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Pink and purple pillow pleasures…

September 2, 2011 in Sewing | Tags: patchwork, sewing | 9 comments

Hæ hæ, nogle gange giver et blogemne en herlig mulighed for alliterationer i overskriften – og lidt ordnørdet kan man jo altid være. I al fald er jeg blevet færdig med de to lyserøde og lilla pyntepuder, som jeg morede mig med at lave fronterne til i sidste weekend. De er til en god og heldigvis notorisk farveglad ven, der helt sikkert også vil værdsætte, at moteringspuderne indeni er hentet i IKEA.

Heh heh, sometimes the blog subject luckily gives a possibility of playing with alliteration in the title – one has to give air to the word nerd from time to time. In any case, I’ve finished the two pink and purple pillows, which I had fun with over the weekend. They are a gift for a good, and luckily very colour happy, friend, who probably also will appreciate that the the pillows inside are bought in IKEA.

Den store har jeg lavet med log-cabin, hvor jeg delte alle mine lagerstoffer op i lilla og lyserød og lod farverne graduere fra lysere til mørkere, så godt jeg kunne. Jeg er ret godt tilfreds med resultatet, især fordi jeg slet ikke var sikker på, hvordan det ville fungere på det færdige stykke. Strimlerne er skåret i 4cm tykkelse, og da jeg har brugt 1cm sømrum, er de færdige striber ca. 2 cm i bredden. Puden er 50 x 50 cm.

The larger pillow is made in log cabin style, where I sorted my stash fabric so I had a purple and a pink pile and then let the colours graduate from lighter to darker, as best I was able. I’m quite happy with the result, especially since I wasn’t at all certain about what the end result would look like. The strips are cut to a 4cm width, and as I’ve used 1cm for seaming, the finished stripes are about 2cm. The pillow is 50 x 50 cm.

Til den lille pude, der måler 35 x 35 cm, skar jeg resterne af strimlerne fra den store pude op i stykker på 6cm længde. På den måde kunne jeg så sy dem sammen til 4x4cm kvadrater til puden, hvor jeg hele tiden lod de to “nuancer” fra den store pude spille op mod hinanden. Kvadraterne har jeg så arrangeret, så de “lilla” strimpler danner et lille korsmønster i puden.

For the little pillow, which measures 35 x 35 cm, I cut the left-over bits of the strips into pieces of 6cm lenght. That way I was able to sew them together into squares of 4×4 cm for the pillow, where I made sure that the two “nuances” from the big pillow always was matched against each other. The squares was then arranged such that the “purple” bits made a sort of cross pattern on the pillow.

Begge puder har hotellukninger (måske den næste udfordring skal være en usynlig lynlås?), men jeg har tilføjet en enkelt detalje på bagsiden af dem begge. På den store nogle strimler, som refererer til forsidens logcabin og på den lille, har jeg brugt en enkelt række af firkanterne som islæt.

Both pillows are made with hotel closures (perhaps the next challenge needs to be an “invisible” zipper?), but I’ve added a little detail on the backs of them both. On the large, the detail is a couple of strips refering to the logcabin on the front, and on the smaller pillow I’ve used a stip of the squares.

Socks for the changing of times…

August 30, 2011 in 26 pp II, General life, Knit-along, Knitting | Tags: 26ppii, Knitting, life, MM | 4 comments

MM har sidste dag i dagplejen i morgen. I overmorgen begynder han i børnehaven. Jeg har det, som så mange andre forældre, nemlig ret svært ved at forstå, at tiden er fløjet, og at han meget snart er tre år gammel. Det er nu alligevel meget godt, og jeg nyder også, at han nu er min store dreng.

Vi valgte dagpleje, fordi vi tydeligt kunne mærke, at MM blev overvældet, når der skete for meget omkring ham. Han havde brug for én person at kunne knytte sig til, én han kunne være tryg ved. Hans dagplejemor har været alt, hvad vi har kunne ønske. Hun var et scoop at få ham i pasning hos. I morgen skal vi så aflevere MM hos hende for sidste gang og så sige tak for de sidste knap 2½ år. Hvordan siger man tak for den tryghed, kærlighed, tid og omsorg, éns barn har fået? Som strikker kender jeg kun en måde, der måske kan nærme sig – ved at give noget af min egen tid, så jeg har strikket hende et par sokker. Dem får hun i morgen sammen med mange knus og mange tak for en dejlig dagplejetid for vores søn.

