Stu Larsen - in concert

Last night I was one of a lucky few who got to experience the wonderful Stu Larsen on a miniature stage, with his guitar and harmonica. It was a very intimate concert, with him playing some of his songs for an audience of about 50-60 people here in Oslo.

I went with a friend of mine, who - just like I did - needed some time out and about, and not spending (seemingly) every evening sitting at home.

We both had a great time, starting with dinner before walking down to the theatre where Stu was playing.

I took a couple of pictures, but there are some limitations as to the quality of the iPhone camera. But I  really like the way the black&white one turned out.

What's really fun about Stu, is that not only is he a really good musician, but he's also the brother of a blogfriend/swapfriend/facebookfriend/craftsfriend of mine. 

If you have Spotify available, I recommend checking out Stu's music - also on YouTube. And if he's playing a concert near you, please go and see him! I can promise you'll have a good time.

I introduced Stu's music to one of my colleagues today, and he was a fan after 45 seconds of listening.. *cheers*

Procrastinating, in all it's glory

You know what I'm talking about, right? Procrastinating? Putting off something, just because it seems like such an effort to finish? Well, I have a knitted project just right for this description..

According to Ravelry, I started knitting this in May 2013, and it trotted along for a short while, until the summer heat came later that month. It went on pause until October, where I might've knitted a row or two, feeling gloomy - there was just too much work, I'm never getting this finished - and so it went back in the project bag..

Soft'n'fluffy wool.. 

Then came January - and the ambition of finishing more things attacked from it's hiding place. If I could just finish one row of stars a week, I'd be happy. I'd be done by the time summer came back. And so I begun knitting.. and saw that, hey, I could actually finish one row of stars in one to two days!

13 1/2 stars wide by 14 star designs high.

And suddenly, less than two weeks later - it was done! 13 1/2 stars wide, 14 stars tall. Each row of stars is a different design. Knitted in the 100% wool yarn Kauni, in two variegated colors (EN shades of blue, and ELC white-to-orange).

Loving the variegated blues and white-to-orange..
Gives life to the whole blanket!

It's almost big enough for a lap throw, but it is actually a baby blanket. P's expressed wishes that he could keep it for him self, but he's got blankets and quilts to last him quite a while now. ;-)

Stars, stars and more stars..

The pattern is called Orion's Belt, and was designed by Ann Myhre - also known as Pinneguri. If you ever need a gorgeous knitting project, then I'd be sure to check out Pinneguri's patterns and see if there's anything that tempts you there (I know there are several temptations for me in her pattern collection.. hmmm....). ;-)

Milo meets Fana - and soft baby stockings

I've knitted another Milo vest - but added some inspiration from the traditional norwegian knitted pattern called Fana. It's an easy pattern, and can be modified to include almost any kind of pattern or design. 

Added a simple "lice" pattern.

 I've knitted Milo three times now - once for Peder, in a grassy green yarn that I had in my stash, and once for a friend of mine who had a baby boy this Winter.

Starting from the top and knitted down, it's really
simple to adjust the size and length desired.

This third Milo is knitted in a soft and squishy baby merino yarn, which makes it perfect for a little baby. I've adjusted it a bit, by knitting a large size with smaller needles and thinner yarn, so I think it should be just right for someone around 4-6 months. 

Matching stockings.

I had a bit of yarn left over, so I decided to knit a pair of socks/stockings to match. These are in size 4-12 months, good and long. (The rest of the brown yarn was adopted by Peder as his "dog"..) What I love about this pattern, is that the socks/stockings are really long and nice - almost up to the knees - and very flexible and stretchy. 

 

***

Today's Sunday, and Peder and I are watching cartoons and enjoying a quiet and lazy morning (or, he's doing the cartoon watching while I'm getting some work done on my blog). Yesterday all three of us went to our hairdressers and got a haircut. It's nice to do (practically) nothing for a day or two, before the week is over us again, with it's busy days at work and in kindergarden. Although it snowed a bit one morning last week, it was gone by lunchtime. This has truly been a strange winter here in Oslo - mostly rain, a few short weeks of snow - and then green grass. The flowers are starting to bloom already, and we're not even finished with the month of March! Soon April's here, and we'll have a couple of days off (from both work and kindergarten) because of Easter.

