Strikkede strømper i sommervarmen / Knitted socks in the summer heat

Svensk nationaldag / Swedish national celebration

Efter at være gået glip af en del danske helligdage her i foråret, var det virkelig skønt at få en ekstra fridag hjemme i går, mens svenskerne fejrede deres land.
Det blev en ganske effektiv dag. Godt nok nåede jeg ikke at skrive artikel som planen var, men jeg fik arbejdet en hel del på et projekt, og ind imellem fik jeg sendt pakke til USA og til Aalborg. Lille Frk. T2 skal jo have sin kjole fra USA! Som bonus fik hun også lige et par bukser med.
De er utroligt meget lige op og ned og det tog altså ikke meget mere end en halv time at sy dem. Nu håber jeg meget at de passer, og at hun kan lide dem! Mario skal hun nok lære at kende engang....

After missing quite a few Danish Holidays this spring, it was so great having an extra day off yesterday while the Swedes celebrated their country and flag.
The day ended out quite efficient. I didn't get around writing my article as I had planned, but I did work quite a lot on a project, and in between I got to mail a parcel for the US and for Aalborg. Little miss T2 needs to get her dress from Ann Arbor! As a bonus she had a pair of pants as well.
They are so straight forward and the sewing didn't take much more than 30 minutes. I really hope they will fit her, and that she likes them! She will get to know Mario eventually.....

Kirsebær / Cherries

Der er efterhånden ved at være dejlig, frisk frugt at købe.
Bl.a. kirsebær. Hvem kan ikke lide kirsebær? Jeg mindes dejlige sommerdage i toppen af et kirsebærtræ i evig kamp med hvepse om de lækreste bær og den efterfølgende mavepine. Det var tider!
Kirsebær kan man også have i ørerne. Hvad med et hæklet par øreringe?

As summer has come, it's become time for lovely, fresh fruit on sale.
For example cherries. Who doesn't like cherries? I remember lovely summer days in the top of the cherry-trees, fighting the wasps for the most delicious berries and then the stomach-ache next day. Happy days!
Cherries can be for your ears as well. How about a crochet pair of earrings?

Lidt over halvvejs / A bit more than half the way

Sådan ser hele (det halve) tæppe ud indtil videre. Det er over 1 meter langt allerede, så det bliver helt sikkert ikke et tæppe for hele året! Det er pænt varmt at sidde med lige nu, men jeg er da med.....

This is how the entire (half) blanket looks like so far. It's more than 1 meter long already, so it's definitely not going to be a blanket for the entire year! It's kind of warm to work on right now, but I'm still updated.

Jeg lagde ud med denne her farveskala. Der er kommet orange til imellem gul og rosa, så den mørkerøde gemmer jeg til hvis temperaturen kommer over 30 (ved ikke helt om jeg håber!).
Den helt mørkeblå får jeg vist ikke brug for. Jeg hækler dagens varmeste temperatur ifølge min telefon. Man kan nemlig finde lidt forskellige temperaturer forskellige steder, men nu retter jeg mig efter den.
Er ret spændt på, hvordan sommeren bliver! Desuden er der det med kanten. Tæppet er ikke superbredt, så jeg skal finde en god kant som minimum er 5 cm bred. Det giver også en naturlig begrænsning på længden!

I started out using this color scale. I now have orange between the yellow and rose, so I'll save the dark red for temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (I'm not sure I really want that!).
The very dark blue will not be used, I guess. I crochet the highest temperature of the day according to my phone. You can find variating temperatures different places, so I'll stick to that one.
I'm kind of excited how the summer will turn out! Then there is also the border thing. The blanket is not very wide, so I'll have to find a nice border which is minimum 5 cm. This would also limit the length, naturally.

Pesto

Den sidste uges tid er gået med endnu et par strømper - de er så dejligt nemme at have med i tasken og lige hive frem! Men nu skal jeg altså i gang med noget andet. Lover det!
De er til min svoger i USA. Han har fødselsdag om 26 dage, så denne gang er jeg virkelig i god tid. Resten af gaven er også klar, og der er slik at fylde efter med. Den skal vist bare sendes?
Mønsteret hedder "Undulating rib socks" og er fra denne bog. Det er rigtig fint og rimeligt nemt at strikke. Jeg har brugt wollmeise, ialt 130 gram på pind 2,5. Dejlige strømper, faktisk, selv om de er lidt for store til mig. Par nummer 15 i år.