MM is going to his daycaremom for the last time tomorrow. The day after he’ll have his first day in kindergarden. I think, I feel what all parents do at such a time, that time has flown beyond my comprehension, and that he’s now suddenly almost three years old. In some ways it’s a mystery, and in others it’s luckily a blessing, as I hugely enjoy his emerging personality.

We chose a daycare mom, as we early on could see that MM needed calmness and the possibility of forging tight ties with one particular person, a person who could give him a feeling of safety in a big world without mom and dad. His daycare mom has been everything we could wish for. She was a scoop! Tomorrow will be the last day, where we’ll take MM to her, and we will have to say thank you for the past almost 2½ years. How do you say thank you for all the love, time, care and tenderness that has been given to ones own child? As a knitter I know of only one way that can even come close – to give some of my own time, so I’ve knitted her a pair of socks. She’ll get them tomorrow along with many a hug and thank you for giving our son a wonderful daycare time.

Daycare socks
Mønster/Pattern: standardopskriften, str. 39 / my standard pattern, size 39 (European)
Garn/Yarn: Opal Hundertwasser vundet hos Christine, 63 g / Opal Hundertwasser won as a prize on Christine’s blog
Pinde/Needles: 2½mm

Weekend works…

August 28, 2011 in Sewing | Tags: patchwork, sewing | 2 comments

Jeg har leget ved symaskinen… både med log-cabin og små bitte stofstykker, som er blevet kædesyet. Der er to nye pyntepuder på vej.

I’ve played at the sewing machine… both with log cabin and tiny pieces of fabric, which have been chain sewn. Two new pillow covers are on their way.

Reincarnation…

August 19, 2011 in Knitting | Tags: Knitting, wip | 5 comments

Profetien holdt stik… den ene af trøjerne overlevede ikke, men har lidt optrævlingsskæbnen.

The profecy was true… one of the sweaters didn’t make it for long, but has suffered the frogging fate.

Det er dog ikke noget at være ked af på dens vejne, for den er genopstået i ny form, til stor glæde for både den og mig. Det nye mønster er Cecilia (Ravelry link) fra den nye bog “Mere feminin strik” af Lene Holme Samsøe. Mønsteret og garnet og pindene spiller sammen til en harmoni af himmelske dimmensioner!

It’s not something to be very sorry about, not even on behalf of the frogged project, as it has reincarnated in a new form with much satisfaction for it and me as a result. The new pattern is Cecilia (Ravelry link) from the new Lene Holme Samsøe book “Mere feminin strik” (More feminin knitting). The pattern and yarn and needles all merge into a harmony of untold beauty!

One down…

August 16, 2011 in Knitting | Tags: fo, intswemodo2011, Knitting, sweater | 10 comments

Ganske som forudset, blev det nyeste sweaterprojekt færdigt først. Den lille Noro-sag er færdig og er afleveret i venindens butik, hvor den skal agere blikfang. Forhåbentlig får hun vasket den først, for det nåede jeg ikke lige i farten. Det var et behageligt stykke strik, og det er ikke helt umuligt, at jeg ender med at strikke en til mig selv.

Just as I imagined, the newest of the sweater projects is the one, which is finished first. The little Noro cardigan is finished and has been handed over to my good friend’s shop, where it’s to enter a career as a shop sample. Hopefully she’ll wash it first, as I didn’t manage to do that before delivery. It was an enjoyable knit and I might just make another one for myself.

Noro Cardigan (Ravelry project link)
Mønster/Pattern: Design nr. 4 fra Noro Silk Garden hæfte nr. 3 / Design no. 4 from the Noro Silk Garden booklet no. 3
Størrelse/Size: M
Garn/Yarn: Noro Silk Garden, col. 47, 275 g.
Pinde/Needles: 4mm til kanter og 5mm til glatstrik / 4mm for edges and 5mm for the stockinette
Noter/Notes: Det var første gang jeg har strikket med Silk Garden og det var faktisk en fornøjelse. Der var en smule hø/snavs i, men ikke værre end det sagtens kunne pilles ud. Jeg forestiller mig, at garnet bliver endnu blødere ved vask, og så vil den absolut være en lækker sag at gå rundt med. / It was the first time I knit with Silk Garden and it was actually a pleasure. There was a bit of vegetable matter in the yarn, but it was soon got rid of. I imagine that the yarn will be even softer after washing and then I think this cardigan would be lovely to wear.

Og så må Magens sweater vist komme op i rækken igen… der heppes igennem i kommentarerne på sidste post, og I har fuldstændig ret, han mere end fortjener en ny sweater, så han må hellere få den snart.

