in my mothers name

Nordlandsbunad

2012-01-20T14:07:00.000-06:00

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

2012-01-11T21:40:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-13T17:28:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-06T18:23:00.000-06:00

..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

2011-11-21T16:14:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-18T12:24:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-17T11:16:00.000-06:00

....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....

2011-11-16T16:50:00.000-06:00

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....

2011-11-05T11:10:00.003-05:00

..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

2011-11-02T11:08:00.005-05:00

...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!

2011-10-12T18:02:00.000-05:00

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

Check out

2011-10-02T18:54:00.003-05:00

Knitters Review

I feel very, very honored

to have been mentioned...

The Vogue Knitting Live Event

2011-09-29T09:09:00.001-05:00

Back home,

- all the work behind us,

all in all,

this was a great experience!

Click on picture for larger view

Our booth came together quite all right,

and we sold pretty well.

It would have been a hard and hopeless job

without my good friend Michaela.

I could not have made it without her!

Besides drooling over yarn,

I also made some great new connections.

Sincere Sheep

And how great is it

that Meg Swansen complimented my designs

as she visited my booth.

Also Clara Parkes (Knitters Review)

visited and took some pictures.

This knit creation has thin wire inserted
to every rose, to keep the shape.

My greatest moment was at the Gala Dinner/Fashion Show,
where Kaffe Fassett was the guest speaker.
What an inspiration,
what a great designer he is.
His color work give me goose bumps....
Beautiful!

Denne turen til Los Angeles
har vært svært inspirerende for meg.
Det var på mange måter en travel helg,
med mye å se både av garn og design.

For besøkende var der forskjellige kurs,
demonstrasjoner og foredrag dagen lang.
Innimellom kunne de besøke markedet som jeg var en del av.
Jeg opplevde at mange er "redde"
for å strikke mønster med to farger.
Selv erfarne strikkere tror at det er overmåte vanskelig.
Det å måtte klippe opp for f.eks. ermeåpninger
er så skremmende at mange tar at steg bakover.
Men jeg tror jeg overtalte noen
om at votter er en god størrelse til å trene på,
selv om svært få fra LA noen gang får bruk for votter
med sommertemperaturer så og si hele året.
I allefall etter norsk målestokk...

(Klikk på bildene så blir de større)

Ha en fin dag!

LA, here we come!

2011-09-22T12:32:00.000-05:00

It almost didn't happen.

After shipping all my boxes to the show,

I found myself on crutches.

A painful infection in my hip

made it impossible to walk.

But a steroid injection and

anti inflammatory tablets helped.

Now I am almost perfect...

I look forward to meet fellow knitters,

and my good friend is coming with me

to help me out in my booth (#84).

But this is most for the experience.

We have tickets for

a Gala dinner

with Kaffe Fassett as a speaker.

I promise pictures

when I am back!

Wish me luck!

I have been busy

2011-09-18T11:52:00.000-05:00

preparing for the Vogue Knitting Live show,

and blogging has not been on my mind.

I have had to remake some of my samples

because somehow some of them

had ended up in the "gift pile".

Maybe my "Helene II" pattern (above)

is one of my favorites,

it also one of the oldest.

The booth has to be dressed up,

and arriving by airplane,

my options for decorating are limited.

Some of these pictures will be posters,

and they will all hopefully fit in my suitcase.

Between planning and preparing

I have been working on another shawl pattern.

It is not ready yet,

but I hope to have it all put together

within a month or two.

The one above was a present to a friend,

and the yarn was a lace weight yarn,

bought in Santa Fe a while ago.

Maybe I could have the store ship me some more....

I just loved this smoky blue color.

The pattern will be named Virginia.

Follow-up will come in not too long..

One week at the Faroe Islands...

2011-08-22T20:44:00.004-05:00

When I learned that Sommerakademiet

arranged a trip

to the Faroe Islands this summer,

I wanted to tag along.

It is one of a few places I have been wanting to visit.

This summer it worked out,

as I combined it to a trip to Norway,

and because we flew out of Bergen.

It was a great experience!

The tour was very well organised,

we got to visit several of the largest islands

and some of the smaller ones too.

One of these was Nolsøy.

It was a 20 minute ferry ride

out of Thorshavn.

People live out here with the Atlantic Ocean

right outside their back door.

I have this love for churches....

And every little village had one.

Its like if they have been there always,

they fit so well into their surroundings.

Here is a lot of history ...

in town and at the country side...

...and - lots and lots of sheep...
75000 on these islands I was told...

I have to mention the boat trip out of Westmanna.
We got to these rock formations

and grottoes, by boat.

The ocean has carved its way

into these volcanic rocks over time.

Jeg var heldig å få reise med Sommerakademiet
til Færøyene i sommer.
En fantastisk fin tur, absolutt å anbefale!
Vel organisert og med et tett og smidig program.

Visiting my roots

2011-07-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite places is Egelandsdal,

where my mother grew up.

Allthough I am in Norway every year,

I dont always take the time to visit

this beautiful place.

To many places to go,

many friends to see.

I have so many memoried from here.

We used to go skiing every winter,

and we also spent summers up here,

dipping our feet in the stream.

The sheep enjoyed the warm summer day,

and so did we..

Vogue Knitting LIVE 2011

2011-06-11T13:51:00.005-05:00

...I will be there!

It happens in Los Angeles September 23 - 25.

On their web side they write:

"Vogue Knitting LIVE in LA

will be the knitting event of the year!

A star-studded celebration filled with fashion,

fiber and education......"

I got an invitation to showcase my "stuff",

and arrangements are made!

It is very exiting,

I have never been to LA,

- not that I will have much time for sightseeing...

The Vogue Knitting show in NY in January

was a success,

and we hope this one, in LA,

will be as great!

Lots of packing and knitting of samples

will be going on

between now and then,

so I better get busy!

Maybe I will see some of you there as well?

Here they are, the Santa Fe mittens....

2011-06-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

....all of them finished, in 3 types of yarn.

When I work the samples,

I often make up one mitten in each size,

worrying about finishing the pair later on

(ofte strikker jeg kun EN vott i hver størrelse,

og bekymrer meg heller siden

om å strikke ferdige par).

As you know, I love New Mexico.

It is so inspiring walking the streets

of Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Taos,
studying the architecture, the old churches,

the people, the wide range of artists,
the nature, the colors, the history.

(New Mexico er et herlig sted.
Det er utrolig inspirerende å vandre rundt i

Santa Fe, Albuquerque og Taos.
En fargerik blanding av kunstnere og indianere,

fastboende og turister.
Rik historisk bakgrunn, adobebygninger,

gamle kirker og ikke minst naturen rundt).

The charts in this pattern are the same for all sizes,
it all depends on your choice of yarn

(diagrammet er det samme for alle størrelser,

det er garnet som bestemmer hvor stor votten blir).

For the small size

I used a sport weight yarn similar to null

(mine was local yarn from null),

but check the gauge before starting.

They are 9 1/2“ long and about 4” wide

(liten: lengde 24 cm, bredde ca. 10 cm).

For the medium size

I chose Rauma Finullgarn.