This past week, I spent time making another pair of socks. They are so perfect for bringing along in my bag! But now I do have to make something else. Promise!
These are for my brother-in-law in the US. His birthday is in 26 days, so this time, I'm really well prepared. The rest of the gift is ready as well, and I have candy to fill the package. Just need to mail it!
The pattern is called "Undulating rib socks" and it's from this book. It is so pretty and easily knit and memorized. I used wollmeise, a total of 130 grams using size 2.5 mm needles. Lovely socks, actually, even though they are too big for me. Pair number 15 this year.

Stakkels dukke! / Poor doll!

Det er bare ikke nemt at være dukke på en børneafdeling! Måske ser nogle af dem søde ud, men ofte bliver de brugt til at træne genoplivning på. Og hvor sjovt er det?
Denne stakkels dukke har fået tracheostomi - et rør der går fra halsen ind i luftrøret, så den kan trække vejret. Der er også nogle dukker med mavesonder. Der er adskillige med plastre og forbindinger.
Men det er vældig godt til at vise børn (og forældre) hvordan det faktisk ser ud. De fleste "private" dukker gennemgår det samme som ejeren, så de kan forholde sig lidt bedre til det. Det kan nemlig være svært, når man bare er 2-3 år!
Jeg kan nu alligevel godt få lidt ondt af dem.... Både patienter og dukker!

It isn't easy being a doll in a pediatric ward! Maybe some look really cute, but very often they are used to train resuscitation. And how much fun is that?
This poor doll had a trachestomi - a tube going from the outside of the neck to the inside of the trachea, to help it breathe. They also have dolls with feeding tubes. There are several with band-aids and bandages.
But it really is great for showing kids (and parents) how these things actually look. Most "private" dolls have to live through the same things as their owners, to help them cope. That can be very difficult if you're only 2 or 3 years old!
All the same, I feel sorry for them..... Patients and dolls!

Maj / May

Maj er jo ligesom ovre nu, og sikke meget godt den måned har gjort for mit tæppe! Fra de grønne farver i april sprang jeg gennem et par gule striber og lige over i orange og rosa.
Juni er jo sådan set startet, og jeg er faktisk lidt bagefter. Striben for i går er den stærke pink farve.
Det bliver altså spændende, hvordan denne her sommer bliver!

May is kind of over by now, but that month really brought a lot of good stuff to my blanket! From the green colors of April, I went right through a coupe of yellow stripes and then directly for orange and rose.
June actually started by now, and I'm a bit behind. Yesterday's row is the strong pink.
It really is exciting how this summer will turn out!

Sæbe med nevøen / Soap with the nephew

Det første billede / The first photo

For lidt over 4 år siden fik jeg ny telefon og tog dette billede som det første. Frederiksborg Slot i solnedgangen. SÅ smukt!
Nu er min telefon så efterhånden ved at være så slidt, at det i går var svært at høre hvad folk sagde i den anden ende. Kan ikke lade være med at glæde mig til at skulle have en ny.......

A bit more than 4 years ago, I had a new phone and this photo was the first I took. Frederiksborg Castle in the sunset. SO pretty!
Now my phone is sort of used, and yesterday I had trouble hearing people speaking at the other end of the line. I have to admit I'm looking forward to having to buy a new one......

Tid til ællinger! / Time for ducklings!

Det er forår - ihvertfald på kalenderen. Lige nu føles det som sommer!
Ihvertfald. Der er kommet små ællinger. Jeg så nogle i går, og hold op, hvor var de søde!
For nu at fejre foråret og de søde små, er dagens mønster på din helt egen (grimme) ælling.
Hvem mangler ikke sådan en?

It's spring - at least according to the calender. Right now, it feels like summer!
Anyway. There are little ducklings again. I saw some yesterday, and they were so incredibly cute!
In order to celebrate spring and the cute small ones, today's pattern is for your very own (ugly) duckling.
Who wouldn't need one of those?

Farvel, italienske udsigt / Goodbye, Italian view

Her, hvor jeg bor, har jeg kunnet nyde den fine udsigt med 2 store cypresser. Tilsat blå himmel kunne man godt tro, man i virkeligheden var i Italien.

Here at my place, I've had the luck to enjoy this pretty view of 2 big cypresses. Together with a very blue sky they almost made me believe I was in Italy.

Men. Der skal lave legeplads under dem, og man fandt ud af, at der var masser af svamp. Så meget sent tirsdag aften da jeg kom hjem, lå de fine cypresser som en bunke træ. Måske kan I lige skimte det?

