Ikke en strikkeferie / Not a knitting vacation

Meget kan man sige om den dejlige ferie i New York med min søster og Co., men strikkeferie var det ikke. På en hel uge fik jeg ikke engang strikket halvdelen af det medbragte garn, men lidt blev det da til.
Jeg startede et par strømper til næste fødselar. I hjemmefarvet garn. Jeg håber, hun kan lide sådan nogle crazy-striber! Ihvertfald bliver de to strømper ens.

A lot can be said about the lovely New York vacation with my sister & Co., but it wasn't a knitting vacation. In an entire week, I didn't even get around knitting half of the yarn I brought, but I did make a little.
I started a pair of socks for the next birthday girl. In home-dyed yarn. I do hope she likes crazy-stripes like this! At least the socks will be identical.

Jeg kom også et stykke på en ny kjole-body. Denne gang uden ærmer til den anden baby. Det er iøvrigt gået op for mig, hvad der gik galt på den første. Den blev alt, alt for lang, fordi jeg målte det forkerte sted da jeg skulle måle kroppen. Rart at vide!
Dette sidder jeg iøvrigt og skriver i lufthavnen. I forvejen. Flyet er 2 timer forsinket, så måske skulle jeg indhente lidt strikketid nu?
Min mindste nevø er iøvrigt nu blevet så gammel at han IKKE græd da vi sagde farvel. Det var både rart og trist. Altid noget, at vi allerede planlagt hvornår vi ses igen.

I also worked on another bodystocking-dress. This time for the other baby and without sleeves. I realized what went wrong on the first one. It turned out far too long, since I measured the length in the wrong place. Nice to know!
By the way - I'm writing this at the airport. Ahead of time. The plane is 2 hours late, so maybe I should catch up on my knitting time now?
My youngest nephew has by the way gotten so old now, that he DIDN'T cry when we said good-bye. It was both nice and sad. Good to know, though, that our next meeting is already planned!

Afslapning / Relaxing

I går var vores sidste, hele dag i New York. Fødderne var ømme, og vi var trætte. Desuden havde vi set det vi helst ville se, så vi tog den med ro. Vi prøvede at tage på Tenement Museum. Der var fuldt booket (og fyldt med mennesker), så det må blive en anden gang. I stedet tog vi på et hyggeligt, lille chokolademuseum. Hvor der ikke var så mange mennesker. Hvor der var lækre smagsprøver og vi lærte, at det var hovedjægerne (dem med skrumpehoveder!) som først havde nydt chokolade. (Vi lærte også hvordan man laver skrumpehoveder.)
Nå ja - og vi kom på tv-skærmen i det rum, hvor de lavede fyldte chokolader. (De var gode!)

Yesterday was our last, full day in New York. Our feet were sore, and we were tired. Furthermore, we had already seen what we most wanted to see, so we took it easy. We tried going to the Tenement Museum. It was fully booked (and very crowded), so that will have to be another time. Instead, we went to a very nice little museum of chocolate. It wasn't crowded. We had the opportunity to taste different types of chocolate, and we learned how the head-hunters (the ones with the shrunken heads!) were the first to enjoy chocolate. (We also learned how to make shrunken heads.)
Oh yeah - and we were on the tv-screen in the room with the chocolate bonbons. (So yummy!)

Bagefter gik vi op i nærheden af Times Square, og på vejen fik jeg købt gaver til de små i familien. Nåede lige 30 sekunders stress over at skulle finde outfits til FEM børn, men pludselig løste det sig.
Vi gad absolut ikke Times Square igen - man sidder jo nærmest fast i klumpen af mennesker! - men vi skulle se musical lige ved siden af, og desuden havde min søster og niece IGEN fundet et godt sted at spise.
Vi fik veganer-sushi, og det var utroligt lækkert.

Afterwards, we went towards Times Square, and on the way, I got to buy presents for the small ones in the family. Had 30 seconds of stress thinking about finding outfits for FIVE kids, but suddenly it solved itself.
We absolutely didn't want to visit Times Square again - you get stuck in the pile of people! - but we were going to see a musical close by, and my sister and niece also AGAIN found a great place to eat.
We had vegan sushi, and it was so delicious. 

Bagefter gik vi så hen og så Aladdin. Jeg havde glædet mig til at se den sammen med de andre!

Afterwards, we went to see Aladdin. I had been looking forward to watching it with the other 3!

