Trying to keep things simple...

It was my birthday in September and my dear John and my parents gave me a lot of Elizabeth Zimmerman books. There is a lot of zimmermaniacs out there and I totally understand that. I am not a big fan of knitting instructions in general. To me it seems like they lack a lot of information and leaves me not very strong in my faith to the designer. That combined with the fact that there is always something I want to look a bit different, has made me come to the conclusion that I just have to make my own patterns. But then there is Elizabeth Zimmermann... she is a friend and one to turn to in bad times. She was not a designer but more of a scientist. I have always been most drawn to people who designs very deep down in techniques. It is as if the design makes a full circle. As if you have to solve the most complex matrix equation to truly understand why one and one is two. A lot of scientist gets glossy eyes when they talk about the beauty of math, and I believe that even if we might not understand it all, we will be drawn to these things, because they have some kind of universal truth and beauty.




I was a little late making a nice warm sweater for Seth to be used this winter, so one weekend I let E.Z. be the scientist providing me with the few formulas to make the Raglan seamless sweater in two strands of nice warm wool. This was certainly knitting without tears, and Seth has used the sweater a lot. For someone like me who normally spends a serious amount of time planning the design it was so refreshing to just decide on the few features colours and so on... and then just go ahead... certainly not the last time...




In one of her books she writes about how silly it is to give little kids and babies gloves on for sleeping in the pram and so. It is a much better idea to make real long cuffs and then pull a cord through the edges. Just fold those cuffs down and tie a knot on the cord... Baby will be warm and will not lose the gloves.





If you want to start knitting, buy these books and let her guide you... Strong faith is a good thing but I rest my case - now I know... God is a woman. At least in knitting heaven...

Elizabeth Zimmermann:

Knitters almanac
The opinionated knitter
Knitting without tears
Knitting around
Knitting workshop

Also check out Schoolhouse press

So I needed a portfolio...

Well not really. I don't have lots of big drawings, I need to carry around but I really needed some way of transporting my basic slopes for dressmaking between the studio and apartment. I just like having them around if suddenly during the weekend I find a little time to test an idea. I would seriously hate to bend them so I had to find a solution.




John said "why don't you buy one of those portfolios" but The only one I had seen that I liked, is my dads. He made it when he was young and working as a decorator for a clothing and fabrics shop. It is made out of cardboard from some pattern commercials. So I thought I am just going to get some cardboard and make a portfolio with a little cotton and glue. I explained all this to John, he looked at me with the look " Oh no she is going to make a project out of this " True ...why not make it like an accordion in fabric and slip the big pieces of cardboard in to stabilize it. It has quite a few advantages. Like If it gets dirty I just take out the cardboard and throw it in the washing machine, It has 4 "pockets so I can keep things a little divided. If the cardboard gets damaged I just buy new ones, and If sometime in the future I will not have a need for it I just take out the cardboard. fold the fabric part and store it.




I also had to consider this big thing would be very visible in the apartment so it had to be very subtly. I have always like the combination of crisp white and cream. The portfolio is in strong cream coloured canvas and I "wrote" portfolio in crisp white with my favorite font courier new with no capitals.l It took quite a bit time so what had to be a quick solution for a practical problem turned out to be time consuming but it doesn't really matter because I am satisfied and it works splendid.

I finished this "my favorite cardigan"...

Do you remember this. Now it is all done and I love it. There was so much calculating and a lot of thinking... How can I make this ? will this work ? But I double checked and everything seemed to be right. Then there was a lot of knitting to be done and now less than a year after, it is done. It actually finished it two months ago, but I sort of had wear it a while before writing about it. It is perfect... I use it as a very warm and cosy comfort on chilly evenings, when all I want is lots of tea and love. It is also perfect to wear as a jacket when it is not to cold.




The original Idea was to make one long like this, and then a shorter one in the colour of oatmeal. But, I think the second one will also be a long one. So maybe next fall I will make another, but for now I will just sit here with my tea and consider what type of cables the next one requires...

Before the guests arrive...