Happy Sunday to you!

Why do you do the things you do?

For reasons I'm not going to elaborate any further at the moment, I've been thinking a lot about why I do the things I do lately. Why do I quilt? Why do I knit, sew, paper piece, crochet, blog, and so on?

Why do I quilt?

I'm not an expert at doing what I do. I'm not particularly good, a designer or a professional. I'm OK at what I do. I make things that I like, I get ideas and I like to learn/test new things/techniques.

I haven't entered many competitions, and I've never won any of the ones that I have entered. I don't quilt to win prices - I quilt because I like it, I think it's fun - and it gives me something in return (peace of mind, an outlet for my creativeness, mug rugs or wallhangings or quilts to use).

And I'm in it for the fun of it.

I've entered swaps before, and I will enter others in the future, and I strive to always send something that I'd like to receive back. If not, then I will start again. (I have experienced receiving something that I'd never ever send, I'd be too embarrassed, but luckily that's only happened once or twice.)

I have entered a quilt in a competition now, and I'm looking forward to getting the judges comments on it - but I don't count on winning first prize, or second prize - or any prize. My only expectation is to get feedback from the judges, perhaps they'll be able to point out things I need to work more on - actually, I hope they do. Of course, what matters the most, is what I feel about this quilt - not what everybody else thinks.

I guess the thought of entering a competition, solely to win, is a silly thought. Expecting to win, counting winning as a certainty, using this as the only reason to create something and enter the competition, to me this is just wrong. To me, this feels like someone who's completely misunderstood the reason for creating a competition, the reason for making something to enter in a competition. The reason to create.

A competition should be created with the purpose of seeing how many, and diverse, interpretations and solutions that results from the given theme, content, and so on. And the products created for a competition should be made to show a persons interpretations, or a technique, something the creator is proud of, something this person would like to share.

The quilt I have entered in this competition, is a quilt I started to think about right after I heard the theme for the competition about a year ago. I thought about it for a long time, and started sewing a few months later. The last stitches were made around Christmas last year, and I am proud of the result. It's not perfect, far from it, but it has soul. There's a story behind it, it's got roots in history, and at the same time it's personal. (I can't wait to have it back, to hang it on my wall and just enjoy it.) I loved the process of making it. It challenged me to try techniques I've stayed away from. I learned from it. I grew. And I know that I will not win a prize for it. But, hey, it doesn't matter.

I made this quilt because right now I love to sew. I love to create - sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet - I need it, crave it, dream it. (I wonder, can I add breathe it to the list too?)

And when the time comes and I don't feel this way anymore. When looking at patterns, fabric, yarn, and so on isn't fun anymore - when all of this becomes a have to, a duty. Well, guess what..

I'll stop.

I'm in it to have fun. And when it's not fun anymore - I quit.

***
Why do you do the things you do?

Roughly four years in the making..

Back in the winter of 2010, I prepared the stitcheries for the Cinderberry Stitches pattern Sublime Season - and... february 2014  I put the final stitches in the binding. Not bad, huh?

Originally, the pattern called for windmills around and between each block, but I'm not very good at piecing these kinds of blocks.. I suppose that's why most of my quilts have squares or simple lines.. In this one I decided to use a black flamelike fabric, changing shade from deep black to lighter charcoal gray. The yellow strip is my final leftovers of a very warm, yellow butterfly fabric. I bought this back when I lived in Tønsberg (between 2004 and 2006) and have been saving this last piece for something special.

Sublime Season on the grass.

 Now, Sublime Season is a Christmas themed pattern, with parts of Twelve Days of Christmas written in the center block, but the colors are so cute and light, and I really wanted to reflect that in the outer border. The yellow fits perfectly - and there are shades of light blue and pink there too, in the butterflies.

Almost sunlight - so much better than the gray of winter.

 I figured, 1) it's my quilt so I'll do what I want with it, and 2) the pattern's from Australia, where I bet there's butterflies at Christmas, so the fabric was just perfect.

On our bbq-bench - unfortunately, slightly wrinkly. 

I had to chase the quilt a bit when trying to photograph it, as the wind kept trying to steal it from me. Now to wait for Christmas, so that I can hang it in our living room.

