Meet Molly...

This little lady had her 1st birthday September 28.  The weather was unusually  sunny for that time of the year. We had a garden party, which I don't think we will be able to have on many of her birthdays.

It was a very girlish party with lots of flowers and a pale pink cake.



The gift from her grandparents were a little wooden pram

From my sisters family she got a little silver bracelet with flowers. It is still a little to big but i think it will fit in a couple of months...

We gave her a doll that have a wonderful hairdo... from Sebra

... and an old dolls bed that I fixed with new paint and bedlinen. The blanket is a knitted towel from a secondhand shop. It was all new and have never been washed. Probably somebody thought it was way to fine to be used...

While I was making the bedlinen out of some vintage fabric i gave some thought to what this little doll should be named... And there at the border was the answer: Molly Aase Charlotte Lundquist. It was just the right name... And of course a quick decision was made to put her name on her duvet covers... IRL Veitex is an old textile design company and Aase Charlotte Lundqvist is a danish graphic designer

The last word is as always.. Deas! She certainly is very determined and stubborn ...

First came a boy and then a girl...

One of the best thing about making your own stuff is the ability to make that single piece missing.

Off course we have saved some  of Seth's clothes, and all I had to do was make 3 pair of baggy trousers to go with it.

The pattern is simple with elastic in the waist and at the ankle. I constructed it myself, and it has a good amount of ease in the back to make sure the pants stays nicely in place even under a great deal of moving around....The kind of pattern any sewing mum should always have in the repertoire

Once in a while the job is not to create something new and exciting, but just sit down by the sewing mashine and just make that something missing...

The 2 patterned ones is vintage fabrics and the mustard yellow ones are made of new fabrics...

Pattern construction and knitting a vest for Seth…

So here is what I have been up to:

I like knitting in the same yarn . Knoll super soft from Holst garn is my favorite thin yarn.

One of the advantages of this is off course that you really get to know it very well. I use to knit this yarn on a needle size 2½ mm but have gone up to size 3 mm for normal stocking stitch.

I have made a lot of measurements on different pieces of knitting and it seems my knitting tension is very much the same. Stitches versus rows proportions are 1 row equals 1,4 stitches.

I have made a big sheet of graph paper with the exact proportions. The orange line is there to help me always keep the middle of the design aligned. I keep it all rolled up in a cardboard roll.

When I want to make a design, I first construct the pattern on see through pattern paper, and then place it on top of the graph paper with a couple of paperclips to keep it in place. I then simply draw all the decreases and increases and whatever I need to know to start the actual knitting.

For this design I just used my normal children T-shirt slope in size 110 cl. and made the armskye a little deeper.

When constructing a pattern I use a percentage system, much in the way Elisabeth Zimmermann does. I have just extended it to be used in both sewing and knitting. Normally when constructing pattern you work with increments, but I find this way more intuitive and simple. I don’t know if anyone does it like this, but it seems to function for me… The beauty of it is that everything stands in some kind of relationship to one another, and can be used on all different kind of designs. There is off course some details you have to pay extra attention to like the size off children’s heads, and so. But all in all I find it a good approach…

Basics in the fridge...

I was rather tired of all these little glasses in the fridge. All different sizes and shapes which made it absolutely impossible to stack them in our small fridge and to get some kind of idea of what was really in there.

• Solution: Buy 30 beautifull glasses from here  and make a system that will last. Sylteglas.dk is a rather new site with a good service ( when I came to the bottom of the box they had included "free of charge" some labels...nice) So everything was put in the new glasses and now it looks better and makes it so much easier to find what I need.

•  Something about labelling:  I have tried different things and have found out that my best labelling would be something that is low key and involves no mashines ( thats often low on batteries or missing labels... ), Also it should be easy to remove without using any chemicals. The labels that came with the glasses, should be watersoluble so one trip in the dishwasher should do it, but it doesn´t. So I guess I have to try soaking it for a little while. If soaking it evernight will not do the trick, this is not the solution. I have also tested normal labels for the printer and they actually go of in the dishwasher, but that doest´n meen it will be same after a longer period of time ( I tested it after one day... ). I have a waterproof pen that I use for labelling, and ideally the best system would be a glas of labels and the pen...so I still have to be sure about what labels to use... 

