Saturday, May 31, 2008

Big hats, small hats and summer

Nå har sommeren kommet til Oslo. I dag viste gradestokken hele 27 grader i skyggen. I sola satt jeg og strikket meg en Evalue i Alpaka fra Schachenmayr. Skal på en fem-dagers fjelltur til uka, så lua kan komme godt med, selv om jeg håper jeg får mer bruk for shorts enn lue. Den første Evalua jeg strikket ble faktisk for liten, eller rettere sagt den ble passe, men ikke sånn baggy jeg ville den skulle bli.



Now the summer has arrived Oslo. Today we had 27 Celsius in the shadow. I sat in the sun knitting an Evalue in Alpaka from Schachenmayr. I'm going on a five days mountain trip next week, so I might have to use the hat, even though I hope I'll get more use of shortpants instead of a hat. The first Evalue I knitted is actually too small, or it does fit, but it's not slouchy and baggy as I wanted it to be.



Jeg hadde nok garn igjen til å strikke en lue til. Ikke helt ferdig, men det blir jeg i løpet av kvelden. Tenker jeg gir den første lua til Irenesol sitt lueprosjekt.



I had enough yarn to knit another hat. I'm not done yet, but I will be during the night. I'll guess I give my first hat to Irenesol's project, knitting hats to people with cancer.


Har også startet på en jakke i silkealpakke fra Drops. Den ble også for stor, så jeg måtte justere ned maskeantallet.



I have also started on a jacket in silkalpaca from Drops. This was also too big and I adjusted it down a size.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Secret Pal 12 the questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
My favourite yarn, that's a tough one, but I love alpaca and wool, and I love multicolored yarn and especially handdyed yarn. I don't ever knit in acrylic yarn.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have two wonderful, homesewn needle cases made by my friend Babsy.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting since I was four years old and I learned it from my kindergarden teacher. My neighbour taught med to knit cables. I think I'm an advanced knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
No, but I do love to read. Since I'm a mother I don't have time to read that much, so many of the conteporary writers is still unread.
5. What's your favorite scent?
Light and easy flower scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes, I like candy. I like most every sweets. Love to taste new things.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I crochet, but I do not spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I listen to almost everything. My favorite band is The Doors, but mostly I listen to r'nb.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like clean, bright colors. Lately I have been wearing a lot of purple and pink, but I like red, blue, turquiose as well, and of course brown, black and white.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a 3 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. We don't have any pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I like to wear scarves, hats and mittens, but not ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I have to say socks.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Well, right now I'm knitting a jacket to me, a pair of socks to me, a bag, a hat and sweater for my son.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, I love handmade gifts.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer dobble pinned needles and circular needles from Knit Pics and in bamboo.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes, both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Two years and it's just going to end up as a UFO.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Relaxing with my family at the beach with me knitting, the kids playing in the sand and my husband next to me.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I collect knitting patterns, books, movies and great moments.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any subscriptions and love to get my hands on knitting magazines. Love to try Thomas Tilli yarn, love Rowan's books, sock pattern books and one skein pattern books.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I can't think of any right now.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I'm a sock knitter. My feet are small, I use a size is a European 35, a British 3 and a US 5.

23. When is your birthday?
24th of February.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes, I'm on Ravelry. You can find me there as amylin.

Monday, May 26, 2008

I've been challenged

Jeg har blitt utfordret av Vibbedille.

Pick up the nearest book.
Open on page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you

Well, the nearest book is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, which is a great book.

Philip began to perspire slightly. "I gathered he was well known, by the people he was going to see, as an authorised representative of the earl." "What was his name?"

And I challenge

I forgot to show off the national costumes



Jeg glemte å legge inn bilder av bunadene til ungene. Ble ferdig i tide til 17.mai og siden det snødde 17.mai, var bunader i ull et greit plagg å ha på den dagen.


I completely forgot to show off the national costumes I made for my kids. They were done just in time for the national day, 17th of May, and since it actually snowed this day, national costumes knitted in wool was great.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Finally done with my exam

Endelig ferdig med eksamen! Det er alltid en deilig følelse å levere eksamen og vite at du er ferdig med lesing. Nå kan jeg lese akkurat det jeg har lyst til, og det er utrolig hvor mange skjønnlitterære bøker jeg fikk lyst til å lese mens jeg leste til eksamen. Jeg var ferdig for noen dager siden og jeg har benyttet tiden siden eksamen. Ferdig med toppen fra Drops. Måtte gjøre om maskeantallet, siden jeg er litt mindre enn Drops sin small. Den ser litt rar ut i fasongen når den ikke er på, men jeg ble veldig fornøyd med den. Det eneste er at kanten nede ruller seg innover.


Finally done with the exam! It's always a great feeling to hand in the exam and know that you're done with studying. Now I can read whatever I want to, and it's amazing how many books I wanted to read while studying. I was done with the exam some days ago and I have really enjoyed the days since the exam. I'm done with the summertop from Drops. I had to reduce the size since I'm smaller than Drops's small. It looks kind of weird when I don't wear it, but I'm very pleased with it. The only thing is that the bottom is folding to the inside.


Jeg har også strikket fire vesker/bager fra Drops det også. Disse er sommergave til de ansatte i bhg til ungene mine. Har igjen å strikke fem bager til. Lette å strikke/hekle og er morsomme å gjøre. Jeg bruker Muskat soft, bomullsgarn.

I have also knitted four bags from Drops. They are easy and fun to knit. I use Muskat soft, cotton yarn. Theese four bags are a summergift to the employees in my kids kindergarden. I have to knit five more.


I fjor kjøpte jeg to julestrømper til ungene mine, men først nå har jeg startet på den ene. Det er små sting og mange detaljer, så dette kommer til å ta tid.

Last year I bought two Christmas stockings for my kids, but I have just started on the first. It's so many details and the stitches are so small, this is really a big job.


Jeg har også fått en veldig søt gave fra Vibbedille. Sendte henne litt sokkerestegarn, også fikk jeg en liten overraskelse i posten. Tusen, tusen takk! Så søte maskemarkører har jeg aldri hatt.


I have also received a very cute gift from Vibbedille. I sent her some of my leftover sockyarn, and she sent me this surprise in the mail. A lot of thanks! I have never had this cute markers before.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

My new knit picks needles

Jeg har helt glemt å blogge mine nye knit picks pinner. Helt sikkert fordi jeg har vært for opptatt å strikke med dem. Det er bare så deilig å strikke med mine nye pinner, så jeg skjønner hvorfor noen drev massiv reklame for disse pinnene her. Kommer helt sikkert til å kjøpe meg flere sett etterhvert.


I have completely forgotten to blog my new knit picks needles. Probably because I have been too busy knitting with them. They are so great, and now I see why somebody advertised and bragged about theese needles. I''m very certain I'm going to buy more of theese.


Det er kjedelig å lese til eksamen, så jeg startet på en ny sommertopp til meg. Tja, ikke alt går etter planen. Først ble det mye strikking og lite lesing. Man må jo komme godt i gang med en gang man starter et prosjekt. Så oppdaget jeg at toppen ble i det største laget til meg - rykk tilbake til start. Ble litt mer lesing til eksamen. Med nytt pågangsmot har jeg nå startet på nytt igjen med mindre masker.



It's boring studying for the exams, so I started on a new summertop for me. Well, everything doesn't always go according to plans. First there was a lot of knitting and not so much studying. You have to get a good start when you first start on a new project, right? Then I discover that the top is way too big for me - move back to start. Then it was a little bit more studying for the exams. Now I have started over again with a smaller version, so hopefully I'm moving forward this time and not backwards.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Knitting is so much more fun than studying for the exam

Strikking er bare så mye morsommere enn å lese til eksamen, så det blir gjort noe her i huset selv om jeg burde lese. Jeg leser også, men pauser må jeg ha og de blir benyttet til strikking. Ok, så er det vel litt lange pauser inni mellom, men jeg lover at jeg leser effektivt når jeg leser.
Jeg har prøvd og prøvd å få gjøre denne toppen større i størrelsen, men har ikke lykkes helt enda. Har nok noe med at jeg har brukt forskjellig garn til toppene og ikke strikket prøvelapp. Prøvelapper er for pyser! Burde nok kanskje ha gjort det. Oppskriften er til 4-5 år, mens jeg prøvde å øke for å få den til en syvåring. Har ikke lykkes enda, men jeg gir meg ikke. Resultatet har blitt at tulla har fått tre topper. Hun var veldig fornøyd, og jeg var lettet for at jeg brukte av garnlageret mitt slik at hun ikke fikk tre topper i samme garn og samme farge. Den rosa og lilla er strikket i Mandarin soft og den røde er strikket i Brilla jeg fikk i hemmelig venn gave.





Knitting is so much more fun than studying for my exam, so I do knit a little bit even though I should study. I read too, but I need breaks and I use them to knit. Ok, so sometimes my breaks are long, but I promise that when I study I'm very focused.

I have tried and tried to make this top in a bigger size without success. Probably something to do with my use of different yarn and that I didn't measure the gauge first. Maybe I should have? The pattern is for a 4-5 year-old, but I wanted to knit it to a 7 year old. Well, no success so far, but I refuse to give up. The resault is that my daughter has three tops. She's a very happy girl, and I'm a bit relieved that I used my stash, cause that meant she didn't get three tops in the same yarn in the same color. The pink and purple is knitted in Mandarin soft, cotton yarn and the red one is knitted in Brilla.


Jeg har gått på en aldri så liten sprekk angående garnlageret mitt. Skulle bruke av garnlageret mitt og vente med å kjøpe garn til Tananger-turen. Vel, jeg har brukt av garnlageret mitt til tre topper til tulla, jeg leser til eksamen i finværet og noe må man jo trøste seg med. Dessuten har jeg planer for alt garnet og har tenkt å strikke noe av det i veldig nær framtid. Da er jeg vel unnskyldt?







I have bought yarn, and I promised myself I wouldn't until September. Well, to my defense I have used yarn from my stash for three tops, I am studying for my exam in this sunny, warm weather and a girl has to seek comfort in something. And I have a plan for every skein I bought and I promise to knit something very soon. I am excused, am I not?

Sunday, May 04, 2008

I just had to

Jeg måtte bare strikke denne toppen til tulla, da jeg så den på Ravelry. Ok da, så var jeg inne på Ravelry og søkte etter en topp til små jenter, men denne var søt, enkel og veldig kjapp å strikke. Tulla skal i bursdag denne uka og egentlig skulle den være gaven, men den ble for liten. Tulla ble veldig glad for det. Jeg skal se om jeg rekker å strikke en til før bursdagen. Det er en av de enkleste toppene jeg har strikket, ingen montering og kun festing av tråder, strikket fra toppen og ned. Oppskriften finner du her. Jeg har brukt Cotton Lux, og brukte litt over to nøster.

I just had to knit this for my daughter when I saw it on Ravelry. Ok then, I was surfing Ravelry for a summertop for girls, but this was cute, easy and really fast to knit. My daughter is going to a birthdayparty this week and this was meant to be the present, but it turned out a couple of sizes too small, but my daughter was happy. I'll see if I manage to knit one more before the birthdayparty. It's one of the easiest tops I have ever knitted, no sewing, just weaving in threads, knitted from the top till bottom. You can find the pattern here. I used Cotton Lux and used a bit over two skeins.


Jeg er ferdig med den første mai-sokken i Sokkealongen 2008. Fine sokker, god passform og lett mønster, selv om jeg må se på mønsteret. Tror nok mannen ender opp med et par av disse etter hvert også. Da skal jeg lese igjen.


I'm done with the first May-sock in the Sock kal 2008. Nice socks, fit great and a fairly easy pattern even though I have to look at the pattern. I think my husband will end up with a pair of these as well. I have to return to my books.