Welcome to my kitchen table for a cup of refreshing peppermint tea. Oh, what is that on the table? Please feel free to sit down and feel the springy wool and the shiny fuzzy alpaca. I have brought home a big load of Peruvian wool and two cones of alpaca, both off white, from Marias Garn. It is finally time to tackle a manly project and knit a sweater for my darling Kristofer. He liked a pattern from the winter issue of Vogue Knitting. Hope it will work out. It should be a relatively quick knit. The boyfriend sweater curse only applies to actual boy friends, right? Not husbands?

This is Ivar at four months. Is he not the cuddliest baby ever? Hehe, that is what I think anyhow. I met with a doctor last week who could explain what really happened to me at Ivar's birth. She took the time to listen and I could feel myself finally forgive myself for letting my baby out in the world prematurely. I have somehow been walking around with a feeling of guilt convinced that something was seriously wrong with me. Well, this wonderful doctor peeled that belief off me layer by layer. There is nothing wrong with me! Well, apart from what was already 'wrong', but that is something completely different and I will not bore you with it.

Happy spring!

I have started a new project.



Something a would have had in my New Year resolutions if I had made any. It is a sweater. For me. And the biggest thing I have knitted thus far. I am using some stash alpacka yarn for it and I have made up the pattern for it using inspiration from numerous patterns in magazines and on the internet. It was impossible to find exactly what I wanted in an existing pattern.

Basic instructions on how you calculate and knit a top down raglan sweater can be found here and here.

Hope you are having a happy Easter!

This is a Q&A list in swedish for a secret pal swap called 'Hemlis'.

1. Vilken sorts garn tycker du mest om? (Ull, akryl, bomull osv.) Är det något material du absolut inte tycker om?
Alla rena naturmaterial och blandningar av naturmaterial som ull/silke etc.

2. Vilka är dina favoritfärger?
Grön, brun och rosa – gärna de tre tillsammans eller t.ex många gröna nyanser.

3. Är det någon färg du absolut inte tycker om?
Lila och grå ger mig en lätt grön hy, så allt sånt får jag ge bort.

4. Vilken sorts stickor tycker du bäst om/använder du helst? (Trä, metall, plast? Rundstickor, raka, strumpstickor?)
Gärna av trä när det funkar, fast jag har bara ett enda par trästickor. Annars använder jag gärna Addi Turbos långa rundstickor för sockor på magic loop.

5. Hur länge har du stickat? Anser du dig vara nybörjare, avancerad eller mittemellan?
Några år i tonåren och nu sedan fyra år tillbaka. Jag är en typisk mittemellan.

6. Dricker du kaffe? Te?
Jodå, gärna!

7. Är du allergisk mot något?
Gräs

8. Vilken slags musik tycker du om?
Mycket och alltid. Titta på min musikprofil på Last.fm så får du veta exakt vad jag lyssnar på.

9. Favoritgodis?
Choklad :)

10. Håller du på med någon annan "skapande hobby", förutom stickning? (Spinna, scrapbooking, virkning osv.)
Virkning

11. Vad tycker du är roligast att sticka? Mössor? Sjalar? Tröjor? Osv...
Sjalar har jag gjort flest av, men gillar egentligen allt.

12. Prenumererar du på någon sticktidning?
Interweave Knits. Köper lösa nummer av Vogue Knitting.

13. Har du något drömprojekt på önskelistan?
Alldeles för många... men jag vill sticka en aran tröja till min Kristofer.

14. Använder du pulsvärmare/handledsvärmare? I så fall, vad är ditt handledsmått?
Vart har jag måttbandet?... Sexton centimeter.

15. Tycker du om att sticka pulsvärmare?
Nix

16. Stickar du sockor?
Japp, det händer.

17. Vad har du för fotstorlek? (T.ex. längd, omkrets på tjockaste stället.)
Storlek 38. Jag har aldrig funderat på måtten. Vänta ska jag mäta... längd 24 cm, omkrets 23 cm.

18. När fyller du år?
11 september (tyvärr...)

19. Stickar du med pärlor?
Det har bara hänt en gång hittills. Kika här på Flickr.

20. Vilken slags böcker (ej stickning) läser du helst? (Deckare? Fakta? Romaner?)
Det mesta går ner. Jag gillar att läsa – allt från kokböcker till poesi, från J.K. Rowling till Salman Rushdie. Just nu "Jonathan Strange och Mr Norrell" av Susanna Clarke.

