k n i t t i n g a l o t

Gingerbread castle

2011-12-17T20:58:00.002+01:00

This year's gingerbread castle is ready, after baking and putting together all 42 fragile pieces. A nerve wrecking process, I'll tell you. But it all went well, even though it actually broke a little, and the portcullis was destroyed. According to my son, a canon hit the gate. Quite common and nothing to cry about, apparently.

The guards all have weapons, so there should be no chance of hostile intruders succeeding in entering the castle. And in a couple of weeks, we'll bring our hammers and smash it to pieces. Love this part of Christmas!

L'homme fatal

2011-11-18T13:23:00.001+01:00

It's been winter this week! There is no snow yet, but the freezing cold nights have put white glitter on the trees. It's pretty. And cold. And since my husband managed to loose his favorite scarf last year, he needed something new for keeping his neck warm. He's really not that into scarves, though, so I figured a cowl would be a good substitute. And since he loves colors, I chose a lovely violet color for his cowl.

The cowl is worked as a ribbed tube, without increases or decreases. The cable pattern is inspired by gentlemen's socks, a subtle, beautiful pattern which twists and bends the ribbing just a little bit before letting it once again become ordinary ribbing. And since the cowl itself is quite straightforward, and since I have fallen in love with beautiful edges, I have added tubular edges on both sides. It looks professional, and the result makes it all worthwhile.

L'homme fatal [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: L'homme fatal (norsk) by Tora Frøseth
Size shown: One size
Needles: 3.0 mm
Yarn: Hifa Superwash, about 70 g.

Byssanlull

2011-10-17T11:48:00.001+02:00

When I was a child, my parents used to sing me lullabies when putting me to sleep. I particularly liked the one called Byssanlull. And I loved those evenings when my dad sang my all the verses. Now I am the one singing lullabies, and fortunately my children love this one too.

I named my new pattern Byssanlull because I like to think of it as comforting the baby a little like the song does. The vest is neither too cold nor too warm, and it's a perfect garment for layering. It is a fast project for the impatient knitter, and quite straightforward as well - as long as you can read written instructions.

I have used the yarn Alv in two different colors held together for the samples. Pale blue + pale blue-grey held together for the blue vest and dusty green + pale blue-grey for the green one. Other combinations are of course possible, see this page for some of the suggestions. It can also be made using only one strand of yarn, for example with the Superwash yarn. I myself love working with the two strands of Alv held together. It gives a soft and light weight fabric, just perfect for baby garments.

Byssanlull [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Byssanlull (norsk) by Tora Frøseth
Size shown: 3 and 6 months
Needles: 3.0 mm and 2.5 mm
Yarn: Hifa Alv, about 40 g of each color for each vest.

The Architect

2011-09-14T17:28:00.001+02:00

I once saw a house in a photograph, a wooden house which angles made my heart beat faster. I don't know where the house is located, nor can I find the site where I saw it. But if I come across it again, I'll know it's partly mine.

I didn't only see a house, though. I saw possibilities for new angles in a knitted sweater. The result was The Architect, made as a tribute to the unknown architect of a house somewhere out there. A baby cardigan and a hat, constructed somewhat similarly to the Angle cardigan, yet differently. I would guess that those of you who enjoyed knitting Angle, will enjoy this one just as much.

The cardigan is knit in one piece, with grafted shoulder seams. The grafting is written specifically for grafting garter stitch, and it is all described in detail, so there is no need to worry. I love those magic, invisible seams, and I suspect you will too, after trying them. The hat is worked from the bottom up, and the crown is seamed to maintain the lovely angles all the way to the top.

The pattern includes directions for sizes 3 (6, 12, 24) months and can be had both at Ravelry and in my store - and of course as a kit with all the yarn needed for those who'd like that. Enjoy!

The Architect [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: The Architect (Arkitekten ) by Tora Frøseth
Size shown: 3 months
Needles: 3.0 mm and 2.5 mm
Yarn: Hifa Superwash, 150 g of grey (965) and 25 g of olive (945)

Autumn

2011-09-12T17:08:00.000+02:00

I'm still here, even though it's been a while since my last post. I took holiday in all aspects of it this summer. And I meant to tell you about some of our holiday adventures, but then came 22/7, and it didn't feel right. Now we're almost back to normal, today is even Election Day. I will vote later this evening.

It's been autumn for a while already, but it feels like I haven't yet adjusted myself. Summer has been wet, but still quite good. We've been together a lot, and I like that. I have also been knitting, which you will see when it's all ready.I have a few patterns that are ready, though. The first will be published later this week. To the left is a sneak peak. I hope you'll like it.

Silence

2011-07-26T16:02:00.004+02:00

Our capital is full of flowers. And the people are back in the streets.

Yet it is so silent. Getting off the bus in downtown Oslo today was as if walking into a church. People are talking, but quietly. They are doing normal things, like walking, shopping, eating, but silently. And not only outside Oslo Cathedral. Oslo is taken back by its tourists and inhabitants, but we are all grieving, we are all still numb. It is a peaceful quietness. A friendly one.

The flowers are everywhere. In the streets, in trees, on traffic lights. In the fountains, on the statues. Even the roadblocks surrounding the damaged buildings look friendly, covered with flowers.

"We will punish the guilty. The punishment will be more generosity, more tolerance, more democracy" - Fabian Stang, Mayor of Oslo.

I hope this kindness will last, and that we will find ways of putting all those beautiful words into action.

And to those of you able to read Norwegian, this article by Anders Giæver is more than worth reading.

A black day

2011-07-23T17:50:00.000+02:00

A heart of stone he must have had, he who bombed, shot and killed almost a hundred people, mostly young ones, in and just outside Oslo yesterday. We are all in shock, and today is the strangest day. I think of those who've lost their loved ones. It's heartbreaking. Yet I'm lucky enough to have all mine safe and secure, and kids who know that life must go on, and who remind us all the time by telling joyful news from their world, by smiling to us. It feels unreal.

And I think of what this will do to us and our free and open Norwegian society. I hope the reaction will be one of warmth, one of standing together and caring.

I meant to show you some pictures from our holiday, but it'll have to wait. In the meantime, be kind to those you love and hold them tight. I will.

34!

2011-06-12T19:23:00.001+02:00

After several days of rain - a lot of it, just look at this! - the clouds went somewhere else tonight, and the sun decided to shine all day, on my 34th birthday. I guess I must have behaved real well this year. My sister brought me peonies, and my husband the red and pink ones (I have forgotten their name, but I love how they look with our lovely painting!).

It's been a wonderful day, we've all been doing nothing, which I love, and which means everyone have been doing whatever they want all day. I have been reading in the sun on the terrace with my husband, hugging the kids when they've stopped by, running in the woods, eating whenever hungry, and soon some friends are coming over for cake and wine. A lovely birthday!

Ramme gård

2011-06-05T12:50:00.000+02:00

Another visit to the extraordinary garden at Ramme gård. Yesterday was garden day. We didn't buy any plants, just enjoyed each other's company, the garden and a lovely lunch. Two years since last time, and I still find it such a wonderful place on earth. It has this combination of being both beautiful and vulgar at the same time. Immensely beautiful, yet provocative with it's kitchy decorations, like the King's portal or the forbidden garden. If you can appreciate the sculptures, the place is really one to visit. Full of people (people tend to come in crowds when it's open), yet quiet. Sit down on a bench, savor the garden with every cell. There are not many places - if any - like this in Norway. I guess it takes both a lot of money and a lot of courage to create something like this in the land of Jante.

After 1Q84

2011-06-02T18:48:00.001+02:00

I finished 1Q84 - book 1 & 2 on Monday. Afterwards, I went running in the woods. I ran faster than I have in a while, and my thoughts went back and forth through my head, thinking of everything, anything and nothing at all. It then came to me, I was stuck in that world, Murakami's world. I was scared. I ran through the woods in the middle of the day, and felt scared. Figured the people I met could be anything. Like in Murakami's universe. And I thought that if I'd met a bear, I wouldn't have been all that surprised.

It took me a while to get into this book, a couple of hundred pages, actually. I was a bit disappointed at first. The simple, straight forward language didn't quite appeal to me this time. I don't think it was any different from his other books, really. I've just read the wrong authors lately. Wrong in the sense of preceding Murakami (I've been spoiled, by my number 1 favorite these days, Tomas Espedal. I might tell you about him some day). And it took me a while to get to know the characters. At first sight, they weren't very Murakami like. They weren't quite the Watanabe character I always long for. But of course they were. I only discovered that after a while. The independent young man is there (as a woman, too this time!), but somehow that is not what the book is about.

The story is a strong one, the book a page turner, somewhat similar to Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (I loved that one!), only not quite so abstract. It is a heart breaking story, one of broken childhoods, loss, loneliness. It's about love, murder, hope, about strong individuals trying to live their lives their own way. It took me a while to get out of the book as well, to get it out of the system (I'm not sure I have yet). I fell in love with the characters, the universe. 1Q84 is the sad love story from Norwegian Wood and South of the Border, West of the Moon, and it is the abstract world from A Wild Sheep Chase and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. And yet, it is completely it's own.

As always, I regret finishing the last Murakami book, and envy all of you who haven't yet read it all. Next year, book 3 will be published in Norwegian, and although I do see book 1 & 2 as a complete and finished story, I look forward to it. Of course I do.