They are 11“ long and about 4 1/2” wide

(middels: lengde 28 cm, bredde ca. 11,5 cm).

For the largest size

I chose Cascade 220 Superwash.

They measure11 1/2“ and are about 4 3/4” wide

(stor: lengde 29 cm, bredde ca. 12 cm).

The pattern is available at Etsy in either Norwegian or in English,

and on Ravelry, English, for direct down load, here.

(Ravelry, mønster på norsk kan lades ned direkte, her).

One month...

2011-05-29T11:16:00.001-05:00

...since last time I blogged.

It might be a record.

But as a friend said:

"Blogging is supposed to be fun

and not a duty"...

She is right.

I have just been lacking the spirit for writing.

This week I came back home

after 2 weeks in Norway.

I saw my four beautiful, Norwegian grandchildren,

and they sure give me a lot of joy!

But the main purpose with this short trip

was to pack up my beloved sons belongings.

I walked in his last footsteps...

Saw his last cup of green tea on the table....

Listened to his music...

Memories of a much to short life

are now stored away,

some of them I will take a better look at later.

Small steps, little by little...

It has been six months now,

almost seven.

It is still so fresh, so unreal, so hard to understand.

Lazy days....

2011-04-27T15:15:00.001-05:00

The weather has been very nice,

and I have spent some time in the back yard.

Working this last pair of mittens

has turned in to more work than first expected.

I am working them in several yarns

(this one in Cascade 220 Super-wash)

to see witch ones I like best.

The first pair was a little small,

this one is medium to large.

The last pair is on the the needles,

and I am using Rauma Finull.

Without changing the pattern,
Rauma knits up in a medium size,
(pictures will come)

but Rauma is not as soft as the other two yarns.

It has been a little windy

so even though its a little hot,

it really has not been too bad.

I have my spot in the shade

just like my four legged friend.

She is living lazy days.

And I love to watch all the anoles lizards,

running all over the walls outside.

Our baby doves are growing up,

but they hang out in the the yard,

being close where they grew up.

Have a great spring everybody!

Santa Fe mittens

2011-04-20T16:41:00.001-05:00

I wanted to show these,

even though I am still working on the text.

The yarn is from a local yarn store in Taos, New Mexico,

so not very customer friendly.

Hard to get, and a little on the expensive side.

With three colors, let me see,

that would add up too about 60 - 70 dollars.

One could off course

knit several pair of mittens

from these three skeins alone.

I love the feel of it,

the yarn is nice and soft.

So I am looking for a different yarn at the moment...

I will be back with more....

Tester ut forskjellige garntyper
for dette nye mønsteret.

Tar gjerne imot forslag.

Satser på pinne nr 3.

Frijoles Canyon

2011-04-07T15:37:00.001-05:00

What a fantastic experience it was to visit

the Frijoles Canyon

in the Bandelier National Park again.

The drive from Santa Fe is about one hour.

To walk around on this old ground

and imagine the Ancestral Pueblo people living here

is just amazing.

I want to go back in time.

I want to see them work, cook, play with their children,

and I want to see how they lived along,

and climbed these cliffs.

The cliffs has natural openings or holes.

The Indians enlarged the holes and constructed stone dwellings

in front of them.

This rock is actually volcanic ash,

compacted over time.

These housing units could be several stories tall,

and one can determine how many stories

by counting the horizontal rows of holes.

These smaller holes indicates the next floor/roof,

and the rooms were entered through an opening in the roof,

not through a door as we would do.

The tourist-tracks are off course made for easy excess.

On the cliff-wall are also many petroglyphs (carved symbols),

this one is maybe a turkey?

I allowed myself to use this symbol

as an inspiration for a new mitten design.

This is a "sneak peek", since I am still working on it.

The colors I used are so special for the area,

the yarn is locally spun (Taos) and colored.

I really like the contrast of the turquoise

against the mud/dirt color.

The diamonds are made with duplicate stitches

to make it easier.

Since this yarn can be hard to get hold of,

the pattern will be worked in a different yarn also.

Denne nasjonalparken var et av stedene

vi besøkte i vinterferien.

Vi har vært her en gang før

og tregte ikke et øyeblikk på å gjenta opplevelsen.

Her er funn fra flere hundre(ca. 800) år f.Kr,

og det er antatt at de siste innbyggerne

levde her opp til ca. 1400 e.Kr.

Det er helt spesiellt å vandre blandt disse ruinene.

Små stier og trinn var tilrettelagt for turister.

Det var lett å bli inspirert,

så jeg har et nytt design mellom fingrene.

Garnet jeg bruker kjøpte jeg på turen,

så jeg skal få strikket opp vottene

i et litt mer forbrukervennlig garn også.

Håper du likte turen...

After a trip....

2011-03-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

....I am often filled with impressions.

They kind of play on their own for a while,

and often something ends up on the paper

as a sketch, a water color,

or maybe a pattern of some sort.

I did snoop around in a couple of yarn stores,

and one thing I noticed,

especially in Albuquerque and Taos,

was that the yarn stores

had lots of locally spun and dyed yarn.

The color of the red dirt

and the adobe houses,

the turquoises used in the Indian made jewelery

and on the trim around doors and windows,

were so intense.

Since we flew, I had limited space,

but I managed to stuff some yarn

in my carry-on

(and in my husbands too...)

Disse fargene går igjen i landskap,

i byggninger, smykker og klær.

Nydelig miks synes jeg.

Two things....

2011-03-26T12:40:00.002-05:00

I got a scare,

my baby pigeons was out of the pot,

and I worried about the squirrels.

But look, they are out

trying their wings.

My babies are growing up...

Get in line!
It is hard to feed both of you
at the same time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two yards from my back door

was this snake crawled up this morning.

I have to admit

he gave me the creeps...

Probably not a big deal,

but he got really interested in what I was doing,

and turned against me.

I think he is a harmless Garter snake,

but he would probably bite if cornered.

Hadde besøk av denne karen nå på morgenkvisten.

Han er nok ikke så farlig som han gir seg ut for,

fingertykk, ca. 1 meter lang

med grønne og svarte striper.

Ha en fin helg!

"Anna jakken"

2011-03-23T14:35:00.000-05:00

...men denne er for Tyra!

Veldig greit å ha noe lettvindt å strikke på

når man er på ferie.

Denne var grei å ha mellom fingrene,

kun restegarn fra et tidligere prosjekt.

Motivet er ment å se ut som en katt,

i motsetning til den originale jakken

som har en and.

Lagde dennne litt større,

og strikket i Heilo.

Ikke en typisk babyfarge,

iallefall ikke i dette landet (USA).

This jacket is knitted in Heilo from Dale,

on 3.5 mm needles.

A great wool yarn!

It is made a little larger than the original,

because it is for an older baby.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

2011-03-21T11:17:00.001-05:00

A walk through town...

Beautiful, beautiful Santa Fe.

Even if you don't have a creative bone in your body,

you have to get inspired here.

Old and new architecture,

culture,

colors,

local art,

and artists, - many more than you can count.

Canyon Rd. is a "must see".

Here are galleries and studios in almost every house.