But. They are building a playground beneath them, and discovered they were filled with fungus. So when I got home very late on Tuesday night, the proud cypresses lay there as a pile of tree. Maybe you can see it?

Nu ser det så sådan ud. Knap så Italiensk, men jeg tænker nu alligevel, dem der boede bag træerne nyder det ekstra lys?

Now it looks like this. Less Italian, but I do think that those people living behind the trees are enjoying the extra light now?

Hvad jeg mere strikkede / What else I knitted

Når man flyver, sidder man jo bare der. På sit sæde. I en del timer. Det er så skønt! Tid til at se film og strikke!
Jeg havde mit "Gadekryds" med, og jeg nåede da også en 4-5 firkanter på vej over Atlanten, mens jeg så "Zoolander 2" og "Daddy's Home".
Den bliver ret fin, men hold nu op, hvor retstrik og vævestrik på pind 3 er kedeligt. Uanset hvor fint det bliver! Jeg ved ikke, hvordan I andre har det med pind 3 til voksenstørrelser? Men nu må den altså blive færdig, den kære bluse. Også selv om det ikke ligefrem er uldtrøjevejr.

When flying, you just sit there. In your seat. For hours. It's wonderful! Time for watching movies and knitting!
I brought my "Gadekryds" (Crossroad), and I did get to do 4-5 squares on my way across the Atlantic while watching "Zoolander 2" and "Daddy's Home".
It turns out really nice, but really. Garterstitch and mosaic knitting using size 3 mm needles is pretty boring. No matter how nicely it turns out! I don't know how you guys feel about 3 mm needles for adult sizes? But I really want to finish this dear sweater. Even though it's not exactly wool-weather.

Auf dem roten teppich

Hvis I nu undrer jer over, hvad jeg så strikkede i USA, så blev det ikke til enormt meget. Faktisk. Jeg strikkede på min Gadekryds sweater på vej derover i flyet, men havde så ikke nok garn, og gik i gang med det, jeg ellers havde med.
Åh ja. Et par strømper! Denne gang i wollmeise i den fine røde farve hvis navn er i overskriften. De er til min nevøs kone der har fødselsdag i weekenden. Det er 14. par strømper i år, de vejer 100 gram og jeg er allerede gået i gang med næste par. Til min svoger.

In case you wonder what I actually knit while in the US, it didn't end up as much. Actually. I knit on my "Gadekryds" sweater on the plan going there, but ran out of yarn and started the other knitting project I brought.
Oh yes. A pair of socks! This time from wollmeise in the pretty red color with the name in the headline. They are for my nephews wife whose birthday is this weekend. It's the 14th pair of socks this year, they weigh 100 grams, and I already started the next ones. For my brother-in-law.

Amerikanske klassikere / American classics

Der i USA rendte jeg ind i nogle "klassikere" på den ene eller den anden måde.
Først "Brown Cow" yoghurt. Noget af det bedste. Spist med en dansk juleske mens en vis hund sad og stirrede på mig med sit allermest sultne og charmerende blik! (Ikke, at jeg faldt for det, altså.)

In the US, I ran into a few "classics" in one way or another.
First "Brown Cow" yoghurt. One of the very best. Eaten with a Danish Christmas spoon, while a certain dog was sitting next too me, looking very hungry and charming! (I didn't fall for that.)

Det næste er vist en ny-klassiker. En bodystocking til overvægtige babyer. Say no more!

The next thing may be a brand new classic. A bodystocking for overweight babies. Say no more!

Til sidst den helt store. Min bror var i USA for første gang og havde absolut ingen chance for at undgå at kigge på kjoler til sit barnebarn.
De var så fine! Og de koster næsten ingenting. Så snart han var trukket ind i butikken af sine 2 (!) søstre, kapitulerede han ret hurtigt...

Finally, one of the big ones. My brother went to the US for the first time and had absolutely no chance of escaping looking for dresses for his granddaughter.
They were so pretty! And they cost next to nothing. As soon as we 2 (!) sisters had dragged him into the store, he surrendered quite quickly......

Stadig den sødeste hund / Still the sweetest dog

Hvad jeg købte / What I bought

Når jeg er på ferie hos min søster, så er det vigtigste at være sammen med familien. Også selv om det nogen gange kræver at man ser Junglebogen 2 dage i træk med 2 forskellige børn.....
Men det ER altså så hyggeligt at komme i en garnbutik også! Især, når Ann Arbor nu har fået den der nye, fantastiske (eneste) garnbutik, Spun.
Jamen - ser det ikke dejligt ud? Garn overalt!