  

• What we always have in the fridge: pickled gurkins, mangochutney hot, curry paste, limepickle, anchovies, maille dijon mustard fine, maille mustard with the seeds visible, sourdough for making ruebread ( I have a reserve in the freezer if it takes to long time between breadmaking...), strawberryjam, Chipotlechili in adobo, Ajvar ( turkish pepperpaste...), mayonnaise ( preferable homemade otherwise hellmanns...) piccadilly pickles.

 The glasses came with a glaslidd and little clips. This solution it pretty, but if it will be to difficult for the children to open and close I also bought some plastic lids the ones they use often ( If you are in doubt its the jams we are talking about... ) 

• Things we occasionally have: Pesto, sundried tomatoes, other jams, different kinds of currie paste, different kind of dressings and sauces. different kind of pickles. Hommus or other type of spreadings.

An announcement...

For a while I have been thinking a bit about blogging. I truly love it but I am no writer. What I like is seeing the processes I am going through with my projects or some other aspect of my life, put down on "paper" in some sort of visual account or some words that are describing my ideas...but is that not writing ?... No not really. Writing is off course all the above, but also simple good writing skills, and an urge to write... I don’t really have that. I have an urge to tell the story but that’s not the same.

All this writing is a bit difficult and a time consuming part for me and it is not really my biggest talent. There are so many little things that I have wanted to "write" about but just never did ...it is always the thought about the actual writing that gets me down...So I will make a test.

In the future my postings will be more picture oriented with a more schematic record of my thoughts and the processes in a particular project or even some thoughts about life. It will be like notes for myself that I will try to make as clear as possible so others hopefully will understand where I going. Luckily what I am dealing with isn’t really rocket science so the task shouldn’t be so difficult...

Some make granny squares...

I make baby booties... I have made a little agreement with myself to never have more than one knitting project on the needles. Maybe two if one of them are in chunky yarn and on bigger sized needles, since it can be a hard job for my fingers, and it therefor can be a good thing to let them rest while knitting something on smaller needles.

Then one day a couple of weeks ago it happened.... I was waiting for some yarn to be delivered with the mail, and there I was left with absolutely no knitting project. It lasted a day, and then I simply had to start something. I have quite a stash of supersoft in a lot of colors so why not make some babybooties. One took the other and its now official... Dea will not have cold feet this winter... Fall is showing a bit here and they have allready been used a lot.

The pattern is an old well tested one, that I with the help of some mathematics have put into a formular so I am not dependent on size or yarn thickness for making it just the way I want it. Math is really a beautifull thing and still many years after leaving school I get excited about how so many things can be destilled and understood.

Summer cardigan...

So you get up early in the morning... it's a little chilly outside, but the weather forecast tels you it is gonna be a fairly hot day. What to wear ? For me this is one of the solutions: Jeans, sandals, a top in a light color and the ( for me... ) essential cream colored cotton knit cardigan... Which I, of course had to knit myself...




The cardigan is knitted in Isager cotton, which is a very good and strong cotton. Lately I have been very interested in the quality of cotton. I know way to little about it, so if someone can tell me or guide me to some reading on the subject I would be happy... I tried to design the pattern so it would be logical in its shaping of the armhole and the shaping of the sleeve cap. I spend some time studying how different cardigans were shaped. I wanted to make it in a way that sewing the sleeve to the body, could be done using mostly weaving techniques.




I have just made 3 basic slips for my white cotton tops, Which was just in time for the hot weather. The jeans and cardigan can easily go more than one day before washing, but the white tops needs a washing after one day with me wearing it... This way I just get my jeans, my cardi, take a new pair of tops, and of I go... I don't really need to wear something different every day. I love the feeling of not having to worry about my clothes and I would probably feel at home wearing some sort of uniform every day. Don't get me wrong here... off course I would have to design it myself and always have the opportunity to change it whenever I wanted to... oh boy it ain't easy...




I am very happy with the design and I know it will be worn a lot. I like the look of the mother of pearl buttons with the cream color. But It's gonna be a while before I will knit in cotton again. I find it to be very hard for my fingers, since it is so slippery and with absolutely no stretch.

