Status 2015

Nytåret er lige om hjørnet, og det er HELT sikkert tid til en status over 2015!
Det har været et dejligt år. Mystisk nok uden en eneste strikkefestival, men til gengæld har der været hyggelige strikkeweekender her og der, og hele 2 ture i strikkebio!
I år har jeg ikke malet, men til gengæld fået lov at køre en hel del i tog, så årets produktion er faktisk kommet op på 9,81 kg. Bestemt ikke dårligt, selv om jeg gerne ville over 10! Garnet er brugt til 60 forskellige, færdige projekter.

With the New Year just around the corner, it's DEFINITELY time for a 2015 status!
It has been a wonderful year. Mysteriously, I haven't been to a single knitting festival, but on the other hand I've had several wonderful weekends of knitting here and there, and 2 knitting-nights at the movies!
This year, I haven't been painting, but had the chance of a lot of train rides, so this years production actually has reached 9.81 kg. Definitely not bad, although I would love it to be more than 10! The yarn has been used in 60 different, finished projects.  

En af de store oplevelser i år var at se mine (og jeres!) strikkede huer i brug på Cuba. Så I får lige et billede af den lille prinsesse her.

Årets projekter blev:

21 par strømper (2 til mig, 3 par små)
12 sweatre/trøjer (2 til mig, 5 små)
11 huer (ingen til mig, 10 små)
4 veste (allesammen små)
3 par bukser (også små. Heldigvis!)
3 bluser/toppe (2 til mig, 1 lille)
2 tæpper (ingen til mig. Det ene str. baby)
1 kjole (baby)
1 sjal (til min niece!)
1 lampeskærm (ikke til mig)
1 butterfly (ikke til mig)

A great experience this year was to see my (and yours!) knitted hats used on Cuba. This little princess was wearing one.

This years projects are:

21 pairs of socks (2 for me, 3 small ones)
12 sweaters/cardigans (2 for me, 5 small ones)
11 hats (none for me, 10 small ones)
4 vests (all small)
3 pairs of pants (also small. Fortunately!)
3 tops (2 for me, one small)
2 blankets (none for me. One size baby)
1 dress (baby)
1 shawl (for my niece!)
1 lamp shade (not for me)
1 butterfly (not for me)

Sidste års nytårsforsætter er det ikke gået så godt med. Jo, jeg kom over 8 kg strikket, men så er det vist også det..... Jeg har måske købt lidt mindre garn, men jeg er ikke kommet til Pfaffenhofen, og når kun 6 ud af 60 projekter var til mig selv, kan man vist heller ikke kalde det "mere til mig selv".
Næste år? DER skal det blive anderledes! (Eller noget)
Gerne over 10 kg strikket, og mindst 10 ting til mig selv! Bare en enkelt strikkefestival ville også være rar.
Årets bedste strik? Det er vel næsten min grønne ferie-sweater. Den er både pæn og rar at have på! Men bryllupssjalet til min niece var også fantastisk at se færdigt og brugt.
Årets værste strik? Trøjen til min svigerinde. Suk. Alt det arbejde, og så blev den ikke engang rigtig god.

Last years New Years resolutions didn't work out very well. Yes - I reached 8 kilos of knitting, but I guess that's it...... Maybe I bought a bit less yarn, but I didn't get to visit Pfaffenhofen, and with only 6 out of 60 project for me, it's not what you call "more for me".
Next year? THEN it will be different! (Well)
I would love to knit more than 10 kilos, and at least 10 things for me! Just one knitting festival would be nice, too.
Best knitted thing of the year? I guess it's my green vacation-sweater. It's not only good-looking, but also really comfy. But the wedding-shawl for my niece was also pretty, and it was great seeing it in action.
The worst knitted thing this year? The cardigan for my sister-in-law. Sigh. All that hard work, and then it didn't even turned out to be very good.

Det sidste fra Michigan lige nu. Tror jeg. / The last bit of Michigan right now. I guess.

