Tørt / Dry

Det er tørt. Virkelig, virkelig tørt! Det er lige før jeg begynder at overveje om jeg skulle dyrke kaktus i min have, men man kan da håbe at der kommer noget regn i den kommende uge? Dagens opskrift er en kaktus. Man kunne eventuelt strikke nogle stykker til haven?
 

It's dry. Really, really dry! I'm just about considering having cactuses in my garden, but then I do hope that we will get some rain in the coming week..... Today's pattern is for a cactus. You might actually just knit a few and put them in the garden?

Tvillinger / Twins

Mine strikkeprojekter som kom med på ferie, var virkelig kedelige. Faktisk ville jeg ikke sætte mig ind i garnbutikken og strikke, for hvor meget sjov og ekspertise er der i ribstrømper og retstrikkede babytæpper? Ikke desto mindre var det de ting som kom med, og jeg er temmelig glad for både at strikke dem og det færdige resultat. (De der krokodillestrømper har selvfølgelig også lige sat tingene i perspektiv.....)

Nummer to babytæppe blev færdigt og vasket i Doylestown, og jeg syntes denne sten var perfekt til at vise det på. Hele mosaikken med keramik er klassisk for Doylestown og Henry Mercer.

My knitting projects that came with me on vacation, were really boring. Actually, I didn't want to sit knitting in the yarn shop, because how much fun and expertise can really be found in ribbed socks and a garter stitch baby blanket? Nonetheless these things came with me, and I am really happy both about the knitting and the finished result. (I guess the crocodile socks helped me put things in perspective....)

The second baby blanket was finished and washed in Doylestown, and I thought this stone was perfect to show it on. The mosaic with tiles is classic for Doylestown and Henry Mercer. 

Her er begge tæpperne hjemme på den grønneste plet af min lige nu utroligt grimme græsplæne. Der var en lille smule forskel i hvornår farverne skiftede, hvilket er meget sjovt, men ellers er de helt ens. Jeg slog 3 masker op på pind 4,5, tog ud i hver side på hveranden pind, strikkede til cirka halvvejs (hvilket var 185 masker), og begyndte at tage ind igen til 3 masker, hvorefter jeg lukkede af og hæklede en enkelt omgang fastmasker. Et nøgle garn fra Netto passede helt perfekt til sådan et babytæppe! Det andet tæppe vejer også 150 gram. Jeg kunne sikkert godt finde på at lave flere af dem her, hvis jeg fik brug for det! Sådan et let, tyndt bomuldstæppe er ret brugbart til babyer.....

Here are both blankets at home on the greenest spot of my right now extremely ugly lawn. They are a bit different in when the colors changed, which is kind of fun, but otherwise, they are the same. 

I cast on 3 stitches on 4.5 mm needles, increased on both ends on every other row, knit until I was halfway in the skein (about 185 stitches), and started decreasing until I had 3 stitches. Then I cast off and did a single round of crochet. One skein of yarn from Netto was perfect to a baby blanket! This second blanket also weighs 150 grams. I might be making more of these, if I need it. A light, thin cotton blanket is very useful for babies.....

Berømte sidste ord / Famous last words

Jeg er lige kommet hjem igen. Det er også dejligt at komme hjem!

For nogle uger siden udtalte jeg højt og tydeligt, at NU skulle jeg ihvertfald ikke købe mere garn før Fanø. Om en måned. 

Derefter gik der ikke lang tid før jeg var nødt til at bestille noget meget smukt lace-garn til et kommende sjal, og da vi kom forbi en garnbutik på Bornholm måtte jeg lige købe lidt strømpegarn. Og i USA? Altså - jeg havde et par bundter "Capretta" med lidt cashmere i, og det er såååååå lækkert! Jeg farvede noget i vinters og fandt rigtig ud af hvor godt det er! Så jeg sørgede for at bestille rigeligt. Bør man ikke det?

Jeg var også i den lokale garnbutik og købte det pink strømpegarn som er så fint. 

Nu er det så spændende om jeg kan vente helt til Fanø med at købe mere.......

I just arrived home again. It's also really nice coming home!

A few weeks ago, I very clearly stated that I would NOT buy any more yarn before going to the knitting festival on Fanø. In a month. 

