Don't worry, I'm very much alive...

...In spite of very few updates lately, I am alive and kicking. Past weeks have been busy in a very relaxed way. I have shuffled snow, I've taken care of my plants (which are all miraculously still alive too), I've discovered Spotify (go here for free invites), I've discovered last.fm. As a consequence of Spotify and last.fm I've been listening to music so much more than I usually do, finding new favourites, and being very pleased with it all. Remembered how much I really love music - I want to sing again, would take song lessons if I could afford it. Considering saving up to finally buy that guitar I've always wanted, or an electric piano keyboard... We'll see.

I've had loads of tea, wine and Chinese food (not all at once, though), I've seen the Norwegian cult-movie-to-be Død Snø which the makers define as a nazizombiehorrorsplattercomedy. Very true to the genre, very entertaining (if you like that kind of entertainment.. not for the weakhearted or easily nauseated...) In other news, I've seen the last episodes of Dr.Who, and I'm now looking very much forward to the next two specials, and to seeing how Matt Smith will work as the 11th doctor. Going to miss David Tennant, though. Man, that is one hot actor... So much charisma! Other shows I've been watching a lot include The Middleman and The Big Bang Theory. I recommand both, but they might be what they call 'an aquired taste'. The Middleman has unfortunately been cancelled after just one season. A plan that is NOT sheer elegance in its simplicity, but still must have been done by evil supervillains. This is me being bitter, would have loved to see more of it.

Oh, and I've been drawing again, writing again. I feel creative, happy and productive. I also need to buy some lamps, I need better lighting for my new creative corner (smaller than the old one, but still works fine, except for the light). I'll post some photos when I've put up new lamp(s). Will probably have to wait for a while though, can't afford it until next paydate. In the meantime, here are some updates on my knitting.

I'm still working on the last pair of Whitewater Wristwarmers, in white baby wool. Same goes for the Gwynedd cable scarf, but I'm still very much motivated to finish and I'm enjoying the knitting - I've just been distracted - I'm almost done with a baby kimono, just need to do the seams and find ribbons:



Same goes for a baby bib, I just need buttons for it and it's done:


I've also started a baby cardigan, completely improvised, off the top of my head. Just need to buy more yarn (Debbie Bliss cotton cashmere), finish the few inches of the left front & both the sleeves, buy buttons and do the seaming:


While we're on the subject of knitting - I've received the loveliest stitch markers from Etsy and from Twitchy on Ravelry. I've just recently discovered how handy those little things can actually be, when knitting more complicated things. And they're so pretty! Yay ^_^

I also recently was the happy recipient of a swap package in the Single Knitter's Valentine Swap. Still pondering what to do with the lovely Malabrigo Baby Merino Lace Yarn.. Sooo soft, so pretty ^_^ Angua on Ravelry sent me this lovely package:

Been there, done that?

Stole this from At the pace of a snail. Mark with bold the things you have knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest. I've also added a _ before wips.

Knitting concepts:
_Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hats: Top-down
Hats: Cuff-up
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
_Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting (what's that?)
Charity knitting - Can't afford it
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Combination knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Participate in an exchange
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting - Not sure
Knitting to make money
Buttonholes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting ('doh, I'm Norwegian)
Dyeing with plant colors
Dyeing spinning fiber
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Tassels
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener stitch
Knitted flowers
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO (standard in Norway)
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards - I am intrigued, tell me more!
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Free-form knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair - No, and I never will. Allergic...
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

I got an award! :D

Monica over at her blog, habitats of my spare time, has given me a Creative Blogger Award! Thank you so much, Monica!

I now need to nominate someone else with a creative blog, and I would like to give this award to Sophia. I enjoy reading her blog and follow it regularly, not only because I know her a bit, but also because the content is interesting and full of creativity.

I'm also giving it to Camilla who has a wonderful scrap and card making blog that's very inspirational to follow! Lots of creative ideas and plenty of eye candy!

Knitting statistics, 2008.

So, I thought, just for fun, that I'd go through my projects from 2008 and see how last year really was, when it comes to knitting.

I completed 29 projects:

- 15 projects involving lace
- 7 projects intended for babies
- 7 projects for myself
- 6 hats
- 6 wrist warmers and/or fingerless gloves
- 5 pairs of socks
- 4 scarves and/or shawls
- 3 projects involving cables
- 3 toys
- 2 adult sized sweater-like projects (one bolero, one vest)
- 1 pair of mittens
- 1 tea cosy
- 1 blanket

How was your knitting in 2008? Any goals for the new year? I am planning to make more sweaters, more lace and more cabled projects!

