crafting 2006

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

spinning ;-)

I'm learning how to spin with a drop spindle. It sure takes some time since I have to learn from books, but after practicing a bit I think I'm doing it the right way now. I want the finished yarn to be a bulky thick and thin one, however not as much difference between thick and thin as you can see here ... But I guess it's just to keep on practicing, practicing :-) And it's really fun. I'm working with gotlandsull, wool from Gotland sheep, and it's not the most clean and smooth one (I find small sticks and straw in it). It's quite easy to work with, I think, but the result isn't the smoothest, softest yarn to be found. Now I want to go and buy wool/fibers in different qualities to learn more about spinning, but it has to wait as the place I want to go to, Åddebo ull isn't really nextdoors.

gold flower

Detail of a necklace :-)

knitting, knitting

Early mornings on the bus and train ... I knitted this scarf for my mom as a Christmas gift. It's not perfect in any way as knitting at 5.40 in the morning on a bus isn't really what I'm best at, but I still like it because of the wonderful yarn (mohair lux). I added some glass beads to the scarf. Actually I have one more scarf to finish, it's for my grandma's birthday which was just before Christmas. But I wont meet her until next week, so I still have some time to knit ;-) Oh, and I almost forgot that I'm also knitting a scarf for Magnus, a thick soft one in black and purple. It was the last craft project before Christmas and I didn't finish it since I fell asleep on the train every morning and afternoon and I could not, of course, knit at home 'cause then it'd be no suprise. So, I wrapped the half-knitted scarf and promised him the other half as well ;-) But I guess there's no need to hurry, it's not very cold outside at the moment.

the Me-holiday

This summer I was working, working, working. So, now between Christmas and New Year I'm taking all days off and I'll just ... be at home, be with Magnus and dogs and I'll cook and walk in the nature, tidy up a little, read, write letters and - most important of all - craft & create. It feels so great, yet a bit strange. I can hardly remember what it's like to be this free :-)

This ball of yarn is the one I got from Jes and I've already begun knitting a bit. It feels so luxury to knit something that is for ME. And I'll be beading, making necklaces ... And I will do it now!

God jul

Today is the day of finishing and wrapping the last Christmas gifts (and by finishing I mean things that I'm making, not buying 'cause I've already done that), cleaning up a little at home (I like to wake up in a clean tidy home the 24th), cooking, listening to music etc. Tomorrow Magnus, the dogs, Magnus mom and I are going to my mom who lives on the country side close to where we live. After Christmas I have photos to show you of gifts that I've made, but I'm not sure who'll be reading this today so I have to wait until I'm sure everyone has opened their gifts ;-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS
GOD JUL
to all of you!

~maria

some work in progress

This photo was taken in the November last year, but yet we haven't seen any snow since 1 November. Today we do have colder weather, this morning there was, for the first time, a little ice (however thin) on the puddles on the streets. They said it'll be warm again, but today I enjoy the colder weather and the beautiful sunshine. I'm about to bake saffron-marcipan muffins, this evening Zam (the dog) and I are going to meet some of my friends at a friend's house and have dinner and I'll bring the dessert, the muffins (served a bit warm) with vanilla icecream. It feels like a Christmas-y dessert.

Earlier this week I bought some new beads, I'll make a necklace which will be a Christmas gift. Here you can see part of the work in progress (the beads I bought are, as you see, not in the photo) ...

yarn swap!

The softest alpaca yarn and hand dyed green wool and a knitting magazine and a handmade pendant, all the way from Maine and Jes. I got it late in the evening and the following day at work I was dreaming of my new stash of yarn. I have a plan ... I think I know what to knit ... But it has to wait until I've finished all the things I'm making for Christmas.

Thank you so much Jes!!

*shop update*

Go to Sweet Daisy to find out what's inside the hats ;-)

december feels like neverending november

It's warm. I don't need my mittens, my hat or my scarf. It's December but we haven't had snow since 1 November. It hasn't been below 0 degrees Celcius one single time since then. I get up at 4.50 every morning (and when talking about that, I wont be unemployed by January as I said before, I'll stay at my job at least until 31 March) and it's not cold. But it's dark, all the time dark dark dark. Today, Sunday, we had some sunshine and finally - with the help of all lamps in my living room - I could get some acceptable photos of necklaces that I've made quite long ago. I'll show them soon. The problem with the warm weather is that it doesn't feel like Christmas, or December, at all. I try but ... no.

time for fruit

I'll be back ;-)

snow dreams

It's the busy time of the year ... And it doesn't really feel Christmas because the weather is so warm, I don't need my hat or mittens when going to work early in the morning that's ... strange. I love this time of the year but I don't have so much time to enjoy it, I only have three and a half weeks left at my job and I have things to finish. I'm looking for a new job but most likely I'll been unemployed for a little while in January (hopefully not too long). In some ways I wish it was the other way around, that I was unemployed in December when there is so much else to do and that I had a job in January when nothing is happening anyway. Well well ...

In a Norwegian magazine I found some sweet (both in the "eating" and in the "looking at" sense) things to make for Christmas. I tried the "snow dreams" as seen in the photo and brought them to my job. On Friday afternoons we use to have a 30 minutes coffee/tea break in the afternoon and sometimes someone brings something like icecream or a cake.

I guess snow is what I dream of now. I will regret it later, but now I want some snow to get the right December feeling :-)