Then it didn't take long before I had to order some very beautiful lace-yarn for an upcoming shawl, and when we passed a yarn-shop on Bornholm, I had to buy a bit of sock yarn. And in the US? Well. I had a few skeins of "Capretta" which contains a bit of cashmere, and it's just sooooo soft and yummy! I dyed some this winter and discovered just how lovely it is! So of course I ordered plenty. Almost feels like a must in such a case!

I also went to the local yarn shop and bought the pink sock yarn that's just so pretty. 

So now it will be exciting to see if I can wait until Fanø before I buy any more!

Velbrugt / Well used

Min ferie er snart slut - i aften flyver jeg hjem, og så er der lige en weekend hjemme inden arbejdet starter på mandag. 

Det var en skøn ferie! Jeg har set min søster og Co.'s nye hus, vi har siddet på verandaen og drukket G&T, og jeg nåede endda at se lidt tordenvejr der fra verandaen.

My vacation is almost over - tonight I'll fly home, and then I'll have a weekend at home before going back to work on Monday. 

It's been a wonderful vacation! I've seen my sister and family's new house, we've been sitting on the porch, drinking G&T, and I even got to see some thunder from the porch.  

Denne gang kunne Daisy GODT lide mig, og det har bare været hyggeligt med en hund, selv om jeg aldrig skal have en derhjemme. Vi har været i hundebutik og kigget på alt det spændende, og gået dejlige ture og hygget i sofaen. 

This time, Daisy actually liked me, and it's been so nice being with a dog, although I'll never have one at home. We've been to the dog store, looking at all the exciting stuff, and had nice long walks and just hung out on the couch. 

Jeg har set min søsters ældste på hans arbejde som keramiker - det var vildt interessant og virkelig skønt at se ham lave noget som han elsker!

I've seen my sister's oldest son at his work as a ceramicist - it was so interesting and really lovely seeing him do stuff that he loves! 

Og så har jeg jo brugt utroligt meget tid med ham her. Det "lille" pus som bliver 17 næste gang! Han havde det herligt i Danmark, og det har været så fint at kunne tage tilbage med ham. 
Nu har jeg så også set ham på rulleskøjter. Rimeligt imponerende!

Sikke en dejlig ferie!

And then I spend a lot of time with this guy. The "little" one, who will be 17 in September! He had a wonderful time in Denmark, and it's been really great that I could go back with him. 

So now I've even seen him rollerskating! Quite impressive!

What a lovely vacation!

Fængsel! / Prison!

I mandags gik vi over på stationen og tog med toget til Philadelphia. Det er så nemt! Vi skulle ind at kigge og shoppe og - af alle ting - i fængsel.....

On Monday, we walked to the station and took the train to Philadelphia. It's so easy! We were going to town to just look and shop and  - of all things - go to prison.....

Vi tog nemlig i Eastern State Penitentiary, et knap 200 år gammelt fængsel, som var noget af det mest topmoderne da det blev bygget!

Fængslet ligger nær centrum og ser enormt imponerende ud. Det ligner nærmest en borg udefra.

We were visiting Eastern State Penitentiary, an almost 200 years old prison that was state of the art when it was first build!

The place is quite near to the center and looks extremely impressive. Almost look like a castle from the outside. 

Da det blev bygget, var fængsler sådan nogle fælles rum hvor alle mulige folk sad samtidig. Ikke specielt godt for nogen! Og slet ikke i forhold til smitsomme sygdomme. 

Så det nye fængsel var planlagt med eneceller og toiletter i cellerne. Fangerne fik mad hver dag og kom ud i solen. Lyder godt, ikke?

When it was build, prison was rooms where all kinds of people were thrown in together. Not good for anyone! And not at all good regarding contagious diseases. 

So the new prison was planned with individual cells and toilets in all cells. The prisoners had food every day and came out in the sunlight. Sounds good, right?

Der var bare det, at alle celler var isolationsceller. Man så ingen og talte ikke med nogen. Man kom udenfor en halv time to gange om dagen, men i en lille isoleret gård. 

Derfor blev fængslet så småt ændret, så de stakkels fanger ikke blev fuldstændigt sindssyge.

Al Capone sad der også. Vistnok bare i meget kort tid, men i en celle med en del mere luksus!

