Love for cats

I love cats, but have none...
However, my daughter Ingrid, has two!
Simone and Simba.



Simone is the sweetest cat as long as she is on medication,
if not, she will go insane ever so often.


Simba, however, doesn't know she's a cat.
She prefers sleeping in the bed,
under the cover,
with her head on the pillow.
And of course, she is not to fond of Simone,
because Simone is a cat!

Baby set

This is the set that I have been working on since Christmas.
It is knitted in Dale Baby Wool,
an absolutely great yarn quality,
soft and machine washable.

The pattern is also from Dale of Norway,
originally in pink,
and shown further down on my blog.

This is my "boy" version..

Mirror frame

We gave the bathroom a face lift a while ago,
but one little thing had yet to be done.
When I tiled the floor and the frame around the mirror,
I left the grouting of the mirror frame for "later"...
Now it's done, and her is the result!

Detail

Paa pinnene i dag

Tiril's sweater starts to take shape.
At this point it's pretty easy going, but time consuming.
I am exited to change the pattern a little bit today,
as I am going further, to another part of the pattern.
I have other projects I want to do,
but need to finish this one first.

A pretty picture

What can I say, I love flowers!
These I bought a week and a half ago.
They last forever! No sign of giving up yet..
Have a nice weekend!

Black hat for Tor

Sending off some knitted items to my grand kids,
I made another hat last night.
It was quick and easy, and here is what I did:

Yarn: Nature Spun from Brown Sheep Company
Needle US 6 (4mm)
Using a round needle, CO (legg opp) 80.
Knit 2, pearl 2, for 1 1/2" (3-4 cm)

Over 6 rows, do this easy pattern:
*3 rows: knit 2, pearl 2 (2 rette, 2 vrange)
3 rows: knit ( 3 omganger rett)*

Repeat from * to * until you have 6 1/2" (ca.16 cm) all together,
last 3 rows being knit (rett).

Decrease next row like this:
knit 2, pearl 2 together, knit 2, pearl 2 together.... keep going...
the 2 next rows, knit 2, pearl 1...
knit 3 rows .
Decrease next row like this:
knit 2 together, pearl 1, knit 2 together, pearl 1....
the next 2 rows, knit 1, pearl 1...
knit 3 rows.

Degrease next rows like this:
knit 2 together, knit 2 together......
knit one row,
knit 2 together, knit 2 together,
pull tread through, and weave it in.



The pattern look good on the back side also...

Drawing

Well, I took a picture of this cat, I drew it last year.
And I should have finished drawing it a long time ago...
The back part of it I'm not showing, because its not done.
Wonder why?
Maybe I was busy with something else...
Anyway, it was hard to get a good picture, do to the flash.
I had to put the drawing-pad on an angle.

Actually, what I really wanted to say is that I love to draw.
I just need a lot of peace and quiet when I do it.
And I need to leave it sitting out.....
Maybe a studio?

A very special present

My middle daughter gave us a very unexpected
and special thing for Christmas.
Although she had asked for our pictures
(needed for "some project") up front,
I would never have thought this was to be the result.
"Russian dolls",
little boxes, one inside of the other,
hand painted by a little old woman on the streets of Kyrgyzstan.
Us, kids, grand kids, and even the dogs...
Very, very special!

This Christmas it was also 10 years since all the kids
had been together in one place.
Spread out as they are, in different parts of the world,
I certainly hope it won't be that long until next time.

Waiting on the next step

The baby jacket is on a "stand still" at the moment.
The reason is, - we don't know the sex of the baby yet!
The little set has many colors,
but I was not going to use pink if it's a boy.

Au - Ouch!

I admit it.
I am a little hyper... I move to fast.

If I set something on the table for instant,
I will be off to do something else, with my head turned the other way,
before whatever I had in my hands is actually set down.
That's how, my so far small, accidents happens.
Since Thanksgiving I have broken my little toe,
twisted my ankle,
and I constantly hit my hip bone or elbow in doorways, counter tops, etc.
Yesterday I managed to close the truck door on my thumb.


It was closed all the way!
Thank you to Jeff that he didn't lock the door,
as he was getting out on the other side.
I tell you I got it opened in a hurry, stuck as I was!
OH PAIN!!!!
Lots of ice, and a not to restful night later,
I am trying not to touch it,
and it will probably be OK in a couple of days.
I guess I need to slow down a little,
but it's easier said then done...

