Needles(s) to say..

My photoes and thoughts on crafts, plus a little more of this-n-that. I like knitting, crocheting and needlepoint the best myself.Nice if you leave a comment.

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Location: Rjukan, Telemark, Norway

I am 55, have two girls aged 18and 21.I am Norwegian and my husband is Canadian and we lived in Ontario,Canada for 8 years.For the last 15years we have lived in my hometown in Norway.I am a teacher and I work full time. We have a dog, Emma. She is a brown labrador. Our town is spectacular; situated in a deep valley right by a high mountain.

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Sunday, October 30, 2005

Halloween coming soon!

Pumpkin is bought (the best one I've found so far in this remote corner of Norway).
We will carve it tonight. That evening is a little busy for us, I have to attend two parent teacher interviews right after supper and my hubbie is going on a business trip the next morning so I guess he'll be packing.






I wanted to show off someone else's work today too: My dad's carved clock. I have it on the wall in my living room, isn't it georgeous? He has carved several other things for me too (I showed the pink mittens laying on my sewing box that he made on an earlier posting)






Have worked on my shawl as much as I could, it's hard to see the progress when you're at the most stitches per round; 200. But now I am decreasing again, so it will be more motivating to work on it when you can see the end of it...



I have also spent some time on the cross stiching for mum and dad for Christmas. Something I just realized I have forgotten to take a photo of is the market bag I knitted and felted for my sister's birthday. I had finished quite a while and gave it to her to bring to her house when she was in town last time. Well- her birthday is on the 10 of November- and she couldn't keep her hands off it, it's now opened (she 'fessed up!). I forgive her since it was a big success!



I am looking forward to Tuesday- that's our second time of the knitting cafe. I have dark, secret thoughts of starting up a bottle santa, but I better not show my knitting cafe friend, Marianne, she is very strict about me finishing my projects before starting anything new.(if she reads this I am bound to hear from her!!!)
And- as if that isn't enough plans, I died some white cotton fabric in tea today, thinking it would be for primitive stitching motifs, maybe hearts and snowmen for Christmas. But even I understand that time is scarce; i might have to start that project in January, aiming for having them ready for Christmas 2006!

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Sunday blogging is my habit now!

I should go to bed, but I feel bad if I haven't posted something on a Sunday!
Have finished something since last time. This part of my husband's sweater for one! Can't tell you how happy I am about that. Ages ago I started the sleeve, am halfway there... maybe I SHOULD opt for it getting done for Christmas after all!


Have finished the set of scarf and mittens to go with the pink hat from earlier posting..Washed and blocked it, too..

The first snow was on the ground when we woke up this morning! We had to celebrate by doing the winter-Sunday- morning-thing that we sometimes do: shuffle around in pj's while drinking coffee making a pancake, bacon and eggs, juice and toast breakfast.(Any Norwegian in their right minds would be shocked at such a meal in the morning. But what can we do... we lived in Canada- eh!)
I am working on the Christmas present for my parents- may their health be good when that holiday come around! (Right now we're worried. And it's not right, they're too young!) I was really frustrated about this needlepoint for a while, but I was ready to continue after the uplifting fact that I finished the sweater "body" ..

Wanted to put in two things that I have gotten from my two grandmothers years ago. I love old things that are full of memories! These to items are on the kitchen wall beside each other: my one grandmother bought me a clock for my kithcen when I got my own apartment back in the early 80's. Just had the motor replaced... The other thing is a plate my other grandmother used to have on her wall. For a while one of my aunts had it, but then she gave it to me.Good memories- and cream coloured items are perfect in my little kitchen!

Monday, October 17, 2005

Trying to get more photos from the weekend in!


My sister loves knitting, crocheting, beading and - maybe most of all- quilting. Here is a lovely wall hanging she is going to give some awfully lucky person - who is not me (sob!sob!)
and here is a spectacular Christmas wallhanging she made for herself last year.

She has made me some nice things too over the years. I'm always looking forward to her presents!
i made her four mugs like on this picture, it came with four square plates and this tray.

Last year I also made these for our own wintery still-in- our-pj's- breakfasts. The angels are inspired by Debbie Mumms flying angels..(or the idea is stolen... if that is the right expression)

I also knitted and felted these slipper for my sister's family's cold cottage feet last Christmas. Look big? That's how this Bigfoot Family really is. Haha! (she'll make a nasty comment on this posting, I'm sure)

Sunday, October 16, 2005

SOME things get done in a flash! (Like mittens)

Most likely this was our last weekend at the cottage before winter comes...
I started a "Flora" scarf this week, but couldn't make sense of the pattern so I made my own version. It's supposed to go with the pink skater hat for my youngest. Aaaand then of course you have to have a pair of mittens to go with the set so I started that too.Here it is laying on the carved craft chest my dad made for me.Nice, isn't it?(the chest, I mean)


The hubbie worked on the car all weekend,so he had to stay at home. All Saturday he fought with seized up, rusted parts without getting anything done. Same thing half the Sunday -but then everything fell into place and now he is outside getting wood to make a fire. He's so stiff it's comical and pitiful. I'm going to settle in by the fireplace with my knitting as soon as this is done.
Us girls in the family spent Saturday afternoon outside my sister's family's cottage (she the neighbour; aren't we lucky?)with a cup of coffee and her fresh, warm cinnamon rolls! sooooo nice!
At night we got together again and made pizza and drank wine/soda - according to which age group we belonged to...
Sunshine all weekend. At night there was a full moon. My oldest took this nice photo..