The problem was that all cells were in isolation. You didn't get to see or talk to anyone. You came outside for 30 minutes twice a day, but in a tiny, isolated yard. 

So the prison slowly became different, so the poor prisoners didn't grow completely insane. 

Al Capone was also there. Just for a short period, I think, but in a more luxurious cell! 

Fængselssygehuset skulle vist have været ret fint. Nu er det jo nærmest en ruin. Men det var et rigtigt sygehus, bare med tremmer for vinduerne!

Det mest skræmmende var deres statistik. USA er det land i verden som har flest fængslede i forhold til indbyggertallet. Flere end de fleste afrikanske lande, faktisk! Jeg er SÅ taknemmelig for at bo i Danmark, hvor man er uskyldig til det modsatte er bevist, og hvor man ikke bare kan købe sig fri......

Hvis du kommer til Philadelphia, så er det her sted virkelig et besøg værd. Så spændende!

The prison hospital was said to be quite nice. Now it's a ruin. But it was a real, working hospital, just with bars for the windows!

The most scary thing was their statistics. The US is the country with most prisoners compared to the number of citizens in the world. The number is higher than in most African countries, actually! I am SO grateful to be living in Denmark, where you are innocent until proven otherwise, and where you cannot just pay to escape.....

If you go to Philadelphia, this place is really worth a visit! So interesting!

Sommeren hvor vi gentog billeder / The summer of repeated photos

JoAnn

Noget, jeg VIRKELIG godt kan lide når jeg besøger min søster, er at komme i JoAnn - en gigantisk stor hobbybutik. Vi startede med det for mange år siden, og det er bare så sjovt!

Denne gang blev det til et par skeletter. Ikke til mig, altså - men til Halloween når huset skal pyntes. Det bliver familiens første Halloween i eget hus, så de skal bare give den gas!

Something I REALLY like when visiting my sister, is going to JoAnn - an enormous craft shop. We started doing this many years ago, and it's just so much fun!

This time, we took a couple of skeletons home. Not for me, you know, but for Halloween when the house will be decorated. The first Halloween they will celebrate in their own house, so it will be taken to the max!

Når jeg kommer derhen, kan jeg bare slet ikke styre mig med stof. Der er så meget fint! Jeg har fået syet en del af stof jeg har købt derinde. Ganske vist ligger der også meget i skabet, men jeg elsker det bare. 

Denne gang købte jeg fint stof med biller og stof med sommerfugle. Tror faktisk godt det kunne blive til en bluse til mig i en eller anden kombination, og at jeg ville bruge den.....

When I go there, I just go crazy over the fabric. They have so much lovely fabric! I've sewn quite a few things from fabric I bought in there. I know there is still a lot in my closet, but I just love it. 

This time, I bought some pretty fabric with bugs, and some with butterflies. I do believe this could be a top for me, combined in some way, and that I will use it.....

Min nieces piger er TOSSEDE med Paw Patrol, så det her kunne jeg heller ikke lade ligge. Det kan blive til nogle ret fine kjoler!

My nieces girls are CRAZY with Paw Patrol, so I couldn't leave this either. Can be turned into some quite pretty dresses!

Der var også rigtigt stof fra Afrika. Så fint! Også monsterdyrt, men superfint, og DET kan blive til noget rigtig flot!

They also had real African fabric. So pretty! Also extremely expensive, but beautiful, and THIS can become something really pretty!

Til sidst købte jeg også det her stof med cykler. Også det kan blive noget rigtig fint! 

Jeg fandt også nogle knapper. Knapper er altid godt. Derimod er det ikke rigtig stedet at købe garn. Der er lidt for meget polyester i......

Mit allerbedste køb derinde nogensinde var mit undulatstof. Jeg elsker bare den bluse! Mon ikke noget af det her kan blive til noget lige så godt? 

Then I also ended up buying this with bicycles. I think this can become something very nice!

I also found a few buttons. Buttons are always great. But on the other hand, this is not the place to buy yarn. A bit too much polyester in their yarn......

My best buy ever in JoAnn was my parakeet fabric. I just love that top! I do think some of this fabric might be turned into something just as good?

Myg! / Mosquitoes!