A few years ago (well, more than ten years to be honest. It feels like yesterday, I promise!) some friends called me "Mama Muffin" because of my habit of always making muffins. I wanted to perfect my baking skills, but I never suceeded with anything else but muffins.



These are Lemon muffins with cream cheese frosting on top. The blue plates are from Indiska.

Muffins are fun to make with kids. Tyra likes to help with almost everything and she of course gets to lick the bowl when we are finished.

Coffee accompanied with something sweet is called a "fika" in swedish. This word  contains much more than a hot drink and something to eat on the side. It is a moment of relaxation, often shared with a friend and it cannot be rushed. During our work days we take a "fikapaus" with our colleagues and chat albout anything but work. You can invite or get invited for a simple "fika" at a friends place or meet for a "fika" downtown. Gramatically speaking, it is both a verb and a substantive. A traditional "fika" would be a cup of brewed coffee and a cinnamon bun or "kanelbulle".

The Candle Flame Shawl is finished! Here it is in all its unblocked glory. It is nice and warm and snug.



Pattern:
Yarn: Östergötlands ullspinneri
Needles: 4,5 mm Addi Turbo circular

I am actually a bit afraid of blocking it, since I am very fond of the texture of the shawl. Now, all I need is a great pin and it will be a perfect gift. I do not know who will get it just yet... I loved the process of knitting this shawl, every single stitch of it. It prepared me for knitting more complicated lace, like the Shallowtail Shawl that I have been dreaming about.



I will leave you with a picture of Ivar at ten weeks. Those chubby cheeks speak for themselves, do they not? We are so relieved to see him grow. He is a talkative and happy little guy. I could plant a permanent kiss on top of his soft little head.

My Candle Flame Shawl is almost finished and I have started on a red knit cap for Kristofer. He asked me to knit him a hat just like the one that Willem Dafoe wears in the film "Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou". That was almost two years ago... so I hope he still wants to wear it once it is finished. You can get an idea of what it will look like in here.

My brain is totally fogged with sleeplessness. All I can crank out of it is lists. So here it goes - ten things you did not know about me (edit: well, eight really....sorry) :

1. I love to feel the surface I walk on. As soon as I come home I throw away both shoes and socks and walk around barefoot.
2. Books are probably my second passion after knitting. I love reading and can get completely engulfed in a story. Right now I am reading "The Best a Man Can Get" by John O'Farrell, which might not be a wise choice considering my fragile new mom state.
3. Or, music might be my second passion. I can never make up my mind about this. Our home is rarely silent during the days. You are welcome to view my musical profile at Last.fm
   
4. I love to dance around to music when nobody is watching. Well, just my family because they all hop around with me. Is that weird?
5. I truly belive I can sing, when I sing along to a beautiful song. But when the music stops it does not ever sound as good as I thought it would. Hmm...
6. A balanced healthy nature is very important to me and I try to make ecological choices whenever possible.
7. I know the names of many trees, flowers, birds and wildlife. Probably because I grew up in the middle of a forest. I hope to teach my kids some of this knowledge.
8. I love my family more than I can describe with words. Each and every one of them in their special way.
   

I hope your are all having a great weekend!

I have finally picked up my knitting again after the birth of Ivar. It did not result in anything grand or spectacular. Not yet anyhow. ;-) My Candle Flame Shawl got a few rows bigger, thats all. I just love knitting the Candle Flame! The pattern is easy to remember and has enough variation to keep me interested. It also helps that it looks more complicated than it actually is. Sitting there, knitting happily, I made a quick list of a few new projects. Not that I have the patterns or the yarn to start with the list. It might be absolutely necessary to purchase a new fabulous book and some luscious yarn, do you not agree?

Shallowtail Shawl from Interweave Knits
Hats for my Kristofer and my dad.
Baby knits for Ivar: socks, (Gnome) hat and cardigan
Girly girl socks for Tyra
Monkey Socks from Knitty

If I am brave enough I will not start with anything new until I have organized my WIPs. If I am really brave I might post photos of my WIP list here... It is just a bit embarrassing since I must be the slowest knitter in the world

I am slowly adjusting to life with two kids. My wound is still awkward, but as much as I hate having my scar I am so so thankful that the incision saved my baby and myself for any serious damage. We might never get an answer to why my placenta separated prematurely or if it could somehow have been prevented. I do not know if it matters, but at least any kind of answer would help me to stop thinking about it.

Last night I danced slowly with Ivar in my arms to the tunes of Jack Johnson, which seemed to settle his little tummy and put him into sweet sleep.