The Long Wait

2011-05-23T15:33:00.002+02:00

The Norwegian translation of Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 is here, finally! We've been waiting and longing and wanting for so long. The Norwegian (fabulous) translator Ika Kaminka has been working fast. Even so, it has taken quite some time for her to get through it. I love the fact that it is so huge (751 pages, book 1 & 2 combined, as intended by Murakami). I hope I will manage to read real slow. I have great expectations for this one. I'd love to be with it for a while.

I have the house for myself for another 30 minutes, the coffee is ready, I'll put the computer and phone away. No knitting today, I'm afraid. Aomame and Tengo, I'm ready!

Easter holiday

2011-04-25T12:47:00.000+02:00

Last day of the Easter holiday today. It's been so great! We've stayed at home, enjoying long, lazy, sunny days. Reading for hours in bikini on the terrace, watching the tulip leaves grow, eating pancakes in the woods, fresh baked bread for lunch, fish on the grill, working (is there a better word?) in the garden, running, the kids playing, great people visiting, white wine with boyfriend in the evenings, knitting. I can't think of a better way to spend a vacation. And it has actually been sunny every day. The warmest April ever. Love it!

Spring!

2011-04-10T10:51:00.000+02:00

Every year, spring takes me by surprise. We have had the most wonderful cold winter, with tons of snow, amounts that will take for ever to melt, we've been out skiing every week-end, hoping it will never end. And then suddenly, as if out of nowhere, it's spring, and it feels just fine. The light comes back, the snow disappears as if by magic, and we can sit outside without getting cold. It surprises me every year, how fast this happens.

Yesterday, my children brought me the first spring flowers, we ate out on the terrace, with nothing more on than we would inside, white wine in the glasses, and even a butterfly came visiting. Today, I will sit outside knitting on my husband's cowl for next winter, maybe read a bit, enjoy it for sure. I love this time of year.

Light

2011-04-08T19:33:00.007+02:00

The light is finally back for real, and I enjoy every bit of it. Photographing was almost impossible this winter, the lack of daylight and the bright white snow is a tricky combination. At least when it comes to taking photos of knitted items (which I find quite difficult even in the best light condition).

My husband lost his garf, and searched all over town before he told me, cute thing. I'm making him something new. And I don't mind, really. He likes my knitted gifts, so I like knitting for him. And working with men's wear is always a thrill. Seams like it'll be a cowl of some sort this time. Violet. I think it'll look good on him. At least better than the skiing cowl he's been wearing as a garf substitute the last few weeks.

The photo? Well, it's my dirt. Come spring, come dirty windows..

Shamelessly happy

2011-04-01T13:42:00.001+02:00

My Little sister's dress is in the Danish magazine Boligliv! It's in an article with inspirational sources for DIY projects, and Ravelry is listed as an important pattern source for knitters (we agree on that, don't we? What did we do before Ravelry, does anyone even remember?). Amongst the thousands of patterns out there, they chose my dress, how cool is that? It's so strange to see my little dress in a magazine, it's like "hey, I made that!".. Thank you, Line, for telling me about it.

My colorful trivet

2011-03-30T13:48:00.003+02:00

A reader asked about the colorful balls on my Women's Day table. Years back, I made a few felted wool balls like that, and even though the result was lovely, I found the process of rolling and rolling to make them all round and perfect quite tedious. But maybe it would've worked better with needle felting. I have never tried that.

This, though, is actually a trivet, made for me for Christmas by my sister. She bought ready made felted wool balls, and then she sewed them together to make the trivet. No need to say I love it!

Happy Women's Day!

2011-03-08T20:40:00.000+01:00

Skiing

2011-02-09T09:56:00.006+01:00

My absolute favorite activity for the time being! Today I had an aching back that needed some care. A couple of hours out in the woods seemed like a good plan for both my back and my mind. Lots of soft, white snow, never ending ski trails, and the warm February sun made this the perfect day. And it feels like my back liked it, too. The rest of the day, I have a date with my sofa. And some knitting (or rather re-knitting. I made hats for my kids this winter, and they turned out a little too short. And I only found out after I'd re-knit the crown several times to get the decrease pattern right. What happened is that I didn't pay enough attention to my own pattern, and started the decreases a bit too early).

Whiteness

2011-01-06T14:54:00.000+01:00

Soft snow dunes to dive into if one knew no better. Blue whiteness in the afternoon light. In my world, finally.

Had a lovely time skiing yesterday, and the woods are even prettier today. May it stay for a long time, this most welcome of winter guests.

I might even get inspired to knit something white. A rarity in my book. But who knows.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T18:36:00.001+01:00

The gingerbread castle has been smashed to pieces, Christmas decorations put away, and the house is once again its clean, tidy self. Tulips on the table, empty white walls and a spacious, three-free living room feels good. Yesterday evening was celebrated with good friends, and today is a day for relaxation. I'm knitting a woolen jacket for my daughter's new Barbie doll, and that's about what I've accomplished today.

I hope you too enjoyed yesterday evening, and wish you all a Happy New Year!

Gingerbread castle

2010-12-21T19:45:00.002+01:00

Enter, if thy dare!

The first

2010-12-12T19:10:00.000+01:00

Today. My husband and I, for the first time this winter, skiing in the woods of my childhood, where my father used to take me, the two of us, alone, blue sky, ice cold sunny winter weather, snow on the trees. Beautiful. Wonderful. Love.

December 1st!

2010-12-01T15:10:00.002+01:00

This morning, I woke up to a pleasant surprise: My very own Advent Calendar, wrapped in paper marked with a T, hanging innocently on the children's Advent Calendar. A lovely little book (one of Murakami's favorites, so I better like it!), marked with which section to read which of the next 24 days. And I can't access the pages for tomorrow and the days after that without ripping out the red tabs. Clever. And very, very cute!

Attitude

2010-11-21T13:28:00.001+01:00

When I learned to knit, 26 years ago, I wanted my knitting to be the smooth, wonderful stockinette stitch. And a few years later, when I'd learned how to purl – or knit in the round, I don't remember which came first – it did finally look that way. I still want my knitting to look that way. And if the garment has an exciting construction, I don't find knitting stockinette stitch the least boring. Creating beauty simply can't be!

My new design is another tribute to the stitch of my heart. A plain cardigan as it may look, those little details keeping the knitter – and the eye – interested are definitely there. Twisted ribbing, tubular cast ons, as well as bind offs, creating beautiful edges. Cropped length on both body and sleeves makes this perfect for layering, a way to wear wool without getting to warm. The design also offers a different approach to the set-in sleeve. All seamless, except for those tiny holes under each arm.

I find this garment extremely easy to wear, and I have been wearing it a lot already (the winter has definitely arrived, so there is an urgent need for woolen garments). I'm particularly fond of this yarn–button color combination, but the cardigan can of course be worked in a more subtle color as well, it will look great anyway.

Attitude [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Attitude (Attityde) by Tora Frøseth
Size shown: L
Needles: 3.5 mm
Yarn: Ask, 450 g of green (6023)

Father's Day

2010-11-14T10:44:00.002+01:00

Today is Father's Day in Norway, and all my men's and boy's patterns are 20 % off. Sale lasts until midnight tomorrow. Click image to purchase patterns. Happy Father's Day!

Energy booster

2010-11-08T22:16:00.000+01:00

I'm back home after a wonderful weekend in Trondheim with a really good friend of mine. There were great conversations - this girl is my absolute favorite discussion partner! And we read a wonderful little book, After the Quake by Murakami. Only six little stories, and I finished it on the flight back to Oslo. I usually find it hard to get to know the characters when reading short stories. Not so with this one. I think I even got to know them a little better than I usually do with Murakami's characters. I think I'll re-read it in a while, there is more to these stories than revealed at first reading. Besides talking and reading, we ate great sushi (what would life be without good food?), enjoyed a lovely opera at Olavshallen, and went for a walk in this year's first snow! And even though I'm now happy to be with my family again, I long for that lovely white carpet covering everything and making the world clean and quiet. I hope we won't have to wait too long.

Masks

2010-10-31T10:56:00.001+01:00

The kids have made plaster face masks for Halloween, and it was so much fun! They had to lie still for a long time while we made masks, and then a while longer for the plaster to dry. I remember the sensation of having the plaster gauge on the face as being kind of claustrophobic, but the kids did fine. Then they painted the masks, after carefully planning how they wanted the masks to look. I think they turned out great. Now we're ready for party!

Wool

2010-10-27T14:04:00.001+02:00

A pile of yarn in lovely colors now ready to be sent out in the big world along with their patterns. The wool winding part of the day is over, and there is knitting waiting patiently on the couch. And some all-done-only-waiting-for-the-yarn-ends-to-be-fastened projects. I have a few of those as well. I guess today is a good day for all this. I've got a cold, and it feels like there is something big and fluffy inside my head. Like wool. As much as I love wool, I prefer it being somewhere else. Like in my hands.

I'm working on a scarf in lovely deep blue softer than soft wool (always need a new scarf for winter, don't you?). It's worked in Alv's big sister, Huldra. It is as soft as anything. It reminds me of alpaca, only much lighter. I don't think I'd worked an adult sweater with it, though. But for a scarf, or a shawl, or hat or baby garments it's great. For a sweater, I'd choose my Ask yarn, but I know many people think it's too scratchy. I like the lightness, the way it captures so much air in between the woolen fibers. And it feels so strong, like it's going to last forever. I like the truly woolen feeling of it.