Princess Lea hat for Dea

When my grandmother died, I inherited all of her sewing and knitting magazines. In one of them I saw this design. The design was described this way: It can be very difficult to find stylish and modern knit patterns for warm hats for girls in the age 10 to fourteen. Here is one that is both practical and warm and at the same time will make these girls feel fashionable... hmmmm... I doubt any 12 year old girls will have the same feeling now a days. Somehow today's 12 year old girls want to be sexy and cool. Once in a while I see these young girls with a lot of style, not afraid of showing that they are still somewhere between a child and a grownup... that is true beauty. But somehow I also know that these girls will become women with such a strong self confidence that they will never have to show way too much skin to be sexy...
There is still a lot of time before I will have to take this discussion with our little girl. For the record I will have to say that I too think that any 12 year old girl today, would look absolutely ridiculous wearing this hat...And by the way... Anyone wondering about the title of this post ? Princess Lea has the most wonderful hairdo, and when this hat was done we both agreed that the resemblance was quite remarkable





I adapted the pattern to fit a little girl and made the ear parts bigger than they where in the original pattern. The red part is shaped by making short rows (Such a great way of shaping... ) In the back it has a couple of cm. of ribbing to make it fit nicely to the neck. The front part is also shaped with short row knitting, and I finished it up with binding of with two threads for a strong and flexible edge. This hat really keeps the back of the neck, forehead and ears warm. I might have her wear it with a thin cotton hat under.




Once again the yarn is Knoll Super soft from Holst garn

Why I make my own basics...

Some people might think it is quite absurd to make you own basics like T shirts and slips. There has even been moments where even I have been wondering... why is it that I just cant settle with the same as other people? Is my body shaped that different?... No not really. But you see I know all the answers... So here we go...




1: I have a very good pattern that has been tested over many years and has never let me down.

2: I make all my tops with the straps meeting in the middle of the back to avoid the feeling of it slipping over my shoulders.

3: I make basics individually to match a certain dress or top. If the dress is slim the slip will be slim and so on. I mark my slips in the back with a little coloured embroidery, to make it easy after washing to put together with the right outfit.

4: It takes me much less time to make these basics, than to go shopping for them.

5 I have the full control of the fabrics quality, colour and since I prewash my fabrics I have no surprises with shrinkage and therefor it relieves me from the eventual disappointments so many purchases often has given me with size and some of them even get out of shape.

6: All my white cotton tops and slips are sewn with cotton thread, so if later i need to die it in another colour the thread will also be coloured.

7: I sew little buttons on the shoulder straps, and it is then easy to attach a little loop to whatever dress or top I wear with it. This can be done with a store bought top so maybe it doesn't really count... But I just had to tell you the whole story...




Does this seem like a lot of trouble... Or do you think I am just another control freak... I just love these tops and I like the feeling, that the layer closest to me skin fits me perfect. It somehow sets of the whole outfit from inside... And also you might know that I hate shopping....






I just made three more of these to fit with three cotton tops in batiste, wich where just too thin in the fabric, so it really needed a top to be worn under it. Hurray I didn't have to go shopping for these... lucky me...

A gift for John...

It appeared to be one of those knitting projects that could be knitted while watching a movie or having the constant interruption of little ones. But it wasn't. The pattern ripple rib was one of those mathematical logical ones, and even all knit and purl. Well how difficult can it be, but I am telling you, the combination of the dark yarn and the fact that the pattern was actually quite a few stitches and rows made this piece of knitting something that should be knitted in bright sunlight and with no interruptions. But here it is... and he seems pleased with it, so I am a happy girl.




The yarn is knoll super soft from Holst in the colour clover leaf. I used 200 gram and it was knitted on needle size 2½ mm.




Today I burned my left hand on hot water and later in the afternoon Some kind of irritating bug took a bite of my right hand ( well not really it just feels that way...)...so i guess no knitting tonight...

Dea's 8 months old...

She turned 8 months yesterday. where did all that time go ? Not a difficult question... It went with four months of colic and some time to recover... but now I hope we are back in business. She naps about two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon leaving me some time for different projects. One of the things I had to make was a mosquito net for the pram. She even left me some time to make a little bag for it. So there it is hanging on the side making it easy to access on all these warm and sunny days (hopefully...) to come.




The mosquito net you can buy are just not big enough for this old pram, and most of them are black that I somehow just dont find looks pleasing with this type of pram. I bought some wedding tulle, measured up, and simply overlocked it all together. it is hold together at the edge with an elastic drawstring.