Hedwig and Herbert

Last year - almost exactly to the day - I fell in love. I fell head over heels in love with a pattern from Northern Quilts called Hedwig and Herbert. It's a pattern for mug rugs or small table toppers (also included is a pattern for place mats) featuring the owls Herbert and Hedwig. (I say small table toppers as the mug rugs are slightly bigger than the average size used for mug rugs - at least min ended up that way, but they're still too cute!)

The quartet.

I decided to make two of each - using blues and browns for Herbert, and purple-pink'ish for Hedwig, swapping the colors, so that the wings of one of them came back in the body of the other - and vice-versa.

Hedwig(s).

I love how simple it is to change the design of the eyes - and the eyes really give personality to the owls. That's probably why all four of these owls have different expressions in their eyes.

Herbert(s).

In our house there are usually always a cup or a glass on the table, and I really like using mug rugs - they leave a little extra space for something else. Sometimes there'll be both a cup and a glass (or a bottle) for a person, sometimes there's a piece of snack that needs to be put down somewhere - and a mug rug is just perfect for that!

Bear Hats

Continuing to knit from the book Monster knits for little monsters (as mentioned in a previous post) I wanted to try the pattern called Santa Bear (only, I didn't want to knit a red&white Christmas-y hat, but found the idea of a brown hat with light details more interesting). Thus the Brown Bear Hat was born!

I've knitted two of these, size 6-12 months. I really like the basic pattern, with the tighter field around the face, and the part covering the neck and going down to the shoulders. (Basically, it's the same base pattern as the dragon hat I knitted for Peder, it's just got squishy little ears instead of spikes.)

First hat just off the needles.

I ended up with a warm, dark brown as base color, and chose off-white as the contrast color.

Outside, in natural light.

The first hat has details in off-white around the face, on the ears and the bottom edge of the neck.

Second hat in natural lighting.

On the second hat I ran out of off-white about halfway down the bottom edge, and decided to swap the off-white edge with a brown one (instead of buying a new skein for only a few grams of yarn). 

Aren't they cute?

Dragon Hat for Peder

For Christmas my mom gave me a new (for me) knitting book - Monster knits for little monsters, by Nuriya Khegay - and some skeins of yarn in a bright green color.

I quickly fell for one of the patterns in the book, called Dinky Dragon - which also Peder loved - but didn't quite understand the description for how to create the spikes. So, after casting on and frogging about 4 or 5 times, I decided to knit a plain hat, and then figure out another way to make some spikes.  (Typically, after finishing it, I got an epiphany - or whatchamaycallit - and finally understood it, so making another one would be a piece of cake.) 

Anyway, I'm still very pleased with the results - and so is Peder. 

The hat is great, sits nicely around the face, with good cover for the neck going down to the shoulders. Peder likes that he can pull it back, as if he was wearing a hooded jacket, when he's inside a store or on the bus/tram/subway. It's cool - and both the design and color makes it really easy to spot him in a crowd. (Which is damned practical, if I may say so.)

Before the spikes.. 

The pattern calls for 5 or 6 spikes, but I
managed to tweak in 4.

Happy boy in his new hat. 

Knitted Space Invader-hat

A colleague of mine asked if I could knit a Space Invader-hat for her husband a few weeks ago. The question came on a Friday, and Saturday I went shopping for yarn. She wanted it to be knitted in the traditional Marius sweater colours, which are dark blue, white and red. So I picked up a skein of each of these colours in the yarn Free Style produced by Dale of Norway. 



The blue is not really as dark as it is
in this picture.

 The pattern is a Arne & Carlos design, the two guys who came with the book of knitted Christmas balls a couple of years ago.

This shows a more correct shade of blue.

The hat (and yarn) calls for size 4.5 and 5 needles (European sizes) so it's a fast-knitted project. I started on it after buying the yarn on Saturday (well, more like Saturday afternoon) and had it finished by Sunday afternoon.

Both Kerstin and her hubby were very satisified.

***
I don't get many requests or questions regarding knitting (or sewing) for other people, but so far, I've said yes when I've gotten a request. I know that there are many who won't knit for others or take orders, and I understand that, especially if they get many requests. But I haven't gotten that many yet, so for me it's still fun to knit (and sew) for others.