Gaver / Gifts

Der var en del gaver at slæbe med til USA. Nogle vakte større begejstring end andre!
Denne søde gris, der grynter når man trykker på den, var ikke umiddelbart et hit. Faktisk var stakkels Bailey bange for den! Ihvertfald en dag eller 2. Indtil han fandt ud af, at han jo nok er større, stærkere og farligere end Bacon, som den kom til at hedde.

There were quite a few presents to bring to the US. Some were more happily received than others!
This cute pig, making grunting noises when pressed, wasn't exactly love at first sight. Turned out poor Bailey was scared of the pig! For a day or 2, at least. Until he discovered that he actually is bigger, stronger and more dangerous than Bacon, which turned out to be the pig's name. 

Bilen her var et hit. Den kan køre i vand! 

Det fik den lov til på vores gåtur, og bagefter kom den så i bad med ejeren for at få vasket mudderet af.... En god gave!

This car was well received. It even drives in water!

It got the chance for that on our walk, and afterwards it shared a bath with the new owner to get all the muc cleansed off...... A great gift!

Denne her gave kunne jeg trøste mig med, da jeg kom hjem til Frederiksberg igen. Dejlig kakao og en honningkagemand fra min nevø. 

Det smagte godt!

This gift comforted me when I came back to Frederiksberg again. Lovely cocoa and a gingerbreadman from my nephew!

Tasted good!

Hvis man skal finde en gave at tage med hjem fra Ann Arbor, så er man nødt til at gå i Cherry Republic. En hel butik bare med kirsebær! Der er også gratis smagsprøver på det meste, så der er absolut ingen grund til ikke at elske den butik.

If you need to bring home a gift from Ann Arbor, you have to visit Cherry Republic. An entire shop filled with cherries! Cherries only. They also have free samplers of almost everything, leaving no reason not to love this shop.

Jeg købte kirsebær-chokolade, sodavand og en pose med mix til at lave pandekager. Det bliver spændende at smage!
Forresten - nu jeg ævler om gaver. Gæt, hvem der vandt mandelgaven? For en gangs skyld. Det var fantastisk, og jeg er nu den glade ejer af et sjovt spil!

I bought cherry-chocolate, soda and a bag of pancake-mix. Can't wait to taste these!
By the way - speaking of gifts. Guess who won the almond-present? For once. It was amazing, and I'm now the happy owner of a fun game!

Klar til nytårsaften / Ready for New Year's eve

Så er jeg hjemme igen, og realiteterne har ramt. Det er nytårsaften allerede på torsdag!
Hvis du vil være HELT klar og sikker på at få opmærksomhed, kunne du hækle dig en lille festhat. Sådan en MÅ man da have til nytår?
Mønsteret er dette, og den kan pyntes lige som du har lyst til.

I'm back home, and the realities of my everyday live hit me. It's new year's eve this Thursday!
If you want to be TOTALLY ready and make sure you get some attention, you could crochet a party-hat. You really NEED one of these?
The pattern is this one, and it can be decorated as you wish.

Spun, Ann Arbor

I løbet af den helt utroligt dejlige ferie, kom vi også en tur ind til centrum i Ann Arbor. Blandt andet, for at jeg kunne få første del af min julegave. En tur i garnbutik!
Sidste gang jeg var her, var begge garnbutikker lukket. Men der er kommet en ny!
Den hedder Spun og ligger centralt lige ved Farmers Market i Kerrytown. Udefra ser man jo ikke enormt meget, som den ligger der på første sal.

During my incredibly nice vacation, we also took a trip to the center of Ann Arbor. Among other things, the purpose was for me to get part of my gift. In a yarn shop!
Last time I visited, both yarn shops were closed. But a new one opened!
It's called Spun and located centrally just next to Farmers Market, inside Kerrytown. From the outside, you don't see much of the shop on the first floor.

Men den er lidt som en Tardis. Større indeni! Der var SÅ meget dejligt garn. En hel del lokalt garn oveni de sædvanlige mærker.
Det tog meget, meget lang tid at vælge, kan jeg godt afsløre! Jeg endte med noget meget lokalt strømpegarn og 2 nøgler lækker uld.
Imens ventede resten af familien mere eller mindre tålmodigt. Niecen gik faktisk rundt og kiggede på garn (og sparede op i goodwill til en shoppetur senere!). Den ene nevø gik i tomgang (skal vi kalde det Zen?) og den anden gik i legetøjsbutik.
Garnbutikken bliver vist også udflugtsmål næste gang......

