Sunday 31 July 2011

Knitting Around In Circles

Not only is the pattern circles, I´m also knitting in the round for this scarf. Which is my preferred technique. Purling is not fun - and worse if there´s stranded pattern involved.

And in this way it get´s really nice and warm. I´m planning on making it about 2 meters long.

Anyway, I found the chart for the circles on Ravelry as a free pattern and it fitted my need for a mindless knitting perfect. It don´t get boring and I love stranded knitting. I cast on 120 stitches on a 30 mm circular needle on 2 mm.

The yarn is Zauberball from Shcoppel-Wolle. And it´s completely unpredictable.

The color changes in all directions and so does the thickness of the yarn. But for this project it´s perfect.

I´m always surprised by the colors that comes out of the skeins and how they match together.

So, this is a really enjoyable knit, full of surprises and you never know what you gonna get. Sounds like the qoute from the movie Forest Gump: 

Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

Wednesday 27 July 2011

Seahorse From A Cave

Faux bone from polymer clay.
Well, a cave was a bit exaggerated. But a friend on Flickr thought that this seahorse looked like an image from the caves of Lascaux in France. They are over 15000 years old. I sometimes feel like I´m that old - LOL!!!

Anyway, this seahorse is made of polymer clay. I made faux bone, stamped and used tools to make texture.

I´m really happy about how it came out. It´s brand new but have this ancient look. I love to put my own style to it. And that there are noone just like it.

I´ve made some seahorses in polymer clay lately. I like to shape them, see them come to life. And most of all wearing them. I get a lot of comments on them.

But in the end it´s the creating bit that fascinates me. That my hands are able to shape and create.

I feel so blessed and thankfull. And seahorses are so fragile and yet surviving an extreme life in the sea.

I´m not sure where I found the tutorial for the faux bone. The cane has been resting for a long time. But you can find an easy and really good tutorial for it here.

Monday 25 July 2011

Hold Hands For Norway

There are no words that can describe what Norway is going through right now after the terror attack in Oslo and on the island Utøya friday. Join us in your prayers and thoughts.

As Stine Renate Håheim, who was at Utøya when the terrorist shot over 80 young people, said:

If one man can show so much hate, think about how much love we can all show together.

Please hold our hands here.

Friday 22 July 2011

A Green Fellow From The Sea

Seahorse made with polymer clay and antiqued with white paint.
My polymer clay has been resting way too long while my knitting has kept me busy. So, here he is: The Green Seahorse. I never thought the green skinnerblend would work for a seahorse. But it did - at least I think so. The color is so bright.

I really enjoyed making him. He´s like a little emerald from the sea.

Seahorses prefer to live in sheltered areas so he´s staying with me to keep my days green. The pendant is made from a skinnerblend in two colors.

I then stamped the word seahorse on it. In addition you´ll find some texturing with blades and other tools. The disks are all scrap clay from the skinnerblend.

I had an old stripes sheet, and the stripes sort if give the pendant a frame.

The leather cord is long to get many options for lenghts wearing it. In the end of the cord there are also some beads. I think it makes the necklace versatile.

I love the shape of the seahorse. And thinking of that little creature way down in the sea makes me think that anything is possible. In spite of beeing small it´s so beautiful and actually cute. And it survives all the danger.

I found these words about the seahorse online:  
Patience - Friendliness - Protection - Inflexibility -  Perspective - Generosity/Sharing - High-Perception - Persistence - Contentment
Well, something to live up to - but I love to put some meaning into what I make.

Earrings to go with the seahorse. Sterling silver and polymer clay.

Sunday 17 July 2011

With A Woollen Heart

Or at least the pouches are woollen. Handknittet, felted and some of my handmade polymer clay buttons as well.

I kind of fancy these cute colors - they are like a summer breeze. There are something innocent about these colors.

You can find the link to the pattern and more about my knitted pouches here.
They are easy to knit and make great gifts for someone you love - or just for yourself.

Keeping the light flowing into your heart is so important.

Don´t let hate, anger or bitterness make a shade in front of your heart.

A good friend said to me once that, bitterness is to drink poison and expect others to die from it. I think that says it all.

Keep your heart in the light with a woolly place to rest.

Have a lovely day in the light.

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Light As A Feather - Soft As The Summer

Crochet shawl done in only a few days.
A friend tought me how to crochet a shawl. And so I did. With this wonderful light alpaca yarn named Faerytale from Du Store Alpakka. I used two skeins for it. And it´s so light and yet nice and warm.

Wonderful, soft and light alpaca.
I´ve had a lot of attemps on crocheting flowers but they all end up wrong in spite of patterns and all.

So I just decided to crochet out of my head. I´m not going to win the title "Miss Crochet" of the year with this. Maybe there´s room in the competition for "Miss Crochet No Matter What Outcome"? LOL!!

But I must say I love this shawl. Nice in the evenings and it´s going to be wonderful when the frost and snow arrives.

Who cares if it´s not perfect. Who says that everything should be perfect? Isn´t it what we are all trying to be, and are killing ourselves with? I really don´t know anyone who is perfect - but I know A LOT who is trying to be.

Perfect is out - imperfect is in. It must be freedom to just be and create without caring about everything beeing perfect. Or what??

Half done. I used size 6 mm on the hook, and it worked up really fast. Done in a few days.

Monday 4 July 2011

A Meadow With Frills

Oh, I could dive into this scarf. The alpaca is so soft. I just finished knitting this two meter long scarf with the daisy pattern from the danish designer Ruth Sorensen. The colors are chosen to be complementary to get the most of them  - and because I love a lot of colors.

Two frills on each end.
I´ve been thinking a lot about what I should do with the edges. When I saw a pattern for frills in the book Little luxury knits I decided to try them out. And they worked.

In fact they were easy to knit - all stockinette and in the round. Each of them has about 480 stitches.

I´m so happy about how this meadow came out. I only have a little problem: It´s summer and I can´t flash it just yet.

But all good things comes to ones who wait, right? In this case winter - well I must be crazy wishing for winter. But you know what I mean....

Anyway, it´s all about finding the little things to appreciate. And there are so many of them - it´s all about spotting them.