The colors makes me happy,

so bright and cheerful.

A stop at the The Teahouse on the top of the hill,
was a pleasant experience.
Their Lavender tea is absolutely worth trying!

Wonder if I could use this color in future patterns....

Still some snow in the mountains,

but spring is on its way.

Etter en uke i disse herlige omgivelsene
har jeg fått fyllt opp hodet og sjelen
med masse ny inspirasjon.

Santa Fe er et Mekka for kunstnere,
det føles på atmosfæren,
en ny opplevelse lurer rundt hvert et hjørne.
Håper du likte turen....

Look who is here....

2011-03-20T12:00:00.001-05:00

We have been gone for a week,

and I off course worried about

the pigeon in my flower pot.

The squirrels can be a pest around here,

as sweet as they are,

and they could easily get to the eggs.

I really didn't know how long

she would lay on her eggs,

but it must have been close to 3 weeks.

Some younger feathers on her right side

was an indication that something had happened.

This morning she was out "shopping for food",

and to my joy, I eyed two little ones,

not one, as I first expected.

So now we need to guard the squirrels

even more than before.

Vi er hjemme igjen etter en ukes vinterferie.

Dua i blomsterpotta oppe på terrassen

har klekket ut eggene sine.

Hun har ligget der i ukesvis,

og vi har vært nervøse for at ekornene

skulle få fatt på dem.

Tenk det ble to små!

Jeg hadde kun sett det ene egget,

så det var en overraskelse...

The time is finally here...

2011-03-05T15:59:00.001-06:00

Both my Anna patterns are ready to go.

They are both made for,

and named after

my youngest grand baby,

Anna Helene.

The first outfit fits 0 - 3 months,

and is called

Baby Anna

It is a long sleeved and long legged suit.

This suit really has a great loose fit,

and a double opening in the front

for easy on and off.

The pattern includes

all the letters in the alphabet.

Anna has used it from 3 weeks old,

as she had to travel to Norway unexpectedly.

We rolled up sleeve and ankle cuffs,

It worked fine.

We were happy to have

something warm for her to wear.

It actually still fits her at 4 months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second Anna outfit, a jacket,

fits 3 - 6 months,

and it is called

The Anna Jacket

(Anna-jakken)

(Norske lesere har nok allerede oppdaget

at det norske navnet på jakken er en lek med ord,

og trenger sikkert ingen videre forklaring.)

It took a while from the suit was done

and until I was ready to complete the pattern.

In the mean time, I had misplaced some of my notes.

So mormor had to come up with an idea.

Instead of me working a whole new suit

to be able to complete pattern,

I decided to make a jacket in the same style.

It has a very similar look,

the double opening is actually fake,

it only opens on the left side.

The right side is stitched together

at the buttonholes.

Anna is a much bigger-little-girl now,

and a jacket is perfect for spring time.

This one also a great fit.

And did I mention the yarn?

It is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino,

55% Wool, 33% Microfiber, 12% Cashmere.

It knits up very nice on 3mm needles.

Patterns in 2 languages
English or Norwegian
on Etsy,
and in English on Ravelry

Begge disse mønstrene

kommer ut samtidig.

De er kalt opp etter

mitt yngste barnebarn, Anna.

Dressen ble ferdig i november,

jakken nå i februar.

Mønstrene er temmelig like

fra livet og opp,

og begge har en kjempegod fasong.

Dressen har vært brukt

helt fra hun var 3 uker,

og passer henne fremdeles (4 mnd.).

Den har dobbel åpning foran

som gjør det lettere

med av og påkledning

av et så lite barn.

Jakken føles litt romsligere,

og kan brukes noen måneder til.

Den har åpning på venstre side foran,

høyre siden er sydd fast

ved knappene.

Spring is here...

2011-02-25T11:16:00.001-06:00

We have had nice temperatures for a while now,

and hopefully we have seen

the last of the winter.

The last freeze killed off a few plant,

and some of the palms look quite sad.

Look at this wine,

growing up and around the tree stem.

It is pretty I think,

but wonder if it will eventually kill the tree?

My spring flowers are blooming,

however, the flower beds really need some clean up.

Look who is making herself comfortable

in one of my pots.

She is on the veranda upstairs,

right out side the window of my work room,

with a great view of the next door neighbor.

Yesterday the rain was pouring down on her

and the poor little thing did not move.

I would go closer to get some better pictures,

but I really dont want to scare her away.

She is protecting this little egg,

and maybe we will get a little baby pigeon soon.

En liten due har lagt seg til

i en av blomsterpottene mine.

Kjente jeg ble litt myk om hjertet

da jeg så henne ligge der
i øsende pøsende regn i går.

Tapper liten sjel...

Ellers så kommer våren for fullt.

Av erfaring så vet jeg

at faren for nattefrost ikke er over enda.

Tror den magiske grensa er rundt 1.mars,

men den datoen nærmer seg jo med raske skritt.

Jeg har tjuvstartet litt i pottene,

liker godt blomster.

Folklore Mittens

2011-02-23T14:07:00.000-06:00

Another pattern I have been working on lately,

is this mittens pattern.

They were almost done last winter,

and if not forgotten,

just tucked away

as I worked on some other projects.

The English text is done

and ready to go,

the Norwegian text - almost there...

I enjoyed finishing these,

the colors are fun,

and the pattern is pretty easy to follow.

Sjalet Sommerkveld

2011-02-22T18:10:00.002-06:00

ble nylig ferdig,

og er lagt ut på både

Etsy og på Ravelry.

Jeg var så heldig å få dette teststrikket

av en ekspert i strikkekunsten.

Det er ikke bare bare å få ned alle

instrukser på papiret,

men nå har det vært både strikket og lest,
så det holder.
Korrekturleserne mine
hadde jeg ikke klart meg uten.
De holder meg i ørene,
og gir kjapt beskjed når de finner feil,
og det gjør de!

Sjalet har en god størrelse synes jeg.

Jeg liker nok å pakke meg litt inn.

Garnet jeg har brukt er

Heritage Sock Yarn fra Cascade.

Fargen heter Snow,

og sjalet er strikket på 3,5 mm rundpinne.

Sommerkveld er kanskje et litt rart navn
på et sjal som er strikket om vinteren?

Inspirasjonen kom fra en av min sønns sanger,

kallt Sommersang.
Sommeren 2010 var også den siste vi hadde med ham.

Det har vært en vond vinter for oss,

og jeg drukner meg nok i litt ekstra arbeide...

The Summer Evening Shawl is done.
I have been working with this pattern
for the last two months,
and find that it is actually good for me
to stay busy.
The pattern can be found at Ravelry and at Etsy.

Kjekt å ha....

2011-02-07T16:05:00.000-06:00

denne "dingsen" til å holde orden på mønsteret.

Spesielt når en jobber med diagrammer,

og beveger seg oppover en linje om gangen.

Magneter holder mønsteret på plass,

og understreker samtidig

hvor i diagrammet en befinner seg.

Svært hendig!

Denne er kjøpt hos Knit Picks.

Den kan legges sammen som en bok,

og puttes i veska.