And speaking of soft - how soft do you like your wool? Do you have different preferences depending on type of project? And what about drape? Do you like your woolen garments to be heavy, like when worked in alpaca? Or light, like when worked in Shetland's wool?

Heartbreaker

2010-10-07T19:32:00.000+02:00

The mornings are getting colder, and we all need woolen accessories, at least in the morning. This set is for a little girl, my baby niece born i July. I've been wanting to create accessories with these hearts for a long time. To make the design work, they are constructed in a slightly different way than those of Sweetheart and Hearts though, but visually, they're just the same. My niece was born with a smaller head than her older brother, so the hat is still a little too big for her, but she'll grow into it. I made her the six months size, and she's still only two months old, after all.

The hat is worked from the top down, with earflaps for coverage and an attached I-cord for a beautiful finish. I liked working the I-cord edging and strings, and I think it's what made the hat a little more special. The scarf to go with it is a classic bow tie scarf. They don't actually have much of a neck, those tiny ones, so this little scarf is all they need to keep warm. In order to make the hearts look good, it's worked in two directions. It is not at all difficult, though, and no seaming is required, as a provisional cast on is used for joining the two parts. The mitts are also very simple, and without a thumb, since babies don't know how to keep their thumb in place anyway. These are also worked from the top-down.

Heartbreaker [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Heartbreaker (Hjerteknuser) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 6 months
Needles: 3.75 mm and 3.0 mm
Yarn: Hifa Superwash, 75 g of pink (910) and 25 g of brown (961)

Elle melle

2010-09-29T20:04:00.000+02:00

Two new designs are available in the store! First, a cardigan for my daughter. Many of you have asked me to design an Angle cardigan in kids' sizes, and I have been reluctant to do so. Mainly because I think the design looks best on smaller (boxier shaped) kids, but also because I think it would serve only as a dress up garment, not so suitable for play. And kids are meant to play, in my opinion, so I'll always try to design garments in agreement with that.

Elle melle is the compromise. I took the squishy ridges from Angle, added stockinette stitch sleeves, and got a functional cardigan with an interesting construction (visible for the knitting nerds only, I'd guess) and a look that I liked. The stockinette sleeves was imperative, both for gaining the look I was after, and to make sure that movement was possible, even when worn under a jacket.

"Elle melle
deg fortelle
skipet går
ut i år
rygg i rand
to i spann
snipp, snapp, snute
du er ute"

(Norwegian counting rhyme)

Figuring out how to add single colored sleeves without having to do any seaming (that's an imperative, too. I don't like seams in my knitted garments) or complicated intarsia knitting took some time. The solution was to work the cardigan modularly, to combine well known techniques in a (to me, at least) new way. The body of the cardigan is worked from the bottom up, then sts are picked up around the sleeve opening, and the sleeves are worked from the top down using short rows. I had a lot of fun working the sleeves, seeing them take shape as I worked them (it sounds silly, I know, but that was how I felt). And I thing the resulting smooth raglanish line is pretty. Learned something new from this project. Like that!

Elle melle [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Elle melle (Elle melle på norsk) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 6 years
Needles: 3.5 mm and 3.0 mm
Yarn: Hifa Ask, 130 g of each color (6079 violet and 6096 orange)

Vesterbro

2010-09-20T13:27:00.004+02:00

Last week was kind of swoosh! over, since it actually started on Tuesday for the four of us. And besides, it took a few days for the brain to realize we were back home after our little trip away from home. Now it's obvious, everyday life has once again begun, and as much as I usually like our ordinary life, I can't help but looking back at the trip to Copenhagen, and longing for the lazy (well, we did walk a lot, but lazy still) holiday feeling we had there. Sometimes life feels like being on a highway, and I find myself desperately seeking an alternative route. A path like that of yesterday would be great, that's how I want my life to feel like.

On Monday, we went shopping and caféing (if that's not a word, it should be!) in a part of the city called Vesterbro. Walking all of Istedgade, we found so many lovely, small shops and laid back cafés. We had lunch on Cafe Bang & Jensen (the two photos to the left above are from this café), and I think I had the best meal on the trip. Sandwich with Serrano ham, semi dried tomatoes (similar to the ones I made a few weeks ago) and pesto. Go there, if you're in the neighborhood.

I found a lot of inspiration in Copenhagen, from streetwear to the texture of walls. I tried to capture it all, you can see that on the picture below, can't you, how I'm concentrating to keep it all from disappearing? This little café was a really nice place for having a croissant and a coffee. And for reading, writing, drawing or just plain relaxing. I don't remember its name, but it was one of the many really relaxed places in that street (ETA: According to Julie and Anja, we visited Riccos. Thanks, girls!). I liked that wall behind me, by the way - the same wall as that behind my husband on the top right photo. I'd like to knit something like it one day.

Autumn

2010-09-19T22:33:00.000+02:00

It is definitely autumn, and we enjoy it to the fullest! A wonderful day in the greenest of woods, hiking my favorite path. On the 15th, we were once again allowed to make a fire in the woods, and this was thoroughly celebrated today. Once again we found mushrooms, and "a lot" doesn't cover the quantities we brought home. I don't know what to do with it all! Guess we'll have a lot of mushroom soup this winter.

My father used to take me to these places when I was a child, and I love being here with my own children. I think these moss covered, green woods are beautiful. The path goes from a place called Bysetermosan, and was built around 1750 by a Madam Cudrio, who owned most of the woods east of Oslo. She was one of the wealthiest people in the area at the time. On the photo to the left, you can see the ancient stone wall created to make a functional riding path. This was actually an important road for transporting goods some hundred years ago. I really like walking on it, both for its beauty and for its history.

A room with a view

2010-09-15T12:15:00.000+02:00

And not any view: Copenhagen! Taken from the hotel room, high above the streets. A lovely weekend has ended. Long walks, hand in hand, kissing, enjoying the company, just the two of us. In love. Again. And we liked the Danish city. Liked the streets, the houses, the bicycles, the long lunches, the art, the shops, the music.

We usually put a lot of effort in finding great places to eat, we have a common passion for food. And we did go to one great sushi restaurant, Umami, on Friday. It was such a cool place, and the sushi was excellent! But other than that, we didn't eat on the fancy restaurants. We had other plans for the weekend, so the dinners were mostly about feeding.

On Saturday, we went to a jazz concert with Chris Cheek and Jacob Bro Trio on Copenhagen Jazzhouse. It was so great! A lovely place, lots of people enjoying themselves, and great music. But most importantly, we loved being on a jazz concert together, it's been too long since last time we did that. And we did it again. On Sunday, we went to the jam session on La Fontaine. It was crowded and so much fun! And a fantastic drummer showed up. I don't remember his name, but he was amazing! Made my evening perfect.

More about the rest some other time. I got so many ideas while in Copenhagen. Need to put some of them into knitting.

The Sheep Man

2010-08-27T22:34:00.000+02:00

Thank you all for the response on the last post (seems like people prefer reading about Murakami over knitting..). And I am a fan, so I won't let the subject go just yet. But this is after all a knitting blog, so while I'll try answering the questions from the last post today, I also want to show you this knitted sheep once more. Some of you might remember I made Murakami mitts a while ago, to some friends of mine (the same two friends with whom I enjoyed the festival - without the mitts, though, it's August!). This was right after I'd read A Wild Sheep Chase, my very first Murakami novel - or rather the first Murakami anything. I loved that book, and couldn't just let it go. So I made the mitts. The pattern on the palm is champagne bubbles, because someone once said reading Murakami was like drinking champagne. And it is, only better, because the Murakami bubbles last longer. I haven't made myself a pair yet, but I know what to "write" on them. I'm just waiting for the time and inspiration to knit them.

So, the Sheep Man appear in A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance, Dance, Dance. Someone says the latter is a sequel to the first, and it sort of is, too. But don't expect to get any answers to the thousands of questions from A Wild Sheep Chase. I read Dance, Dance, Dance looking for answers, and I think I'd enjoyed the book a lot more if I hadn't. The book stands on its own feet, and it's beautiful! I will certainly re-read it in a while, without any other expectation than finding beauty and bubbles.

Some of you asked if he's popular in Norway. He is, but it's not like everyone has read his books or even heard about him. I know a lot of people who haven't. They have heard about him now, though, after listening to me for some days.. But he is popular enough that the 250 tickets for the live show sold out in 1 second and made the computer system managing the tickets break down. And then a few hundreds more got tickets for watching him on screen, but those tickets sold out pretty fast, too.

Haruki Murakami didn't tell us what he's currently working on, and I don't think anyone thought of asking about it either. I guess we were all too busy waiting for the Norwegian translation of 1Q84 and its 1500 pages. And since Murakami insists on Volume 1 and 2 being read as one, the translation of both has to be completed before we can even start. I'll be so ready when they're available!

The Murakami Blues

2010-08-25T12:18:00.005+02:00

The Murakami festival is over. Four days of hearing about him, thinking about him, talking about him, hearing him talk. Except for eating and sleeping once in a while, we did nothing but this. For four days (I didn't even knit. Imagine it!). Haruki Murakami himself has been in Oslo for 4-5 weeks, and came to the festival on Monday. We didn't have tickets to the live show, but we got tickets for watching the show on screen. It wasn't Plan A, but as a Plan B, it was great! So how was he? He said it himself:

"I'm an ordinary guy. Maybe not while I'm writing - you must come see me while I'm writing." Haruki Murakami, Oslo 8/23/10

And so he seemed. Like an ordinary guy. Very much alive, very funny, but ordinary. And yet there is nothing ordinary about his writing. Critics all over the world struggle when trying to put into words what it is about Murakami.