Whitewater Wristwarmers Chart

While knitting, I charted out the lace pattern from Jennifer Meyer's Whitewater Wristwarmers. Thought I'd share for those who might have a use for it. I showed the pattern as it is over 14 sts, one needle. The pattern repeat, as you can see, goes over 7 sts, but I find it easier to read if there are two repeats of the pattern:



The pattern is free and available online here.

It's the 1st of December...

...and I have that Christmas feeling!

Yesterday was the first Sunday of Advent and I started decorating for Christmas. It's not all done yet, I need to buy curtains and vacuum the living room, but I have my Advent star up in the window glowing warmly - The majority of Norwegians have something lit hanging in their windows in the Advent period, and here in Tromsø that's especially visible, since the sun has gone away now and it won't come back until the 21st of January. So even though it's dark outside we can see stars and candles glowing from other people's houses. I have one electrically lit in the living room and a little red glass candle lit one in the kitchen window:



I've also found my little nisse-girl (more about the term "nisse" in Scandinavian folklore here), as well as the Advent Wreath, and I lit the first candle yesterday while working with some consultant reading by the kitchen table. By the way - wikipedia and most sites say that Advent is a Christian tradition, but here in Norway people don't generally associate it with Christianity, and so-called heathens celebrate Advent as well ;) The kitchen wall is empty and white because it's waiting for the perfect piece of rectangular-shaped something that I'm going to hang there once I find it...:



I've been busy reading some young adult books for evaluation lately (free lance work), but I've also had time to knit a little bit - First I made mittens - I followed this chart. The only problem was... Well, I watched Desperate Housewives while knitting the first one. I was relaxed and calm. Then I made the second one watching Dexter... The gauge came out completely different, and the second mitten looked as though I'd used needles two sizes smaller than the first one... So I frogged the second, but here's a photo of the first one, still waiting for it's mate:



I also finished my second ever torso sized garment - A Shawl Collar Vest that turned out nicely with comfortably soft yarn that I got in a RAK from medievalmouse on Ravelry - I've been wearing it every night since, it's so warm around the shoulders! Please ignore my tired look on the photo (I cut my head away from most of them...):

Matching set of winter accessories

A photo of my Malabrigo Winter Set, as promised:

Back to knitting again...

After having had a slow couple of months of knitting, I can't seem to think of much else lately. I started knitting with the wonderfully soft Malabrigo yarnnonni sent me again, and I've made myself a winter hat, along with a pair of gloves and a scarf. However, it all started with northern lights. I was on my way home one day and just saw these amazing northern lights dancing and wriggling over the sky. When I came home I was happy, with cold ears, and with the need to knit something green. While going through my stash, I found the balls of Noro Kureyon that ToriKnits sent me and a ball of blue-greenish Cascade Comfort from a bookswap I was in. I was soon hooked on the Fake Isle Hat-pattern and here are the results:



The two green ones will probably be Christmas gifts. The one in the middle is mine and it matches my Spirogyra wristwarmers (for warm days) and the Peekaboo mittens I've made (for cold days):




The only thing I would have changed when looking back, is the cuff - it is a bit too loose, I should have gone down a needle size on them. the scarf is just finished and since I'm at work I can't add photos of it until later - I'll take one of me wearing the whole set :)

In closing, I'll have to say that this is really a nice period to get knitcrazy in! Christmas is approaching and time flies - hopefully I'll get together some nice knitted gifts :)

Wow, it's been a while!

So, let's see... What's happened over the past two months? I've been working at the bookstore, I've been given more free lance assignments from Gyldendal than ever, I've gotten a new job - working in the tourist information every Saturday, a job I like a lot so far. I've been working as a temp at the switchboard of the university for three full weeks and I'm hoping to get more work there. I've lost my internet connection for two weeks (it's back now - yay!). I've watched season two of Dexter and started following the new episodes of Grey's, ER, Private Practice and House.