Jeg er blitt avhengig!

*************************

This Chart Keeper is great!!

I am totally sold.

Working a pattern can be hard enough,

and this really makes it easier

the way it keep track of

where you are in the pattern at all times.

I found it at Knit Picks.

Beautiful day in the Lone Star State....

2011-02-06T10:34:00.001-06:00

..and not much is as beautiful than these horses.

Still a little chilly, some of the coats are on,

pretty stylish if you ask me...

Day temperature is great,

we enjoy the cooler weather,

the heat will be here sooner

then this Norwegian likes it anyway..

The grass is not greener on the other side,

at least no yet.

The neighbor farm has baby cows.

This little ones still feel safest close to mama cow.

A belly rub is awesome,

and you will be back to see me

next week, right?

Gårsdagen kom med nydelig "norsk" vårvær,

etter noen dager med et skikkelig vinterlig arktisk gufs.

Tror nok ikke våren er her ganske enda,

men når gradestokken kryper opp

til ca. 25C sånn midt på dagen,
kan en lettlurt sjel lett drømme seg vekk med

tanker om planting av sommerblomster.

Kaffe og strikking ute er et fakta,

en må nyte vårværet mens en kan.

Ha en fin søndag!

Ice storm in Houston

2011-02-04T15:34:00.000-06:00

We were promised snow for sure,

but it came down as rain.

Froze as soon as it hit the ground.

Do to bad driving conditions,

we are all stuck in the house.

The same are few million others

just here in Texas.

Schools are out,

and most businesses are closed.

Just the other day I sat here on the veranda

outside my work room

and enjoyed the warm weather,

and today it has not been above freezing,

quite weird...

I am working on a few new things.

It just seams like I get stuck towards the end

when I have just a few rows left to finish it.

So maybe I will take advantage of the cold weather,

get the fire going on the fireplace...

My husband is making Chilli,

yum, - I can smell it....

Have a nice weekend!

Ullbukse i restegarn

2011-01-20T17:11:00.001-06:00

Noe av dette garnet var veldig gammelt,

men forsatt helt brukelig.

Hvem husker Perle Crepp?

Garnet har tilhørt mottakers oldemor,

så da ble det litt spesiellt.

Så fant jeg mønster til denne lua på nettet.

Fasongen kjempegod!

(modellen på bildet er en dukke..)

This hat has a great fit, and was fun to knit.

Wool pants for the winter

are a must for babies in Norway.

These above are knitted from remnants.

Nå er det lenge siden

2011-01-18T14:23:00.001-06:00

jeg har vist noe nytt her.

Denne jakken ble ferdig rett før helgen.

Rettstrikk med heklet kant og heklede blomster.

Var litt i tvil om hvem den ville passe,

spesiellt siden vi har 2 barnebarn under 1/2 år nå.

Den satt forøvrig som et skudd på den minste.

Elsker dette garnet.

Det heter Luna, og er et produkt fra Cascade Yarns.

De kaller fiberinnholdet for "Peruvian Cotton".

Anna har forøvrig vokst inn i søsterens jakke også.

Tror ikke storesøster har brukt denne mer enn en gang.

Denne jakken er strikket i babyull,

og er fra boka "Strikk til barn".

Så siden hun fikk leke modell

så kledde vi likeså godt på henne

morens gamle babyjakke også.

Denne strikket jeg for nesten 30 år siden,

og den er nesten som ny!

Hjelp, - tiden flyr!

Our grandbaby, Anna, is the happiest little thing.

She always has a smile ready for you.

The jacket on top is new,

the next one, below,

used to be her sisters jacket.

However, her mother came home from the hospital

wearing this light blue set above.

It is still in perfect shape.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T21:04:00.001-06:00

...to all my blogger friends!
Thanks for all support,
especially the last couple of months!

The rest of our Christmas guests

are leaving us tomorrow.

It has been great to have the babies here.

I had to photograph Tyra's feet

as she had her bottle tonight.

It is so cute how
she is showing contentment,

"folding" her feet as she is eating.

Ha et godt nyttår alle sammen,
og takk for alle kommentarer
og all omtanke,
spesiellt de siste månedene!
Det har virkelig varmet,
tusen takk!

Thank Heaven for grand children!

2010-12-30T23:43:00.002-06:00

We have had a busy Christmas

with two babies and two toddlers.

The babies eat, sleep and smile,

- most of the time.

The toddlers kept us on our toes.

Two very active little ones,

and they both sure look like little angels!

Our youngest grand-daughter was Christened

in the Norwegian Seaman's Church in Houston,

December 25 th.
She is "a doll"!

Look who's visiting!

2010-12-19T17:25:00.001-06:00

Two of the babies are her for Christmas already.

And look who loves to sleep

at "mormors" bed,
and who loves to watch television on my bed...

Hopefully the other two will not get stuck

at an European airport

somewhere.

Not the best weather reports,

we are crossing our fingers...

Det lir mot jul

2010-12-18T14:09:00.000-06:00

...og temperaturen i Texas kan svinge

fra frostnetter til 25-30 grader på en og samme dag.

Eini liker seg godt foran peisen.

Hestene på Pinbrook koser seg ute,

helt sikkert mer nå

enn i sommer månedene.

Yngste datteren rir her hver lørdag,

og vi "gamle" synes det er greit

å rusle litt rundt mens vi venter.

Hjemme venter vi innrykk av barn og barnebarn.

Det blir godt å være sammen denne høytiden.

Ha en God Jul alle sammen!

Kine

2010-12-11T14:11:00.000-06:00

Kinemor, our dear four legged furry friend,

left us a few weeks ago.

Right in the middle of all sadness,

she picked her time..

It might seem like a lot to handle,

and we are very, very sad for her leaving us.

But Roy's passing have naturally overshadowed Kine's.

Roy was just asking for her,

worried about her deteriorating health and old age,

and Kine always loved it when he came visiting.

I like to think they are together somewhere.

Jeg har funnet frem litt garn

2010-12-10T08:35:00.000-06:00

De minste barnebarna trenger sokker

og mormor trenger å holde på med noe produktivt.

Livet går videre, en dag følger en annen,

tankespinnet i hodet leter etter noe å holde fast i.

"Sorg går ikke over.

Den tar bare en annen form.
En sorg ligner på havet.

Til å begynne med er bølgene veldig krappe.

Så kommer dønningene,
men det blir aldri mer havblikk."

The video below...

2010-12-08T11:23:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share this video. It was made by Roy's friends and cousins for his memorial. His F.B. wall has been visited often by those who loved him and miss him, and although he didn't use Face Book a lot himself, it has been a place to share love and comfort for a great guy.
He wrote his own music, he loved to play his guitar, his didgeridoo, drums, flutes etc. and it is him performing.
He used the artist name "Roy Raggsokk", a name he got because he always wore woolen knitted socks.

Roy Raggsokk

2010-12-08T10:50:00.000-06:00

Dette er til deg Roy, min elskede umistelige sønn.

2010-11-29T07:12:00.001-06:00

Du skulle ha vært her nå, du ville ha vært 35 år i dag....

Det er vanskelig aa se fremover.

