Sunday 29 July 2012

The Real One - And The Knitted One

The real bumblebee outside in the sun - and the knitted ones on their way to fly.
Buzzing around outside the bumblebee reminded me that I had some finishing to do. The two woollen bumblebees has been without wings and eyes for a very long time. And who can find honey just sitting still and doing nothing. Both people and bees need to get moving if we want to find some sweetness in life.

I have knitted bumblebees before but I wanted a couple a little smaller so I used a thin yarn and 2.5mm needles. This free pattern actually taught me to knit from english patterns a few years ago.

When they were knitted they ended up in that "I will do it later" queue.

In spite of only taking a few minutes I could not seem to get them ready to fly with wings and eyes.

The wings is some commercial lace. I did not like the wings in the pattern so much. The eyes are round 4mm glass beads.

As we have seen the sun for some hours - it is raining again - the bumblebees visit my lavender to get some honey.

And I manage to get a photo of one with its tongue into one of the very small flowers. And then it occurred to me that the two knitted ones should be finished.

So, here they are. I think they are a little cute and I actually like the small ones better than the ones I knitted before. I love bumblebees and the fact that they fly in spite of really not being aerodynamically designed for it. A huge inspiration: Go for what you want - even if people tell you otherwise. Go for the honey.


Hope Is The Only Bee That Makes Honey Without Flowers
Robert Ingersoll


The Stitch Story
Yarn: Rauma Finull
Needles: 2.5mm
Pattern: ChemKnits, free pattern
Other materials: Round glass beads 4mm, parts of lace
Ravelry link: Bumblebee

Tuesday 24 July 2012

Aiming For The Stars

I have met people that have become shining stars in my life. When they enter a room it lightens up and makes people smile. They are rare - but they are out there shining.

I have started a new scarf to remind me to aim for the stars. To avoid seeking those that makes a room dark and cold. And to never think that anything is impossible.

So, back to that knitting. A while ago I saw a project on Ravelry and knew I had to knit something like that. Since I had the yarn Delight from Drops in my stash I have finally picked it out and added some more yarn to it. The stash is a constant all the time. This variegated yarn surprised me.

It has a rather bad reputation being a sock yarn. But in spite of some splitting it knits up nice and the colors are lovely.

I was a bit uncertain about the white - often white has a tendency to make a garment less alive. If a garment can be alive - maybe it is to a knitter? LOL. But this works ok. What do you think???

Anyway - the pattern is from the really fun knitting book Kiri Kari. It is written in estonian and I do not understand a thing.

But the projects are such an inspiration and charts are universal. Pigs with stranded pattern and hand puppets with patterns from very old estonian mittens.

That is where I found the star pattern. It is an easy and not too mindless knitting. I cast on 120 stitches for the scarf.

I love knitting this scarf. I happen to put stranded scarves on tiny needles on top of my list of favorite knitting.

I have added a feather and fan edge to the scarf and it seem to work. So here we go - in about two meters it will be done. And with so much rain, fog and cold weather it seems more like autumn. And knitting time!

Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star
W. Clement Stone

The Stitch Story
Yarn: PT2 Panda in white, Drops Delight color number 12
Needles: 2.5mm
Pattern: CO 120 st, Feather and fan edge and star pattern from Kiri Kari
Ravelry linkWool For A Star

Friday 20 July 2012

Flowermouse Between Pages

Front cover of the book.
With just a few clicks my book is out. I am a published author. This really sounds much better than it is. It would be a nice dream. But this is just about me printing my blog into a book.

I have thought about it for long after I saw it on another blog. But when all photos suddenly disappeared one day on blogger - I decided it was time to order that book.

Back cover of the book.
The photos came back the same day - but it reminded me about life online. It can be over in just a click and everything is lost.

Writing a blog is sharing a little part of a life. And I wanted to be sure that it will be with me forever. Or whatever....

I ordered the book on blog2print. And I am very pleased with the quality of it. Colors, photos and text is very good. I included all comments.

They mean a lot to me - and my blog would really not be what it is without them.

The only thing I think is negative is that I chose to have a so called snapshot of the blog posts. But they have centered all the photos - which added a lot more sites to the book.

