Cockroaches

Moving to Texas there was one thing that upset me more then anything else, - Cockroaches! Not even the knowledge about dangerous snakes scared me as much. At least they are visible.
I had met a few "Roaches" on a vacation trip earlier, and it was not a pleasant experience. I was petrified.
They move really fast, hide behind stuff, and come out at night.....
When I learned that they also fly, that was it. I warned my husband about not getting too surprised if I by any chance happened to call the fire department, and let them handle it. I was that scared.
But it actually went surprisingly smooth. For each one I threw out, stepped on (sorry), or flushed down the toilet, I got braver and braver. Now I only see a dead one every once in a while. They seems to live in wooded areas, and can come in under the door. And by the way, they are harmless!

In Austin I also learned to live with Fire Ants and Scorpions. It is said about fire ants that they are able to kill a cow. They are very aggressive, and they kind of attack all at the same time. Their bites often leaves blisters, some folks react pretty bad.
We once had them popping up all over in our house. Since we just built, I guess their natural environment was disturbed... The exterminator was called!
Scorpions we only saw maybe once a month, inside or out, quite small, brown and a little transparent. Have not seen any here in Houston.
Traveling in this state, I have in fact also seen Tarantulas, twice. I was in the car both times. Other deadly spiders we have is Brown Recluse and Black Widow. I have yet to meet them...

Anyway, I guess what I wanted to say is that one can get used to live with most things, just give it some time and don't think so much about it.
- and shake out your shoes before you put them on......

My husband is creative!!!

Remember the hummingbird feeders? Well, one of them fell down, and the bottle part broke. It can be hard to find a bottle with the same size opening, so I put my husband on the case. A beer bottle worked just fine, and I don't think the hummingbirds even noticed.

About Christmas already...

I can not believe I'm doing this. Spending the time reading blogg's, letting time fly, so now it's to late to go to Jazzercise this morning. Elin is gonna yell at me!

I just have to tell you, I am so exited!! We are collecting all the kids (5) for Christmas this year. Two kids and two grand kids are coming from Norway, one from Florida, one from Dallas, and then one still living at home.
It is ten years since all of them have been together. They have all seen each other, but not at the same time.
My grand kids doesn't know yet, because my daughter loves to keep secrets, and then surprise them last minute... I kind of think they should get the pleasure of being exited (glede seg) and look forward to the trip. Oh well, either way is OK I guess.
Only one time have I celebrated Christmas with one of my grand children. He was 2, I think, and his sister not born yet.
We see them about once a year, summertime, but since we don't have all those vacation days at Christmas, the trip across the Atlantic just don't happen that time of the year.

More yarn

This summer when I was in Norway, a good friend gave me a big bag of yarn and unfinished projects.
10 green skeins of Mandarin from Sandnes Garn, 8 golden skeins of Izmir mohair, also from Sandnes Garn, 10-12 skeins of Cotton/Silk Look from AS Knappehuset, and 6 skeins Nagano from Gjestal Spinneri.
So, I guess if I ever get bored its just to "dig in".

For the moment I am working on pulse warmers in the Odessa pattern, using Lanett from Sandnes Garn.

Want to try my bread?

I try to take the time to bake bread every week. Today was that day.
Newly baked bread smell so good, and they taste good too. The weather was so beautiful, like a Norwegian summer day. I was trimming trees and bushes outside, as the dough was raising inside.

Here is the recipe, it makes 3 loafs:
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
1.7 kg flour, 1 tbls (ss) salt, 1/2 tbls (ss) sugar.
I use about 1.2 kg white flour, and for the other 500 gr. I randomly mix oats, whole flour, flax seeds or whatever I have handy.
Mix the yeast, 2 pouches, in the fluid, (jeg bruker toerr gjaer -2 pk, men fersk gjaer er ogsaa OK). 2 tbls (ss) vegetable oil, 1.2 l water. Let it be good and warm about 102F (40C).
Work it all together with a wooden spoon etc.
I cover it up and let it raise for about 2 hours, first time. Then kneed out 3 bread, put them in buttered bread forms, and let them raise another 40 min. over warm water.
Heat the own to 400F/200C, and bake on the middle rack for about 29-30 minutes.
Good luck!

Pulsewarmers

Saturday I finished another product. Pulse warmers, inspired by an old store-bought cotton sweater. I thought they came out pretty cute. Might make an other pair.... Used Lanette from Sandnes Garn. Very soft, 100% wool...
The weather was pretty, so I sat outside, accompanied by the Hummingbirds. They are visiting the back yard by the dozens...

3 purses in 3 days...

Just sharing the pictures of 3 purses made earlier this week. The brown and the "green" are both made with Lamb's Pride, the beige is made in Fritidsgarn. I found Fritidsgarn half off (paid $3.50) at a close by store, very exiting, like meeting and old friend....
The "green" (also pictured on top of the washing machine before felting), to the left. Both yarn types great to felt with, Fritidsgarn gets a little more fuzzy (loddent) that's all.
The flower on the middle purse will be replaced with something less overpowering.