"Extraordinary things happen to ordinary people. That is what my stories are about." Haruki Murakami, Oslo 8/23/10

It's hard to tell what else these stories are about, it's hard to tell what it is that he does so well. But there is this ordinary guy, he merely exists in the world, and seems fine with that. No job, no partner, no close friends. He likes listening to music, he likes to cook. And then something happens. A love affair. A wild sheep chase. A deep well. And our guy takes on the challenge, fantastic things happen - or do they really? - and when it's over, the guy keeps on living his ordinary life. And the text is so naked, silent, direct. His writing certainly does something to me, and I like that something.

"I have no plan. That is a main thing. (..) When the story ends, I just know it ends, so I stop the story. (..) The characters just pop up in my mind, from the blue. (..) When the Sheep Man appeared, I was shocked." Haruki Murakami, Oslo 8/23/10

We laughed when he told about his creating the Sheep Man. Those of us who have read the book know this character is really something out of the ordinary. Murakami must have one great imagination (well, I never doubted that). He considers himself lucky to be a writer. That way he doesn't have to stop dreaming when he wakes up in the morning. I hope he never stops dreaming.

Apart from Murakami himself visiting, the festival program was full of other great events. Frode Grytten's "While waiting for Murakami" was spectacular as always (there is a great picture from the show here), the Peter Cat concert with Håvard Wik trio and Gisken Armand reading from Murakami's books was beautiful. And the Scandinavian Murakami translators talking about how it was translating Murakami was very interesting (I will never read a Murakami book in English again). Ika Kaminka (Norwegian) and Mette Holm (Danish) are currently translating the new Murakami book 1Q84, and Yukiko Duke (Swedish) has interviewed Murakami about the book. They talked about the book(s), and said we have a lot to look forward to. I can hardly wait.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my signed (!) copies of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and Sputnik Sweetheart. In Norwegian, of course.

Today

2010-08-20T16:11:00.001+02:00

It feels like this little butterfly and its cousins, aunts and uncles have all moved into my stomach. The Murakami festival starts today, and I'm so excited!

Adonis

2010-08-16T20:55:00.001+02:00

Adonis, the ever-youthful, handsome Syrian/Greek god and lover of Aphrodite, murdered for his beauty by another god disguised as a boar. My interpretation is a sweater made to make The Man look even more handsome. The patterned front panel is slightly wider at chest than at hip level, and creates an optical illusion of the perfect male body, by enhancing the V-shape they all dream of. The stitch pattern is simple, but one of my favorites for masculine garments, so is the shoulder design, the seamless hybrid originally unvented by Elizabeth Zimmermann (our heroine, isn't she?).

It is worked from the bottom up and is almost seamless. Worked on 3.5 mm needles in a yarn thin enough for a warm man to wear it all the time, yet durable enough for a lot of use. The yarn is lovely to work with, the one I always return to for sweaters. A forgiving yarn that makes your stitches look great. I find it's thin enough for wearing at work (which means I get to use it a lot), yet thick enough to manage to finish the project. The pattern is simple enough for watching TV, but except for the sleeves which are all stockinette stitch, things happen all the time to keep the knitter interested. Despite having a previous history of knitting mostly smaller items, I found this project extremely satisfying. I'll never be afraid of knitting a large sweater again.

Available as kit or pattern in my pattern store. You can do it!

Friday

2010-08-13T19:11:00.000+02:00

It rained a lot all morning, and I mean a lot. It literally poured down, and there is an enormous puddle in front of the house, there is no way to enter the house without rubber boots. Then it suddenly stopped, and I got to read a few pages in the sun before I went inside to make pizza. And yes, it is the chanterelle pizza, once again. Luxury on the last day of the never ending summer holiday. Which of course had to come to an end sooner or later, as it always does. I guess it's okay. The children and I have had more than 7 weeks off, and we've had a great time. A truly relaxing holiday for everyone. Just hoping that the rest of August will be warm and sunny, so that we'll have a slow start on the darker time of the year.

That book I'm reading is no holiday, though. It's so much Murakami, yet so little like him at the same time. The story is so dark, and I don't quite get what's going on. Not at all, actually. I really wonder where this will end (at the End of the World, I guess..). Only one more week before the big happening. I can hardly wait!

Tomatoes from heaven

2010-08-09T16:42:00.003+02:00

Oven-dried tomatoes, which taste like heaven. The recipe is Liselotte's (in Danish), and very easy: Cut tomatoes in half, sprinkle with salt, rosemary and a bit of sugar, and let dry in the oven at 100°C for about 6 hours. It takes a while, but in the meantime, a lot of knitting can be done, and the result is fantastic! Put them in your salad, on bread, or just eat them from the jar. My guess is they won't last long in there anyway.

Mushrooms

2010-08-07T21:44:00.000+02:00

It seems like autumn is here already, at least if you ask the chanterelles. Yes, I know there are mushrooms in summer, but to me they say it's already - or at least soon to be - autumn. I think it's my favorite autumn happening, the mushroom hunting. I love being in the woods with a purpose, and the purpose of finding delicious mushrooms to be had for dinner is the best of them all. We found a lot today. And we made chanterelle pizza. The thin, Italian style pizza, but instead of tomato sauce, with chanterelles sauteed in sour cream, and with fried bacon and sun-dried tomatoes on top. We've never made such a pizza before, but it will surely be repeated. It was a great success!

Apart from the obvious joy of finding mushrooms, we had a great time by our favorite lake in the woods, with the canoe, the hammock, pancakes on the primus stove and bathing. A lovely day! My husband's summer holiday ends tomorrow, so next week, the children and I are one our own when he's at work. I wish for warm, sunny days. As much as I love mushrooms, I haven't had quite enough of summer yet.

While waiting for Murakami

2010-08-02T12:58:00.002+02:00

"Anyone who falls in love is searching for the missing pieces of themselves. So anyone who's in love gets sad when they think of their lover. It's like stepping back inside a room you have fond memories of, one you haven't seen in a long time." - Haruki Murakami.

It's been a busy morning. As you probably know, I love the books by the Japanese writer Haruki Murakami*. I even made those mitts, you know. Those books make me feel at home somehow. They're like missing pieces of myself. So, when the news broke that he himself was coming to Norway, I knew I had to be there. And today, the ticket sales started. We were so close to getting hold of the tickets. Close, but not close enough. Fortunately, they've made a whole Murakami festival out of the visit, and we did manage to get tickets to the other almost as exciting events.

While waiting for the next weeks to pass, I'll read Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I have read all his novels, except for this one. I hope we won't have to wait for the translation of his latest novel 1Q84 for too long.

And if you haven't read A Wild Sheep Chase, you probably won't understand why that sheep is here. Well, you'll just have to read the book, then.

*Make sure you have the sound turned on when clicking the link. The music is beautiful!

Wool at Valbjør gard

2010-07-31T10:54:00.000+02:00

While at the cabin, we went to this lovely mountain farm. Valbjør gard is situated in the hills high above Vågåmo and the green Lake Vågå, amongst beautiful mountains. The oldest house on the farm date back to the Middle Ages, the others are from the 16th-18th century. There were even people living there as far back as the Viking Age. Today, the farm has sheep and goats, all managed ecologically. I got to talk to an elderly woman who sat outside doing handspinning. She was born on the farm, and had lived there most of her life. I enjoyed talking to her so much.

There was no doubt she had spun yarn before. The way she handled the hand carders, then easily spun the yarn onto the spinning wheel was so impressive (please forgive me if my terminology is inaccurate on this subject, this is a whole new world to me). I have admired handspun yarns seen on various blogs the past years, but never felt the urge to try it myself. I do have a spinning wheel, though. It was my grandmother's - the one with all the buttons - and it seems to be in pretty good shape. It's an Ashford traditional, and I only need to get hold of some bobbins to get started. And I will. I loved watching that old woman creating yarn, and I'd really like to try it myself.

Mountain holiday

2010-07-29T16:35:00.002+02:00

Another holiday post, from the mountain cabin in Heidal. We got back yesterday, after a week of recreation with good friends, no worries at all and beauty around us. Like last year, we went to the fairy tales festival. We defeated the trolls, listened to the enchanted violin music played by Nøkken, and finally rescued the princess. A lot of fun for small ones as well as big ones.And while the dads took care of the children one day, me and the other mom climbed Heidalsmuen, my favorite mountain. 1745 meters above sea level, and starting at 1000 meters, it was a great hike. I'm not sure what it is about this mountain that fascinates me this much, I just love the shape, I guess. I think it's so beautiful. It's been a while since I climbed mountains, and I'd forgotten how much I actually love it. Judging by the feeling in my legs right now, I should probably do it more often.
We visited two mountain farms as well, and both included wool, if only in different ways. More about that another day.

Swords in rock

2010-07-15T20:49:00.002+02:00

Another tourist site today, Hafrsfjord. This is the place where a great battle took place more than 1000 years ago. Harald Hårfagre won, Norway was united as one kingdom, and Harald got to be the first king of Norway. The monument, based on viking swords found different places in Norway, is meant to represent peace, unity and freedom. I think they are beautiful.