Min nevø havde sit favorit-foto-fjæs, men han glædede sig vist ikke desto mindre. Selv om han ikke vidste, hvad han skulle forvente.
Alle var svært begejstrede, og bagefter tog vi undergrundsbanen hjem. Vi gik IKKE!
I dag er så den sidste dag. Vi skal ud og spise lækker morgenmad og vi skal pakke, og så tager de andre af sted ca. 6 timer før mig.
Det har været en dejlig ferie. (Og I skal nok få lov at se garn på et tidspunkt)

My nephew wore his favorite photo-face, but nonetheless, he was excited. Although he didn't really know what to expect.
Everybody were very excited about the show, and afterwards, we took the underground home. We DIDN'T walk!
So today is the last day. We are going to eat breakfast, and then do some packing, and then the others will leave about 6 hours before me.
It's been a wonderful vacation. (And you'll get to see the yarn some time!)

Vi går en masse / We walk a lot

Man går VIRKELIG meget i New York! Især, hvis man insisterer, altså. (Det gør vi)
I går gik vi først til Central Park. På vejen mødte vi Dorina som gik med. På vejen kom vi også forbi Carlo's Bake Shop. Han er åbenbart sådan en amerikansk Mette Blomsterberg, og min niece ville gerne smage hans kager. Hun var noget skuffet over bageriet, men kagerne var nu ganske ok. Ikke sådan helt overdrevet fantastiske, men absolut gode. Jeg fik en "lobster tail".

You can walk A LOT in New York! Especially, if you insist. (Which we do)
Yesterday, we first walked to Central Park. On the way, we teamed up with Dorina. We also went past
Carlo's Bake Shop. I never heard of him before, but my niece had and really wanted to try it out. She was somewhat disappointed from the shop, but the cakes were quite okay. Not over the top amazing, but quite good. I had a "lobster tail".

Vi tog kagerne med til parken, og købte desuden noget kaffe, og så sad vi der på en bænk og spiste. Det var hyggeligt! (Og vi var ikke trætte endnu. Vi havde kun gået ca. 7000 skridt da vi var kommet så langt.)
Bagefter tog vi til the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Min nevø havde fået til opgave at lære noget om de gamle egyptere, og det måtte bestemt være det rigtige sted til det!

We brought the cakes to the park, and bought some coffee as well, and then we sat there, on a bench, eating. It was very nice! (And we weren't tired yet. We only walked about 7000 steps when we got that far.)
Afterwards, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. My nephew was supposed to learn about the old Egyptians, and this was the right place!

Her er han i gang med at tage en selfie foran en grav, så han kan vise sin lærer, at han faktisk var der.
De har også et helt lille tempel som er flyttet fra Egypten og samlet igen på museet, som han så også fik set.

Here he is, taking a selfie in front of a tomb, so he can proof to his teacher that he was actually there.
There is also a small, entire temple which was moved from Egypt and collected in the museum. He also got to see that one. 

Vi så også en rigtig mumie! Den slags er jo altid sjovt at se......

We even saw a real mummy! It is always fun seeing those......

Bagefter gik vi hen og spiste frokost, hvorefter jeg var i "Knitty City", inden vi gik hele vejen ind til Times Square på flade, ømme fødder, og bagefter gik vi hjem.
Det blev til knap 33.000 skridt igen den dag. Måske kan vi nå op på 100 km i løbet af de 6 dage vi er her?

Afterwards, we went to have lunch, and then I visited "Knitty City", before we walked all the way to Times Square on flat, sore feet, and afterwards we walked home.
I ended up walking almost 33,000 steps again that day. Maybe we can make it to 100 kilometers during the 6 days we are here?

Elsker Nintendo / Love Nintendo

Mandag / Monday

Både søndag og mandag har vi gået ret meget. Mandag startede vi med at gå ind til Ground Zero. Det var første gang min niece på 15 og min nevø på 12 var derinde, og det var faktisk en ny oplevelse at være der sammen med dem og tale om det igen. Nu har vi alle vi andre levet med det her i 16 år, men at se nogle andre virkelig fatte det for første gang gjorde det så virkeligt igen.
Nogen havde sat en hvid rose i et af navnene. Så smukt.

On both Sunday and Monday, we walked a lot. On Monday, we started by walking to Ground Zero. It was the first time to see this for my 15 year old niece and my 12 year old nephew, and it was a totally new experience being there with them and talking about it again. By now, all of us lived with this for 16 years, but watching someone else really understanding for the first time, made it real again.
Someone had put this white rose in one of the names. So beautiful.

Bagefter gik vi hen til Brooklyn Bridge for at gå over. Det er virkelig rart at være her med min søster og børn - hun har nogle ret gode ideer til hvad vi kan. Jeg havde f.eks. aldrig tænkt på det her, selv om det er med i en del film. (Hvor der aldrig er så mange mennesker som i virkeligheden!)
På vej derhen kom vi forbi et lille "farmer's market" - hvor de havde lækkert garn!
Så nu behøver jeg ikke gå i garnbutik*.