When staying with my sister's, the most important thing is to spend time with the family. Even if it means having to watch the Jungle Book 2 days in a row with 2 different kids.....
But it IS så nice to get to visit a yarn-shop too! Especially since Ann Arbor now has this new, amazing (only) yarn-shop, Spun.
Doesn't it look just great? Yarn everywhere!

De har en masse lokalt garn også. Det er det her jo så ikke lige, da det er Manos del Uruguay, men det er nogle vildt fede farver!
Der var virkelig meget uld, men da det nu snart er sommer, ville jeg finde noget bomuld. Det lykkedes da også.

They hold a lot of local yarn, too. This wasn't exactly local, since it's Manos del Uruguay, but the colors really rock!
There was so much wool, but since summer is coming, I wanted to find cotton, and I did succeed in the end.

Det blev det fine, grønne, håndfarvede garn som ligger nederst. Jeg tog alle de 6 bundter der var (GYS, hvis jeg havde for lidt!) og glæder mig til at finde mønster!
Der røg også lidt strømpegarn med. Bi-farvet garn, så niecen kan få humlebi-strømper til sin fødselsdag, og lidt "fuzzy sock yarn" som jeg nu har strikket 2 par strømper af, og som både er flot, er farvet lokalt og er helt utroligt blødt.

It ended up with the pretty, green, hand-dyed yarn lying below. I took all the 6 skeins they had (HORROR if I ran out of this yarn!) and am looking forward to finding a pattern!
I also bought a little sock yarn. Bee-dyed yarn, to make bumble-bee socks for my nieces birthday and a skein of "fuzzy sock yarn" which I used twice before, and which is pretty, dyed locally and just incredibly soft.

Hos Barnes & Nobles fik jeg også lige kigget igennem strikkebøgerne, mens nevøen byggede lego ovenpå. Denne her kom med hjem. Ikke bare på grund af modellerne, men også på grund af farver og bogen i det hele taget.

At Barnes & Nobles, I looked through the knitting books while my nephew built lego upstairs. This one came home with me. Not just because of the models, but also because of the colors and because it's just a pretty book.

Før jeg tog afsted havde jeg bestilt et par bøger hos Schoolhouse Press. Denne her havde jeg haft kig på meget længe! Den er spændende, og det bliver sjovt at prøve teknikken af.

Before I left for the US, I ordered a few books at Schoolhouse Press. This is a book I have been looking at for a long time! It's very interesting, and I can't wait to test the techniques.

Denne er en KLAssiker! Man kan lave mange fine mønster, og lur mig, om man ikke kunne få noget sjov ud af det her!
Man skal så lige vælge mønstre med omhu. Hagekorset er jo et gammelt soltegn, og som sådan er det med i bogen. Jeg tror dog, at nybagte forældre ville være minimalt begejstrede for at få et babytæppe med det i......

This one is an all time classic! You can make all kinds of pretty patterns, and I feel quite sure it could lead to a lot of fun!
You just have to pick the patterns carefully. The swastika is an old sun-sign, and like that it's included in the book. I do think that new parents would be ever so NON-happy receiving a baby blanket with that in it.......

Så var der det med stoffet. Denne gang havde de det fine Zelda-stof! Nu spiller jeg ikke andet Nintendo end når jeg har gæster, men Legend of Zelda var bare nogle fantastiske spil.
Kellogg's stof var for sjovt, og det med super Mario kunne jeg heller ikke lade ligge. Suk. Jeg har en håbløs smag i stof! Selv damen i butikken spurgte, hvad jeg skulle bruge det til..... Det er vist meget heldigt jeg ikke bor i nærheden af Jo-Ann's.

Then there was the fabric! This time, they had the pretty Zelda-fabric! I don't play a lot of Nintendo anymore, except when I have visitors, but Legend of Zelda are just the most amazing games.
Kellogg's fabric was just so funny, and the super Mario fabric had to come as well. Sigh. I have a hopeless taste in fabric! Even the lady selling the fabric asked me what I was going to make from it.... I guess it's good I don't live next to Jo-Ann's.

Red bierne! / Save the bees!

Bier er smukke, laver dejlig honning og stikker kun, hvis de er i livsfare (derfor er de meget, meget sødere end hvepse, der stikker i flæng!).
Jeg er ikke helt sikker på, om det hjælper de rigtige bier at strikke denne her, men man kan da prøve?
Mønsteret er her.