Doing some modifications on the blog

I've been thinking about making some changes - or adding a few pages, to be more precise - to the blog, and started by adding a Swaps and SALs page (located on the top of the page) where I intend to list all of the swaps and SALs (stitch-a-long) that I've joined over the years (mostly for my own memory and stuff, but perhaps others might find it interesting too, I dunno..). But after talking to my mom on the phone earlier this afternoon, I've decided to add another page, listing all the finishes I've made this year (both quilting and knitting/crochet) on a page called 2014 Finishes. My plan is to list the item, and link to the post describing the project. 

Now, after adding the page and starting to list the finishes I have so far in 2014, I realize that I am waaaay behind on my blogging! (And the main reason for that is.. the lack of photo-light..) There's nothing more depressing than trying to show off a finished project than by doing so with ill-lit photos, taken in boring locations. (I'm trying to say that I'm sick and tired of the grayness that's been all-over these past few months.. gray mornings, gray middays, gray afternoons - pitch-black evenings and nights..) Today was the first day I actually saw a sunrise! Blue skies during the day! Had to close the blinds because of the sun shining in (I spent the day at home with a sick little boy, otherwise I would've been in the office, not seeing the bright blueness or getting the sun in my eyes). Apparently, this phenomenon might actually happen again, tomorrow (before the return of mushy snow on Wednesday and Thursday..) so maybe, just maybe I'll manage to get some nicer photos taken tomorrow.. (When I look at the list I've started on the 2014 Finishes page, I seem to have some work to do..)

The view from the 21st floor

Last week I went with a colleague to get a photo taken for a new ID. We had to go to the 21st floor in the building next door to ours, and while being up there I couldn't help notice how small the city feels from that height.

So, here are a few pictures showing the view around the part of Oslo where I work.

The Opera is the flatfish, white building in the center. 

The harbor up at the right, where the ferry to Denmark docks.

The huge "blob" at the bottom is a concert arena called
"Oslo Spektrum".

The Radisson SAS hotel, which is next to "Oslo Spektrum".

This picture is taken in the direction of our
neighbourhood in Oslo - barely visible is the
swimming pool building, "Tøyen Badet"
(a "half circle" building), and our apartment is right below it. 

In the more crafty news I've completed a couple of knitting projects, one that I can show now - I just need to take some good pictures of it - and one that's a secret. I'm also working on my mug rugs for the swap I've joined. Some stitching left, and then it's time for quilting. The send-off date is not until the 22nd, so there's still time. I'm also quilting on a project that's been on it's way for a few years now (I think I started working on it before Peder was born, or when he was a baby, I don't really remember). I'm excited to see it so close to being finished - and it really makes me want to finish other projects hidden away - to make a clean slate (at least while I'm still in the "finishing" mood).

:)

Last year's most used Christmas present

Last week was the sixth week of the new year - and the fourth time I've used the double-waffle iron that we got for Christmas last year. It's brilliant! Making two plates of waffles at once, cutting the preparation time in half.

Mmmmm.. waffles..

I'm not sure if it's a Norwegian thing, but we do love waffles here..

Joined a swap

I signed up for the Quilting Gallery "Olympic Mugrug Swap" a while back, and am waiting for the details of my swap partner later this week. 

Not much going on these days. Work in the day, doing stuff in the evening. I've prepped a project for quilting and have picked up a knitting project I started last year. The knitting project is a long time-project that I hope to finish some time soon , but I'm not even half way yet.. It kinda de-motivates me. I wish it was completed now, so that I could enjoy it - and start something new.. 

Monday, and the start of a new week.. I hope it brings something good for everybody. And rain to my friends in Australia. 

Found it!

The stitcheries from the last post were from a series of stitcheries from Hatched and Patched, and I bought and finished them back in 2007. 

While looking back on older posts on my blog, I also found the SSCS-badges from the first two years too (2007 and 2008), and have now included them on the right side of the blog, with the others. 

:)

Sunday - not as lazy as you'd like..

Today's Sunday. There's perhaps 1-2 centimeters of snow outside, and it's suddenly cooler out - about -6 to -7 degrees celsius this morning, and somewhere around -2 or -3 now.

It was another early morning this morning - as it has been all last week. It's not that we're busy doing things, but Mini's been awake a number of times every single night this past week, and last night was no different..