Most of the time I have her blanket on top of the mosquito net. She just sleeps more undisturbed that way.




The pram is really big and Seth had his nap in it till he was 2½ years old. For Seth we had one of those traditionel carrycots that have rather hard sides. Walking up and down thestairs to the apartement gave me bruises on the side of my legs. So for Dea we wanted something different and much softer. I found this bog basket for babies. It was perfect, soft and with a look that was more in style with the pram. Before she was born I made it up to date with sturdy fabric handles that went all the way around the basket. Inside I made a cover so keep her a little more protected. Inspired my the modern carrycots I made a little clasp to keep the handles together while carrying her.




The picture of Dea in the basket is from when she was 1 month old. We dont use the basket anymore for the pram, but it is still big eneough for her to sleep in, and we use it to bring when wisiting friends and we don't want to bring the pram. It is great for her. She feels at home and sleeps very well in it.

Comfy jeans...

For a while ago I bought five pair of jeans, very cheap, since they were collection samples. Most of them have skinny legs and a low waist. I only wear skinny leg jeans together with long tops and dresses. Sorry girls, I just don't think they look good in other ways if you are not a size 36 and quite tall... But that might just be me getting old and laughing a bit of these young girls with a little ( or a lot...) french fries and coke fat around their hips. Luckily they put spandex in a lot of jeans now a days, but that in combination with a low waist and some physical activity makes these girls constantly pulling their jeans up in a not so flattering posture. Don't want that to happen to me, do I...




So this is what I did: I simply attached a piece of double layer rib jersey to the waist of the jeans. Now they are super comfy and super practical. So many times during the day I bend down to help a child, or pick something up from the floor. Now my jeans just follows my movements, just like a pair of leggings. That's just so nice. One other good thing is, it keeps me warm around my waist.

Inside the ribbing is an elastic band, I have secured in both sides so it won't get tangled. If my waistline gets smaller, ( read: I am working on it...), I will just adjust it a bit...

The excited knitter...

And how to avoid becoming one...

What's wrong with being excited... nothing really. It's just that I see a lot of knitwear design intended for people who knit them self, that are just too much and why is that ? Well a lot of knitters are quite interresting people who wants patterns, colours and interesting techniques. But will it be wearable, or did they get carried away when choosing yarn and design? Just a quick look around Ravelry always makes me wonder... Not a lot of wardrobe stables there. That's sad... I myself am trying not to become to excited, and think more in the sense of knitting for wearing... Its a luxury to have a basic silver grey cardigan in cashmere...so why not knit that !?

A knitwear designer that does a fine job is Helga Isager. I like they way that her designs are understated but still very interesting. Her designs feels very finished like she has looked at it over and over... asking herself: "Is this it ? Is it they way it should be? Would I wear it? and what will it look good with ?". To me it seems she is a person interested in fashion and design in general, and it shows.

I have never knitted any of her designs since I mostly make my own designs, but she is a great inspiration for how I think it should be done. One day I have to knit one of her designs just have to decide which one...

Her fall collection is beautiful and it only makes me smile when I read any criticism about her designs being boring. She is very much a nice fresh breeze so needed in the danish world of knitwear design.

she applied for the danish school of design and was rejected, and just started on her own. I would love if her collections would include sewn pieces. I am sure she would do a fine job. in some of her past collections she had some clothes but I never really figured it out... Was it something one could buy? And where ?...





Here is a little look at some of the swatces I have made and my quick little sketches done with a child in my arms ( So please don't be too hard when judging them... )

Another thing that has been very much on my mind... Does knitter think about the fact that when knitting they are actually knitting a fabric. Do they ask the question how does it feel?, how will it drape ?. Does the thickness and warmth fit to the design? It doesn't really make sense to knit a sleeveless top in thick wool. It might look good but is not functional.

There are so many patterns available for knitters (Go buy Barbara Walkers books on knitting patterns...) Every single pattern does something special to all these things mentioned. Some patterns are thick and sturdy but still very open in the knitting like a lattice. So it is thick but will not drape but hold its shape like corrugated cardboard. It will look sturdy but not at all keep the wind. Do I make any sense? So now it is time to mention the most important thing in knitting a garment...swatching

Here is what Barbara Walkers write in "Treasure of Knitting Patterns - Volume 1":

"Even the best of illustrations are often deceptive , and no one can visualize the total effect of a pattern by reading it, any more than the reading of a recipe can give you the exact taste of the finished dish. it is essential to see and feel a knitted pattern before you really know how, or whether to use it."