But it's a bit like a Tardis. Bigger on the inside! They had SO much lovely yarn. A lot of local stuff together with the usual brands.
It took me very, very long to pick the right yarn! I ended up with some very local sock yarn and 2 skeins of yummy wool.
All the time, the rest of the family were waiting with different amounts of patience. My niece went around the shop, looking at the different types of yarn (saving goodwill for a shopping-trip later on!). One of my nephews was staring into space (kind of Zen?) and the other one went to the toy shop.
I guess this yarn shop will be on my list next time, too.......

Det var hyggeligt at følges med dem. Det er det altid.
Men denne dag var det ekstra hyggeligt, fordi de bruger det, jeg har lavet! Hættetrøjen passer perfekt til niecen, som I kan se. Salathalstørklædet lever også endnu og bliver flittigt brugt!

It was nice going with them. It always is.
But this day was extra nice, since they wear what I made for them! The hoodie fits perfectly, as you see. The salad scarf is also alive and used all the time!

Solsweateren passer også, og min nevø er rigtig glad for den.
Så kan jeg brokke mig så meget jeg vil over besværlighederne når jeg strikker - når jeg ser slutresultatet og de er så glade for det, er det da det hele værd.

The sun sweater is also just the right size, and my nephew is really happy with it.
So in the end, although i complain a lot while making this stuff - when I see the end result and how happy they are with what I made, it's worth all the trouble. 

May the Force be with you

Det tog et par forsøg, men det lykkedes! Sweateren blev færdig i går efter en dag med intensiv hæftning af ender og syning. Den er anstrengelserne værd, synes jeg.
Jeg er virkelig glad for, at jeg strikkede den om fra ribkanten og op, for den var bare for lille. Heldigvis blev den så færdig inden jeg rejser hjem, og det var virkelig skønt selv at aflevere den og se, at han kunne lide den!

It took a few tries, but it turned out right! The sweater was done yesterday after a day of intense sewing of ends and sleeves. It is worth the trouble, if you ask me.
I'm really happy that I re-did it from the rib-edge up, because it would have ended up too small.
Fortunately, it got done before I leave for home, and it was just great to give it away myself and see how he liked it!

Han er meget tilfreds, og den passer perfekt!
Faktisk tog det jo mindre end 2 uger at strikke den pga. alle rejserne og min ferie. Ærmerne nåede jeg i flyet. Ellers var det heller ikke gået så stærkt!
Lidt fakta? Strikket i det tykke wollmeise på pind 3,5, 3,75 og 4 mm. Hvad jeg nu lige havde. Den vejer 460 gram.
Mønstrene fandt jeg bl.a. her.
Antal masker har jeg fundet i en anden opskrift (inden jeg justerede!), og selve faconen er jo bare lige op og ned. Ikke noget underligt der.

He is very happy with it, and it fits perfectly!
It actually took less than 2 weeks to make it, due to all the traveling and my vacation. The sleeves were made on the plane. Otherwise it wouldn't have been so quick!
A few facts? Made in the DK weight wollmeise, using needles size 3.5, 3.75 and 4 mm. What I had brought. It weighs 460 grams.
The patterns were found partly here.
The number of stitches were found in another pattern (before adjusting the number!), and the shape is very basic. Nothing peculiar.

Inden jeg fik syet på symaskine og klippet op til ærmer, fik vi lige et bonusbillede. Han er sjov!

Before using the sewing machine and cutting open for sleeves, we had a bonus picture. He is fun!

Vi er klar! / We are ready!

Klokken er 05.57 her i Ann Arbor. Om 3 minutter må børnene stå op til julegaver. Der er helt roligt i huset, så egentlig tror jeg, de sover lidt længere end det. Det var GODT nok svært at falde i søvn i går aftes!
Julepynten er på plads, og udefra ser det da fint ud, ikke?