Afterwards, we walked to Brooklyn Bridge in order to cross on foot. It is so nice being here with my sister and kids - she has great ideas about what to do. I would never myself have thought of this, although I've seen it in a few films. (On film, it is never as crowded as in real life!)
On the way, we passed a small "farmer's market" - where they sold really nice yarn!
So now I don't have to visit a yarn shop*.

Det var en meget fin gåtur over broen, og bagefter tog vi undergrunden op til "375 Fries", hvor vi fik - ja - pommes frites. De var gode! Vi gik så til Chinatown og fik kinesisk is. Også lækkert. Derefter tog vi toget til Central Park, hvorefter vi gik tilbage.

It was a nice walk across the bridge, and afterwards we took the underground up to "375 Fries", where we had - well - fries. They were great! Then we walked to Chinatown and had Chinese ice cream. Also delicious. After that, we took the train to Central Park, and walked back.

De sidste kilometer var med en del jamren. Fra alle. For hold op, hvor kan man få ondt i fødderne!
Tirsdag kan jeg godt leve med at gå max. 20.000 skridt......

* Som om

The last few kilometers had some whining. From everyone. It's crazy, how much your feet can hurt!
On Tuesday, I can survive walking less than 20,000 steps......

* As if

Frihedsgudinden / Statue of Liberty

I dag får I en New York opskrift.
Der er jo en del ting man kan forbinde med New York. F.eks. er det her Spiderman holder til!
Men det er jo også her Frihedsgudinden står!
Vi skal ikke hen og se hende. Til gengæld kan man hækle en pude med hende. (Eller tage til Paris, hvor en miniudgave står i Seinen på en lille ø.) Opskriften finder du her.

Today, you'll have a New York pattern.
There are lots of stuff to think when you think New York. For instance, this is where Spiderman is hanging out!
But it's also the place of the Statue of Liberty!
We are not going to see her. But now you will have the opportunity to crochet a pillow with her. (Or go to Paris, where there is a mini-statue somewhere on an island in the Seine.) The pattern can be found here.

Velkommen til New York / Welcome to New York

Så kom jeg til New York. Med kufferten fuld af slik som sædvanligt! Det var en helt ukompliceret flyvetur med masser af tid til at strikke og se film. I Newark var der en af de der evighedskøer ved immigration, og imens sad min søster og børnene MEGET utålmodigt og ventede, da de var landet ca. samtidig med mig, men var gået lige ind. Det var SÅ dejligt at se dem igen!
Min kuffert (og ekstra taske) var tunge, så vi tog en taxa fra stationen. Det var dejligt nemt og hurtigt!

And then I arrived in New York. My suitcase filled with candy, as usual! The flight was quite uncomplicated with plenty of time for knitting and watching movies. In Newark, Immigration had one of those forever-lines, and all the while my sister and the kids sad waiting, VERY impatiently, since they had gone straight in when they landed at the same time. It was SO nice seeing them again!
My suitcase (and extra bag) were heavy, so we took a taxi from the station. So quick and easy!

Vi gik ned til Hudson River, nød den dejlige sol (som alle New Yorkere tydeligt også havde savnet! Der lå stadig de sidste klatter sne hist og her.) og gik hen og fik aftensmad.
På vej hjem kunne vi nyde den flotte solnedgang over New Jersey. Med niece i silhuet.

We went down to Hudson River, enjoying the lovely sun (which all the locals seemed to have been missing as well! There were a bit of snow here and there) and then we went to have dinner.
Going home, we could enjoy the beautiful sunset over New Jersey. Including a silhouette of a niece.

Selvsamme niece som var så "venlig" at snapchatte mig dette billede - hendes trætte moster som ENDELIG havde fået netværk!
Lige nu er klokken 05.30. Alle sover sødeligt. Undtagen mig. Jeg sidder her på trappen og blogger. I mørke. Det er nu meget hyggeligt. God dag!

The very same niece who was so "kind" to send this snapchat to me - her tired aunt who FINALLY got network!
Right now, it's 5.30 a.m. Everybody is sleeping soundly. Except for me. I'm here on the staircase, blogging. In darkness. Which is kind of cozy. Have a nice day!

8

Strømperne til babyens far blev også færdige. Et nøgle wollmeise i en eller anden blå farve, hvor farverne virkelig har klumpet sig sammen på uforudsigelige måder. Det mest mærkelige er næsten, at det skifter undervejs i strømperne, hvordan striberne er. På det ene skaft holder spiral-mønsteret lige en pause. Jeg forstår det ikke.
Nå. Det er almindelige rib-strømper på pind 2,5. Årets største størrelse, og muligvis er de blevet en smule for lange. (Det oplever han nok ikke så ofte, modtageren!)
De vejer 125 gram.