Det er virkelig varmt her i Pennsylvania! Min nevø var IKKE imponeret over det danske sommervejr når vi var oppe i 28-30 grader, og nu forstår jeg hvorfor. Her har det været sådan 33-34 grader om dagen, og når aftenen falder på, kommer der masser af myg. Som ELSKER mig! Det er længe siden jeg har haft så mange myggestik...... Så derfor er dagens opskrift en MYG! God fornøjelse!
 

It's really warm here in Pennsylvania! My nephew was NOT impressed over the Danish summer weather when it was like 28-30 degrees Celcius, and now I understand why! Here, it has been like 33-34 degrees, and when evening comes, plenty of mosquitoes appear, and they LOVE me! I can't remember when I had this many bites last time..... So today's patterns is a MOSQUITO! Have fun!

New York

I går tog vi så til New York. Først kørte vi til toget, og så tog vi med det ind til byen. Det tog cirka 2 timer hver vej. Så nemt og hurtigt!

Vel ankommet til byen spiste vi allerførst frokost. På Shake Shack. SÅ godt burgere!

Yesterday, we went to New York City. First, we rode bare car to the train, which we took to the city. The trip was about 2 hours each way. So easy and quick!

Well arrived in the city, we forst had lunch. At Shake Shack. These burgeres were SO yummy!

Ved siden af hvor vi var, stod "The Vessel", en høj konstruktion som man nu ikke kan komme op i. Åbenbart var der for mange som hoppede ud....... Men flot var den alligevel!

Next to where we were, we found "The Vessel", a tall construction that you no longer can climb. Apparently too many people jumped from the top...... But it did look impressive! 

Vi gik opad i byen, og da vi kom forbi New York Public LIbrary, gik vi ind og kiggede. En gigantisk bygning! Der er meget smukt indeni, og vi fandt endda en udstilling af "skatte". Blandt andet den originale Peter Plys og hans venner. 

Selve bygningen har vist været kulisse i en del film. Jeg kunne ihvertfald genkende en trappe!

We walked uptown, and when we passed the New York Public LIbrary, we went inside for a look. A gigantic building! It's so pretty inside it, and we even found an exhibition of "treasures". For instance the original Winnie the Pooh with his friends!

I think the building has been in many movies. I found a staircase I recognized! 

På vej videre var vi forbi "Ole & Steen", den amerikanske udgave af Lagkagehuset, for at købe et par rugbrød. Vi fik også gigantiske flødeboller, som smagte godt men var lige rigeligt store. Større er ikke altid bedre!

Vi skulle videre op til Roosevelt Island, hvor man kan komme til med svævebane! Bare 3 dollars kostede det hver vej, og det var altså sjovt at hænge over vejen og bilerne og floden!

On the way, we passed "Ole & Steen", the American version of "Lagkagehuset", a Danish bakery, to buy some rye breads. We also had gigantic "flødeboller" that tasted good was were a bit too big. Bigger is not always better!

We were continuing up to Roosevelt Island by cable car! It cost only 3 dollars each way, and it was so much fun hanging over the road and cars and river! 

På øen er der en ruin af et forladt hospital hvor man behandlede kopper. Det var meget smukt og lidt spooky, faktisk. Ude på øen holdt man de kriminelle og de syge. Kan ikke have været sjovt at blive indlagt der!

On the island, there are a ruin of an abandoned hospital, build for treating smallpox. It was so beautiful and a bit spooky. On this island, they kept the criminals and the sick. Can't have been fun to be admitted there! 

Der var også den fineste udsigt over Manhattan! Næsten som at sidde på et skib. Jeg fik strikket lidt på den igangværende strømpe. 

We also found a very pretty view over Manhattan! Felt almost like sitting on a boat. I knit a bit on the sock I brought. 

Derefter var vi faktisk ved at være temmelig trætte...... Vi spiste aftensmad på Katsu-Hama, en dejlig japansk restaurant, og bagefter gik vi gennem menneskemylderet på Times Square til toget. 

Det var dejligt at være i New York, men det er nu også dejligt at vågne i Doylestown!

Afterwards, we were getting quite tired..... We had dinner at Katsu-Hama, a wonderful Japanese restaurant, and afterwards, we walked through the crowds at Times Square to get to the train. 

It was wonderful being in New York, but I also really like waking up in Doylestown!

