I remember how happy we all were, when we saw that little girl for the first time. And we have felt the same way about her ever since . . . an unexplainable, never ending love, which contains so many feelings. (What a joy it is for us to feel this paramount kind of love twice).

Later we are going to visit Anne-Sophie in her new apartment, and celebrate her. We did start the day with a birthday song on her cellphone. And as we didn't catch her the first time we called, she now has the birthday song on her answering machine. . . maybe not a good thing at all. ;)

I must admit that it still feels a bit strange not to set up the breakfast birthday ritual with presents, birthday mats, the orchestra and candles. But it's a very heartwarming delight that Anne-Sophie's boyfriend Tim made his very own birthday ritual for her this morning - they are both so good at remembering and pleasing each other.

So, my dearest Anne-Sophie - if you see this, I send you a warm happy birthday and my very best birthday hugs.
Love mom,
xoxo

Old patterns for a new year

Just before Christmas I were lucky to get some old knitting magazines from a very sweet woman. She had been cleaning up her cellar and came across them. What a treasures they were - and what a great thing that she thought of me instead of throwing them away!

There were lots and lots of wonderful patterns, all presented by little chubby babies.

And they have become modern again, the patterns that is. There were some which are to be knitted and some to crochet.

The magazines were published sometime in the late 70ties and I just love the fact, that I remember seing some clothes made by similar recipes in my own childhood. (Worn by babies, of course).

Starting off the new year with old inspiration is absolutely marvellous. It doesn't always have to be brand new ideas.

I hope that you all had a gorgeous holiday time with your loved ones.
I certainly did - it was busy but so nice...

I never thought . . .

. . . that I would be in a spin over tea towels! But I am.

The other day I bought these 2 beauties from HAY. 

Of course I were beckoned by the combination of the colours when I saw them, but when I got to touch the fabric they were made from, it got even better. And the graphic designs in the fabric!

A little box with 2 different towels cost 129 Danish kroner - about 22 $. Not bad for tea towels in that fine quality.

I'm not sure that I will ever get to dry any dishes in the lovely towels. I wouldn't have the heart. But what I do know is, that I want to buy the orange and paleblue set as well.

Or maybe I get lucky and get them for Christmas . . .

Klip-selv-ark

I tell myself that I haven't bought new Christmas ornaments for several years - no new Maileg nisser or any Noilly Noël figurines like I used to. And it's actually true.

So with that in mind - and forgetting all about the beautiful angles from Karina Bækkelund (which arrived yesterday and they are SO lovely!) - I bought the most wonderful knitted and felted Christmas DIY set from Sort Lakrids.

I know that I will love to look at it all for many years ahead, without getting bored of it. And most importanly it will make me smile.

Photo from Sort Lakrids

The Christmas set is made by Theresa Jessing and Line Dyrholm. Both artists whom I love for their unique way of expressing themselves.

Hopefully I will be cutting and sewing in a matter of days...

Photo from Sort Lakrids

A wonderful day is almost over

After a wonderful day spent in Århus with Anne-Sophie, I'm full of happiness, love and loads of new impressions.

We talked and talked, and laughed and laughed...Anne-Sophie took me to the architecture school, where she spends a huge amount of her time now. We had food - which undoubtedly was a not so delicious experience - and we did some Christmas shopping.

Photos from COS

Anne-Sophie has a few favourite shops, which she likes to visit and wanted to show me. I were particular thrilled about COS.

It has been ages since I have seen a selection of so much beautiful clothes. The colours were stylish, the details were elegant, and it all resulted in simple and gorgeous looks. All clothes which were able to be used for several years, due to style and quality, if you ask me. And for many occassions, too.

There were things for women, men and children. Anne-Sophie and I both loved the little A-line dress with all  the colours - it made us think of Marimekko. And the Gingham shirt was (of course) just the kind I think little boys should wear.

Photos from COS 

I also got the chance to visit Ingers lovely yarn shop. Oh, what a place. I could have looked at the beautiful yarn and other goodies for ages. But I ended up buying 100 grams more of the soft Duo silke/merino. I chose the pale pink - it's going to be used for a stripe on a hat for Anne-Sophie, and for a third scarf made from Theresa's pattern. 