Det er ingen mening i at du ikke er her.

Billettene lå klar,du gledet deg og talte dagene til avreise,vi gledet oss.

Jeg har redd opp senga di.

Jeg har planlagt ting vi skulle gjoere sammen, du og jeg, Roy.

Sammen med resten av familien, gebursdagen din, jul .....

Du mangler alle steder fordi du er ikke her.....

Jeg kan ikke holde rundt deg, jeg har bare bilder,

- bilder i glass og ramme.

Du-, bak glass-, i en ramme.......

det er alt...

Tøflene dine står i skapet,

en uferdig genser ligger i strikkekurven.

Du skulle fått den i sommer men jeg hadde ikke nok garn.

Nå har jeg garn, men ikke de.

Jeg husker godt sist sommer.

Din sterke brune kropp,

du hadde klippet av krøllene som jeg elsker,

du lo av det,

syntes det var herlig å få barbert hodet, om sommeren især.

Du malte båten din,

vi fyllte den med proviant,

du tok en seiltur over noen dager.

Du skremte meg da du ikke hadde dekning på telefonen.

Men du sende meldinger,

om blikkstille vann, om vinden, om nisene som fulgte båten.

Jeg har meldingene enda...

Alt det jeg husker fra sist gang jeg så deg,

fra ifjor, fra året før,

fra du ble født og til nå,

det kalles minner nå.

Vi har mange minner.

Mange, mange, mange gode minner.

Noen ganger bryter smilet frem fordi du hadde sånn en fantastisk humor, Roy,

en vanvittig smittende humor.

Jeg finner litt styrke i din humor. Jeg føler din nærhet.

Du er med meg overalt, for jeg tenker på deg overalt.

Ved min side i bilen, og hjemme....

Du prøver å trøste meg nå Roy... jeg merker det!

Du var bekymret for meg, for en undersøkelse jeg skulle ha.

Det gikk fint med meg Roy...

Du er sjokkert over aa ha blitt rykket bort saa altfor tidlig,

du er like sjokkert som oss.

Det var saa mye mer vi skulle ha gjort sammen.

Du hadde så mange planer, - vi hadde planer...

Vi trodde vi hadde massevis av tid, åresvis av tid......

Ingen kunne forutsi dette, det mest utenkelige,

det helt hjerteløst umulige...

Jeg tenker at det må være en dypere mening.

Noen må ha trengt deg mer enn oss,

selv om det er utenfor min fattige evne til å forstå.

Jeg synes at vi tengte deg mest!

Vi er små, skjøre og uforberedt på døden,

- dårlig utrustet til å kunne håndtere sjokket,

sorgen, hjelpesløsheten, tomheten...

Totalt uforberedt på å la deg forlate oss.

Vi må holde sammen nå, alle vi som sørger.

Vi må holde rundt dem vi er glad i...

Livet er så skjørt, det kan bli tatt fra hver og en av oss

fortere enn vi kan tenke tanken.

Du var umistelig Roy,

- umistelig...

Klem fra mamma på bursdagen din

Fine ord...

2010-11-24T11:07:00.001-06:00

Du som gråter over meg

Jeg er jo her
...
selv om du ikke kan se meg

Kjenn min pust mot din nakke

kjenn at jeg stryker ditt kinn

Jeg skulle gjøre alt for få trøste deg

og fortelle deg at jeg har det bra.

Hver gang du tenker på meg, lever jeg

i ditt sinn

i rommet

i naturens skjønhet

blant mektige fjell og brusende hav

på denne vakre klode

Jeg er overalt

Jeg er i deg

Når ditt hjerte blør

husk alle ganger jeg fikk deg til å le

Du var tryggheten jeg bygde mitt liv på

Vi rommer alle mange verdener som denne

med deres rikedom, skjønnhet, lys og mørke

Selv om jeg er borte

vokser min kjærlighet til deg som skal fortsette livets dans

Alle minnene etter meg skal du gjemme i ditt hjerte

for å lindre din sorg

Jeg skal alltid finnes hos deg

selv om du ikke kan se meg.

Help me understand....

2010-11-23T09:12:00.000-06:00

please help me understand...

Et øyeblikks stillhet...

2010-11-21T14:37:00.000-06:00

....for min elskede og umistelige sønn, Roy....

Hvordan kan man fortsette,

sove, spise, le?

Tiden står stille,

vandrer rundt som om i koma.

Uforståelig, urimelig og urettferdig.

Det skjedde så brått,

du ante ingenting,

og sovnet så stille inn.

Her blir tomt uten deg.

Spilloppene dine, alvoret,

musikken og tekstene dine.

Bamseklemmene...

Vi kan ikke bli med deg dit du seiler nå,

men vit at vi bærer deg med oss,

i hjertene våre, alltid.

In memory of my dear loving son, Roy,

who passed November 3rd. 2010.

Some of his songs can be heard here.

My favorite is "Sommersang".....

Come into my dreams and stay with me forever, Roy...

My notes.....

2010-10-26T08:27:00.000-05:00

....for this pattern have gone hiding!

I brought them with me on my last travel,

but where are they now when I need them.

2 weeks old

Little Anna has already used her suit

even though it is still a little on the large side.

Jeg har forlagt notatene mine til denne strikkedrakten,

og leter litt febrilsk....

Lille Anna har allerede hatt sin første kjørtur,

og den var perfekt til bruk i bilsetet,

selv om den forsatt er litt i det største laget.

A suit for Anna

2010-10-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

...my newest grand baby.

Another blessing,

only a day old...

Mormor has knitted her a long sleeved,

long legged suit.

Good for the car seat,

and chilly Texas winter weather.

However,

mormor is still working on the pattern part....

En ny liten verdensborger!

Et nytt lite mirakel!

Dressen ble ferdig kun to dager

før Anna's ankomst.

Mønsteret kommer nok etter hvert..

Kiesten Larisdoter

2010-10-04T22:34:00.000-05:00

Kiesten Larisdoter er navnet på mitt siste vottemønster.

Inspirasjon til dette mønsteret fikk jeg

da jeg besøkte kirken hjemme.
Egersund kirke er en nydelig gammel
hvitmalt kirke, med historie helt tilbake
til 1600 - tallet. Nåværende kirke ble
bygd på ruinene av en eldre kirke,
og ble restaurert i 1785.

Kirken har nydelige treskjæringer
og malte overflater.
Benkeradene har små svingdører
og noen av dem er dekorert
med bl.annet navn og årstall.

Navnet Kiesten Larisdoter, anno 1705,
er malt på en av de fremste svingdørene.
Hvem var denne Kiesten Larisdoter?
Hadde hun en ledende posisjon i byen?
Var hun kanskje datter av, gift med, eller mor til,
en velstående handelsmann på ladestedet?

Jeg har ikke kunnet finne ut mer om denne damen,
men hun må ha vært en flittig kirkegjenger.
Og i tillegg til å være stolt over navnet sitt,
var hun sannsynligvisvis å finne
på benken sin i kirken, hver søndag.

This is my new mitten pattern,
Kiesten Larisdoter.