Today a quiet post from me. I think I mentioned it before. I am not the most social person: Still I like parties because no matter how much I like to be alone I need that special high I get from being around people I love.

Can you recall the feeling just before guests arrive. You are done, everything is ready, you just have time to sit down for a quiet moment and you are thinking: "I feel so happy to have all these people around me that I love and who loves me". Once in a while I have to stop myself so I won't be welcoming them with mascara running down my cheeks...

I took this picture in one of those quiet moment before Seth's birthdayparty late December

Shop update

It is my goal that the blog and website will reflect everything that is going on in the studio and shop ( I will spare you for the details like cleaning and having lunch... ). Today I finished listing all the ceramics so now it is possible to see prices and dimensions of all I have in the shop. The site is in danish since the prizing of sending ceramics abroad can be expensive. I have tested the site in google translate and it works not perfect but okay. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to send me a mail.

Here are a couple of samples but go check it out here

Who said Christmas ? ...

This year something strange happened. Christmas came and went and I barely noticed.
Yes we had all the Christmas stuff going on, I just didn't get all hyped about it. I remember one day saying laughing "Heck I think I will use this Christmas to plan the next Christmas". And so I looked in all these Christmas books and magazines. I had a great time but I didn't do much Christmas stuff myself....We didn't have snow but the weather was beautiful and gave me the upportunity to test my new lens: Nikkor 85 mm 1:1.8 D( Christmas gift from John ). Love the way it draws. Can´t wait using it a lot more.




Once in a while a get a little stuck in my work, not really knowing the direction. I have noticed a pattern: It seems that when I am a bit lost, I start cooking a lot. I find that rather strange... But that's the way it is.

Cooking for me is not really making one recipe but more to try to transform the recipe to something easier. I would like to have a repertoire of really easy and diverse dishes, but also some that can be changed with whatever you can find... like The overall structure of a curry : 600 g veggies, 400 g Chicken or other kind of meat, 1-3 tbsp of curry paste, 5 dl. coconut milk, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp sugar honey or other sweet stuff, some acid like lemon juice or vinegar... Other tastes that that can be used: Fresh ginger, peanut butter, tamarind, sweet chili or soy. Herbs : Basil or coriander... You got the picture ?

This year I will try to get the basics real straight. So tonight Panna cotta: Already made ( that's really an easy one... )just waiting to be served with mango and passion fruit syrup.




One day I found a lot of Tupperware at the local flea market, including this 70´s style container with little departments inside. I like the idea of having all the ingredients for a sandwich or the danish "smørrebrød" collected in one place.





But now I have to go chop a mango...

And last ( and a bit delayed ) but not least: Happy new year to all of you.

My new years intentional: Be more social and better dressed...

Being willing to adapt...

One can have expectations for life, plans and projects, but sometimes things change, times pass and you have to adapt, do things in another way. Sometimes it´s hard, frustrating and disillusioning, but it can also be a pleasant surprise that makes you look at the world in another way and make you grow as a person...

This is all pocket philosophy. In my life it has a lot to do with having tons of ideas but too little time. Having a little kid has a tendency to break up the time you have for different project into fragments, ten minutes here and there and maybe two hours on a good day.




So here is the story: I started making this jacket to be in the spring. I constructed the pattern too big for him so he could use it in the fall with a sweater under. Things went well, I dyed the fabric, cut it and then I got busy. Time flew as it does in summer. The sun was shining and we were having fun playing with water on the lawn behind the studio. Then fall came and still no jacket. It got cold so we bought a jacket for the little fellow. Mom really wanted to knit a scarf but ended up with letting him wear one of her own.




But what about the sewing project THE JACKET... ??? I had to adapt, you see and so did the jacket. Seth had gotten a lot bigger during the summer and no way would it fit him over a sweater so I forgot all about the sleeves and made a vest... So if there is anyone out there with long lasting projects like mine and needs a pair of sleeves for something, you know who to call...




Teddy bear: Dress style info : Crocheted pants from a kids vintage store worn with a high waist....hip !