My sister and I

Well I have this cute picture and wanted to post it.
It must have been taken on a Sunday.
Mother always dressed us up in dresses on Sundays, often home sewn and in matching colors. She cut our hair herself, she liked it short and easy to maintain.
Then we would be ready to go to Sunday School at the Salvation Army, or she would take us on a hike in the nearby hills, as the Sunday dinner (roast) was cooking in her kitchen.

We always had kittens growing up. A couple of litters each year. Off course, with a barn, a large playhouse, and a large garden, there was room for them all.
My sister and I used to dress them in doll clothes, and put them in the doll strollers. Sometimes it was hard to fit their tail into pants, but it went in with one of the legs... They didn't seem to mind.
We are blessed with lots of great memories, it was a great time.

The result

The pink purse is done, well I still need to line it, since I don't like getting wool on my lipstick... The blue purse still need a handle, and the flower didn't come out the way I wanted it to. It will be replaced with something else.

Inspiration

What is it with the greens and the blues this year? Severely inspired I started out with a color explosion at Emilia's room. Went on to the $3.00 garage sale chair, which before didn't have any color at all. And now the knitted/felted socks. They were made this weekend, most of them knitted on a road trip.

Cold front - hurray!

It's cooling down! Fantastic! Emilia thought it was cold this morning, and wanted to wait inside the hallway for the school bus. It made me laugh, it's 64F (18C) outside!
Great! Maybe I will take the dogs for a long walk. They are getting fat and lazy.

It's Sunday

To hot to be outside today. The dogs goes to the shade, we are longing for cooler days and evenings.
I am missing the norwegian fall, the crisp air, even the rain!

Purslane and purses

Just wanted to show off one of the Hibiscuses in my garden. I love them, and they come in a variety of colors.
Also the Purslane do well in the heat. Very colorful.
I am working on a couple of purses. Not as easy going as I planned, but thats how I learn. Sharing the before pictures, the after pictures are yet to be taken.

Hummingbirds/Kolibri

I don't know what happened, but the hummingbirds are invading the garden by the dozen. We haven't had all that many this year, but suddenly they found all 4 feeders. They are moving so fast, and they are pretty aggressive also. Towards each other that is. One of them behaves as if he is the boss. He is watching the feeders, and fighting the invaders. Very entertaining!

Bunco

Yesterday was Bunco night. ( Et terningspill som er veldig populaert blandt kvinner spesielt. Iallefall i dette omraadet. Grupper paa 12 eller 16 kvinner moetes gjerne paa kveldstid, en gang i maaneden, paa omgang hjemme hos hverandre. Ofte naboer og venners venner. Bare en unnskyldning til aa komme seg ut litt, ta et glass vin, og dele dagligdagse gjoeremaal. Spillet i seg selv er svaert enkelt, krever null intelligens. Innsats, - ca. $5.00) It was a new group for me, fun girls. My other group meets next week. It's an OK way to get to know people, and grow some new friendships.

Bored? Me?

I have got to get busy, I have things coming up, which I've got to produce for.
At the moment I am knitting in Malabrigo yarn (Uruguay). Great yarn, soft and great to felt with. Just make sure to watch it, it felt FAST! I use the washing machine, skip the spinning cycle. Why? You could get crinkles that you would never get out.

I use this yarn for purses, I'll be happy to put in a couple of pictures. No patterns exist, except for in my sketchbook. Normally I never make two purses look the same. The fun part is to make it up as I go...

The Malabrigo colors inspire me extremely. When I purchase a new bunch of yarn, I just can't wait to dig into it.
Have fun!! That's what its all about, - isn't it??

Hats

Well, I just experienced that I lost a whole page because I forgot to save!!**!mf**!

It's been a long day. I have had about 15 women over for lunch today. I was hosting a Candle Party, my neighbor Amy sells candles at home parties. Nice ones, great scents!

A friend of mine brought me a translated english abreviation list, for knitting and crochet. Translated to norwegian that is. Thank goodness, english patterns are hard to read. Most of the time I don't need a pattern, I just make things up as I go.
But the other day I was so blessed to get a pattern from a norwegian blogger. A pattern for a very cute hat (lue) http://blogg.hobbyboden.com/randi/index.php?cat=178. I have made quite a few hats for kids (and adults) with chemo treatments. So now I thought I could try this one. A local store collects them and deliver them to the cancer hospital. Here is a picture of some of the ones I have already delivered. Made with leftover yarn, most cotton.















Basic pattern:
I cast on about 60 stiches, depending of the thickness of the yarn.
Knit ribbing, *P1, K1* or *P2, K2* , 1 inch (2,5 cm)
Then knit in St St about 6 inches (ca.15 cm)
Decrease:
*k8, k2tog*, repeat until end of row
Knit next row
*k7, k2tog*, repeat until end of row
knit next row
keep this pattern going, decreaseing one more for every second row
untill *k1, k2tog*
Knit nexts row
Last row: k2 tog to end of row = 6 sts
Thread yarn through and close.

Shrimp anyone?