Bottom note:
I did try to knit, I can, but very slow....
I might just take up reading for a few days,
until I'm up to speed again!

A beautiful day!

I started another project today,
this sweater for my granddaughter, Tiril.
It might take a while,
because I don't have all the yarn yet....

I placed myself out side a little bit.
It is so nice and warm in the sun,
after all this cold rain we have had lately,
we needed some sun!
So I off course had to tease my little sister in Norway,
I was on the phone with her,
and they still have their grey and rainy winter days over there.
She still promised to send me some yarn for these pretty socks that


I have been wanting to knit for a while.
Just haven't found any yarn I liked.
She will send me Silja sock yarn from Gjestdal Spinneri,
although the pattern calls for Sisu from Sandnes Ullvare.
The reason is that I have some Silja yarn already,
and like the weight of it.
Maybe they will be done in time for Christmas?

Tea party

"Manne"
http://www.madebymanne.com/blogg/
has a tea party on her blog today,
and she is inviting us all to attend.
She lives in Norway, and her afternoon as this gets posted,
but for me in Houston, it's still morning.
I am drinking a cup of hot Green Tea, with milk!
I am a periodical tea drinker
(I have to admit that my addiction to coffee is worse),
and it has to be hot,
not ice tea (cold) as they drink it here.


The sewing machine teapot was a gift
from my mother-in-law, several years ago.
I knit a lot, but you will also find me at the sewing machine
almost every day.

Socks for Roy

I have a chest full of sock yarn,
and a son who prefer wearing these kind of socks!
So whats the problem?
They are quite boring to knit,
although they are fast to "whip" up.
I make a pair every now and then,
in between other more fun projects...

Coffee or tea anybody?

I visited "Hannesol" 's blog,
http://www.hannesol.blogspot.com/
and she challenged her visitors to show of their favorite coffee cup (or mug).
Well my favorite coffee cup is probably one I never use.
It live in my curio cabinet, it's quite old,
and it has "Bestemor" (grandmother) written in gold letters on it.
I am a grandmother, so maybe I need to get it out...


My everyday cup is a coffee mug, and it is used several times a day.
I am afraid I started my coffee addiction pretty early.
On my way to Sunday school (age 5-6),
I would always stop at my aunt Siren's house
to fill my pockets with coffee beans.
I considered it a treat,
and would chew on them during the Sunday school lesson.
Aunt Siren always grinded her own coffee
in a coffee-grinder just like the one above.
The smell was wonderful....


I also like a cup of warm tea. Preferable with sugar and milk.
My tea cup was given to me as a part of a set,
from a group of girls friends, almost 20 years ago.
Time is passing faster and faster...

Well, I will challenge everyone (you) who visit my blog,
to share a picture of their own favorite cup, story etc.
Either on their own blog (please let me know),
or as a comment here on mine.

I love porcelain. As young,
both my parents used to work at the Porcelain Factory (Egersund Fajanse)
in my home town, my mother as a painter.
But that's another story...

Flowers for Sue

The 4 last days I have been in Dallas, together with two very good friends,
spending the days walking the World Trade Center.
We stayed at a great hotel,
and by the end of exhausting days,
it felt fantastic to be spoiled with comfort!
Sue had these gorgeous roses sent to our room.
I had to post them and share...

One more thing

We have all heard the saying :
"When h... friezes over.."
(Paa godt norsk betyr det: "Det skjer aldri !")
Well, my husband warned/prepared me before moving here 10 years ago,
that "Texas is hotter than h...".

So now it just happened.
It froze over....

Ice - weird!

This is our yard today. Strange for Houston, normal other places!

"Calorimetry" from left over yarn

I wanted to to use some of the left over yarn from the socks I just finished,
and I have been wanting to try out this "Calorimetry" pattern from Knitty:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTcalorimetry.html
I changed it a little for myself, used less stitches (80) for a child's head.


Eini was not all that happy about having to model it, but cute she is!















Actually, with yesterdays bad weather I made two of them.
One in the morning, and one in the evening.
Pretty easy going.

Put your socks on, Texas is getting cold!

Tomorrow we are expecting an "Ice storm" even here in Houston.
Our flowers are covered with bed sheets so that they don't freeze,
we are guessing schools will be closed,
and I am loaded up with yarn.
My feet have been cold all morning,
but this afternoon I dug out some of my mothers socks.
She used to knit a lot of socks!


