Spring mittens....

.....is the English name for this pattern.

In Norwegian they are called 

Vår votter.

The colors of my backyard

had me choose green and red.

Our winter has been very mild  this year,

my fall flowers are still blooming,

the grass and the bushes are still green,

and  the red peppers shows well in all the green.

Some afternoons have been spent outside,

coffee on the table,

mittens in my lap.

I love these mild winter days!

The heat of the Texas summers 

will be here soon enough.

However, 

its only February,

and we could still have a freeze 

coming our way.

This pattern can be found at Ravlry and in my Etsy store,

in both English and Norwegian.

Virginia Shawl and Spring mittens

 

I am so thankful to Liv
for knitting help!

I had to have my Virginia shawl reworked

in edition to the proof reading.
I had worked the shawl three times myself,
and it is easy to overlook something in a pattern
when you get to familiar with it.

Liv is a fabulous, experienced knitter,
her sharp eye found some small errors,

and they are now taken care of.

I have worked the shawl in different yarns,
and will suggest you work it in your own favorite lace yarn
if you want it as light as this is.
We like different yarn brands,
and in an item like this it doesn't really matter.
This lavender yarn above has some silk in it,
and is a very fine, light weight.
My first shawl I worked in a little heavier wool, lace yarn,
still a airy light shawl, maybe a little warmer.

 These days I am also working on a new mitten pattern
(what a surprise, ha hah...).
The winter is so mild here this year,
the grass still green, and the flowers still blooming.

The rest of the day I will be found outside
in my favorite chair,
finishing the smallest size of these,
before I start working the larger.
Pattern to come....

Hope you all had a Happy Valentines day!

Nordlandsbunad

My needle is working its way through

yards and yards of beautiful wool fabric.

The chalk guidelines are pretty easy to follow,

but I have to say the overall instructions 

are pretty limited.

 

I believe it is expected to join a class

and get hands on explanations.

However, some of us live a litte bit off the map 

for local classes,

and for that reason

has to figure it out ourselves.

This is my second "Nordlandsbunad".

I embroidered the first one 

about 15 - 16 years ago.

A traditional Norwegian outfit,

used for special occasions 

and celebrations

like weddings, Christmas,

independence day etc.

I hope to have the dress-part done soon,

next up is the shirt, apron and the assembling.

I will probably share more pictures later

Da var mormor igang med bunad 

til konfirmasjon, våren 2013.

Kaja jakken worked in Silky Wool

Silky Wool from Elsebeth Lavold.

The gauge is the same as on the jackets

worked in Rauma Finullgarn and in Navia Duo.

I wanted to try different yarns

for this pattern,

and was pleased to get the same gauge on all three.

Happy New Year everybody!

Mormor's sewing room

is more like Santa's workshop

at the moment.

A couple of old beds

are getting a face lift,

and my fabric-remnant-draw

is wide open with all it's

hidden treasures....

The beds are getting mattresses,

pillows and blankets,

and if I can find some time,

the dolls might even get 

an outfit or two.

But I am not promising anything.

It's crunch time,

Christmas is right around the corner.

Two tiny chairs were 

picked up at a thrift store.

 

This little rocker will probably get 

a knitted throw pillow.

Mormors syrom 

er et roterom i disse dager.
Jeg har fikset opp

et par gamle dukkesenger,

så nå kan julen bare komme.

These colors are great

..all leftover yarn from other projects.

This jacket is for Tyra (1),

and will travel to Norway shortly....

I actually love this color mix,

three different ones,

and the yarn is Rauma Finull.

The pattern is called Kajas jakke,

and can be purchased at Ravelry or at Etsy.

It has a great fit for a toddler,

the sleeves can be lengthened or shortened.

Dette er en kjekk jakke å strikke.

Med en blanding av hekling og rettstrikk

er den ukomplisert å jobbe med foran TVen f.eks.

Ha en fortsatt fin førjulstid!

Kaja's Jacket

is ready to go!