And in case you are wondering, I am knitting a lot, too. Just want to finish up completely before showing. The process from idea via knitted item to finished pattern takes quite a while, and it's just more fun to show it once it's all ready. Last summer was all about reading for me, so little knitting took place. This year, I seem to be able to do both, although still not at the same time. And I'm enjoying the mix between those two immensely.

Preikestolen

2010-07-11T22:31:00.000+02:00

Still on holiday, we made a spectacular hiking trip to Preikestolen today, my husband and I. Preikestolen is a cliff 604 m above the Lysefjorden, with a plateau on top. Walking towards the edge of the cliff made my heart beat and my stomach yell. I managed to sit down at the edge just long enough to get a photo taken, though. Watching my husband out there photographing was almost as scary as sitting there.The trip to the cliff was a great one, but quite hard. Some wore sandals or even small city shoes. I don't know how they managed to the top. We enjoyed it a lot, though, and arrived warm and hungry. In my husband's backpack were bread, eggs and bacon, a Primus (It's a device for cooking outdoors. I don't know what it's called in English), and an espresso brewer. Did I tell you I love this guy? A great day! Resting tomorrow.

The Ocean

2010-07-08T18:48:00.002+02:00

We're on summer holiday at my in-laws in Western Norway, and today the sun was here (as opposed to yesterday when the rain seemed never ending), so off to the beach we went. The water was quite cold, and I don't think the air temperature was above 20°C either, but bathing in those waves is so much fun, so in we went! For a landlubber like myself, bathing in The Ocean - as opposed to in the Oslo fjord - is quite exotic. Huge waves, wind, surfers, blue sky and blue water as far as you can see, fine sand between the toes - and everywhere else. I love it.

Home alone

2010-06-30T20:21:00.001+02:00

We are home alone this week. My husband is at work in Russia, so the kids and I are left to ourselves. Even though the evenings tend to get a little less exciting without The Wonderful Husband, we do enjoy the first week of summer holiday.

Monday, we were at Oscarsborg, a coastal fortress not far from here. The place is loaded with history. This is where the German cruiser Blücher was sunk in the early days of World War II. Explaining war to the five year olds is not the easiest task. They ask all kinds of questions, the concept is so difficult to grasp. And I must say it is to me, too.

Yesterday we went to Oslo to see the Viking Ships. That was so much fun! Visiting historical places with the children is amazing. They listen to the stories with eyes wide open. And those huge ships, made over a thousand years ago, made quite an impression. The funeral rituals, where the whole ship, gold, food, slaves and everything they needed for their next life were buried with them - "But how could the slaves be buried, mom? Did they die as well?".

Today, we've been at home. Two days of playing tourists were enough - for now. We've been playing, knitting, listening to the rain and enjoying the quiet life at home. And my son made us pizza for dinner - from scratch. Now it's bed time for the five year olds. That's just fine with me.

33

2010-06-12T20:59:00.001+02:00

One year older. Feels just fine. Woke up to my family singing, presents and cake for breakfast. More good food during the day: shrimps, smoked eel, vitello tonnato, more cake, more presents and great company. Ready for the sofa and some knitting now. Today was a good day.

120 swatches for the Truck

2010-06-05T20:45:00.004+02:00

That's how many I'd have to make if I were to work swatches for all the color combinations of my Alv yarn. I was asked by a customer to advise her in choosing colors for the Truck vest. I loved being asked, but I did find this task a bit difficult, so I decided to make the swatches so she could see for herself. I thought 15 was enough, though. Here are additional photos of the blues, the greens, the reds and the purples (click for larger photos):

I do think there are some pretty ones amongst them. What's your favorite?

New bench

2010-06-01T20:19:00.000+02:00

And the world's best husband!

Love

2010-05-29T19:36:00.001+02:00

I have a very good colleague, one whose company I enjoy immensely. Besides from being a teacher, she is also an artist. She paints. Up until some weeks ago, I had no idea what her paintings looked like. Then we went to her art exhibition, my husband and I. A room full of her paintings, and hers only. We fell in love with one of them. And bought the painting. Now it's on our wall. It's our 10th wedding anniversary present (not until July, though, but we figured it was close enough). It's ours. And I love it. I like the colors, the shapes, and the fact that I don't quite get it. Just looking at it somehow makes me happy.

Bad luck

2010-05-29T14:38:00.002+02:00

Materials in place, husband ready for making a new bench - and it starts raining..

Collapse

2010-05-23T19:34:00.005+02:00

Today my bench collapsed (and yes I did sit on it when it happened). My hello day, drinking coffee in the morning sun bench. It was old, from my grandparents' house. But it was perfect. Not too wide, not at all fancy in any way, just a plain, old bench, exactly as it should be. And yesterday, I even got flagstones to avoid getting my feet wet in the grass while walking to my bench in the morning. Now it is gone, old beyond repair, according to my husband. I guess he'll have to make me a new one.

Constitution Day

2010-05-17T21:11:00.005+02:00

As a contrast to my last post, this is what the hedge in our garden looks like now. But it sure has been some chilly weeks. I still wear my woolen scarf most days!

Today was May 17th, Constitution Day. We enjoyed a rather cold day in the company of good friends. Now the happy, tired little ones have been put to bed, and it's time for the tired big ones to relax as well. With some knitting, of course.

These are my WIPs for the moment, although I have at least three more planned still inside my head. The white and red WIPs are baby stuff, two babies are expected in July, so I'm knitting for those smallest people. I like that, as you may know. And that blue one is a gorgeous blue. I'll make a blue sweater out of it, and I hope it will be done until autumn comes. There is definitely a bit left, though.

A lot of calculations and a tedious knitting-frogging-knitting process is taking place, and I don't expect it to end anytime soon. I guess this is just part of the fun in pattern making, but I long for some mindless, neverending knitting. And some sun.

Welcome to Norway!

2010-05-04T19:30:00.003+02:00

4th of May, and snow. A lot! 20 cm snow in my garden. Almost all gone by now, fortunately. I've been home all day with a sick, sleeping child, and it's been a good day for being indoors. It has been snow and wind and really cold, so woolen activities have been welcome. I have knit quite a bit, and finished my book (Anna Karenina by Tolstoy - read it if you haven't yet!). I'm at a really slow work in progress stage these days, not much knitting to show you. I have so many ideas, but it's kind of hard to make them work. I guess the spring might have something to do with it. Back to knitting now, and hoping for a sunny day tomorrow!

Spring hat

2010-04-19T11:05:00.001+02:00

Being outdoors all day yesterday, it was actually quite nice to get inside at last. Although it's definitely spring, it is still quite chilly, and when windy, it's not at all warm. So a hat is still needed, at least for the kids. Still having a lot of energy from the lovely day outside, I made this hat. It's the greatest hat pattern, from a book as old as myself. My mother used to make me hats like this when I was a child. And I have made them for my kids. Now a cute baby girl I know will get to use this one. Purple silk next to the skin, flannel in middle, and cotton on the outside. Three layers, to avoid the wind to get to those ears. I only hope it fits!

Another spring Sunday

2010-04-18T16:35:00.000+02:00

I love this time of the year. Every new day, I go out in my small garden, hoping for signs of life. Still need to look very closely to see them, but they're there.

Riding bikes with those I love, eating the first ice creams, sitting in the sun, reading, when back home. And my kids know how to treat me. As did Hanne some years ago. I love having those tiny, yellow horse foot flowers in my home. They make promises of a summer soon to come.

As for the knitting, I'm swatching. Have an idea for a cardigan for my husband, just need to find out how I want it. And I'm struggling with myself. The stitch pattern I seem to have fallen in love with take a bit more time and effort than I'd normally like for a big project like that. But they do look good, these stitches.

Spring!

2010-04-11T18:44:00.002+02:00

Suddenly it's spring! The sun is shining, almost all the snow has melted. The garden is slowly waking up from its long sleep. We've been out all day working to make our place look good, chatting with neighbors and being kissed by the sun. Last year's roses have been cut, they're now ready for new growth. The terrace has been cleaned, and the garden furniture have been taken down from the attic. And most importantly, we've enjoyed our first outdoor meal for the season: Fish burgers with lots of spices. After a long day of being out in the sun, it tasted like heaven! Now, I'd like to camp in the sofa with my knitting for the evening. Hope your day was as great as ours!

Easter holiday

2010-04-05T17:12:00.001+02:00

On the last day of the Easter holiday, we've enjoyed life at home. We got back from the mountains yesterday, to a lot less snow than when we left. We have now realized that this season's skiing is behind us, and what a lovely winter it was! Today, we've made everything ready for spring to come. Skis and sledges are put away, and the cleaned bicycles and doll prams are put where they can be easily found. And for lunch, eggs of course. It's still Easter, and these egg warmers have been warming the eggs for the last time this year.

Back to work tomorrow. It's fine with me, as long as it's warm enough for bicycling.

Magda dress and baby booties

2010-03-23T13:11:00.000+01:00

Finally! The pattern for baby booties are ready, along with the revised version of the Magda dress. As you might recall, I gave this blue dress with the yellow booties (and later, the purple ones, too) to my friend's baby. I think she might have outgrown the dress by now, but she still wears the purple booties.