INSPIRATION AND A LITTLE HISTORY
Egersund Church is a beautiful
white Church, located in the south of Norway,
with history back to the 1600.
It is build on ruins from an older Church,
and was restored in 1785.
The row of benches in the Church,
has little hinged doors.
These are, as the rest of the Church
beautifully decorated,
some of them with names and year.
One of these doors has the name
Kiesten Larisdoter, year 1705.
Who was she?

I will probably never get to know other than
that she probably was to be found in church on Sundays.
Sitting on her bench with the rest of her family..

Morning glories and a baby project...

2010-10-03T12:03:00.003-05:00

My Morning glories are beautiful this year.

I seed them every year,

but have always had the blue variety before.

These came out in this deep pink,

and I love them!

The weather is georgeous

and I have spent some time outside

with a new baby project.

It will be a long legged, long sleeved suit,

for a Texas baby.

She is expected one of these nearest days,

so mormor better get busy!

And yes, the mother to be wanted a suit,

despite the warm climate here.

The idea is that she can use it

when the baby is strapped in the car seat,

instead of a blanket.

We'll see....
Strikker en babydress i et helig Debbie Bliss garn.
Gleder meg til denne er ferdig..

Since we are talking pink here,
I just have to add this picture
taken a couple of weeks ago.
Waterlilies are so pretty!

A little of this

2010-09-27T10:19:00.001-05:00

..and a little of that...

With several projects on my needles,

I still thought it was time

to finished these socks.

They have been sitting half done

for a while.

I really liked the pattern and the colors,

but it included concentration,

so I kind of lost the interest.

Sitting outside one evening,

a strange noise came from

my watering can.

I believe he might be a Gulf Coast Toad

or a Woodhouse Toad.

I am not an expert,

I looked it up...

Enough playing around,

got to get back to work.

Working on a couple of new patterns...

De gamle blir eldre..

2010-09-14T10:16:00.000-05:00

Det samme gjelder mine to følgesvenner.

Tenk at gullejenta vår, Kine,

en gang var en rampete liten valp.

En smart og spretten ung dame,

som elsket å dykke i elva hjemme.

Siden tok hun til takke med å stupe (!!)

og svømme rundt i svømmebassenget her.

Nå, i en alder av 15 år,

har hun blitt redd for bassengkanten.

Hun er blind og nesten helt døv.

Kine sover så og si hele dagen

og nesten hele natten.

Dessverre klarer ikke lengre

komme helt frem til døra

før hun må huke seg litt.

Derfor måtte mor måtte trå til med hundebleier.

Ja tenk at slike finnes.

(Bra hun ikke bryr seg om computeren,

for da hadde hun blitt flau.)

Ellers er Kine i overraskende fin form,

og vet nøyaktig når maten bør serveres.

Eini har også blitt en dame i sin beste alder

med sine 10 år.

Litt grå i ansiktspelsen,

men ellers oppfører hun seg forsatt

som den valpen hun engang var.

Sover helst på ryggen,

og passer ellers på meg hele dagen,

inne som ute....

Ha en forsatt fin dag med de firbeinte!

This EZ baby jacket pattern

2010-09-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

is well worth the money.

I have knitted it several times now.

Such a great pattern,

especially if one have some remnant yarns.

This one is for a little boy

arriving some time after Christmas.

The hat pattern is from Debbie Bliss (I think..).

Both are knitted in

Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino.

The Baby Tyra jacket is done!

2010-08-28T08:53:00.001-05:00

Both Norwegian and English version

of the pattern is done.
Size 3 - 6 months

Spelling and good wording

can sometimes be a challenge,

but I have GREAT helpers/proof readers!!

Its a little hard to see the Soft pink color
in the pictures of the jacket,
the yarn skein, above, show it better.
The yarn is Reynold Kids “Wash Day Wool”,
and it comes in 50 grams skeins.
I used 4 colors,
Charcoal, Cream, Soft pink and Silver grey.

Da var begge versjoner av mønsteret ferdig.
Har brukt Reynold Kids “Wash Day Wool”
til denne jakken,
Annet babyull garn
kan selvfølgelig også brukes,
men strikkefastheten kan kanskje
variere bittelitt.

The pattern has written text, charts and pictures.

Da lurer jeg på om jeg skal tenke litt
på en tilhørende lue...

Have a nice weekend !

A peek pre-view

2010-08-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

...on my newest pattern,

"Baby Tyra".

Baby jacket size 3-6 months.

I will be available soon,

as I am working on the finishing touches

and proof reading.

As most of my patterns

this will also be

available in 2 languages,

English and Norwegian.

Photo entry # 4

2010-08-08T14:46:00.000-05:00

From the museum:

De Heibergske Samlinger.
They have a wonderful collection of old houses.

Entry # 3 for the photo competition

2010-08-08T11:15:00.003-05:00

...OK, this is my third and last entry,

I think...

It is hard to choose,

don't know witch one,

I have so many favorites.

Bildet over er mitt forslaget til foto-konkurransen

This i from Kaupanger again,

the evening light is great for photo shots.

The opposite side of the valley is already in the dark,

the sun is about to go down behind the mountains.

This one is shot from the mountain side

above Sogndal.

And the wild flowers are beautiful!

And when the apple trees blooms in the spring,

one get the greatest pictures.

This is taken right out side my summer condo.

From the tiny beach in Kaupanger.

From the museum.

I just LOVE this museum,

well worth visiting!

Entry # 2 for the photo competition

2010-08-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

Petunia has a competition on her blog.

It had to be pictures of Norway,

and she kindly let me know

that I could add more than one picture.

This is my second entry.

It is my grandson,

a beautiful summer day in 2008,

sitting in the coldest water

(snow on the mountain tops).

Bildet er fra Fimreite stranden,

nær Sogndal i Sogn.

Fotokonkurranse

2010-08-07T20:00:00.002-05:00

Petunia utlyser til en fotokonkurranse,

og ble inspirert til å delta med et bidrag

etter å ha besøkt Gawo's blogg.

Under her er et av mine favorittbilder.

Dette er tatt i Kaupanger,

ikke langt fra ferjeleiet.

Bildet er tatt i 8-tiden om morgenen,

morgendisen hang lavt i fjellsiden.

A little lazy on the knitting side...

2010-08-06T16:27:00.001-05:00

...but it will change to the better,

as I am back home.

Traveling and visiting took my time,

but I can't complain,

- I have had a great summer,
in wonderful Norwegian weather,
witch is anything but hot!

Back home in the heat of the Texas sun,

I have finished my mindless summer project,

a woolen blanket for our newest grand-baby, Tyra.

She was born in July,

and "mormor" got to be in the receiving room

to welcome her!

She is the cutest little thing,

and she love to be warm!

We kept wrapping her in anything woollen,

her mamma's shawl worked fine,

and she would sleep, and sleep, and sleep, and....

I sure miss her already...

A stroll in Lærdalsøyri

2010-07-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

The streets are closed off for traffic,

they are pretty narrow,

and its a safer walk without cars anyway...

I love these cute little houses,

and I would love to own one.

Some of them are very well taken care of,

and some are a little bit older than the rest.