The time is 5.57 am here in Ann Arbor. In just 3 minutes, the kids are allowed to get up and get their presents. The house is quiet, so I think they will sleep a bit longer. It REALLY was difficult falling asleep last night!
The decorations are in place, and looks nice from the outside. 

Juleaftensdag var så lang som altid. Vi var i biografen og se den nye Star Wars film - det er herligt, at min mindste nevø nu tør se det samme som os andre!
Om aftenen var vi i kirke. Der var også børnenes 5 minutter selv om det var jul, og det var bare rigtig fint og hyggeligt. (Og vi sang "Jeg er så glad hver julekvæld" - på engelsk!)

Christmas Eve was as long as always. We went to the movies to watch the new Star Wars movie - it's great that my youngest nephew can watch the same as everyone else!
In the evening, we went to church. They held the children's 5 minutes even though it was Christmas, and it was such a nice and cozy service. (And we sang "Jeg er så glad hver julekvæld" - in English!)

Bagefter blev der lavet marcipan. Det var kun ham her, der gad hjælpe, faktisk. (Og hunden, altså. Men den fik ikke lov!) Teenagere er ikke lige til sådan noget......
Jeg har strikket videre på blusen, og mangler virkelig ikke særlig meget. Føler mig temmelig sikker på at den nok skal kunne blive herovre!
Nå. Kl. er 06.08. Hvornår vågner de?

Afterwards, they did marzipan. This guy was the only one who wanted to help, actually. (Well, the dog too. But it wasn't allowed!) Teenagers are not into this kind of stuff......
I'm still knitting on the sweater, and only have a small bit left. I feel very sure that it will be able to stay when I leave!
Well. The time says 6.08 am. When will they ever wake up?

Glædelig jul! / Merry Christmas!

Glædelig jul! / Merry Christmas!

Afslapning / Relaxation

Det er dejligt at være her i Ann Arbor. Det er skønt at være sammen med familien, og det er virkelig tiltrængt med nogle dage uden alt for meget jeg skal nå. Det har været en travl tid op til ferien!
Strikketøjet har det godt. Jeg er næsten helt deroppe hvor jeg begyndte at trevle op - regner faktisk med at både Darth Vader og X-wing fighteren bliver færdige i dag! - og der skulle være en chance for at blive færdig og få den afleveret herovre. Tror jeg.
Det springende punkt er vel symaskinen til ærmegabene. Jeg skal nok ikke sidde ved symaskinen mens de andre pakker gaver ud, så det er bare med at blive færdig!

It's lovely to be here in Ann Arbor. It's wonderful spending time with the family, and I really needed some time without having to do too much. It has been really busy these past few weeks!
The sweater is doing fine. I'm almost at the point I'd reached before unraveling - I actually count on both Darth Vader and the X-wing fighter to get done today! - and there is a chance to get it done and sewn while I'm here. I think.
The big issue would be borrowing the sewing machine for the sleeve-holes. I won't be allowed to sit by the sewing machine while everybody else is unwrapping gifts, so I'd better get done!

Bailey må være en meget, meget heldig hund. Når en bliver træt af at klappe ham, finder han bare en anden. Der er nok at vælge imellem!
Her er han iført sin julesweater. Jeg har aldrig set en hund, der nærmest selv beder om at få sin sweater på! Men opdager han den, flytter han sig ikke, før nogen har hjulpet ham med det.
Når julen er færdig, må de nok købe en der ikke har juletema, så han stadig kan være anstændigt påklædt!

Bailey surely is a very, very lucky dog. Once someone is done petting him, he just finds someone else. Plenty of people to choose from!
Here he is in his Christmas sweater. Never before have I met a dog who almost ask to get his sweater on! If he finds it, he won't move until someone helped him.
After Christmas, I guess they have to buy a new one without the Christmas theme, so he can continue being well dressed!