The dress pattern now includes directions not only for children's sizes (2-8 years), but also for baby's sizes (3-12 months), and the pattern has been reworked to enhance readability. The booties are made with two things in mind - they look good, and they stay on those little feet, to keep them warm all day.

The patterns are available for immediate download, as well as kits - as always. You may purchase the pattern with directions for dress and booties - or pattern with booties only. If you have already purchased the Magda pattern, you should have received an update including the new dress pattern and the baby booties by now. Please check the e-mail address used when you purchased the pattern.

Magda [@ravelry dress and baby booties] specs:
Pattern: Magda (Magda på norsk) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 3 months
Needles: 3.0 mm
Yarn: Hifa Alv, held double, 90 g for dress and 20 g for baby booties

Collision

2010-03-18T22:20:00.002+01:00

The second men's hat pattern is ready: Collision. I made the hat for my brother in law for Christmas (I gave you a sneak peak of it, remember?). Just like the Mind reader, this too is created with ribbing and cables, but quite different ones. The hat is symmetrical, and the cable pattern goes all the way up on front and back, colliding at the top. Some friends of mine said it reminded them of tractor tracks. I guess that's masculine enough. The pattern is quite easy to memorize - or rather, you'll see where it goes after a few rounds. I made two hats, because the first one was too small. I still enjoyed knitting the second. The cable pattern just craves for another round, then another, and suddenly it's finished. I like that sometimes.

All I said about warmth and yarn for the Mind reader goes for this one, too, so I won't repeat it. I'll knit another round instead.

Collision [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Collision (Kollisjon) by Tora Frøseth
Size: Men's L
Needles: 3.0 mm
Yarn: 90 g of Hifa Superwash

Store update

2010-03-16T10:51:00.000+01:00

The Medusa and Mind reader patterns are now available for purchase, on Ravelry and in my store. And there is more to come in a few days. Enjoy!

Mind reader

2010-03-15T15:38:00.013+01:00

I've created two men's hats this winter (I did say all I could think of was men's wear, didn't I?). What fun and challenging projects they were! Designing for men is entirely different than designing for women and children (at least girls, but even boys are easier than men, I think). Lines and stitches need to be figured out in a totally different way. In order to make them work out for the guys, the garments need to stand out - we don't want it to be boring, either - without standing out too much somehow. At least they need to stand out in the right way, whatever that is.

I made this hat for my husband, and had to reknit it several times before I got it right. I think I did, though. He loves it, and I love him with it on. It's not at all boring, still masculine enough for a man to like it. And I don't know about men in general, but those I know tend to be warmer than most women I know. So even if they do need to wear a hat when it's cold, they need it to be quite thin. This hat is. Made in the same yarn as Medusa, it's soft, thin and just warm enough.

The pattern is available in my pattern store.

Mind reader [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Mind reader (Tankeleser) by Tora Frøseth.
Size: Men's L
Needles: 3.0 mm
Yarn: 90 g of Hifa Superwash

Medusa

2010-03-13T10:33:00.024+01:00

I'm working hard to finish some new patterns these days. The first few will be available within a week or so (if all goes by the plan, that is).

The first one is Medusa. I unvented this playful stitch pattern on the bus a few years ago. It reminds me of worms, but a feminine type (!), hence the name. The worms require a little work, but are all worth it. The hat is the slouchy type which looks good on most of us – and keeps us warm without totally ruining the hair.

Woolen hats are a necessity in winter – and spring. I wear hats as long as I can, I don't like cold ears. But just as essential are gloves. I love wearing woolen gloves. I think they are the perfect hand knitting project – lots of details providing a contrast to all the stockinette stitch in all my sweater projects, yet easy enough to keep my hands busy while watching TV. I'm particularly happy for how these turned out (after a lot of reknitting!). Long, fitted, elegant, seductive, to be worn all the time.

Medusa is worked in my favorite yarn for hats and gloves, a soft, durable 100 % wool yarn which is lovely to work with. It's the same yarn I used for the grey Lady Wannabes. They have been used a lot and still look like new.

Medusa [@ravelry here and here] specs:
Pattern: Medusa (also in Norwegian) by Tora Frøseth.
Size: L
Needles: 2.5 and 3.0 mm
Yarn: 180 g of Hifa Superwash

French good news and a reminder

2010-03-10T10:53:00.007+01:00

The little sister's dress pattern has been translated into French, and is now available along with the English and Norwegian versions. The pattern is free of charge and can be found in my pattern store and on Ravelry (now also available for non-members). I know this is appreciated amongst the French knitters out there. The pattern is translated by Chris, who contacted me to ask if I was interested in publishing the translated version for all the French knitters not so confident in English.

And here comes the reminder, which is as important to me as today's French news: I have become aware that this pattern have been made available other places than mine on the Internet, without my consent. So I feel obliged to write this post to remind you all of the rules in this game. All Tora Frøseth Design patterns are mine, and mine only. I put a lot of time into creating my patterns, and I also spend money by having professional editors edit my patterns to avoid errors.

I have made my patterns available "for personal, non-commercial use only", which means you may knit as many items as you wish from my patterns, as long as you don't sell the knitted items.

Furtermore, you may not in any way republish my patterns, even if you made modifications to it. I love modifications, creativity is always welcome. But do not publish a whole new version of my pattern. Post your modifications to your blog or wherever, but make sure your modifications are written in a way that the knitters would have to consult the original pattern in order to knit the items.

And lastly, if you wish to translate the pattern into another language, do not publish the translation without consulting me first. The pattern still belong to me, even if it is translated.

We all love the availability of knitting patterns made possible by the Internet, but keep in mind that in order to make sure I and others will keep publishing patterns on the Internet, these rules must be met.

100th!

2010-03-08T21:56:00.015+01:00

Happy 100th International Women's Day!

My man

2010-02-25T20:20:00.052+01:00

I'm so happy for my tall, handsome husband, the man of my life. And now his sweater is finished, and he likes it. I had some serious doubts about it being to short at some very-close-to-the-end point (and I might have given up if I'd have to reknit this once more), but it turned out just as I imagined it. Always trust your calculations, woman (just be sure the measurements are correct before doing the math). The design is based on Elizabeth Zimmermann's seamless hybrid, with a front panel designed to emphasize the man's V-shape. Not too much, just that little bit of optical illusion to make the guy look great.

I'm kind of proud I actually finished it while it's still 15 degrees below zero out there, because this was a huge project. And finishing it in June wouldn't be half as fun. I'm still not quite used to the idea of myself enjoying knitting huge sweaters. But I do. Guess something has changed. A good thing, that things changes from time to time, I think. And this change, I'm certainly happy for.

My man's sweater [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: My own
Size: L
Needles: 3.5 mm
Yarn: 520 g of Hifa Ask (2)

Wow!

2010-02-11T20:33:00.003+01:00

I don't consider myself a sock knitter. I have knitted only one pair of (grown up) socks in my life, a pair of toe-up monkeys. I sort of liked it when I was knitting it. I often do like the things I do while doing them. But socks don't tempt me. I'd rather knit a handful of gloves. Maybe I just think gloves are a lot cooler than socks. But the Skew pattern makes me so curious I might actually knit a sock again one day. Wow!

Hello, still here.

2010-02-09T20:15:00.001+01:00

Knitting men's sweaters isn't exactly The Most Blog Friendly Activity. 94000 sts done (in addition to the 24000 I had to frog), only about 14000 sts left (according to my calculations, that is. No frogging included in those, but you never know). I also have a few accessories to show, but they will have to wait. There simply isn't enough daylight for decent photographs this time of year.

I still enjoy knitting the sweater, even if the 400+ rounds feel a bit rough. Except for a newly started cardigan for myself, I'm actually working monogamously on the sweater. The knitting has a great pace for And the cardigan was started only because the sweater is too big to carry with me. Only two years ago, I couldn't seem to find the courage (or whatever) to knit larger sweaters. Now, I find the most pleasure in the largest projects. I simply like their pace.

Smaller husband wanted

2010-01-21T19:17:00.000+01:00

Knitting men's wear is no joke, especially not when knitter (that means me) is not 110 % satisfied and wants to shrink front pattern panel width about 3 cm in each side, after already having worked about 20 cm on body. All those 24000 sts worked on train and while chatting with good friends last weekend.. History.

I'm glad I like knitting. Sad thing is, all I can think of these days is men's sweaters. I'd better start fantasizing about some size S guy right away.

More booties

2010-01-12T15:27:00.006+01:00

Still cold outside, for big ones and small ones, too. The second pair of baby booties is finished, ready for keeping those tiny feet warm. The purple was chosen by her mom, I chose the contrasting twisted thread. I like this contrast between cold and warm, the purple and the pale blue-grey. And this way it will look good with her dress as well.

Magda baby booties [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: My own, not yet published
Size: 3 months
Needles: 2.5 mm
Yarn: 26 g of Hifa Alv

Yellow baby blues

2010-01-07T19:22:00.003+01:00

Little baby socks for the most wonderful little girl, a brand new human being. The socks fit like a glove (!), and the mother, my friend, the angel knitter, wants more of them. So I'm making the lovely little girl another pair, purple this time.

And yes, the dress is now hers as well, another Magda. Worked in my favorite baby yarn, light, softer than soft wool with beautiful colors. Reminds me of alpaca, only lighter. Or mohair, but not as fuzzy. I think the pattern worked well with these not so typical baby girl colors. The pale blue grey a nice contrast to the ultra feminine dress.