Another morning. I will not go to Jazzercise this morning, I have got the flue and don't feel like working out. Elin will probably come by later to see whats up, why I'm home.

There are a pretty big number of norwegians here in Houston. I meet with a group up in Woodlands every now and then, and there are also several groups in the Katy and down town area. It gives us all a change to be in touch with the norwegian culture, to get updatet on norwegian news, and hear all kind of different dialects. We also have the Norwegian Seamens Church south of town.
Friday we went to their annual Shrimp-party / Rekefest. Lots of norwegians there, all wanted to eat shrimp the way we do it at home.
How do we eat them? A load of small, cold, lightly salted shrimp from the Northsea, - on top of a buttered slice of French bread (fluffy white bread). Add Mayo, and a good squirt of lemon. Eat with fork and knife, its messy. Enjoy, - we did!

In the back yard

We have been sitting outside, the heat isn't as bad as it has been. Jeff is watching sports on TV, and I will hit the bed in a little bit.
It's been a long day. We went and ordered a new kitchen this morning. We have been thinking about it for a while. The one we have is peeling, it has some kind of a plastic layer, and it is coming of.
It will take 4-6 weeks untill the new one arrive, and they can put it in. I know it will be a mess, but it's still exiting, and I will probably take "before and after" pictures.
Eini, one of our dogs is foaming at the mouth tonight. I think she has been in contact with a toad. It was a small one. They are jumping all over as soon as it gets dark, and the dogs likes to chase them.
Last year we had this huge frog sitting in the back yard. It was bigger than a kitten, a "bullfrog". We took some pictures, and it wasn't scared at all.
Scott, my brother in law, is a naturalist, and he teach classes in how to identify the different sounds that they make. We always hear them at night, I think they sound like birds, chirping away.

Clothes-hangers

The "Clothes Hanger Covers" was made with left over yarn, combinating several colors :

Ten stitches, knit in garter stich (back and forward), counting every row, 16 rows. Change color and repeat the above 8 more times (9 all together) .
Mother used the same color in both ends and in the middle.

When you are done, thread the hanger hook through the center of your work, and sew it together.

Thoughts this morning

Talked to my aunt Tyra today. She turns 95 in November. She is such a great spirit, she is so young!!
My aunt is the last one living of the 9 Egelandsdal sisters and brothers. They grew up on a farm in the lower mountains. My grandparents where hard working farm folks, up early, and to bed late. My grandfather, Karl, would sit by the fireplace at night, carving wooden shoes for the children. My grandmother Anna, would wash clothes in the little stream by the house, she would weave, knit and sew, and nothing would be thrown out. If the workpants and shirts couldn't be patched anymore, they would end up as wowen rugs on the floor. She would bring food to the guys on the field, knitting socks as she walked along, not waisting any time at all.
The kids all had to work, either by taking care of the younger ones or just plane having to do grownup kind of work. Raking in the mountains, to far up and away to get home at night, sleeping in a tiny cottage made to hold the hay for the winter.
The girls (5) all left home at about 15, to go serve at someones home as a maid and cook.

My mom, who was number 4, died in spring -05, 91 years old. I am very thankful for that I got to spend the last weeks with her. She taught me a lot throughout my life, she was never afraid of attacking a new project, never resting.
The last months she didn't do much, but she knitted to the end. I sat by her bed knitting, keeping her company. She enjoyed watching, enjoying the vibrante colors, exited over the end result.
Her hands where the must beautiful hands. I can close my eyes and see them. Workhands, they never rested.
All I know I learned from her, I am carrying her within myself. Even projects that she never has experienced, she taught me, because she taught me that nothing is impossible, and never to give up.

The last years she knitted socks for everybody, and covers for clothes hangers. She knitted so many that we ran out. Friends had to constantly bring us more hangers from their own closets. The clothes hangers where old fashioned, not longer on the market. I will share with you a picture taken the last fall when I was home visiting.

Friends visiting

This picture is more than a year old, but we had a great time It was Easter -05, and I had my friends Eva and Torhild visiting from Norway. And did I mention the strawberry marguarita's??

From Galveston

A great day in the spring -06 the whole familiy went to Galveston. Just about an hour in the car. Of course sitting on the beach is fantastic, but not without my knitting....Have to mention that the water temperature is about the same as in your bath tub!

in my mothers name

This blogging thing is totally new for me, I am really trying hard to figure it out, please have patient... Also writing in a forend language is a challenge, so I might just change to Norwegian every now and then...
I think this is a great way for friends to keep in contact. I might even manage to put in some pictures.

in my mothers name

Most all practical thing that I know how to do, I learned from my mother. My first experience with scissors and sewing was when I was about 2-3 years old.
My mom had her daily nap on the kitchen bench and I was "playing" with the buttons in her apron/dress. I quess the story is that I cut them out and sewed them back in, as my mom was sleeping and noticed nothing.... I worked very quitetly, as kids do when they are doing something they shouldn't do.
Pretty?? Depence on the eye of the beholder.....
As a custom designer, I love the story, and I even think I can remember it!

in my mothers name

in my mothers name
I am trying to figure it out