These are the backdoors of some of the stores,

and I think these are boat houses

that might have been on the shore line

at one point.

A Guest House

and a beautiful hotel

are both in the Old Town area.

We made it this year too!

2010-07-28T03:17:00.000-05:00

I was afraid we were running out of time,

getting down to the last days of vacation

in this part of the country.

My wish was to get to the Sæter.

Years ago herds got moved to higher pastures in the summer

and to lower valleys in the winter time,

with the people necessary to tend them.

This was often some young girls.

It was hard work,

and they would spend the time making cheese and butter

besides herding.

The place belong to my daughter and son in law,

its quite primitive,

no running water or electricity,

with an out house / sheep shed and a small lake near by.

One can fish or swim, but the water is cold!!

We love it up here,

its nice and quiet,

- medicine for my soul!

Life at the farm

2010-07-25T16:25:00.000-05:00

...is great!

Especially if you are a cat...

Finding the best resting position

is an on going thing...

Between coffee and knitting brakes,
I have been painting windows...

second floor.

The windows, frames and glass,

are all original from the time the house was built
in 1843 - 46, in Biedermeier style.

Windows and doors are placed symetric
to each other,

but take a close look at this side of the house.
Click on the picture
and check out the the 2 lower right windows.
They are just painted on for looks,
but framed like the rest of the windows in the house.
I love it!

Time for another coffee and knit brake....

I met a Ravelry friend..

2010-07-24T16:56:00.000-05:00

...yesterday,

here in Norway.

I drove through the most scenic countryside,

I crossed a fjord on a tiny little, old ferry boat,

where cars had to be backed on to get on board.

We met at the ferry landing on the other side,

went to see this beautiful old Stave Church

(it dates back to the year 1130),

and enjoyed a gorgeous day in the sun.

We chatted... for a long time,

sitting outside an old barn, -made into a cafe,

and we had a great time!

We practiced Needle-binding (nålebinding),

we had coffee and home-made cake,

and we ate newly picked raspberries.

Could life offer anything better?

She signed her book for me,

and I really look forward to knit a few of her patterns.

The cafe sold some of her knit items also,

so I got a pair of socks for my son.

Hopefully we can stay in touch,

and maybe meet again some day!

" The littlest Viking"

2010-07-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

This year,

like last year,

and the year before last,

we went to the Viking Marked

in Gudvangen, Norway.

It sure is a very special event,

they really try to make it as authentic as possible.

The marked had grown since last year,

possible doubled in size.

The camp ground is surrounded

by high mountains.

It is on sea level,

the fjord, Nærøyfjorden,

cutting in to Gudvangen from Sognefjord.

Luckily the rain stopped as we arrived,

and the temperature was good.

We brought our own little Viking.

He was pretty worn out by the end of the day.

I found what I was looking for,

needles for Nåle-binding (Needle binding),

and a little bit of yarn,

- still wet from the coloring process.

Not knitting, but Needle binding (Nålebinding)

2010-07-15T11:47:00.000-05:00

I found this yarn in a local yarn store,

and it is great for a needle binding project.

"Incawool" by Hjertegarn .

My daughter like these colors

and I am making her a pair of mittens

for the cold Norwegian winter.

Blessed with another grandchild...

2010-07-12T08:11:00.001-05:00

....a little girl, named Tyra.

When mamma and Tyra was still at the hospital,

her 3 year old "big" brother

was at home helping mormor (grandma)

around the house.

We washed clothes

and hung them on the clothes line.

We picked weeds in the yard,

we swept the stair case,

and then we had snack time.

Before the day was over
we also had some playtime.
How do you like the view from my swing?

Say no more...

2010-07-02T00:40:00.000-05:00

Could life be more perfect?

Peaceful.

What more could one ask for?

Summer time....

2010-06-30T00:49:00.003-05:00

I love bringing my camera with me every where,

and sometimes,

especially in Norway,

I produce more pictures then knitting.

This fabulous picture above

is however from my sons camera.

He has this great wooden boat

called a "seksring".

Lots of work to take care of it,

but a beautiful piece of architecture!

Have a great summer!

Rain or shine,
I am enjoying mine...

My summer paradise

2010-06-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

A peaceful moment on the balcony,

enjoying a glass of wine,

watching the sunset.

My newest knitting project in my lap...

Surrounded by family

and beautiful nature,

..what more can one ask for?

Grytekluter

2010-06-07T14:39:00.002-05:00

Via Hannesol sin blogg,

fant jeg disse gryteklutene,

hos AnnePåLandet.

Jeg ble så fristet til dra frem heklenåla

(hadde kun en størrelse som gikk an),

jeg har masse bomullsgarn som kunne brukes.

Så da var det bare å sette i gang!

Det har vært endel tordenværdenvær her i det siste,

så med en god film på spilleren (Oliver Twist),

satte jeg meg rett ned i haugen med garn.

Nålen var nok i det minste laget for det garnet jeg brukte,

men pyttsann, det gikk greit.

Litt bulkete ble de mot slutten,

men etter litt hardhendt damping og strekking

ble de absolutt brukbare synes jeg.

En dag senere har jeg to grytekluter ferdige

(pluss et par såre tommler etter uvant nålføring),

og det kan lett bli flere....

I found this pattern on a Norwegian blog,

and I think she is planning to write a English pattern also.

I loved it.

And since I have a lot off cotton yarn remnants,

there might easily be a few more.

Mindless work...

Adding on...

2010-06-04T17:04:00.001-05:00

...a hat to go with the rest of the set...

I will try to share the idea of how I made it

without writing an entire pattern.

I started by the neck

and worked in stockinette st (glattstrikk).

With purple, cast on 24 sts

and work back and forth about 110 rows

(for a larger hat, cast on a few more sts

and work an extra few rows), bind off.

With green,

pick up sts along the entire right side.

Work 10 rows in stockinette st,

bind off and fold double

towards the back and stitch it down.

Work the back of the hat,

by starting on the top, working down.

With purple, pick up the 20 middle sts

from the last row before the bind off row,

on the green folded edge.

Work back and forth about 18 rows,

then decrease 1 sts in the end of every knit row (rettsiden)

about 10-12 times.

This should take the back side to full length.

Bind off and stitch the sides of this back piece

as nice as possible to the green folded edge.

For front- and neck edge,

pick up sts and work in Garter st (riller).

Work the neck edge first,

and make 10 holes for the cord, evenly spread.

Then work the front edge.

Remember to make 1 hole on each side

for the cord (12 all together).

Make a twisted cord, or use a ribbon.

Good luck!

More socks..

2010-05-31T16:19:00.000-05:00

Just another pair of Saartje's Booties

to go with the purple and green jacket.

Yet another EZ

2010-05-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

The July baby will be born in Norway,

and will probably need a jacket.

Probably several...

So mormor is doing her favorite thing,

knitting!

The EZ baby surprize jacket is quick and easy to knit.

Neck and sleeves got a crochet edging.

I had found this baby pink colored yarn on sale.

The before prize was $ 10.50

for a 25 grams skein,

and I paid $3.

It is merino and silk

and very soft.