DESK

The desk area in the shop is finally finished. The desk itself is a gift from a friend. It was in a real bad shape with lots of stuff to be fixed and painted and I made extra shelves to fit the needs. This area is all very white but hopefully soon the wall behind it will be filled with lots of things to sell.

Because of the big doors this place can have a rather strong draft... I would actually call it windy... So I have rocks to keep the paper in its place and all little things are in the metal box .

The desk had some very malfunctioning drawers, so they were removed and I went to the baker and got some of those confectioners boxes. They are of great size, and real easy to move around. They contain whatever I need, like extra tape, prize tags and so on. I placed a curtain there to hide bigger things like extra packaging material.




Above the desk is a dispenser for gift paper. This one is a gift from my dad he gave to me when I opened my first studio and shop some 10 years ago. He made it of an old chair and table. I have used the same type of gift wrap for nearly 10 years. What can I say else than I really like it... The curly ribbon is white and has a satin surface. I used to wrap my pots in newspaper and cover it with the gift wrap, but now I use white silk paper. The scissor is old and fits well to my hand. It is on a leash because somehow it always seems to disappear for me.




I am satisfied now and I like standing behind that desk talking to customers.

Oh... the picture below, dinner: You guessed right, it is beetroot. I got to tell you, this is not the only picture I have after eating beetroot. I just think it looks great. It dries up in beautiful spots. I sometimes get a new view looking at my plates in use... This could be just another bad excuse for not doing the dishes but really it isn't.

Small business marketing...

Having a small business run just by one person leaves you with two choices when it comes to marketing. You either have a lot of money to buy different services or you make all the things possible yourself. I belong to the latter category and lucky me I find it interesting to have my hands on all parts of the process.

I have found this place that makes printed papers in small numbers and at a reasonable price. I customized the posters with a fringe of little business cards to bring home. Of course I had to use the sewing machine for this. It is fast and involves no sticky glue. I like the look of the bright yellow thread that separates the professional poster and the homemade looking business cards( that was my intention... if anyone should wonder ). It also adds a little texture and feeling of maybe a dress, a shirt who knows...





I have put different materials in a basket in my car so it will be easy for me on my way around to put up a poster where ever it could be a good idea...





Oh I have to tell: I MADE A TABLE...( or at least the tabletop) I found the two Ikea adjustable table legs at my parents attic. Yeps I made the technical drawings... calculated the materials and actually built it. For a long time I have wanted a sturdy table in the studio. I wanted it to be adjustable in height, have a white plain surface that would leave no marks on whatever I am working with... It is finished and I am pleased with it. I will probably never see it this empty againg...

My way of working...

Once in a while I meet people having opinion that creative people are unorganized. In a way I think they are right. To create it is necessary to be a little destructive, break up things and make a mess, but then you have to organise things in a new way, keep your head cool and follow the idea to the very end where it is actually finished and materialized in something real. It is very easy to ramble down the river of flowing ideas, but the hard part ( or at least for me it is... ) is to get disciplined and finish the project or to develop the idea on sketches and small test and eventually maybe just throw the hole thing in the bin.




Here is the way I do it: I Have a little A6 size piece of yellow plastic board that provides a very sturdy surface for writing or drawing in places where there is no table near. I use index card or just plain little A6 note papers for sketches or whatever I need to write down. All kind of design ideas, sewing techniques, wish lists, different to do lists ( way too many... ) , cooking recipes, books i would like to read and so on. I carry the little board with me all times. I organize it this way: first the plastic board, then finished notes and sketches, then one piece of black cardboard to divide, in the front is the plain paper all ready. Whenever I make a note I slit it behind the black cardboard to wait until the moment when I just have too many notes. That's when I sit down and file it in the box in the proper place. It is simple and doesn't take to much space





I really like these black boxes. They are very sturdy and has that feeling of an old library. One day I would like to have a special made little bookshelf with these boxes. I found the boxes and index card here and here. If you are interested in people making organizing pretty you should go see Judy of the Woods flckr pool on her slip method. She is a very inspiring person so if you are into sustainability and low tech organising you should check out her website