Anden del af ferien / Second part of the vacation

Efter nogle dejlige uger sammen i Danmark, skulle jeg med nevøen tilbage til USA. Vi havde jo - host - købt rigeligt med slik og andre ting, og det var faktisk ikke nemt at få plads til det hele! Alle tasker var HELT fyldt, og bagagen vejede helt enormt meget, så han slap faktisk for at skulle gå til toget på vej til lufthavnen...... Selv om jeg har mine principper!

AFter some lovely weeks together in Denmark, I was flying back to the US with my nephew. So we had bought - cough - plenty of candy and other stuff, and it wasn't that easy getting everything to fit in! All bags were TOTALLY filled, and the luggage weighed like a ton, so he actually didn't have to walk to the train to go to the airport...... Although I have principles!

Flyveturen gik godt og tepotten overlevede rigtig fint som håndbagage. 

Da vi kom til New York skulle han jo så stå i den amerikanske paskø og jeg i den anden. Han kom hurtigt og nemt igennem, og så måtte han ellers vente temmelig længe på mig, fordi jeg blev "valgt" til ekstra tjek. Heldigvis var det første gang jeg prøede det, for det var minsandten virkelig irriterende! Den umiddelbare grund var at jeg havde været på Cuba for 8 år siden.......... 

Nå. Men ind kom jeg da til sidst! Og skulle slet ikke vente på bagagen, faktisk, for den var for længst kommet og stod hos min nevø.

The flight went well and the tea pot survived well as carry-on luggage. 

When we came to New York, he took the American immigration line and I the other one. He got through very easily and fast, and then he had to wait quite long for me, since I was picked for an extra check. Forturnately, t was my first time trying that, since it was so annoying! The "reason" for picking me was that I had been to Cuba about 8 years ago.......

Well. But in the end, they let me in! And I didn't even have to wait to get my luggage, actually, since it had come a long time ago and waited with my nephew. 

Det var virkelig skønt at endelig komme frem og se hele familien! Og deres nye hus! Vi sad i den dejlige have, hvor hunden straks forsvandt i planterne på jagt efter noget interessant. 

Så nu skal der hygges! I dag skal vi "lige" en smut til New York med toget: Det glæder jeg mig til!

It was really wonderful finally arriving, seeing the entire family! And their new house! We sad in the lovely garden, and the dog immediately disappeared into the plants, hunting something interesting. 

So now we are just going to have a nice time! Today, we'll take the train to New York. I can't wait!

18

Sjældent har jeg haft SÅ meget besvær med et par strømper som de her! Først valgte jeg forkert størrelse, så blev de for lange og så skulle der strikkes utroligt mange ben som jeg ikke helt havde nok garn til. Men nu er de færdige!

I've rarely had THAT much trouble with a pair of socks as I had with these! First, I chose the wrong size, then they were too long, and then I had to knit all this infinite number of legs that I wasn't sure I had enough yarn for. But now they are done!

Benene var som sagt noget af en opgave at strikke. Først strikkede jeg efter mønsteret, men så vejede de for meget. Derefter lavede jeg dem lidt kortere, og så gik det fint. Mentalt er det noget af en opgave at skulle strikke hele 8 ben efter de 3 strømper, så det gik ikke super hurtigt. 

Da benene så endelig var færdige og syet på, var det tændernes tur. I opskriften skal man sy filt-tænder på, men det havde jeg ikke så meget lyst til. I stedet fandt jeg beskrivelse af nogle hæklede tænder som ser fine ud!

As I've told, the legs were quite a challenge to make. First, I knit according to the pattern, but then they weighed too much. Then I made them a bit shorter, and everything was fine. In my mind, though, it was quite a challenge having to knit a total of 8 legs after the 3 socks, so I wasn't too fast. 

Once the legs were done and sewn on, the next job was making teeth. In the pattern, you sew on felted teeth, but I didn't want that. Instead, I found a description of crochet teeth that worked fine!

Så her er de, de små bæster! Det er meget heldigt at min niece selv sendte et link inden jul på lige de her, for de er godt nok ikke en almindelig slags strømper! Men så ved jeg da at hun kunne tænke sig dem. 

De er strikket (alt for mange gange!) på pind 2,5 mm og vejer ialt præcis 100 gram. 

Jeg har ikke lyst til at strikke dem igen før om så lang tid at jeg har glemt hvordan det var at lave de her.......