Photo from Design-club.dk

Finally I saw a recently published book by Elisabeth Amdisen - it looked so interesting that I have to add it to my own wishlist (the one from me to me). It's an embroidery book called Tusind og én nats broderier, and in the shop's window the book was presented with little pouches made in colourful Arabian inspired x-stitches.

What a lovely day - now it's time to rest...

Have you heard of Coupé Couzu?

My excitement was huge when I found a - for me so far unknown - French shop with sewing patterns.

The same love I have for delightful and elegant French patterns for children, is like the one I have for similar patterns for adults.

Clothes which will never grow too old and become out of fashion in my eyes. Well, it can get washed-out in time and be suitable for the bin, but that is a whole different matter.

I bought myself 2 new patterns. They are both for tunics which I can wear on weekdays. And that's excactly what I need these days. A lot of my tunics are with short sleeves, and even though I'm not a freezing kind of person, it's still nice to wear long sleeves when temperature is low.

One of the patterns is Blue Light Blouse. The neckline is the reason why I chose that pattern - I like how it's lines go.

The other pattern is Blouse Attache Moi. Tie-strings in front of a blouse or tunic have always been something which I'm fond of. I like that you can make it look more casual in this way. And pick cool fabric for the little bit you use to make the tie string. Making the right - and daring - choice, can make a tunic change it's expression in a second. I love that!

A few of the patterns were actually also available in children's sizes.

Finding the Pochettes patrons collection from Copué Couzu was so nice. Now I have signed up for their newsletter, and will know when they send out more gorgeous patterns in the future...

First a fine necklace...

...and then a lot of beautiful felt and some gorgeous buttons.

I can hardly believe the luck I have had lately.

It was at Jeanette's blog that I won the fine the necklace - and a lovely pair of earrings which she added in the package.
Jeanette creates jewellery and buttons herself in all kinds of shapes, patterns and colors. She uses polymer clay for her work. I have dreamt of making buttons in polymer clay, and I remember buying premade rolls, which I just had to cut into slices to make buttons. (It sounds simple but somehow my buttons turned out very poorly. I have no doubt that I was to blame and not the clay!).

So isn't it wonderful that people like Jeanette can create beauties in polymer clay for us to buy?

Photo from Katja's blog

The beautiful felt and the buttons, I won because of an idea I left in a comment at Kajsa's blog. You all know that I absolutely adore Kajsa's work - her ideas and the way she chooses colours for her amazing quilts and little Tomter.
Kajsa's sponsor Kirsty at Big Fish had generously donated the fine things for a give away, and to enter the contest one had to describe what one would make with the materials.

And fortune smiled upon me.

It almost feels a bit like Christmas...

For only 25 Danish kroner

...you can buy the new 2012 calender from Skals - Højskolen for design og håndarbejde.

Photo from Skals - Skolen for design og håndarbejde

It's always a highlight to me, when their calender gets revealed. And I truely enjoy having the calender, and it's numerous beautiful photos and recipes, hanging on my kitchen wall throughtout the year.

The calender can be bought directly at the school for 25 Danish kroners, which is about 4-5$. To that you must add shipping costs as well.

A gorgeous American guardian angle

The day after Anne-Sophie left for her holiday in L.A., there was a flickr mail waiting for me, when I popped by flickr to have a look.

It was written by this sweet and talented woman. (She's amazing at sewing and makes the most beautiful clothes for her lovely daughter).
In the mail Sarvi told me that she would be more than happy to help Anne-Sophie, if she had any questions or problems at all, when she arrived in L.A.

I can't tell you how happy and very touched that mail made me. It really moved me to tears - and my husband too. (And that's not an easy thing to do).
At the same time it gave me a feeling of peace at mind. The kind of peace of mind a mom likes to have when her children take off to new adventures in foreign countries. (Even if they are grown up too!) ;)

It's so fantastic that a woman who practically lives on the other side of the earth, and whom I know from flickr, sends a couple of flickr mails full of warm and caring words, her phone number and her email adress. So many of us could learn from her way of embracing and acting, and how she meets new people with an open mind and heart.

Anne-Sophie was happily surprised and very grateful to hear about Sarvi's mails. - How absolutely sweet of her, she said to me when we spoke on the phone.

I have written it to you already Sarvi, but it can't be said enough - thank you from the bottom of my heart for your wonderful way of being, and for caring. That, I will keep in mind for a long, long time.

Lots of love to you too...