And now the jumper for the Mate had better get priority again… a whole cheer leading squad turned up in the comments on the last post, and you are all perfectly right, he more than deserves a new sweater, so he’d better get it soon.

The sweater front…

August 14, 2011 in Knitting | Tags: Knitting, wip | 6 comments

Jeg har fundet alle mine sweaterprojekter frem og gjort status. Det er sundt, for nogle gange bliver det lidt uoverskueligt, hvis poserne med projekterne bare ligger og gemmer sig, og opgaven vokser sig større og større inde i hovedet. Jeg var faktisk positivt overrasket over mit resultat. Jeg har 5 trøjer eller lignende i gang for tiden, og faktisk er en del af dem ret langt. Den ene bliver muligvis trævlet op, da jeg er usikker på størrelsen, men de 4 andre kommer nu i fast cirkulation i strikketiden, og så bliver de forhåbentlig færdig inden længe. Status er altså med ældste project først:

I’ve been through all my sweater projects and looked at their state of completion. It is a rather healthy excersize, since they sometimes lie in their project bags and grow out of proportion in my head – or at least they seem to do so. I was actually positively surprised over the result of my little rummage. I have 5 sweaters or similiar in progress at the moment, and several of them are pretty far in the process. One of them may end up being frogged, since I’m uncertain about the size, but the remaining 4 will now be moved into circulation to get a share of the knitting time, which hopefully results in them being finished soon. The account on the sweater front thus stands, with the oldest project first:

Ældste sweaterprojekt er fra april 2009. Magens jumper i hør og bomuld (Ravelry link) (på pind 2½ husker I nok) har nydt godt af at være sommerferieprioritet. Kroppen og ryggen er blevet færdig og jeg er i gang med forstykkerne. Ærmerne skal samles op fra kroppen og strikkes ned, så der er ingen montering, hvilket nok er meget godt. Magen er i højt humør over det pludselige fremskridt, og jeg håber, at han kan have en ny sweater inden alt for længe. Den bliver i hvert fald ikke gemt væk igen – nu skal den sgu være færdig.

The oldest sweater project is from April 2009. The jumper for the Mate in cotton and linen (Ravelry link) (knitted on 2½mm needles, as you may recall) has had a glorious summer. The body and back are finished and I’m currently knitting on the fronts. The sleeves are picked up from the body, so there is no seaming whatsoever, which is probably just as well. The Mate is happy over the progress and I hope he’ll be able to wear a new sweater before long. And he will, as I’ve promised that this wont be put away before it’s finished.

Miss Beezy (Ravelry link) er næstældst. Hun blev startet i februar 2010 under olympiaden. Jeg begik den fodfejl at regne ud, hvor mange masker jeg i gennemsnit skulle strikke om dagen for at blive færdig… det viste sig at være dumt, for resultatet var flere end jeg kan strikke på en dag, hvor jeg kun strikker, og jeg var lige startet på fuldtidsarbejde. Hun endte i skammekrogen af ren ærgrelse og er siden kommet frem af et par omgange. Jeg er faktisk næsten færdig med skørtet og skal til at begynde bærestykket, så måske hun skulle have lidt opmærksomhed igen.

Miss Beezy (Ravelry link) is the runner up in age. She was begun in February 2010 during the olympics. I then made the monumental error of calculating the number of stitches I needed to knit each day to finish… it turned out to be more than I can knit during a day where all I do is knit, and I had just then started a full time job. She ended in the corner of shame out of sheer anoyance with myself and have since made one or two appearances. It turns out that I’m actually very close to finishing the skirt part and am jus tabout to start on the upper body, so perhaps she has deserved my notice now.

Så er der det usikre projekt. Det er meningen det skal blive en tunika til min søster (Ravelry link), men jeg er temmelig usikker på størrelsen. Dette er ikke fremmende for strikkeglæden, og selvom den har været igang siden marts 2010 er den kun på babystadiet hvad angår det strikkede. Opskriften er skøn, Zickzack Tunica fra Interweave Knits, Spring 2009, og garnet er vidunderligt (malabrigo lace), men på en eller anden måde slår det ingen gnister for mig. Jeg er bange for, den må ofres på optrævlingsalteret for at give mig lidt mental ro.

Then comes the project with an uncertain fate. It is to be a tunica for my sister (Ravelry link), but I’m very uncertain about the size. This hampers the knitting spirit, and though it has been in process since March 2010, it is only in its infancy with regard to the amount of work left over. The pattern is beautiful, the Zickzack Tunica from Interweave Knits, Spring 2009, and the yarn is great (malabrigo lace), but somehow it doesn’t click. I fear I need to sacrifice it on the alter of frogging to gain some mental peace.

Den første af årsungerne, påbegyndt i februar i år, er min strikkesoduko/mysteriestrik/garnspagetti også kaldet Kinaskak Vest af Marianne Isager (Ravelry link). Den er faktisk rigtig sjov at strikke, men får jævnligt pauser i bar frustration over opskriften. Nu er jeg dog nået op til ærmegabet, så mon ikke den nok skal blive færdig, ikke mindst fordi jeg glæder mig vildt til at kunne bruge den (efter graviditeten, selvfølgelig).

The first of the yearlings, started in February this year, is my knitting soduko / mystery knit / yarn spaghetti also known as Kinaskak Vest by Marianne Isager (Ravelry link). It is actually a pretty fun knit, but it gets frequent turns of time-outs in pure frustration over the pattern. However, I’ve reached the sleeve hole, so it will probably be done in due time, especially since I can’t wait to use it (after the pregnancy, of course).

Nyeste skud på stammen er nok også den, der bliver først færdig. Det er et lille cardigannummer fra det nyeste Noro Silk Garden hæfte (Ravelry link). Dejlige farver, lækkert garn, simpel strik og pind 4 og 5mm giver god vind i pindene. Den blev startet i sommerferien som “behøver ikke at tænke” strik, og det har den opfyldt på det skønneste. Har strikket begge ærmer, ryggen og er i gang med det første forstykke.

The newest project on the sweater front is probably also the one, which will be finished soonest. It is a little cardigan from the newest Noro Silk Garden booklet (Ravelry link). Wonderful colours, yummy yarn, easy knitting and needles 4 and 5mm makes for speedy knitting. I started it this summer vacation as my “I don’t have to think” knitting, and it has proved itself worthy of the chance. I’ve completed both sleeves, the back and am currently some way up on the first of the fronts.

Good service or discrimination?

August 11, 2011 in General life | Tags: life | 7 comments

Jeg modtog et brev fra min bilforhandler i går. Stilet direkte til mig, ikke til os (Magen og jeg), der jo ellers begge ejer vores nye bil. Det var en invitation til “Ladies Night”, hvor man som kvinde kan lære den basale vedligeholdelse af sin bil… “Det er nemmere end du tror”.

Jeg stod et øjeblik og overvejede, om jeg skulle blive fornærmet eller synes det var en god service. Jeg endte med at grine meget, meget højt, for det er lidt absurd, at det netop i denne husholdning er stilet til mig. Både Magen og jeg blev grinende enige om, at hvis der skulle skiftes hjul eller fyldes olie på, så ville vi begge sætte pengene på mig.

Da jeg nærlæste invitationen lidt nærmere skiftede jeg dog til dyb forundring, for tænk hvis det virkelig er nødvendigt at lære om “sikkerhed og hvad det betyder, når symbolerne på instrumentbrættet lyser”…???… er der virkelig nogen m/k, der ikke har styr på, hvad de symboler betyder inden de begynder at køre? Og hvorfor er det, at det kun er kvinder, det her er rettet mod? Er alle mænd født med solide bilkendskaber?

I bund og grund synes jeg egentlig, at det er en god ide, eller rettere, det ville være en god ide, hvis det var en invitation til “infoaften”, som så blev sendt ud til alle førstegangskøbere. For helt ærligt, sådan nogle akademikertyper, som os, der først køber bil sidst i tyverne og endda køber en ny bil, kunne godt bruge lidt praktisk forevisning og information begge to.

Jeg kan desværre ikke deltage den aften, bilforhandleren inviterer til. Tror ellers jeg var taget derud, om ikke andet for at få et godt grin… og måske få lidt praktisk erfaring.

I got a letter yesterday from my car dealer. It was adressed to me, and not to us (the Mate and I), though we both are registered as owners of our new car. It turned out to be an invitation for “Ladies Night”, where you as a woman could learn the basic maintenance of a car… “It is easier than you think”.

I wondered for a moment if I should be offended or think it a good service. I ended up laughing very, very loudly, as it is more than a little absurd that this letter is written to me of all the adults in this household. Both the Mate and I laughingly agreed that if the oil needs changing or a tire went flat, both of us would put our money on me.