Have to admit I threw away the information,

so I can not tell you the brand name,

so sorry...

I thought that Saartje's baby booties worked fine with it,

and used the rest of the yarn knitting these.

The kids just grow up too fast!

2010-05-26T08:57:00.000-05:00

This picture sits next to my computer

and was taken about 30 years ago!

My son, in a warm knitted sweater,

hiking in the lower mountains of

the part of south Norway

where we have our roots.

I remember this trip

as if it was the day before yesterday...

Purple and green for the July-baby

2010-05-23T15:16:00.001-05:00

Cute pattern,

although I changed it up a bit.
It was knitted in 2 parts,
one in each color,
starting at the narrow end of the sleeve.

The back was supposed to have a 3-way bind off in the back,

but I decided to stitch the two parts together instead.

Also, the edging was meant to be in one of the colors

and I chose to use both.

The yarn is hand spun,
and very soft!

It was bought
at a wool market in Colorado last year...
Size newborn.

Since I have a lot of yarn left,
I think I will make some cute shoes.

En stripet liten jakke...

2010-05-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

...ble strikket i en fart for et par uker siden.

Har ikke fått klort ned mønsteret enda,

men det kommer nok etterhvert.

Denne lille gullejenta

var ikke lett å få fotografert,

i farten som hun alltid er...

Når mormor vifter med kameraet

så springer hun..

I sidelommen er det god plass

til ei lita filledukke..

Happy Mothers Day!

2010-05-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

To all mothers and mothers to be!

Look what a great card

my youngest daughter made me!

Oh, and my husband

is a great artist too!!

Hi hi...

More babies ......

2010-05-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

...means more fun projects!

This little jacket will warm a new little baby girl

arriving about mid summer to early fall...

Navy hearts to go with a tiny pair of blue jeans.

The pattern is called Rutelilje
and is from Dale of Norway.
I changed the pattern a little bit,
since the pattern didn't have the hearts on the jacket.
It only had hearts on the hat and baby blanket,
in the same set...
I used Heritage sock yarn from Cascade,
and have found that sock yarn works well for baby clothes.
I actually fell in love with this color,

it reminded me of candy..

But if you want the purled texture to show off,

I suggest you go with a solid color yarn.

Another little one is also expected a little later on this fall.

Not sure about what color yarn to use for this one, - yet...

We sure are Blessed!

Have a nice weekend everybody!

Mormor sjal på 2,5 mm pinne...

2010-04-24T12:06:00.002-05:00

...blir litt mindre og fastere (som forventet),
enn om en strikker det på 3,5 mm.

Det sier jo seg selv, men jeg ville gjerne teste det.

Strikket det i en annen farge denne gang,

men med det samme garnet, Ranco Multy fra Araucania,

et sokkegarn.

I hagen blomstrer det,

og på gjerdet henger disse blomstene ut over pottene,
og nedover sprinkle gjerdet.

Et fint lite gjemmested for den haleløse firfislen vår.

Above is the last Mormor Shawl,
knitted with 2.5 mm needles.
It made as expected, a little smaller.

The rest of the pictures are showing off
some of my flowers on the fence,
and one of the Anoles living there...

This project is resting

2010-04-17T09:46:00.000-05:00

...as I ran out of yarn.

I am however expecting a few more skeins

any day now..

The pattern is called Nordland,

and I found it in the book

Norsk Strikk from Orion.

(Sorry, couldnt find any distributors)

Here is a picture from the book

showing how it will look when finished.

Here is another link for those of you

who are on Ravelry

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/husfliden-nr-205

(Thank you to Sylvia who gave me the book!)

Sønnen ønsket en ny varm genser,

og valget falt på denne Norlandsgenseren.

A walk in the evening..

2010-04-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

Even though we live in a quite populated area,

we do have these tracks along the "overflow channels".

A few miles of them a few minutes from our house.

Houston floods when it rains

so we have channels and "dry lakes" where the water can go.

There are snakes and turtles down by the water,

and some fire-ant mounds along the path.
These days the spring flowers are blooming.

I believe these are called Crimsom Clovers.
They have a very pretty dark red color,
and they are a little different from the Red Clovers
that I am used to from Norway.

En liten ettermiddagstur langs kanalene,
ikke langt fra huset vårt.
Akkurat nå er temperaturen så herlig,
senere blir her dessverre for varmt til å spasere.
Hunden vår, Eini,
liker også å bli med

Lizards

2010-04-14T15:27:00.001-05:00

On my way to the grocery store today

I realized that one of my garden lizards

was hanging on to the wind shield for bare life..

Poor thing!

His four legs stretched out,

stomach pressed to the window.

I saw horror and panic in his little face!

(This is not the Explorer, however this one lost its tale the other day...)

I guess he must have been hunting flies on my car this morning.

I had gotten to far to be able to return home with "him"

(have to admit I thought about it, I love our lizards..!),

so I drove into a side street with several trees,

worried that he otherwise would end up

at the parking lot of the super market,

not a good place to be if you are a lizard!

However, end of story,

he now lives in a tree 5 minutes from here,

but I wonder how to inform the rest of his family....

Pulsvotten Rogaland

2010-04-09T10:08:00.002-05:00

Jeg har valgt å legge dette mønsteret ut for salg.

Det var innsendt til en konkurranse

som Husfliden hadde i vinter,

i kategorien "Stashåndplagg".

Vinneren måtte gi opp rettigheten til mønsteret sitt,

men siden mitt forslag IKKE vant,
så er rettigheten derfor forsatt min egen.

Vinnervotten er her,
en leser gjorde meg oppmerksom på denne linken,
takk skal du ha Liv.

Mønsteret var inspirert av Rogalands bunaden,

(derfor navnet)

og jeg prøvde å bruke tilnærmede farger

brukt i bunad-broderiene,

og et velkjendt norsk garn

(at det kunne bestilles på nettet var veldig greit).

These Half Mittens were entered

in a Norwegian “contest” last winter.

Suggested to be used together with

one of Norway’s many “Traditional outfits”, called Bunad.
However there was only one winner,

and these mittens were not it.

So there is the story….

The pattern is inspired

by the embroidery used in the Rogalandsbunad,

but it is not at all accurate.

Some might not even recognize the elements,

but the colors are somewhat similar.

Påskeaften

2010-04-05T12:28:00.001-05:00

med 30 grader i skyggen...

Kan vel ikke klage på det.

Vi har hatt en kaldt vinter her i Texas også,

men nå føles det som om de varme dagene

er i anmarsj.

Dette er et utvalg av det som vokser i hagen akkurat nå,

men de overlever nok neppe

sommertemperaturene.

Hawairosene har ikke kommet skikkelig igang enda,

håper bare at de har overlevd

frostnettene vi hadde tidligere i vinter.

Selv om jeg pakket de fleste plantene inn

med tepper og gamle laken,

klarte frosten likevel å gjøre en del skade.

Bladene på palmetrærne ble brune

og har derfor blitt klippet ned.

Håper de tegn på nye blader om ikke så alt for lenge,
vi kan alltids trenge skyggen de gir oss.

Ha en forsatt fin Påske...!