Today he and I were up around 7AM. Managed to fill the entire living room full of toys before all three of us got dressed and walked up to the local pool. Spent a couple of hours there, with what seemed to be about half of the population in our neighborhood.. And now there are only a few minutes left until we have to get dressed again to go to a Christmas party (yes, I know it's January) at hubby's office (it's for the employees' kids).

But right now, we have a couple of minutes to relax..

When I was packing away all the Christmas decorations, I found a small wallhanging I made a few years ago (I think I made it back in 2006 or 2007.. there should be a picture somewhere on the blog..). Anyway.. We don't have that many things hanging on our walls in this apartment, and seeing as I enjoyed having a small tablecloth on my little corner table, I thought I'd use it as a topper for a while.

My little nook - corner table by the sofa.

The two main fabric are the same, only in different colors. There are four stitcheries, and five squares of different light fabric in between. Simple, and yet very decorative.

Flowers, lady bugs, bee hive and a large flower, all from
the same series of small stitcheries.

The stitcheries were pre-printed, but the pattern was also included printed on paper. I think I have a few more of these designs, my mom and Vigdis swapped as we all bought different patterns. They are.. somewhere in the collection of patterns and designs.. 

***

The sun is finally shining, and I can see just how dirty my windows are.. oh well, time to get dressed and get out of here. ;-) The dirty windows won't go anywhere. 

Monster-mail!

Today I made waffles for dinner - it was just Mini and me home, and I figured that it had been a looooong time since I'd made waffles (not since last summer, when I ended up with a burn on my arm..). I found a recipe on the web from the Norwegian seamen church in Copenhagen (apparently voted the best waffles in the world a couple of years ago). The recipe was a little different from what I've been used to, but they ended up really yummy! (I think there's even leftovers so that I can bring some to work tomorrow, for lunch.. mmmm…)

Yummy-yummy waffles! With strawberry jam..

 And in the mail today was an envelope containing this little charmer :

Dox is back home!

Dox was "born" for a competition to win a feature in a book last year, and has spent most of 2013 traveling to bookstores and book launches (even appeared on TV!) to promote the book she was featured in. (The book's called Hand made, contains a number of projects created by bloggers from all over Norway, and is published in norwegian.)

***
I've been bitten by the EPP (English Paper Piecing) bug, and have had some problems getting to bed this week - and with a little boy who's gotten up annoyingly early (last night he wanted to be read a book at 03:30 AM…) it's needless to say there hasn't been much quality sleep for any of us this week. But, tonight, I'm off to bed early.

Good night!

First finishes in 2014

This weekend I managed to finish three items - one WIP and two UFOs. The WIP (work in progress, or ongoing project) I cannot show you, as it is for a competition later this year, but the two UFOs (unfinished objects, now completed) I can show you. 

I crochet the brown owl (Sir Hoots-a-Lot) last summer, and started working on the smallest one right after, but he and the gray one both ended up as "no-priority-projects" when fall came, and I started tp focus on other things and projects. Oh well, until tonight, when they were both finished, with eyes and all. 

Now to find some good names for them.. 

I have a few more projects in my "to be completed"-pile, and about a ton of ideas I'd like to test, but that'll have to wait. 

Goodnight!

SSCS 2013 - what I sent

I was so happy when the news came this fall that there would be another round of Secret Santa Christmas Swap! It's really become a tradition over the years, and I'vr grestly enjoyed getting to know bloggers and quilters from all over the world during this yearly swap, organised by the Elf Mother Chookyblue - and this year her Assistant Elf Googy Girl. 

Sneaking around a person's blog, planning and making a project, sending it off in good time for Christmas - and hoping the parcel will give some joy is really, really fun! (Although I guess some of us - ahem - can be a bit too sneaky from time to time..) 

This year my victim of sneakyness, and reciever of my parcel, was Cheryl, who writes the lovely blog http://blissintheburbs-kayly.blogspot.com (have a look at the projects she's been working on - they're amazing!). 

And this is what I sent to Cheryl : 

Both parcels in their wrapping..

The ornament (mini-stocking) and a folded star (I just learned how to fold these, and they are addictive!). 

And the wallhanging (a Tilda design) and the ornament together. 

I included a couple of more things (a reflective badge in the shape of a sheep with a traditional norwegian knitting pattern on it, and a tiny calendar). 