Dansk i hjertet / A Danish heart

Der var leverpostej med i kufferten denne gang! Stor fornøjelse hos min mindste nevø, der ikke havde spist leverpostej i halvandet år. Endnu større fornøjelse for Bailey, der for første gang smagte både leverpostej OG rullepølse! DET var et hit! Sjældent har man set en hund få så store tigge-øjne til et frokostbord. Faktisk tiggede den endda om at få appelsin.......
Det er skønt at have juleferie, og trøjen vokser igen. Ret hurtigt, faktisk. Det er bare dejligt!

I brought liver pate in my suitcase this time! Great joy for my youngest nephew, who didn't have liver pate for 18 months. Even greater joy for Bailey, who tasted not only liver pate, but also "rullepølse" for the very first time! THAT was delicious! Larger begging eyes have rarely been seen in a dog at lunch. He even begged to taste orange.......
Christmas vacation is wonderful, and the sweater started growing again. Quickly, actually. Very nice!

Selskab / Company

Så kom jeg frem! Åh, så dejligt det var at se dem igen. Det er første gang jeg skal holde jul udenfor Danmark, men i selskab med denne her familie kan det vist kun blive rigtig dejligt!
Niecen har fået selfiestang, som man måske fornemmer. Vi fik glühwein og honningkage, og jeg var helt skeløjet kl. 22. Til gengæld vågnede jeg så kl. 04, men 6 timers søvn er vel heller ikke helt skidt sådan en første nat?

Then I arrived! Oh - it was wonderful seeing them again. It's the first time for me celebrating Christmas outside Denmark, but in the company of this family, it's going to be just great!
My niece had a selfies-tick, as you might have guessed. We had glühwein and honey-cake, and I was cross-eyed when the clock turned 10 pm. Then i woke up at 4 am, but 6 hours of sleep isn't that bad for a first night?

Flyveturen gik ganske fint. Jeg nåede at strikke hele 2 ærmer mens jeg så film. Det er så hyggeligt at flyve! Flyet var godt nok forsinket, men det gik så glat og hurtigt som aldrig før i Washington, og jeg nåede fint det næste fly.
Der var virkelig flot udsigt over Detroit.

The flight went well. I knit a total of 2 sleeves while watching movies. It's so nice with these flights - it's time for relaxation! The plane was delayed, but in Washington, everything went as quickly and smoothly as never before, so I made it for the next plane.
The view over Detroit was just beautiful.

Da jeg var nået godt herover og fik sammenlignet Star Wars sweateren  med nevøen og hans nuværende sweatre, kunne jeg godt se, at den nok sådan var til den stramme side.
Nu har det jo kun taget en uge at strikke den, og jeg ville gerne, at han kan passe den i noget længere tid, så det blev altså en ommer.
Derfor gik morgenen med at trevle op. Godt "hjulpet" af Bailey, der ikke forstod, hvorfor i alverden jeg gad at være optaget af strikketøjet i stedet for verdens sødeste hund?
Nu er jeg tilbage til lige over ribkanten. Bliver den ikke helt færdig i juleferien, må jeg bare sende den.
Det vigtigste er, at den kan bruges et stykke tid!

Once I got here and compared the Star Wars sweater with my nephew and his present sweaters, I could see it was kind of tight.
It only took a week to knit it, and I really wanted the sweater to be usable for somewhat longer than that, so I need to redo it.
So this morning was spent unraveling. I got great "help" from Bailey, who couldn't understand why on earth I wanted to look at the knitting instead of concentrating on the cutest dog in the world?
Now I'm back to just over the rib-edge. If I don't finish it during the vacation, I'll just have to mail it.
The most important thing is that he will be able to use it for a while!

En travl dag / A busy day

Efter en ret travl uge kom en helt utroligt travl lørdag! (Fantastisk planlægning)
De sidste julegaver skulle købes og sendes, samtidig med at jeg skulle have det årlige familie-hygge-træf med hende her og resten af flokken (vi var 9 i alt), samtidig med at jeg skulle blive klar til at rejse på juleferie hos Cirkus Frikke.
For at være helt ærlig - i går morges havde jeg ingen anelse om, hvordan den dag nogensinde skulle hænge sammen!
Utroligt nok nåede jeg det hele. Hele familien hjalp til med bunkerne af opvask, jeg fik printet billet og vundet garn, og nu sidder jeg så her. Fuldstændig klar til at tage afsted. SOM jeg dog glæder mig.
Og søde Frk. T? Hun fik ikke chokolade i går, som hun jo tydeligvis havde hygget sig med på billedet her, men hun vimsede rundt og endte hele tiden på skødet af mig. Hun er herlig at have i familien!