I find that something as simple as choosing different gauge for plain stocking stitch can make a big difference and be used for great effect in the final piece.




My last word today is going to be from Barbara Walkers:

"So-don't just knit something. Knit something beautiful."

Having a baby with colic...

I am so happy. We have the most wonderful healthy little baby girl. Being pregnant makes you worry... Will this baby be just another normal baby ? And of course she is just fine... BUT, She has colic...! The first three months was horrible, now it is tolerable, and it seems as if she is doing better every.

That's not really serious stuff, but it can make you rather insane. She has been crying in my arms a great part of the day.

That is quite a test for someone who doesn't like to get her mind and hands kidnapped ( If you know what I mean...). So how did I deal with that ? I got myself some earplugs since my singing would help not only Dea but also me to calm down. I tried using a sling but it still couldn't really free my hands since she moved too much around. so there was not much to do, I just had to accept the situation.

But I did find a way to cope with some of the boredom... My mood board... I simply put up little notes and ideas, make a couple of sketches and look at combinations of colours. Then when walking around I have this visual extension of my brain to look at. So I spend my time walking, organizing and planning what to do when life gets back to the normal. I change it all the time and let's just say I think my future projects will be very well planned...

Today I have to go out, get myself a pair of Birkenstocks to wear in the apartment while carrying her because my feet and legs are really hurting.

Grey Cardigan...

Sorry, I have been gone for a while, but my computer crashed, not really a big problem since I had just made a backup. But you see the screen was a bit broken from one side and therefor could not be closed, and I had to make a decision. Get a new one or try to repair and re-boot the old one. After a bit of asking around, I decided It was time to get a new one. So I did and here we are...

Right now I am mending a cardigan. A cardigan that I never blogged about, but as you can guess, I have been wearing it a lot.




The design is a simple yoke cardigan with a not too narrow opening at the neck. The yarn is Supersoft bought as Holst Garn here. The main colour is silver grey and the yoke is made with a lot of shades of green. While knitting with two colours on the same row I used both continental knitting and English knitting. It takes a little practise but really makes two colour knitting easier and more fun... Thank you Elisabeth Zimmerman...




All in all it was very pleasant knitting project. It had a perfect ease for wearing over a thin cotton T-shirt and it still looks okay and well fitting. Now when my waistline is showing again I might knit a little belt in some of the green shades and maybe even one in silver grey.

Something about taste...

I don't like dark chocolate... or let's say I used to not like dark choolate, but now I do... I guess it's what they call an aquired taste... We all know that it is important to let children taste a lot of different things, so they will develope their sense of taste. But really, it shouldn't stop there... I am 40 years old and I am still capable of aquiring new tastes... that's not a bad thing.

I am a coffee person but still I know that there are so many interesting tasty teas out there, and I would like to develop my tasteskills in that field. A good way to do that is to buy these little tins with just enough tea to get to know the taste.

And yes, the cans are beutifull and as empty, they are perfect for storing earrings.

Lots of earrings...

I have a tendency to complicate things just a bit... Or so it might appear to other people. That's, not really what I think... As a matter of fact, I want to simplify things and in order to do that I need to know everything about the subject in order to extract the important stuff. For me that's a good way to work, but lets face it, once in a while it can be really nice to just do something without thinking too much. My father use to have this cap with the text " get the job done ". So one day I let that be the motto and decided to make some earrings for myself. I am not an expert at this, but should that stop me... no... I sat down and created a bunch of earrings thinking I might use some of them a lot, other less and some I might even never wear, but for now don't think about it... just get the job done... Now it is time to wear them and maybe make some alternations down the road.




They are a combination of pearls, semi precious stones, and some beads, my parents have brought home from their holidays. I made most of the hooks myself and hopefully in the future they will be the base for some ceramic earrings, because thats really what all the tools and wire is for... good to make some practical test on myself... like will they get angled in my hair ? ( I hate that ) How easy are they to put on ? and will they be irritating when taking a nap in the middle of the day ( The one you never have the time for anyway... ) ?









So that was that... one day with earrings... no more no less.