Thabks again, Chooky, for a great swap! It just wouldn't be Christmas without it! 

Merry Christmas! And thank you!!!

Merry Christmas! 

It's December 25th, and Christmas Day. Yesterday we had a great Christmas dinner, a visit from Santa himself, and a couple of his helpers (an elf girl and an elf dog). The kids were in awe (mildly spoken)! After dinner the presents were unwrapped and everybody were very happy (I've spent the morning today building a firetruck out of LEGO). 

Today's a lazy day. It's quite unusually warm outside, and raining cats&dogs.. But! I have a very special gift to enjoy! Just look at the gorgeous tablerunner my Secret Santa sent me! 

This year Simone (www.quiltingismydowntime.blogspot.com) from Australia was my Secret Santa, and she sent me a tablerunner with cute Christmas fabrics in the center, and with ornaments around the edge. 

I can't wait to come home and put it on our livingroom table!

Thank you so much, Simone! And thank you to Chooky and Googy-girl for arranging another Secret Santa Christmas Swap! 

Countdown

It's a short week until Christmas Eve, and the big night here in Norway (yes, we do open our presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day). I've got more or less all of the presents ready, two are missing gift wrap - and my SSCS-parcel is well hidden with the other presents.

I'm getting ready to head out to the office and get some work done today, but I thought I'd leave you with an amazing video I saw on Facebook the other day. This is an acoustic guitar-version of a song featured in a norwegian animated movie from the 70's. Quite amazing, I think.

I hope you enjoy it - and that you have a great day! (All the snow's rained away here, so it's back to being wet and dark again..)

Travelling back in time..

Well, almost. :)

Tonight I've spent the evening with some guys who started their careers around the time I was born.

It's kind of interesting to go to a concert, not quite knowing what you're going to. Perhaps you've heard a couple of songs before, but not many.. considering that one of the biggest hits played tonight was from 1993 (when I was 12 years old). But seeing the bands play live was amazing! It didn't matter - at all - that I knew of just a few of their songs, it's the whole experience - going to the concert with friends, having a good time, singing along to the songs you know and nodding your head with the rhythm to those you don't know - that's what counts! And I had a really good time! (So good, in fact, that I'm sitting here, writing a blog post about it, at 1AM in the morning.)

Considering that both of these bands were Norwegian, I doubt they're very well known outside of Norway, but maybe some of you might've heard about them before.. I don't know.

The first band was Return. They played for about an hour and a half, going through most of their greatest hits, and even some songs that I knew (and could sing along to). Like this one :

Let's just say that the long hair is pretty much gone by now (except from on the guitarist.. who seemed very young to be playing in this band.. I'm thinking he might be quite new - but he was brilliant!).

The second band was Stage Dolls. Now, these I've heard a bit from before - like I said earlier, one of their songs was a really big hit back when I was about 12 years old - and I still remember the lyrics!

Sorry about the quality of these videos, but the music is still good. (Spotify is probably a better choice..)

***

On a side note, though..

Although I had a blast tonight, it still frustrates me how some people (not all.. but there's always some) come to a concert, pay lots of money - and then ends up drinking their minds away? When you're so drunk you can hardly walk up a flight of stairs, how on earth do you plan to get your butt home safely? And then you have the stupid drunks, like the guy who wanted to get one of my friends into a fight. Butt off! It's not his fault you're stupid, drunk and the bartender refused to sell you more beer, so that your girlfriend had to buy more for you (she shouldn't, in my mind, but what could I've done about it?). Needless to say, I'm not that happy about drunk people. I don't like being drunk - and I rarely drink very much. I can have a glass of wine or a drink every now and then - but that's it. I don't see the point in paying for a concert and then getting so drunk I'm not even sure where I end up the next morning - I'd rather be sober and enjoy the music. (Which is why I had one glass of very nice riesling at dinner - and drank soda for the rest of the evening.) 

***

Perhaps we should make some plans for next year, mom? According to the bands, they'll be back again next year (or, as the lead singer of Return said; first comes Stage Dolls - then Santa). ;)

Guess what arrived on Sunday?

SNOW!

Mini and I dug out the reserve snow clothes (the other snow suit was still in the kindergarten, as Mini was home sick on Friday) and ventured out. Enjoy the pictures!

***

Only thirteen days left until Christmas Eve!