After a rather busy week came an incredibly busy Saturday! (Amazing planning)
The last presents should be bought and mailed, and at the same time I was going to have the yearly family-Christmas get-together with this girl and the rest of the family (we were 9 in total), and at the same time I was going to get ready for my Christmas vacation at Cirkus Frikke's.
To be honest - yesterday morning I had no clue how this day would ever happen in a sensible way!
Incredibly, everything turned out fine. The entire family helped with my mountains of dishes, I printed the ticket and wound the yarn, and here I am now. Totally ready to go. I'm SO looking forward to this!
And cute miss T? She didn't get chocolate yesterday, though she clearly had some the day of this photo, but she went about and ended up on my lap all the time. She is such a treasure!

Star Wars!

Der har været rigtig, rigtig mange togture siden sidste weekend, og jeg har strikket på næsten dem alle sammen. Derfor går det faktisk rigtig, rigtig godt med sweateren til min nevø! Jeg er snart færdig med kroppen.
Ærmerne bliver nok mest sorte. Jeg håber, det går.

There has been a lot of train rides since last weekend, and I've been knitting on almost all of them. So the sweater for my nephew is growing really, really well! I'm almost done with the body.
The sleeves will mostly be black, I guess. I hope it works out well.

I sidste øjeblik / At the last moment

For 3 år siden fik jeg et gavekort til blomster. Lige siden har det ligget fint i min pung med udløbsdato nytårsaften 2015.
Om jeg kunne få det brugt? Næh. Det er åbenbart svært!
Kun, fordi slutdatoen nærmede sig, fik jeg taget mig sammen og fundet den rigtige blomsterbutik og fik denne fine buket med hjem. Nu pynter den så på mit bord!

3 years ago, I got a gift-card for flowers. Ever since, it's been lying nicely in my wallet with the expiration date of New Years eve 2015.
Did I get around using it? No. Apparently, it's difficult!
Only due to the fact that it expires soon, I pulled myself together and found the right flower shop and brought home this pretty bouquet. Now it's bringing happiness at my place!

Suk / Sigh

Det kan godt være, at der er et par strømper mere i skuffen, der trænger til at blive skiftet ud. Men det var altså ikke dem her!
Pungrottegarn har det ikke godt med 60 grader. Skal vi bare sige det sådan?
Suk. Må vist hellere få pakket strømpegarn til juleferien.

I may have another pair of socks in my drawer in need of replacement. But it wasn't these, for sure!
Possum-yarn is not very happy with a warm wash. Let's keep it short and simple.
Sigh. I guess I'll need to pack some sock yarn for my Christmas break.

Cute

Nyt strikketøj / New knitting project

Der er kommet nyt strikketøj med i toget..... Måske er det svært at se, men det er starten på en Star Wars sweater til min mindste nevø!
Jeg tror nok, de nederste er at-at'er, og ovenover bliver der lyssværd.
Så må vi se, hvad der så kommer.
Det er sjovt at strikke, og vældig aktuelt, når nu jeg skal se premiere på den nye film i morgen!

A new knitting project rides the train with me..... Maybe it's hard to see, but it's the beginning of a Star Wars sweater for my youngest nephew!
I do think the bottom ones are at-at's, and on top of them, light-swords are growing.
Then we'll see what comes next.
It's fun to knit, and quite hot, since I'm going to watch the premiere of the new movie tomorrow!

Engle / Angels

Dagens mønster er på dine helt egne engle med et lille juletræ.
Det er hæklet, det er fint, og der er absolut ingen grund til, at de ikke skulle komme til dig og pynte.....
Mønsteret finder du her.

Today's pattern is for your very own angels and a tiny Christmas tree.
It's crochet, it's pretty, and there really is no reason why these guys shouldn't hang around at your place, looking nice......
The pattern is right here.