Bees are pretty, make wonderful honey and only sting if their life is in danger (which makes them much nicer than wasps who stings just because you irritate them!).
I'm not quite sure if knitting this bee will help the real bees, but you could try?
The pattern is here.

Icecream social

Fredag aften var der "Icecream social" på min mindste nevøs skole. Som han dog havde glædet sig! Jeg blev inviteret allerede for 2 uger siden, og han brugte sin allerstørste charme til at overtale mig til at købe den helt store pakke med tickets. Dette inkluderede både lodsedler og billetter som man kunne bruge i forskellige boder.
Men hvad. Man støttede skolen og deres arbejde for at inkludere de allerfattigste børn, så det vejede også godt på vægtskålen i forhold til den store pakke!
Vi startede med pizza, popcorn og sodavand.

Friday night, there was an "Icecream social" on my youngest nephews school. How excited he was!
I was invited already 2 weeks ago, and he used his biggest charm to convince me to buy the biggest package of tickets. This include raffle tickets and tickets for use during the evening to buy and to try stuff.
The evening supported the school and their work to include the poorest kids, which helped me decide whether to buy the biggest package!
We started out with pizza, popcorn and soda.

Derefter gik aftenen med at alle børn spænede glade rundt for at prøve så meget som muligt, mens vi voksne sad og nød synet (og syntes at der godt kunne have været en mulighed for at købe bare en lille øl!) og snakkede.
Det var en rigtig hyggelig aften, og derefter gik resten af dagen og lørdagen med på at blive klar til at flyve hjem. Glæder mig allerede til næste gang vi ses!

After that, the rest of the evening had all kids running around happily in order to try out as much stuff as possible, while we adults just sat there, enjoying the sight of them (and wondering why there wasn't just a small possibility of buying a small beer!) and talking.
It was a really lovely evening, and after that, the rest of Friday and Saturday was spent getting ready to fly home. I'm already looking forward to next time I'll see them!

Har du strikket en streg? / Did you knit a line?

Mit tæppe er med i Michigan, og der er troligt blevet hæklet. Efter den højeste temperatur i København den dag, altså.
Min mindste nevø har helt styr på det, omend ikke på termer og teknikker. Men jo. Jeg har strikket en streg hver dag!
Den grønne farve er heldigvis lagt væk. Herligt!

My blanket came with me to Michigan, and I've been crocheting faithfully. According to the highest temperature in Copenhagen that day.
My youngest nephew knows about this, although not quite a lot about terms and techniques. But yes. I did knit a line everyday!
The green color is out of the picture now. Fortunately!

Og så syede jeg / And then I sewed

Det der stof med billeder fra "Legend of Zelda" var bare så lækkert og blødt og varmt. Desværre var der kun godt 1 meter, men det var nok til bukser til min mindste nevø. Hvis de skulle nå at blive lavet inden jeg tager hjem i morgen, var det jo bare med at komme i gang!
Mit nye symønster gik helt ned i børnestørrelser, så jeg tegnede af og klippede om morgenen. Stoffet var ikke bredt nok til mønsteret, så der kom en stribe andet stof ind på siden af benet.

The fabric with pictures from "Legend of Zelda" was so wonderful and soft and warm. Unfortunately, there was just a bit more than a yard left, which was enough for pants for my youngest nephew. If I was going to make them before going home tomorrow, I'd better get started!
My new sewing pattern was for kids as well as adults, so I drew it and cut the fabric in the morning. It wasn't wide enough for the pattern, which is why there is a stripe of a different fabric too.

Da vi kom hjem om eftermiddagen, gik jeg i gang med at sy på min søster og svogers gamle symaskine fra en genbrugsbutik. Den fungerer udmærket, og faktisk tog det ikke mange timer at sy bukserne.

When we arrived home in the afternoon, I started sewing on my sister and brother-in-laws old sewing machine, bought at a thrift shop. It works quite well, and it didn't take too many hours before the pants were done.

De passede okay, selv om det vil være virkelig pænt af den unge mand ikke at vokse for meget det næste halve år!
De er bløde og hyggelige, og jeg tænker, at han vil være rigtig glad for dem. Selv om de altså desværre ikke har lommer.......
Gad godt have sådan et par flonelsbukser selv!

They fit him okay, although I'll be glad if he doesn't grow too much for the next 6 months or so!
They are soft and cozy, and I guess he is going to love them. Even though they actually don't have pockets, unfortunately......
I really would love a pair of these in flannel myself!