Oh, and I've managed to keep my weight! Mainly due to the fact that I can use my step machine while watching already mentioned tv-shows and also because I've been able to keep my eating healthy and balanced (letting myself have yoghurt ice cream and dark chocolate from time to time, while making up for it by eating lots of fruit and vegetables and avoiding to eat between meals - yay for me!(I am a bit proud). So at the moment I'm at 62,7 kilos, which is 11,6 kilos less than in January. My waistline has gone from 103 cm to 86 cm, so that's 17 cm less. To be within what's healthy for a tiny woman like me, I should still lose 6 cm, but the weight is okay. More importantly, I'm still not in very good shape, I tend to be a bit on and off about my motivation when it comes to working out, but I'm getting better. My goal, after all, is to be in better health, to stabilize my mood and improve my immune system.

Yesterday I started a new work-out program from a magazine I read. It's a program that helps strengthen the muscles that support the body which is something I really need considering my genetic heritage when it comes to back and pelvis. In addition to this, I'll be doing my stepping in intervals - One minute as fast as I can, two minutes regular stepping. Did that yesterday and it felt great, I need the extra challenge, since I usually just walk for half an hour on it. Eight months ago, that was enough to make me feel as though I would die, but now I just get warm. Which is good, I guess ;)

The same magazine had an article called "100% happiness", that was about research within positive psychology - how to think and act to be happier. It was long and I didn't agree with all the things in the article, but I think it's important to remember that how happy we are is something we can actively affect by changing our attitude and patterns of behaviour. One exercise the article suggested to be aware of the good things in your life and think positively, was to list three things for which you're grateful, everyday. (No repeating the same things from day to day, and try to be specific instead of just listing vague notions like family or work.)

Today,
I'm grateful that I feel motivated when it comes to exercise.
I'm grateful that I have a really good physiotherapist.
I am grateful that I woke up feeling quite all right today (rather than with a headache as I did on Sunday and Tuesday)

Feel free to feel "tagged", I'd love to hear what makes other people thankful.

Oh, and I've knitted a bit these past two months as well! Finished a Sheldon assignment for (deep breath in) my brother's girlfriends's father's girlfriend's daughter's newborn baby (wow, that's long). I used a cotton-acrylic blend that's really soft. Here it is:



Also, I finished a pair of socks in the loveliest silk yarn from Regia. The pattern is My Purple Dream, from NorwayKate on Ravelry, here's her blog, and you can find the pattern on the right hand side, under "Mine mønstre/my patterns". I used 1,5mm DPNs and knit the cuff over three needles instead of four, to fit my tiny feet. The lace pattern is easy to remember, but not too boring:

I have curtains!

So, I got my new curtains today, and wow, did they make a difference! The apartment is a whole new place, and I love it :) Here are some photos:

As you can see, I have quite big windows. It's great when it's dark up here, I'll get a lot more light that I would have gotten otherwise. I love my living room. I'll post some more photos of the apartment later on. Since almost everything is in order now, I plan on having a housewarming party the 30th of August, I think it will be great fun!

I haven't knitted that much lately, but I've been guiding, reading, watching ER, and living happily and relaxed. I did make some new socks, though! A new pair of Uptown Boot Socks from the book Favourite Socks:





ETA: The yarn is 100% merino, Sock Yarn from Midnightsky Fibers, the dye is called Windswept Lilac.

It's been a while...

So, I've been MIA for a long time now - So many things have happened in my life, and I've had my hands full. A month ago, my boyfriend and I broke up, and since then I've been moving my stuff down to my new apartment little by little. We can keep the old apartment until the 30th of June, so I still have some time to finish moving - I don't want to take it all at once since my ex is living up there, and it will be rather empty for him, and also because it would mean carrying and lifting a lot in just a few days.

The new apartment is at the ground floor of my parents' house, but with it's own entry - it's completely seperate from their living area. My dad has been renovating the bathroom and he's almost done. Four days ago, the kitchen was finished and ready, with a new kitchen table and my brother's old frigde (works like a charm). I even have a dish washer, which is a luxury for me. The place is 64 square metres, two bedrooms (one of them is dungeonlike - through a hatch in the floor down to the basement - a very beautiful little room), big livingroom (with widescreen tv and panoramic view over the city) and a cosy little kitchen. At the moment it's all very empty, since most of my things aren't here yet, but I have my tea, my knitting and a comfortable arm chair to sit in, so I've been managing all right. It's weird being all on my own, but I am definitely not looking for something new. I am going to stay single for a long time, it will be good for me. Here's the goldfish-thingy that's hanging from the roof of my dungeon-bedroom, not sure what it's called in English. Anyway, it's all in glass, and my friend Eirin gave it to me back when we were 15-16 years old. I really like the way it looks against the white walls:




In other news, my new niece was born the 28th of May. She is the most beautiful little girl, and they're naming her Silja (a Scandinavian version of Cecile, meaning "blind (to the evils of this world)" from latin "caecus").