The socks for the baby's dad also got finished. A skein of wollmeise in some blue shade, and where the colors really pooled in some unexpected way. The strangest thing is how it changes along the sock how the stripes are. On one of the shafts, the spiral-pattern takes a break halfway down the ankle. I simply don't get it.
Well. These are normal rib-socks made with 2.5 mm needles. The biggest size of the year, and they may be a bit too long. (I guess he don't get too long socks often, the recipient!)
They weigh 125 grams.

Tiny Tulips

Kjole-body'en er færdig. Jeg VILLE være færdig, så lidt over midnat blev den vasket i håndvasken med shampo og lagt til tørre på badeværelsesgulvet, og nu i morges var den så helt klar.
Den ser godt nok en smule skæv ud, men jeg tænker, at det hjælper når der kommer en baby i.
Jeg strikkede str. 3 måneder, men på pind 3,25 i stedet for 3 mm, og så strikkede jeg længden efter str. 6 måneder. Hun er nemlig en lang, slank baby, lille baby I, så jeg håber det går.
Opskriften var rigtig fin og nem at gå til. Jeg fulgte den faktisk slavisk.

The body-dress is done, and I WANTED to finish, so a bit after midnight, it got a wash with shampoo in the sink and was left to dry on the bathroom floor, so this morning it was ready.
The shape does look a bit strange, but I do think it will help putting a baby inside.
I made size 3 months, but using 3.25 mm needles instead of 3 mm. Then I used the lengths for 6 months. She is a long, slim baby, you know, so I hope it works out.
The pattern was really nice and easy to follow, and I actually just did what it said.

Garnet er utroligt lækkert, uld med 10% cashmere og ret tyndt. Den bliver let og varm og blød, og det er jo ikke dårligt.
Skørtet var lidt kort, synes jeg, selv om jeg strikkede diagrammet for 6 mdr. Jeg hev godt i det i går inden det blev lagt til tørre, og det ser selvfølgelig sødt ud at det lige stumper lidt, men hvis (når) jeg strikker den igen, vil jeg være ekstra opmærksom på at lave det langt nok. (Strikkefasthed? Ikke tjekket. Måske derfor!)
Den vejer bare 90 gram, og nu skal jeg så lige strikke det sidste på hendes fars sokker så det hele kan komme afsted sammen!

The yarn is incredibly nice, wool with 10% of cashmere, and quite thin. It's light and warm and soft, and this combination is definitely not bad.
I do think the skirt is a bit short, although I used the size for 6 months. I did give it a good stretch yesterday before putting it to dry, and of course it's cute with short skirts for babies, but if (when) I make it again, I will make sure to make it long enough. (Gauge? Not checked. Maybe that explains!)
It weighs a mere 90 grams, and now I just need to finish her dad's socks, so I can mail everything at the same time!

Nedtælling / Countdown

Jeg GLÆDER mig til ferie! Nu er der kun 2 dage tilbage af denne travle uge, og I kan da lige se, hvad tiden går med mens jeg tæller ned.
Tiny Tulips er nået forbi sammenstrikning af skørt og bodystocking. Det var lige lidt spændende med så mange strikkepinde på en gang, og jeg nåede da også at strikke 1 maske forkert. (Den strikkede jeg ind på næste pind. Min strategi er, at hvis ingen kan se det, og jeg selv kan leve med det, er det ok at fuske lidt.)

I am SO looking forward to my vacation! There are only 2 days left of this busy week, and here, I will show how I pass time while counting down.
Tiny Tulips is past the knitting together of skirt and bodystocking. It was kind of exciting having so many needles at once, and I did manage to miss by 1 stitch. (It was decreased on the next round. My overall strategy is, that if no-one notices and I am able to live with it, then it's okay to play a few dirty tricks.)

Tirsdag fik jeg suppe til frokost, og som jeg stod der og havde rørt i den efter første tur i mikrobølgeovnen, gik det op for mig, at det på en prik lignede sådan en god gang baby-afføring. Det smagte udmærket, men jeg kiggede godt nok ikke alt for meget på suppen mens jeg spiste....

On Tuesday, I had soup for lunch, and as I stood there, having stirred the soup after the first few minutes in the microwave, I realized that it spot-on looked like a nice baby-poop. It did taste alright, but I tried not to look too closely on the soup while eating a bit later......

Nå ja - og så hygger jeg mig jo med Olaf. Han har ligget i min taske, og halvdelen af næsen er faldet af. Men så kan jeg jo bare fortælle børnene, at Svend (rensdyret) kyssede ham, og kom til at bide næsen af. Den køber de allesammen!
På et tidspunkt bliver jeg vel nødt til at lave en ny.....

Oh well - and then I'm having fun with Olaf. He has been in my bag some time, and half his nose broke off. But then I tell the kids how Sven (the rein deer) kissed him and bit of half the nose. All of them totally buy this!
At some point I guess I have to make another one.....

Is / Ice