Since the daughter in the house was off today (Martin Luther King Day),
we hung around the house all day, me knitting.
I managed to finish these socks that I started Thursday.
The socks where actually supposed to be a pair of mittens.
However, after knitting about 3" (ca.7 1/2 cm),
I realised that I had forgotten to make the opening for the thumb.
So I decided to make them into socks!
Tiril can probably use them.
Norway has had a lot of rain lately,
and the socks will be good and warm inside her rain boots.

My day of luxury, - and now I'm spoiled!

One of the things I got for Christmas was a Gift Certificate to a Day Spa.
5 whole hours with body massage, facial, pedicure, manicure and a head massage (shampooing, conditioning, styling).
Half way through, lunch and a glass of wine.
The best of all was a hand massage,
that I received three different times through the entire session.
It should be a must for all knitters, and I will be returning for more!!

Funny thing is that I was actually nervous about going there.
That's because I could not in a thousand years imagine
what I would do there for 5 hours.
Off course I brought my knitting!

Got to knit a little during pedicure, that was all.

Coming home, I was so whipped,
felt I had been through the washing machine and the dryer too...
I'm almost as good as new!

The job I hate to do!

I love my dogs! I hate picking up their "dodo's"!
Today was that day... I survived, barely!
The "lawn people" will be here this afternoon, and it look like it might rain.
In both cases, the dodo's got to go.
My next dog (if there will ever be one) will be one that don't do dodo's....!!!!!

My cousin's hot pads

My cousin is a very creative person! She knits the most beautiful tings.
Last year she gave me these hot pads
with a traditional Scandinavian pattern, Christmas-hearts.
They are knitted with cotton yarn,
in the round, are very nice and thick, and have a crochet edge.
For the hearts, use in any left over color you have sitting around.
You can off course use your own pattern, or no pattern at all.
Good luck!

My cousin says she will take orders on these!

It's funny

I was just thinking of this....
My mother once told me about her mom, my grandma Anna,
that if she for some reason had to go visiting with the neighbors,
she would walk on the road and knit, making sure she didn't waste any time.
The ball of yarn in the pocket of her apron.

Honestly, sometimes I do the same,
around the house or in the back yard....

My new project

...is a small baby jacket,
knitted in Dale Baby Wool, pattern from Dale of Norway.
I use needles US size 0 (2 mm) and US size 2 (2,5 mm).
It feels pretty funny in my hands after knitting with thicker yarn for a while.
Anyway, I am using different colors,
since I don't know the sex of the baby yet.

Welcome....

....all you readers from all over the world!
The last day 3 new countries registered on my NeoCounter,
Spain, Belgium and Italy!
Hope you enjoyed my projects, and welcome back!

Molly's washcloth

A quick knit last night. Made two wash cloths as I was watching television.
Fast, easy, great for using left over yarn.
I used a cotton yarn, "Mandarin Soft" from Sandnes Uldvarefabrik.
http://www.sandnesgarn.no/Hjem.aspx
Pattern here:
http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbout/kpatterns/petal.html

I am getting "blind"

and I hate it....

Old age!
I used to have the sharpest eyesight.
Now it's just getting worse and worse.
My eye doctor is giving me "trifocals".
It's gonna make me nauseous,
me, who can't even ride in an elevators without getting "dizzy".
Ordered two pair, (pretty typical)
couldn't make my mind up about the design....

I really don't have to see much to be able to knit,
I often knit in totally darkness,
but my eyes get very sore after reading on the computer!
OK, I'll stop whining.

Beautiful day .....

Today we are just gonna be lazy and hang out in the sun,
recharge the batteries for a new week, a new year,
knit, and maybe open up a cold beer.
It's after noon isn't it?

Still in limbo

Christmas is over, but not out the door yet. Maybe this weekend!

I have started a new knitting project, it's on the needles,
and will be showed off soon.

Above is my oldest daughter (not Cleopatra), whom I already miss a lot!

Gratulerer med dagen, Gunhild!

Almost back to normal... what's normal?

My two oldest daughters have left to do whatever they do
when they're not visiting me...
We all got to visit with each other for a whole week,
and I feel blessed having all the kids here this year.

Too cute!!!!

My nephew sent me this picture, among others. I just had to put it on the blog!