In addition I got a vague answer from them when I contacted them regarding that. On their site it do not say that they change the layout when you choose snapshot. Maybe that word has another meaning to the company than to the rest of the world?

Anyway, I am happy to have saved my blog in this book. I am planing on making a book every year.

And I thank you all for your visits, your comments and your support. You are the ones making my blog alive. And you brighten up my everyday life.
Inside the book.

Monday 16 July 2012

Created In Colors And Disks

I am so happy that the world is created in color. It is just to take them down and let them shine in our lives. My colors were stored in some crumbling polymer clay. All those colors I blended a long time ago were just sitting there waiting to get a life.

So, I started with the blues. Moved on the the purples and the greens and ended with the yellows and oranges. 

Since I already had the colors it took very little time to make them. Just rolled out sheets in the pasta machine and used a cookie cutter so the disks has about the same size. Then used a sponge to texture them. Voila - bracelets there are.

Thanks to Natalia from Spain for her help. Check out her bracelets here and have a look on her work. Simply extraordinary!

But back to those colors. Maybe it is a culture thing in my country. But I still hear that people are afraid of using bright colors. "What would people think of me". 

I get chocked every time I hear that. What kind of culture are we living in, if people are afraid of being them selves? As you can see I bypassed those thoughts. I really do not care. We need to live our own lives - and if we do that I am sure the colors will shine and bring light into the world.

Do you use the colors you like? 
The soul becomes dyed with the colors of its thoughts
Marcus Aurelius

Monday 9 July 2012

He Was My First Love

No, I am not talking about the extremely handsome, tall guy with the dark hair and the shiny blue eyes I married 150 years ago. That brings flowers and diamond rings home every day.

And that loves me even more than he did the first time he saw me. And that I got 40 children with that all match the wallpaper, the pink cupcakes and the couch. He is just a frigment of my imagination. LOL!

I am talking of Marius, my very first stranded sweater. Now, did you hit the ground too? It would be nice to stay in that imagination.

But, I will pull you right back here to talk about knitting. Sigh! Anyway, this sweater is knitted way back in the beginning of the 1980s.

I simply had to learn stranded knitting - and started out with a Marius sweater. The pattern certainly has a renaissance in Norway now.

I do not remember what yarn I used. Nor the needles or anything else - but I have kept the sweater all these years and it has a sentimental value to me.

I learned the technique on my own and was pretty proud then to have managed.

The sweater was designed by Unn Søiland Dale in 1953 and was originally named for Marius Eriksen who was known as a fighter pilot, an actor and a double norwegian champion in slalom.

Marius Eriksen got paid to be on the pattern photo and the original colors (blue, white and red) was such a huge success that the pattern and yarn sale took off.

Well, after all I knitted it to test the stranded knitting. And I fell in love with the technique. And I have knitted pattern ever since. An everlasting love without diamonds and flowers....
Marius cups are just so much fun for a knitter!!!

Monday 2 July 2012

Not Really A Blue Monday

I started this week with a blue monday. Well, not the sort that makes you stay in bed and wish for thursdays. This monday is about polymer clay in blue colors.

I have long had this idea about using some of my old and crumbling polymer clay. After a while it dries up - and the only thing to save it is a food processor and some stuff that soften it. Hey, I am never going down that road. Never.

Anyway, the clay has to be used for something. It is a bit out of the question to put it in the trash. Shaping and making canes or figures does not work. Trust me, I have tried.

I took out the blues, some directly from the original color and some I previously have mixed. These disks are easy, fast and works even with a bit of dry clay. I condition it in the pasta machine to soften it is as much as possible.

Then i cut out pieces with a cookie cutter and use my sponges for textures. The sponges are developed by Natalia and Daniel from Spain.

I thank them for their help and the sponges. If you want to have a go, you can buy the sponges here.

A little hole and I am done. I had some clay in different blues and used it up. I am planing to do the same with my purples, greens and reds as well.

I have tried sponges you clean boats with - and they work as well.

I suppose you can get a highly textured sponge in a department store.

But the sponges from Natalia and Daniel are the best - and they are developed to work with polymer clay.

I wish you a lovely monday - even if it has the wrong color!!!
The disks are stringed for the bracelet.