I've knitted her a Sheldon - or perhaps more fitting seeing as it's all pink - a Shelda. The turtle shell has a bag of lavender in it, which should have a calming effect on the little one - however, she's the most calm baby I've ever seen! - Sleeps all the time and rarely cries - my brother and his girlfriend are lucky parents. I'm also working on a baby blanket for her in matching colours. Here are some photos:




Oh, and Sophia, the parents LOVED the squeeky sheep-toy, it's now in her crib with her while she sleeps, and her plastic bracelet ID-thingy (the one that all newborns have around their arm at hospitals) is placed around it. I haven't gotten around to knitting something from the vintage booklet yet, mostly because I've had five exams, in addition to living in two places at once... Tomorrow is my last exam - An oral exam in Spanish. I'm nervous, and I'm not very well prepared, so naturally I'm procrastinating by blogging instead of reading... Hopefully I'll pass. After that I'm going to work as a guide all summer, spend a lot of time with friends and family and be creative with knitting, drawing and card making. I'm taking a break from my studies this autumn, with a bachelor degree in English and a One Year Program of French well placed on my resumé. When I've had a well-earned year of relaxation and work, I'll probably start my master's degree in English. We'll see.

Shine

Pattern notes:
- I used a shimmering silver thread along with the yarn to make the wrist warmers more shiny.
- If your beads are too small to string onto the yarn itself, you can use sewing thread in a colour that matches your yarn. String the beads onto the thread and knit the thread along with your knitting. I did this on the pair you can see on the photos.
- Here's an article on beaded knitting and how to string your yarn.
- You might find it useful to mark the first needle of the row with a stitch marker.

You need:
60 beads
Beading needle (or a very thin needle)
3mm DPNS (US 2 1/2)
Ribbon (two pieces, long enough to go around your wrist and tie a bow)
Yarn in fingering weight or sport weight. (Gauge: 25 sts in 35 rows= 10 cm/4", 13-15 wpi)
(Yarn suggestions: Garnstudio's Drops Alpaca, Du Store Alpakka's Tynn Alpakka, Frog Tree Alpaca's Sportweight.)
Shimmering thread for shiny effect.

PATTERN:
String your yarn with 60 beads (30 for each wristwarmer, but you can string them all in the beginning as long as you pay attention when binding off the first one, so that the beads won't come off.

Cast on 40 sts on DPNs and join to work in the round.
[Knit one row, purl one row] until 4 garter ridges.

Row 1: Knit all
Row 2: Knit 10 sts [p1, place bead] three times, p1, knit till end.

Repeat these two rows until you have ten ridges with beads (or longer if you want to increase the lenght, but if you do: remember to string more beads before casting on!).

Knit one row.
Next row: [k2tog, yo] till end.

[Purl one row, knit one row] until 4 garter ridges.
Bind off all sts and weave in ends.
Attach ribbon into the [ktog, yo] row.

Spirogyra!

I just finished a pair of knitty's Spirogyra in the wonderfully soft yarn Sophia sent me this week.

Here are some photos:



Pattern adjustments:
- I went down one needle size and went with 3mm needles all through the pattern. I did not change needles for the wrist shaping.
- I started out with 36 sts instead of 48 and did 6 pattern repeats before placing the thumb.
- I did one pattern repeat over the palms before ribbing, instead of two.

The yarn is Manos del Uruguay's Silky Blend, colourway 3117.

Swap heaven!

Wow, these past days have gone by quickly! They have been stressful, crappy, tiresome and wonderful. I've finished five essays and started preparing for latin exams, I've had a headache that wouldn't go away no matter what I did (went on for three days), I've been watching a great deal of E.R and I've received packages three days in a row (monday, tuesday, wednesday).

First, I received my Yarn Snob Swap Package, from yarnnonni. The yarn is Malabrigo Silky Merino and it is Oh-so-soft! I love it! And I got three skeins of it, so I have enough for maybe two small projects. The tea is Purity from Tavalon Tea Bar, and I was so happy to receive it!! I was about to go into withdrawal since it's not available for international shipping from their site, and I am quite addicted ;) I got some lovely stitch markers as well, but unfortunately one of them was broken... They are made from shells from the beach where Patricia/yarnnonni lives and some beautiful green pieces of glass (I think). I'll use it next time I knit something big, like a blanket or a shawl.