When I read the invitation more closely, my amusement changed into puzzlement. Can it be true that it is necessary to teach “safety and what it means when the symbols on your dash board lights up”…???… is there really anyone m/f, who doesn’t know this before they start driving their own car? And why is this specifically for women? Are all men “born” with solid knowledge of anything relating to cars?

I actually think this it is a really good idea, or rather that it would be a good idea if it was an invitation for an “intro night”, which was then sent to all first time buyers. To be honest, a couple of academics, which the Mate and I are, who buys their first car in their late twenties and then even buys a new car, might both benefit from a little hands on demonstration and information.

Unfortunately I am unable to attend the arrangement. I might otherwise have gone to be amused… and perhaps gain a little practical experience.

Contemplating Cables…

August 9, 2011 in General life, Knitting | Tags: Knitting, life, teaching | 7 comments

Jeg tænker på snoninger for tiden. Jeg går og overvejer, om jeg tør tage springet og begynde at undervise i strik. En anden overvejelse er, hvad det i givet fald skal handle om. Jeg er (synes jeg selv) god til en hel del forskellige strikkemæssige ting, som sokker, fingervanter, dobbeltstrik, men en særlig ekspertise (og kærlighed) har jeg nok i snoninger.

Min umiddelbare ide er et begynderkursus, hvor man kan få forklaret de forskellige måder et snoningsdiagram kan se ud på (og der er mange) og forskellige måder, hvorpå snoninger kan laves, for eksempel med hjælpepind og uden. Når man skiller selv de mest komplicerede snoningsmønstre ad, er det jo ikke særlig vanskelige dele, de er opbygget af. Målet skulle så være, at deltagere kan gå hjem og overskue langt de fleste snoningsdiagrammer de måtte støde på. Er det mon for ambitiøst?

Jeg er gået i gang med at planlægge, hvad der skal være i et kompendie til sådan et kursus, og hvilket omfang det skal have. Det sværeste er egentlig at begrænse sig. Men der er lang vej endnu. Forhåbentlig kan jeg afholde det første kursus i foråret, mens jeg stadig har barsel, men nu må jeg jo se, hvad Lillebror viser sig at være for én, førend jeg lægger alt for vilde planer.

Hvilke ting synes I hører til på et begynderkursus i snoninger? Hvad kunne I tænke jer at lære, hvis I ikke kender/kendte til det at strikke snoninger? Er det overhovedet en brugbar idé? Mange spørgsmål hober sig op i mit hovede… svar eller gode råd vil blive modtaget med kyshånd og megen taknemmelighed.

Currently, I think a lot about cables. I am considering if I dare take the jump and begin teaching classes in knitting. Another consideration is what these classes should be about. I am (if I am to say so myself) rather good at many things in knitting, for example socks, fingerless gloves, and double knitting. But I have a special love for (and perhaps some skill in) knitting cables.

My current idea is a beginners course, where I would explain the many different ways a cable diagram may present itself in a pattern, and some of the different ways there are to knit cables (for example with and without a cable needle). When you take apart even the most complicated cables, the different pieces that make up the whole are all rather simple. The goal could be that the students would be able to go home and manage most cable patterns they encounter. I wonder if this is too ambitious.

I’ve started planning what would be needed in a teaching material for such a course, which things to explain and how much it should cover. I find the last most difficult, as it is hard to restrain myself. But there is still a long way to go. Hopefully I will be able to hold my first course in the spring, while I am still on maternaty leave, but I’d better wait and see what kind of baby Little Brother turns out to be before I dream up too many plans.

What do you think should be in a beginners course in cables? What would be good to learn if you’re starting out with this technique? Is it even a usable idea? Many questions are filling my head… answers or good advice will be welcomed with a hug and much gratitude.

Counting days…

August 4, 2011 in General life | Tags: life | 4 comments

I morgen om 6 uger går jeg på barsel… jeg tæller dagene. Da jeg ventede MM var jeg “bare” studerende, så det er første gang jeg går på job og er gravid. Det kan sagtens gå, men det er nu alligevel en smule hårdt nogle dage. Det bliver godt at få et par uger til at slappe helt af i inden lillebror kommer til verden.

Tomorrow 6 weeks is my last day before maternaty leave (we have leave before the birth as well as after)… I am counting the days. When I was expecting MM I was “just” a grad student, so it’s my first experience of being pregnant while holding down a full time gig. It’s not too bad, but some days are hard and drains the energy reserves completely. I look forward to having a few weeks to relax before the little brother joins us in the outer world.