This was a fun project,

so I already have another on the needles,
the next one in Rauma Finullgarn.

I worked it in Navia Duo,

bought this summer at the Faroe Islands.

You can get the pattern

at Ravelry in English or in Norwegian,

and in my Etsy store.

Mønsteret kan fåes på norsk,

enten på Ravelry eller på Etsy.

Linker over.

Have a nice day!

Bought these at

the Faroe Island this summer.

They were pretty inexpensive

and all made from the horns 

of their beautiful sheep.

I also got this....

don't really know why I thought I needed it,

but it ended up in my suit case...

So did several of these rocks.

To say it this way;  - I was loaded!

Why am I blogging about it,

I wanted to show it to

this Swedish girl...

Sandra Singh

....has an introduction 

of some of my work

on her blog.

Check it out!

I think it is pretty well written!

Have a great day!

Les her om Randi K Design.

Sandra Singh skriver på engelsk,

men for de som ikke leser annet enn norsk,

så har hun lagt inn en del bilder også.

Ha en fin dag!

Pattern under the pen....

I have a tendency to write my notes 

on whatever piece of paper I have handy.

A Starbucks bag is fine,

I just have to make sure not to through it out

until my notes are secured...

At the moment I am working on

the pattern for another jacket for Kaja.

I will name it Kaja's Jacket

(makes it easy for me to remember the pattern).

A few little corrections,

another test-knitting,

and it should be ready.

I used Navia Duo

(the pattern to the left is a pattern from Navia),

bought at the Faroe Islands this summer.

The yarn is pretty similar to Rauma Finullgarn,

so my second jacket

is on the needles using Rauma Finull.

Check Ravelry or Etsy for pattern soon

Saturday morning....

..as my youngest daughter is riding
at Pinebrook Farms again....

These early mornings 

sure is medicine for body and soul..

The horses in the pastures are still sifting through the dust 

for something green to eat.

The drought this year has burned off most of their grass,

we still need lots of rain..

Mr. cuttingly cat is always greeting us,

loving the attention.

I have a love for gates,

especially those that are open and welcoming....

I often bring a project to work on,

this morning a new jacket for Kaja.

As I am working on the pattern,

here is only a sneak peek...

However, Anna's next jacket is done,

the pattern bought at the Faroe Islands this summer.

Both worked in Navia yarn from the same place..

Have a great weekend everybody!

For Roy

...my dear, dear son,

forever in my heart.... 

On this day, one year ago, 

you and I spoke on the phone,

both looking forward to you coming here,

and stay 8 weeks for The Holidays. 

Little did we know 

that it was the last time 

we got to talk to each other.

‎

"We are connected,
My child and I, by
An invisible cord
Not seen by the eye.

It's not like the cord
That connects us 'til birth
This cord can't been seen
By any on Earth.

This cord does it's work
Right from the start.
It binds us together
Attached to my heart.

I know that it's there
Though no one can see
The invisible cord

From my child to me.

The strength of this cord
Is hard to describe.
It can't be destroyed
It can't be denied.

It's stronger than any cord

Man could create
It withstands the test

Can hold any weight.

And though you are gone,
Though you're not here with me,
The cord is still there
But no one can see.

It pulls at my heart
I am bruised...I am sore,
But this cord is my lifeline
As never before.

I am thankful that God
Connects us this way
A mother and child
Death can't take it away!"
Author Unknown

For all mothers, 

fathers and children out there, -
don't let one day go by 

without expressing your love 

for one another....

Getting closer!

Working the text in 2 languages takes time.

I wish I could just push a button and it would be done.

But going slowly through the proof reading process

make us catch the smallest mistakes,

so slow is good...

I think this will be a great shawl.

The yarns I have used for my samples

are very light weight. 

At the moment I am deciding on 

what yarn to use for the Kits.

Saturday we spent a couple of hours 

at the horse farm again.

It is getting greener due to the last down pour,

but Texas still need some more rain!

The pastures are still a dessert of sand