Lyntoget / The fast train

Togblusen nåede lige præcis at blive klar til at sende indenfor posthusets åbningstid. Jeg brugte da også lørdag formiddag på at brodere og hækle kant.....
Garn og opskrift købte jeg i Nykøbing F i september. Garnet var ikke det i opskriften, og der var ikke mere end 4 nøgler lyserød i butikken (skulle bruge 5), så jeg var bestemt ikke sikker på om der var nok. Derfor blev ærmerne stribede!
Nok var der godt nok. Jeg har næsten et nøgle lyserød Vital til overs! Til gengæld blev den lige en anelse mindre end jeg troede, men den passer hende vist på en prik lige nu, så det er vel ikke helt skidt.

The train sweater just made it in time for mailing it during the opening hours of the post office. Saturday morning was spend doing the embroidery and the crochet edge......
I bought yarn and pattern in Nykøbing F in September. The yarn was different from what was in the pattern, and they only had 4 skeins of pink in the shop (I needed 5), so I really had my doubts if I had enough. That's why the sleeves ended up with stripes!
There was enough, though. I have almost an entire skein of pink Vital left! On the other hand, it ended up slightly smaller than expected, but I guess it will fit her perfectly right now, so it's not totally bad.

Der er god plads til at få et stort babyhovede igennem, når man åbner slidsen. Alt i alt et hit, og faktisk tog det kun 6 dage og 165 g garn at lave sweateren!
Opskriften er fra Hjertegarn, og jeg MÅTTE bare lave den, da min nevø, hendes far, er fuldstændigt tosset med tog.
Jeg lavede halsen lidt anderledes, så der ikke kom hæklet flæsekant, men er godt tilfreds med resultatet.

There is enough space to fit a big baby's head through this one, when opening in the back. Definitely a hit, and it actually only took me 6 days and 165 grams of yarn to make this sweater!
The pattern is from Hjertegarn, and I just HAD to make it, since my nephew, her dad, is totally crazy about trains.
The neck ended up slightly different, without the crochet ruffle, but I'm very happy with the result.

Vinderen / The winner

Min give-away er slut. Der endte med at være 33 deltagere i alt, og som I kan se, blev vinderen nr. 19.
Det er Liselotte, som skrev: "Sikken fin gave. Den vil jeg gerne vinde. Og så vil jeg lige benytte lejligheden til at sige tak for en flot blog.
Kh Liselotte"
Du må meget gerne sende en mail med din adresse til christunte@yahoo.com
Tak fordi I ville være med, og for alle jeres søde kommentarer! Rigtig god weekend derude.

My give-away has ended. There were 33 participants, and as you can see, the winner was number 19.
It's Liselotte, who can mail me her address.
Thank you for joining in, and for all your very sweet comments! Have a wonderful weekend.

Fast forward

Den der lille bluse til julegave går det faktisk helt godt med. På pind 3,5 går det stærkt, og jeg tænker faktisk, at den når at blive færdig og sendt! I morgen, altså.
Jeg havde så glemt opskrift og pinde til ribkant på nr. 2 ærme i går, så på vej fra arbejde, var jeg derfor NØDT til at gå forbi en garnbutik i Lund (de har 2!) og købe et sæt firkantede strømpepinde str. 3 mm. Ikke værst, når det nu skulle være.......
Husk iøvrigt min give-away! Vinderen kommer på bloggen i morgen.

The small Christmas present sweater is growing quite well. Needles size 3.5 mm are really speedy, and I really do think it will get done and mailed! Tomorrow, that is.
Yesterday, I forgot not only the pattern, but also needles for the ribbing on the second sleeve, so leaving work, I HAD to pass a yarn shop in Lund (there are 2!) and buy a set of square double-point needles size 3 mm. Not too bad, if you ask me......
Remember my give-away! The winner will be announced here tomorrow.