Saturday, October 15, 2005





Thursday, October 13, 2005

Knitting cafe starting up!

I am so exited; I heard about this nice lady who also was interested in starting up a knitting cafe in town. I approached her about the two of us initiating it, and she was in on it right away.We are both so excited that it is going to happen. We will meet every other Tuesday at the Volunteer Centre in town. We met with a journalist tonight, opting for some publicity. So now we are just crossing our fingers hoping people of all ages will show up with their knitting-, crocheting- or needlepoint projects in hand. I'll keep you posted!

This blogging has fiven me some new friends; like this girl in Chile who is also a knitter! We have already been e mailing each other numerous times. Fun! (HI, Sally!)

Oh, and some other bloggers had taken the Hundred Acre Wood personality test, so I figured why not? I ended up as Owl.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Finishing knitting projects




Just to prove to y'all that I have in fact finished knitting projects - many of them ,too. This one for ex. Made it at least 25 years ago (God, I'm old!!!) And not a word about the fact that I got the photo in here sideways... too tired to fix it.

I feel a little pressured by this blogging to prove that I do indeed finish many things, yet I also have numerous knitting projects laying around unfinished. I work on them , move on to other things, come back after a while... This is just part of what kind of knitter I am! I have another project I can show off(why this need to prove myself?) another day. I's hanging in my closet and it was damn troublesome to work with, but it's in use often.Just you wait; I will take a photo soon..

And just to follow up on this issue: here is how far my shawl has come along since last time a took a photo of it:Almost halfway there!

Monday, October 10, 2005

Thanksgiving- Canadian date..


Today is the official Canadian Thanksgiving and we had a turkey dinner- delicious it was. Turkey, gravy, homemade mashed potatoes, vegetables of different sorts and stuffing; in other words- the works... The only thing missing was the pumpkin pie. We had a store bought ice cream cake instead. Very good, too, especially 'cause it was no sweat making it, hah!
My oldest daughter loves making nice tables, she went out and collected colourful maple leaves and we had already bought some little pumpkins for this purpose (and for Halloween, of course!). She made a lovely table as you can see for yourself. (
My dad came over for the meal, my mother is still recovering from a hip surgery so she wasn't here this time.
We are leaving for the cottage tomorrow morning, staying just for one night, but I'm looking forward to it.
On Thursday I'm driving dad to Skien. Last time I was in that town I ended up buying some yarn, what else...???!!! Who knows, on Thursday...

Oh, I haven't told you that one of my silly passions is buying interior decorating magazines! I can leaf through them a million times and enjoy them 100% every time! I save them, too- so God knows this place is cluttering up as the years go by! And it's not like my house looks like any of the houses in the photoes. I can't stand painting, putting up wallpapaer of any of that stuff- I only love it when it's all done and I can sit back and enjoy what I see. We have only done the kitchen in this house. And I have torn off the wallpaper in my bedroom- jsut to convince myself that I have now started the next room (but the progress is VEEERY slow...)
Here are some issues, just to show you. Anyone else have this passion?

Fall vacation has started!




About time i posted something new here...
Fall vacation has started, it's nice - of course. Weather is mild, leaves are still beautiful although they are slowly falling to the ground now.
I met with this very nice lady today; we're planning on starting up a knitting cafe. We're meeting with a journalist from the local paper on Wednesday to announce it. We'll have the cafe in the Community Volunteer House twice a month, I hope lots of knitting, crocheting and needlepointing people will show up, people of all ages. I'm looking forward to it starting!!
I have finished 4 skater hats, one for my dad (his birthday was on the 4th), one for my youngest nephew and one for my youngest daughter.They are nice for cooler weather, before the frost really hits and winter is here. I am knitting a scarf to go with the pink hat(Flora, found in Knitty.com) and maybe I'll make some mittens too, to make a set of it...
In the first picture you can see the grey one for my nephew on the needles and my dad's and husbands hat in a bowl of apples from our backyard.NOT good to eat- sour as hell- but,hey, they are nice as a fall display on the dining room table, don't you think?
The three hats in the next picture are diplayed over top of sugar and coffee pots in my kitchen, good idea if you have no real people at hand for modelling!

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Another gorgeous fall Sunday





It looks like there's going to be another great day. My home town is surrounded by such high mountains that the sun doesn't shine there in the wintertime. Now the sun is crawling up the hillside, but I live high up on the "right side" of the valley so we still get the sun until the beginning of October. I'm going to go for a walk with my dog as soon as I am finished blogging.Here's a photo of her, she's a brown Labrador Retriever, two years old, not a mean bone in her body. We love her to death- and she knows it!
I had to go to Skien for a work related course on Wednesday and I arrived an hour too early. Guess where I ended up: at a yarn store...
Bought some alpacca wool- to be used for....??? (half price, discontinued colours), two balls of fuzzy Idena (have tried it before- it's great) and some Superwash, black for skater hats.
Have made one skater hat already- not too happy about it, but we'll see if it fits my hubbies skull....Will make another one soon..
The thing that's on my lap the most these days, is a purple shawl. Got the yarn from one of the two hobby bookclubs I belong to, and the pattern is found in the Book "Fargerik Strikk" by Lisbeth Bjørndal.