So here they are, the little beasts! It's lucky that my niece herself send me a link right before Christmas for these, because they are no ordinary socks! But then I knew that she wanted them. 

They are knitted (far too many times!) on size 2.5 mm needles and weigh exactly 100 grams. 

I don't want to make these again until I've forgotten how it felt like making these......

Det første / The first one

Jeg har jo en veninde som meget snart skal have tvillinger. Men nu er det første tæppe ihvertfald færdigt! Sådan et enkelt nøgle regnbuegarn fra Netto var helt perfekt til et babytæppe. Jeg slog 3 masker op, tog ud i hver side på hveranden pind til jeg var cirka halvvejs, og så begyndte jeg at tage ind i stedet. Der kom en kant med fastmasker omkring, og efter vask måler det cirka 80x80 cm, hvilket jo er helt perfekt!

Det er bare retstrik på pind 4,5, men det ser rigtig fint ud. (Bortset fra den fejl jeg fandt efter vask. Øv!) Det vejer hele nøglet, altså 150 gram, og jeg er gået i gang med nummer to med det samme. 

I have this friend who will have twins very soon. Now at least the first blanket is done! A single skein of rainbow yarn from the supermarket was perfect for a baby blanket. I cast on 3 stitches, increased on both sides on every other row until I was about halfway in the skein, and then I started decreasing instead. Afterwards, I did a single crochet edge, and after a wash, it's about 80 x 80 centimeters, which is perfect for a baby!

It's plain garterstitch on 4.5 mm needles, but it looks really nice. (Apart from the mistake I found after washing it. Too bad!) It weighs the entire skein, which is 150 grams, and I started the second one right away. 

Nogen ELSKER te! / Someone LOVES tea!

 

En togtur mere / Another train ride

Der er ikke mange dage tilbage af ferien, men en ting min nevø virkelig gerne ville nå mens han er her, var at komme op og besøge hans kusine i Brabrand. Så i går stod vi tidligt op og tog toget til Jylland. Han får kørt en del med tog her i ferien!

There aren't that many days left of the vacation, but one thing my nephew would really love to do while he is here, was visiting his cousin in Brabrand. So yesterday, we got up early and took the train to Jutland. He get to ride quite a few trains this vacation!

De havde herligt vejr deroppe, så vi var nærmest kun udendørs, og trampolinen blev rigtig flittigt brugt! Sådan et par unge, 16-årige ben kan virkelig give den gas og hoppe RIGTIG højt! Faktisk fik han også mig til at skrige et par gange når jeg sad på trampolinen. (Jeg ville ikke hoppe samtidig med ham...)

The weather was beautiful up there, so we were outside almost the entire time, and the trampoline was used a lot! Young, 16 year old legs can really let go and jump VERY high! Actually, he had me screaming a few times when I sat on the trampoline. (I didn't want to jump with him....)

Lillebror, som nu er over 6 måneder, fik sin første gyngetur. DET kunne han lide! Man kan næsten se det på fødderne, ikke? Han lå og sparkede og kiggede og smilede. Så sødt. 

The baby brother, who has now turned 6 months, had his first ride on a swing. He really liked THAT! You can almost tell by the feet! He was kicking and watching and smiling. So cute. 

Og min nevø fik lov at vise hvad han kan på tværfløjte og fik nogle gode råd fra sin kusine. Tror, han havde glædet sig ret meget lige til den del, selv om han også var noget bekymret.

And my nephew got to show off his abilities on the flute and had advise from his cousin. He had really been looking forward to that part, although he was also a bit worried. 

Da vi så gik hjem fra stationen - sent om aftenen - fik vi selskab af en lille kat som gik med HELE vejen hjem. Det var meget mærkeligt, meget sødt og temmelig irriterende. Den skal sandelig ikke få ideer og heller ikke blive kørt over på vej hjem!

Nå, men nu er der virkelig ikke mange dage tilbage. I morgen går turen til USA, så i dag skal vi pakke. På livet løs. 

When we walked home from the station - late at night - we were followed by a small cat who walked with us ALL the way home. It was so weird, quite cute and really annoying. I don't want this cat to have any ideas and I don't want it run over by a car on the way back!

Well, so now there really aren't that many days left. Tomorrow, we will be going to the US, so today we'll pack. Like crazy.