Status

Jeg har efterhånden arbejdet i Sverige i lidt over 2 måneder. Det är jättebra.......
Det er lange dage, og jeg må se i øjnene, at jeg skal gøre mit bedste for ikke at planlægge alt for meget om aftenen (det går så ikke så godt med det. Jeg er åbenbart en selskabspapegøje der er bange for at gå glip af noget!), for sådan en hel uge med både arbejde om dagen og andre mennesker om aftenen er noget hård.
Togturen er lang, men bestemt til at overleve med et strikketøj og uden for meget arbejde (yes. Det har jeg også gjort. Nogle gange er man nødt til det!).
Kollegerne er gode, patienterne søde (selvfølgelig!) og det går faktisk rigtig fint fremad med at lære svensk. Jeg har lært vigtige ord som "skumt" (skummelt), "skumtomte" (skumnisse), "upprepa" (gentage), "uppehållstillstand" (opholdstilladelse) og "fika" (yderst vigtigt! Kaffe og kage, nemlig!). Hver dag håber jeg, at et nyt ord til forrådet skulle give mig lov at gå hjem, men sådan fungerer det så ikke........
Så jeg tror, jeg bliver hængende, selv om jeg ikke flytter!

By now, I've been working in Sweden for a bit more than 2 months. Det är jättebra.......
I have long days, and I have to realize that I need to cut down on the plans in the evening (which is very hard. Seems like I really love other peoples company and don't want to miss out on anything!), because an entire week of work during the day and seeing people every night is quite hard.
The train-ride is long, but survivable with a knitting project and if I don't do too much work. (Oh yes. I do that too. Sometimes you have to!)
The colleagues are great, the patients cute (of course!) and I'm showing progress in learning Swedish. I learned some important words like "skumt" (dodgy), "skumtomte" (marshmallow-"nisse"), "upprepa" (repeat), "uppehållstillstand" (residence permit) and "fika" (very important! Coffee and cake!).
Every day, my hope is that just one new word in my vocabulary will earn me the right to go home early, but it doesn't work that way........
All in all, I think I'll stick to this place, although I have no plans about moving!

December, Lund

Flere strømper / More socks

Strømperne til min niece blev heldigvis færdige i weekenden og efterladt i Nordjylland, så hun kan få dem engang når hun kommer forbi. Selvom det ikke lige bliver på fødselsdagen.
De ser jo ganske almindelige ud, men er alligevel lidt sjove.
Den første strømpe tog en hel uge at strikke, og den anden føltes som en evighed, selv om det vist kun tog lidt mere end et døgn. Men så kan man jo have fornøjelse af at strikke dem. Eller noget. 

The socks for my niece got done during the weekend and were left in Northern Jutland, so that she can have them when she passes by. Even if it's not on her exact birthday.
They look very plain, but are actually funny and a bit different. 
The first sock took a week to knit, and the second sock felt like an eternity, even though I guess it was done in a bit more than 24 hours. But that makes the joy of knitting greater? I guess.

Det sjove er, at de ekstra masker fra hælen over svangen hele tiden bliver taget ind i toppen og opad, så der kommer en fin trekant på toppen.
(Hvis det er sort snak, kan du kigge her.)
Som sædvanligt er det wollmeise og pind 2,5 mm. Det blev til 105 gram garn. Er det så årets sidste strømper? Det ved jeg ikke. Ville faktisk gerne lige strikke et par mere til mig selv i år. Vi får se!

The fun thing is how the extra stitches on the gusset are decreased on the top, going upwards, leaving a pretty triangle on top of the foot.
(It that is jibberish, you can take a look here.)
 As usual, it's wollmeise and 2.5 mm needles. I used 105 grams of yarn. So, are these the very last socks this year? I don't know. I would love to make another pair for me. We'll see!

Jaws

Dette år har budt på nogle ganske nye filmoplevelser for mig. Kombinationen af hajer og katastrofefilm!
Genialt......
Hvis du har pilfingre i hjemmet og virkelig gerne vil passe på juletræet, så var det måske en ide med en lille haj?
Mønsteret er dette.

This year opened my eyes to some brand new movie experiences. The combination of sharks and disaster-movies!
Brilliant......
If you have curious creatures at home who want to investigate everything on the Christmas tree, maybe you should have a shark watching it?
The pattern is this one.