Magda baby booties [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: My own, not yet published
Size: newborn
Needles: 2.5 mm
Yarn: A little more than nothing of Hifa Alv

Skiing!

2010-01-02T17:46:00.002+01:00

My daughter and I spent some time skiing in the winter woods today, along with the sunset. The white beauty is all around us these days, and I love it! We've had some really cold days now - too cold for skiing, but now today it was only 12 below zero, so we went out with hot chocolate in the rucksack and a smile on our face. I hope this cold winter stays for a while!

Happy new year to everybody!

Angels and nisser*

2009-12-31T12:19:00.030+01:00

Some pictures before putting it all back in their cardboard box in the attic. We loved to have you around, but I think it's time now. I dream about having a home without a tree in the living room, a home not so crowded by Christmas decorations.

The nisser* to the left were carved by my husband some years ago, those to the right are made by my kids (the tall ones) and by myself when I was a child (the two little ones). My friend (who became a mother yesterday!) knitted the angel family as a Christmas gift a few years ago, and is one of my most precious Christmas decorations.

*Is there an English word for the Norwegian nisser?

Stones in my crochet

2009-12-27T11:06:00.007+01:00

I have a very good friend. Her little family of two is soon to become a family of three. She's the kindest, warmest girl, and she'll be the sweetest mother. She's a creative woman, fond of pretty things. So I made her these for Christmas.

I discovered the crocheted stones only a few weeks ago, and I knew at once I had to make some. Some would say this is a crazy thing to make, and it sure did hurt making them (stones are heavier than the usual crochet cloth..), but I love the result, so it was all worth it. There is no pattern for these (as far as I know), but the inspiration comes from this woman. She creates the most wonderful things, crazy things. I discovered her crocheted stones via this creative woman. Check out these blogs, there is beauty to be found.

Edited to add: The pattern can be found in Crochet Today if anyone else wants to make crocheted stones. Thank you, Margaret, for the inspiration, the pattern and for letting us know where to find it!

Time out

2009-12-26T23:21:00.000+01:00

No need to dream anymore

2009-12-26T10:46:00.000+01:00

White Christmas it is, and lots of it! It's been snowing continuously for days, and still does! In a minute, we'll be out skiing, hoping to avoid drowning. It'll probably take some time to get out of here, though. There is a lot of snow between us and the world out there..

We celebrated Christmas at our house for the first time this year, and although it was harder work preparing for Christmas dinner than we'd imagined, we truly enjoy these quiet days at home. Hope you're all having a great your Christmas holiday!

Tiny Christmas sneak peaks

2009-12-13T12:53:00.000+01:00

Mostly occupied with making Christmas gifts these days. Only small things (at least when worked once each), and they would have been a lot fun to blog about. But I don't want to blow the Christmas gifts by being impatient. I never actually plan to make presents, though, usually the ideas come to me in early or mid December, and I go through with the ones that tempt me. I have finished two, and I might end up with a few more, depending on what else happens the next week.

The first is a hat, and it's for a man, as you can see. I'm quite content, even though I had to knit it twice. My husband was kind enough to model, and he looks good in it, too. I might have to make another one for him. And I still do have one little hat too many, so I need to find a man with a smaller head to wear it.

The second sneak peak is for a very good friend, and I know she'll like the gift as much as I do. The craziest idea, found here in blogland. And the result is beautiful. I'll tell you all about it when that time comes. All I can say, is that it was kind of hard work - literally - and that I will do it again!

Notes to self

2009-12-03T17:42:00.000+01:00

1. When working with cables, the gauge tightens a lot.
2. Knitting a hat takes no time at all. Knitting two hats takes twice that time.

And I, who always swatch.

I actually did swatch this time, too.

Just forgot to measure the thing.

Cold beauty

2009-12-02T13:20:00.000+01:00

The snow has arrived, it's freezing cold. The sun is shining, all threes covered with frost.

Faced with this beauty, I'm like a child again. Watch out for snowballs!

1st

2009-12-02T08:16:00.000+01:00

I like this tradition! And the kids, too!

At last!

2009-11-29T15:34:00.000+01:00

I have been looking forward to this for so long, and it's finally here: Advent! The house is shining, thanks to small ones and big ones working together all morning. And the Christmas decorations are in place - almost. I l o v e this time of year, and I love this Christmas music! All there is to long for now is some snow..

The act of working stockinette

2009-11-25T19:05:00.000+01:00

I like stockinette stitch.

I like the look of it. The smooth surface, even stitches, I like the drape.

I like working stockinette stitch. In the round. The real pleasure is found while working it in the round. Hundreds of meters of woolen yarn transformed into lovely looking stitches. Hundreds of thousands of stitches ahead, all exactly the same, to be worked while I'm here, there, nowhere, everywhere. My mind wanders off, on, wherever.

I like working stockinette while watching TV. If someone held the book for me, I'm sure I could work stockinette while reading. I'd like to try that once. Volunteers, anybody?

I like working stockinette while at work, at meetings. Keeps me calm, nice, kind, harmonic.

I like working stockinette. It goes so fast, and given enough stitches, lasts forever.

I even like working stockinette while knitting my husband's sweater's sleeves, even though I thought I didn't like knitting sleeves.

Something new

2009-11-23T18:28:00.000+01:00

Having made two grown up sweaters the last year (or actually three..), my sweater mojo seems to be back. I'm now pushing it to its limits, knitting a sweater for my husband. I've finished one sleeve, and cast on for the other - as you can see. Plain stockinette so far. I usually find sleeves a bit boring, so I'm starting with them (also, I haven't yet decided about all the details for the body, so a bit more thinking is required before casting on for the big brother).

I'm working the sleeves using the magic loop. As you might recall, I'm not so fond of (read: good at) working a small diameter in dpns. I've found out that the magic loop saves my day. It's a great way to avoid those irritating ladders. The magic loop also enables working on longer circular needles, which is far better for my hands than a short 40cm circulars. I like that.

As you all know, a sweater in men's size L is a serious thing, so I'm crossing my fingers the mojo will stay with me until the very end. I just hope I don't have to rework too much of this. Knitting a children's size sweater twice is bad enough, I don't think I can do that on a thing like this. Wish me luck!

Candy

2009-11-13T21:10:00.000+01:00

A true beginner project! Start with the neck warmer, it's the easiest one. Only skills needed: cast on, bind off, knit and purl. The wrist warmers are easy as well, but require knitting on a small diameter and decreases in addition to the above mentioned. All basic skills, though.

The pink buttons are once again from my grandmother's stash. I couldn't resist the mint/pink combination. The wrist warmers have a good fit, I really like wearing them. I'm not sure which ones I like the most, these or the Roots wrist warmers. Even though they're both made with the fat ridges, I think they look so different.

Candy [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Candy (Sukkertøy) by Tora Frøseth
Size: L
Needles: 3.5 mm
Yarn: A little less than 100 g of Hifa 2

My gloves are back!

2009-11-10T15:52:00.001+01:00

Thank you for the comments on my small glove related crisis. I followed the advices I got, and searched both behind the drawers and in the bags I used last winter, with no results. But then I figured out maybe I didn't put these away for summer at all, and I was right. The gloves were still in my winter jacket pockets..

As happy as I am for finding my gloves, I am now working on another pair - and a new design. It is based on a stitch pattern I unvented a few years ago. I think it's working out pretty good. Looks good so far, at least. Sneak peak to the left.

Glaze

2009-11-07T14:24:00.000+01:00

While waiting for the gloves to reappear, I'll present another sweater project. After having made only small projects for a very long time, I'm happy to say that the last year, I've finished not only one, but two large garments. Not only have I finished them, I have also enjoyed working with them. Long, silent evenings in front of TV, tens of thousands of sts (about 104 000 to be more specific) to be worked. Always a knitting project to work on. And the result, Glaze:

A big, squishy pullover, made not so big by keeping the sleeves a bit shorter. I like it. I like wearing it, it keeps me warm. And I like how it looks. Big, warm, but also very feminine, due to waist shaping and a pretty neckline.

The sweater is worked from the top down, with minimal sewing to do once the knitting is finished - just the way I like it. Quite mindless, but only that far - the pattern and shaping requires some concentration, just about enough to keep me interested.

Available in my pattern store - with directions for full length sleeves as well. Even though my favorite is definitely the 3/4 version.

Glaze [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Glaze (Glasur) by Tora Frøseth
Size: L
Needles: 4.5 mm
Yarn: 720 g of Hifa 3

Crisis!

2009-11-06T09:58:00.000+01:00

I can't find my gloves!!

Neither the gray nor the yellow ones. I have been looking all over the place, and I have found all scarves, shawls, hats and mitts, but the gloves are gone. Where did I put them? And why haven't they been on summer holiday with their woolen friends???

I WANT MY GLOVES! (Buhu!)

Maybe

2009-11-05T19:59:00.000+01:00

New banner! The old one has been around for too long, I think. Maybe I like this new one. Time will show.

All dressed up

2009-11-04T08:55:00.000+01:00

A very good friend of mine turned 30 this year, and for the great party, I knew I had to have a new dress. After all, this friend is quite special, and friends doesn't turn 30 every year.
I was lucky, and found the perfect dress. A lovely glittery little thing, not quite what I usually wear, but perfect none the less. Only thing was, the dress needed a little something to wear over the shoulders. With the party only two little weeks away, I started the design - and knitting - process. I knew that if I had to frog as much as a sleeve, I wouldn't make it. But I did make it, the yarn ends was sewn in just in time - about 3 hours before the party was to start (need I say that blocking was out of the question?)

Two weeks for a frontless cardi isn't that fast, you may say. Well, for me it is. And since I didn't have a pattern to follow, it was quite exiting! I guess my average frogging rate equals knitting at least half the items twice.

I now wear this thing all the time, over jeans just as well as a dress. Since there is no front, the cardi can be worn indoors as well, without becoming too warm. I also like those deep armholes, I think the whole thing gets a little less sweet that way (I'm not very fond of sweet, at least garment wise..). Knitted sideways, and with no seaming, I consider this quite an enjoyable project.

I rarely dream about knitting the same pattern more than once, but I am dreaming of another one in green. Or purple? Or..?

All dressed up [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: All dressed up (Se min kjole) by Tora Frøseth
Size: L
Needles: 3.5 mm
Yarn: A little less than 300 g of Hifa 2

Roots

2009-11-02T15:26:00.000+01:00

Four new patterns are available in my pattern store, this time patterns for adults. Seems like my sweater mojo is back, too. More about the big garments later. I still enjoy those tiny projects. Today, Roots:

I like garter stitch, but while creating Angle, I fell in love with the fat cousin of his. And inviting some short rows to play along made it all even better. Roots was a really fun design project. I learned a lot about grafting - I love learning new things! It somehow opened up a whole new world for me. I think that needs to be explored in more detail sometime.

The buttons was my grandma's. There were only 5 purple buttons in the stash, and that pink one begged to come with them.

I like wearing Roots. Those wrist warmers have been with me almost constantly since I finished them, as I find wearing wrist warmers great for keeping warm. A necessity in Norway this time of year. The neck warmer has a good shape for embracing the neck without being too tight, and I like how it looks. And even though I'm more a scarf kind of girl, I'll work on it to get to wear this one.

Roots [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Roots (Røtter) by Tora Frøseth
Size: L
Needles: 3.5 mm
Yarn: A little less than 100 g of Hifa 2

Slippers

2009-10-24T15:27:00.000+02:00

I'm enjoying the weekend. After staying at home for one week taking care of sick children, we're finally all well. Today we've been working in the garden, planting tulips (I love tulips in spring!), baking cookies for good friends coming over tomorrow, and lucky me have been both knitting and sewing.

The kids have been needing new slippers for a long time, as the old ones have been too small for too long. During summer, it hasn't really been a problem, but now we're facing the cold season, they do need their slippers.

Made in leather, they're not actually what my sewing machine has been dreaming about, but I quite like working with this material. The leather simply does what it's told (I kind of like that..). And my kids love wearing these - both at home and in kindergarten. The princess slippers are my daughter's (obviously..), for kindergarten. The space ship/planet slippers are my son's, for wearing at home. The difference is that the home slippers have a sheep fur sole, since the floors in this house are rather cold, as the kindergarten slippers don't. They have warm floors over there. And the kids got to choose motifs, of course.

Pattern is from Ohelene (link only in Norwegian). Highly recommended if you have little friends with cold or slippery feet.

All things green

2009-10-18T19:46:00.000+02:00

Hanne has invited me to play the color game by finding 7 green things in my home. To be honest, I sometimes find these blog games kind of awkward, but colors are fun and a big part of the knitting game, so I'll play along on this one.

1. My favorite and very green second hand blouse. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw this one. I lovelovelove those sleeves!
2. My first knitting bag - I don't know how I survived without it.
3. Lovely green yarn waiting to become...maybe a pair of gloves?
4. My favorite teacup, ready to be filled with my favorite tea for the moment.
5. "La storia" by Elsa Morante. Little people in the middle of World War II in Rome. I read this book this summer, while in Italy. Fascinating, sad, and very well written. Read it!
6. My green notebook. I write all kinds of stuff in this one, but most of the time I draw.
7. My spider shawl, made years ago.

I'd like to invite Ann, Lucy and Mette to play with 7 yellow things!

Autumn love

2009-10-11T11:11:00.001+02:00

This September was the 5th warmest ever where I live. No weather for wool clothes or all those highly appreciated wool accessories. And there is something about autumn - to me, autumn is wool, candles, knitting, a cup of tea, mushroom hunting and novels. I kind of expect it to be colder, so when it's not, I don't know how to appreciate it. Call me neurotic or whatever..

When October finally arrived, the long longed for frost nights and chilly mornings came with it. Finally I get to wear favorite colored wrist and neck warmers. It makes my day!

Angle revisited

2009-10-05T15:51:00.001+02:00

Grafting complete, loose ends fastened and edges finished - my purple Angle is off the needles. I must admit I like this pattern, it's a fun one. And I like those colors. Now I must find a baby to wear it. In my opinion, the color combination works for both boys and girls.

The pattern is updated with enhanced readability, layout and a few modifications for better sizing. If you've already purchased this pattern, a download link for the updated version have been sent to your Paypal e-mail address. For others interested in the pattern, it is available for purchase in my store.

Angle [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Angle (Lille vinkel) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 6 months
Needles: 3.0 and 3.5 mm
Yarn: About 150 g of Hifa 2

Origami challenge

2009-09-24T10:09:00.000+02:00

Working on Angle in public is a lot of fun, it looks awkward up until the very end. A big sloppy piece of fabric that won't even lay flat. The other day, a colleague tried to fold it in place, but even when I told her it was a baby cardigan, she was struggling.

The knitting is almost finished on this one. Next is working the grafts and fastening all those loose ends. And then finishing up the edges. I like the colors. They're not for the average gray mouse.

Big sister's dress

2009-09-20T14:44:00.000+02:00

Little sisters grow up faster than we can imagine, and a lot of you have asked for a dress for all the big sisters out there. As some of you've already found out, the pattern is now available in my store.

The sample dress was made for my niece. She's already grown out of both Sweetheart and Magda, so she needed a new woolen dress for the winter. The yarn is Hifa 2, a lovely woolen spun 2-ply yarn with great yardage. The fabric is warm and extremely lightweight. This is my favorite yarn right now. It is not the softest of the softest, but soft enough, and with lots of sproing to it (I know that's not even a word, still I think it describes this attribute perfectly)

Big sister's dress [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Big sister's dress (Kjole til storesøster) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 2 years
Needles: 3.5
Yarn: 140 g of Hifa 2

Ready set winter!

2009-09-18T18:31:00.000+02:00

Well, it's not winter yet, but soon it will be, at least here up north. Woolen accessories are a necessity for those tiny people, as for all of us. I made this blue and brown set for my nephew last winter. Living far north, he needed something warm.

Ready set winter is perfect as a welcoming gift for a newborn child - or as a quick project for keeping your own baby warm. Those yummy ridges have lots of air trapped inside, so it will keep the baby warm in addition to looking good.

The pattern is for sale in my shop. The kit comes with a yarn choice, Alv or Superwash, where both are very soft yarns with lovely colors. The difference is that one is superwash yarn, the other is not. Alv is also thinner than Superwash, so with Alv, two strands of yarn are held together. I like both.

Ready set winter [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: Ready set winter (Klar ferdig vinter) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 12 months
Needles: 3.5 and 4.0 mm
Yarn: 45 g of Hifa Alv in brown and 35 g in blue (the yarn is held double. If Superwash is chosen, only one strand of yarn is used)

Pattern updates

2009-09-17T15:27:00.000+02:00

Today I've sent update files via Ravelry to those of you who purchased my Sweetheart or Lady Wannabe patterns before the update. If anyone's purchased the patterns and has not received an update e-mail with download link, please check the e-mail address given via Paypal at the time of purchase. If you still can't find it - not even in your spam filters - please e-mail me with name and date of purchase, and we'll figure it out. Both Norwegian and English pattern versions are included in the update, and I hope my Scandinavian customers appreciate it.

I have not send update files to the 8478 people who've downloaded the free Little sister's pattern, though (there is no easy way to do this with free patterns in Ravelry). If you want the updated version of this pattern, simply visit my store and download it. It is still - and will continue to be - available free of charge.

A boy's life

2009-09-16T16:54:00.001+02:00

I was quite happy with that row of dancing people at the bottom of my Life sweater. The transformation of traditional patterns into something a bit more fun was fun and I think the result was pretty. Great for a kid's sweater, in my opinion - and not only for girls.

The challenge was of course to create a boy's sweater with the same theme. The Life sweater is utterly feminine, with that A-line shape and the cute rib structure. I wanted the boy's sweater to be just as masculine, a distinct boy's sweater was the plan. Raglan sweaters fit boys just as well as girls, obviously, but wasn't quite the shape I wanted for creating this sweater. Elizabeth Zimmermann's hybrid seemed perfect, though, resulting in A boy's life.

I love the look of my little son in it - isn't he handsome? The pattern is available for purchase in the store.

A boy's life [@ravelry] specs:
Pattern: A boy's life (Et gutteliv) by Tora Frøseth
Size: 6 years
Needles: 4.0 and 4.5 mm
Yarn: 200 g of Hifa 2 and 92 g of Hifa Alv, the two yarns held double