On Tuesday, I received my order from The Loopy Ewe. I didn't take any pictures, but you can have a look at their site yourselves - they have so many nifty things! I bought a wpi-kit, with a stick to roll the yarn around to see how many wraps per inches it makes and then it gives weight and needle size :D I love it! I also got the small sock blocker-key chain, the green chibi from clover, the sock-it-to-me sock size overview and a lovely lavender lotion bee wax bar that makes my hands softer than soft! The fact that I can't really afford any of this at the moment is of course irrelevant... We might have to convieniently stop by at my parents' house for dinner a couple of time before the 12th of May...


Then, on Wednesday, I was REALLY spoiled. Sophia and I decided to do a private tea and yarn-swap, and sent eachother requests and wishes - I got the most wonderful package!! As you can see by the photos, there were lots and lots of goodies. I'll start with what wow'ed me the most: the yarn. I got a skein of Manos del Uruguay's silky blend in the loveliest shades of purple, and I've already started a pair of knitty's Spirogyra which I think I just might keep for myself, since the yarn is so amazingly soft. I also got a 400yds skein of superwash merino yarn in fingering weight from Seacoast Handpainted - I can't wait to start some new sock projects - it's been a while since I last knitted socks and I miss it :) The last yarn addition was 10g of supersoft angora wool. I think I need to use it for some baby garment :)

I was happy to find not only the Interweave Knits issue from last fall (out of print and very popular), but also a vintage booklet from 1949 with baby patterns!! I love vintage knitting, and I am looking forward to trying out some of these lovely layette-patterns ("hentesett"). I also got a squishy baby toy (no close-ups in case my brother or his girlfriend are reading the blog), and two bunny buttons that I am going to use on a baby cardigan (I think).

I had to stop myself right away from eating the few pieces of chocolate in the package - but I had one of the green tea vanilla bean cookies :) Very good indeed! My boyfriend ate the milk chocolate, and I'm saving the dark chocolate for an occacion. I gained weight this week. I guess it's because I've been so stressed out and not able to control myself as well, but I have been exercising in my Redcord sling a bit, so I'm hoping the weight is more muscles than fat... Anyway, I feel much better today, and I rode my new bike (it's white, not red as the one in the photo) to work. It's sunny outside and it's finally starting to feel like spring (Please don't let me jinx it with those words...).

Back to the package (Yes, there is more!), the tea Sophia sent me was really yummy - I've had so many cups of the blueberry muffin tea that I've lost count! It really feels like you're having liquid muffins, only not as nauseating as that sounded. In a good way, I swear! Fresh nice blueberry taste with the addition of some caramel pieces that gives a round muffin-y taste. The almond tea was great too, especially with a dash of honey, but I have to be really careful with it so that I don't provoke my allergies too much (allergic to nuts and almonds, both of which are in the tea). I haven't gotten around to tasting the ginger oolong, the rooibos fennel or the pyramid bags, but I'm saving them for next time my mother or Anne stops by. The package also came with a really pretty card that is now on my cork-board .. uhm.. Don't fail me now, English vocabulary!! Daarn yooou!. Okay, it's like a blackboard, only it is made out of cork and you pin stuff to it. Like, to do-lists and photos and such. What's it called? Please comment, and relieve me of this terrible "I'm sure I know what it's called"-feeling... ;) Anyway, that's where it is, (Thanks, Sophia) right next to my desk :) Thank you so much for a lovely package, Sophia :) ETA: Oh. I forgot to mention the granola! I've been adding some to my cereals every morning and it's really good (but VERY sweet!!). Works so well with my morning routine and takes the edge off my sugar cravings ;)

Close-ups of yarn from Patricia and Sophia:


I've mangaged to do some knitting (while procrastinating) these past days as well. I've finally picked up my too short Ravenclaw scarf and started knitting on that, but it's not very challenging since it's just back and forth and not much of a pattern. I've knitted some more squares for my Mindless Knitting Blanket, and I've managed to finish up my beaded wristwarmers. I will post a pattern soon for the wristwarmers, which were inspired by a pattern from Du Store Alpakka that didn't work out too well for me. I've made so many changes in it, that it turned into a whole new pattern, so I just have to dechipher my notes and write it out, and then I'll post a pattern. Anyways, here are some photos: