I have received my first swap package :-)

This is what I received from Feline Flipflop from Esther :-)
The colors don't show well, what seems to be light blue fabric under the ribbon and bookmark is actually light purple fabric, very soft and light and absolutely perfect for a scarf. I'm going to hem it and add small heart charms in the corners and give it to my big sister as a gift :-)
The furry string with tags is a package of trimming, and I got a great idea of making the tags into kitty dolls :-D
The cat brass pearls are going to be earrings to me :-)
I love the bookmark, I read a lot and I love red cats best :-) There's a new Whiskas ad in Swedish television, I don't know if it's international, but there's this huge red maine coon or Norwegian forest cat, who's sleeping, except when he hears the can opening in the kitchen... I am in love with that cat :-D

Esther was very clever and said that the ball was a "chew toy to the feline friend" LOL I didn't connect at that time - cat's don't have chew toys LOL And as far as I know I'm the only one in the swap with a canine feline friend. He loves his new toy anyway, he was sitting by the table when I took the picture, and tried to snatch HIS toy a couple of times... after all, it was HIS, and from HIS point of view, it was I who had snatched it in the first place LOL



She also send a very pretty cat necklace with a silver cat hanging in yellow ribbon, and it's really pretty :-) She said that I can do what ever I wish with it, but I am perfectly happy with it as it is :-)
In this picture I'm wearing the trimming as a necklace too, it would have been a great one for that purpose too :-) Goes well with the purple top and the silver cat :-)
I'm still having some fever in this picture... I really am not happy about how I look... I hate the fact that my hair is completely flat. My mother keeps telling me how thin my hair is... well... her fault. I was born with it ;-) Actually, it's the same kind of hair as my father has. But she chose him. :-D And I hate the black bags under my eyes - also inherited from my father. Like the vampire teeth and thick cheeks and the chin... and the nose and eyebrows. Frankly, I think I look like a maniac in this picture. LOL
(Actually, I think my father is very handsome, and I'm not too bad looking myself either. ;-))


I have send two packages, and third is waiting to be packed and mailed. It should have gone today, but that is not going to happen. I'm a week late from my schedual, because of getting sick. I CAN'T WAIT to find out what the receivers think about their packages!!! They should have arrived already, and I forgot to ask for a receit, so I can't even track the packages! Another mistake I won't do again... So, PLEASE GOD let the packages arrive NOW and let me find out that they have arrived!

(Edited on Thursday 8 P.M. CET
The coloriffic package has arrived to Portugal, and the receiver was happy with it... PHEEEEW!!! Thank you, God! :-))

June is blue...

So I was thinking of some Litha things - to me Midsummer is blue and yellow - and red and white - crisp, bright colors. Perhaps a little green too. Water and sky, beach and sunshine.

Another theme is Finland - Finland is going to have it's 89th birthday in December 6th, and it would be nice to have a blue-and-white theme party on that day. Of course, it's half a year in the future, but better start too early than too late. And perhaps one could use some blues and whites as a counterbalance to all Americana :-)

There's some really cool American patriotic sock patterns around the net.
http://www.geocities.com/celticknits19464/Celticknits.html
http://knitcrochetpatterns.com/americanflagsocks.htm
http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/a80p.shtm
http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/sockslook.htm
http://redbirdknits.com/patterns/RWBSocks_pattern.htm
These are not too cool, but not bad :-) I love the star buttons :-)
http://www.soxie.com/spirals.html

There's a couple of problems with this though... the Finnish flag may not be worn or used as anything else but a flag. So a lot of American patriotic projects cannot be "translated into Finnish".
The second problem is that in the Finnish flag there's a blue cross on white base. Stars and stripes are fun, look nice how ever you do them, but I'm not Christian and I don't want to have things decorated with blue crosses... except the Finnish flag, of course LOL But, hey, challenges make the things only more fun, don't they ;-)
The Finnish coat of arms is pretty nice too :-) There's a lot of things one can do with lions :-)

Next sport challenge

With more than two years to next Olympics, the sporting knitters can be happy about the Soccer World Championships (In two weeks!). And, of course, there's a couple of challenges announced already.
Yarnmonkey has a Knitting World Cup
and here's a Swedish version of the same, Fotbollsstickning. A lot more relaxed :-)

I am not the least interested in soccer. Olympics is one thing, but soccer... nah. Perhaps because Finland is not playing... Nah, I am just not interested.

One thing I could think of knitting is a supporter scarf... Whether it is for Gryffindor or your country, it's always an appreciated thing. I know my Danish husband would love a scarf in red and white :-)

(The happy lady with her 450 feet long supporter scarf is Christina Brockway, passionate supporter of Liverpool and a passionate knitter. Inspirational? Or perhaps a warning example LOL)

pincushions...

The pincushion challenge is about to end for May - it's 28th of May, three days left :-)
I have a lot of ideas, but no money :-(

I was thinking of making a lot of pumpkins of different sizes... I was thinking of knitting the stem, as pumpkin stem looks a bit like... er... what ever it's called LOL And then make the curly things by crocheting. Really cute :-) A lot of different orange shades and materials... Pretty. And great for Halloween ;-)

Then I was thinking of lime slices and orange slices. I like the shape and colors of a citrus slice - the bright lime, orange or yellow with white membranes and seeds... very pretty.
And it would have been fun to try to felt a citrus fruit... have some white wool membranes and fill the spaces with color, add tiny felt balls as seeds, cover it all with first white wool and then colored wool, and felt it, and then cut it in halfs and see what one gets. Really interesting. I don't even know where I can get felting wool :-(

Then I got the idea of a grape cluster. Felting a lot of oval balls, threading a brown thread through them and twine the threads together into a cluster. And then make a leaf as a needle book, for sewing needles and such. And crocheting the curly things, those can be used to storage scissors and such. The leaf could also be a pouch.

But - I don't know where to get materials, I don't have much money right now and I'm sick :-( Right now life stinks :-D

What to do with a find?

The image: Craft Alliance's 2003 spring bash ad. Very nice, I think. And... green >:-)

I found half a kilo of pink wool cheap at e-bay. I think I paid 13 dollars for it, 6 for the yarn and 7 for postage. It's lovely bright pink, but a bit thick... I knew it would be, but I have been thinking what I could make of it. It's a bit too thick to be made a cardigan of, I don't think 1/2 kilos are enough... and I am not so fond of getting so thick a cardigan either... then I have been thinking of clapotis scarf and hat, or gloves, or maybe a felted bag...

Today I was looking through Whipup once again, and the oh so inspirational tutorials, and someone was speaking about her fascination about shibori felting...
I think I'm going to make a felted vest... and maybe a bag, if there's enough left. It would be interesting to try to make shibori flowers on the back maybe... or on the chest... though my chest is so wide it doesn't need any more attention :-D Or maybe I'll just make a pouch or something of what is left, if any... I love pouches and pockets :-D

Some newer knitting terms frequently used on the Internet

To frog (v.): To rip out knitting several rows at a time ("rip-it, rip-it" like a frog, get it?) Also known as frogging or taking a visit to the frog pond.

To tink (v.): To unknit a stitch at a time in order to correct a mistake ("tink" is "knit" backwards).

WIP -- Work In Progress

KIP -- Knitting In Public (encouraged)

UFO -- Unfinished Object

FO -- Finished Object

SEX -- Stash Enhancement eXpedition

Stash (n.) -- A knitter's collection of yarn, books, needles, etc.

This is from the "501 knitting secrets" newsletter. I admire the imagination and humor of the people who came up with these... ufos and sex... Oh yes!

Gromit is from Philato's blog.I love Gromit. I just watched the wererabbit again, with my husband this time, and it's... er... what is the adjective of the word genius?

Whiplash entry, last week :-)

The theme was color, and I wasn't at home this weekend. But I made something this weekend, and as I used colors, then it doubles as whiplash entry :-)

I made this necklace to my sister, who's Cancer - there's a small cancer charm in the chains - and the idea is to look like sand and water. It's freely after a necklace I saw in a book, the original is much bigger and very nice. I think it's an entry for a large competition or a fair or something.
I also made two pairs of earrings to my sister, one pair white-sandy colors and one pair blue, so that she can use them according to her mood and clothes. I tried making blue-and-white pair, but it didn't look nice. (Now she can also wear one blue earring and one white when she wants to mark her nationality LOL - like now, when Finland won the Eurovision Song Contest! YAY!!! LOL)

I think it's interesting how the colors work together - the classy cream and beige and the peaceful and joyous blues and turquoises. I also like very much the sea-find feeling in the piece. I have used everything that is of right color, there's real pearls and fake pearls, mother-of-pearl, seed beads, glass beads, plastic beads and sea stars, pieces of turquoise and aquamarine, colored stone, crystals and quartz, bone and everything I could find. Here's a detail of the necklace.


And here's the two pairs of earrings in close-up.

Finland is in finals...

Eurovision song contest... rare occasion... Finland has 6th place as best placing ever, and is usually last. And it's not too bad either.

"Then it’s time for the most talked-about entry in this year’s contest: Lordi, the hard rock monsters from Finland. Wearing platform shoes that must be 12 inches high, lead singer Lordi growls out ‘Hard Rock Hallelujah’ in front of a stunning display of pyrotechnics – this isn’t just a few sparks; we’re talking huge jets of fire. Huge bat wings unfurl from Lordi’s back and by the end the now-smoke-filled arena is stunned. Terrifying but brilliant."

(And we are in the semi-finals in hockey world championships too - we beat Belarus 3-0 last night and need to beat Czechs tomorrow... I think Finland is one of the few countries in the world where they actually mentioned this in the middle of the ESC semifinals. :-D If the game would be played later, they would tell the results in the middle of the ESC finals too :-D Let's see what the Swedes too ;-) They are playing semifinals against Canada at the same time with the finals of ESC ;-))

Anyway. Now I know what I will do for Whiplash. There's a dog bed that needs a new cover, so I will be making a patchwork. I just need to think if I want to make it a rainbow, a pattern, just random squares or crazy patchwork. I don't know how time works with me, I need to visit my sisters this weekend. So I don't know if I have time to finish this thing. It's not a small job, considering that my sewing machine is broken, so I have to do it by hand. That's a good thing considering the fact, that I can do it sitting in train :-D Was there "sewing/crafting in public" group somewhere? I have seen "knitting in public". :-D

(The image is Paul Klee's Ancient Sound. Following the green theme of May ;-))

New Whiplash theme...

is colour. Oh MY! Even more open than yarn! LOL

I'm probably not going to be able to decide what to do, how ever long I think about it :-D The possibilities are so many! I love COLORS, and that is one reason to why I love fiber crafts. I remember when we visited an art weavers workshop in high school, and I saw her wall of shelves filled with COLORS... I think I decided at that time to become just like her, a fiber artist, just to get the possibility to work with the COLORS. I love Oilily's clothes, NoaNoa and Gudrun Sjöden - because of COLORS... I love Kaffe Fassett's COLORS... I LOVE COLORS!!!
So to decide one short, quick project to be made with the theme colors seems quite impossible...

I promised to post a picture of the finished doll :-) Here she is :-)

Little more about colors :-)

I spotted this website (Artfabrik) via Whipup. And... OH MY WHAT COLORS!!!

Yummy!

Of the yarns I like Evening Greens, Oasis Twilight, Parakeet, Rainbow Rich, Red Hots, Renaissance, Spice Road and Sunflower.
and of the fabrics I like Aquamarine, Black Orchid (Double YUM!!!), Copper Queen, Evening Green, Italian Prune, Petunias, Really Red and Red Hots.

About the color*iffic swap*o*rama...

I made a mistake... I was way too eager to make my package, so it was ready already a week ago... and that was way too early. As my swap pal hadn't even had time to tell what she likes and would want. So I chose wrong color... and the most irritating thing in that is that I chose the right color first, but changed my mind. That is really irritating. When ever do I learn to listen to my instincts, that are darn good?

Anyway, there's other faults in the package too... I added something that is very important to me, but she especially mentioned as something she doesn't want... and now I have to make up my mind, if I'll go by the feeling and leave that thing in the package, or if I rip the package open and take it out, maybe replace it with something else. I am thinking about BBC's Changing Rooms, where the designers always make something the room receivers have especially mentioned that they don't want, and they always love the rooms anyway... I think that there has only been a couple home owners who do NOT like what they got. So - do I trust my instincts now, and leave it, or do I try to minimize the damage and show that even though the color is wrong, I have at least read her wish list, and she is important to me?

Anyway, I was thinking of remaking the whole package, and sending this one as a fairy package to someone, but I simply don't have time or money to do that. And it feels awful. The package is not bad and I'm pretty sure that she doesn't MIND the color I have chosen, she would just PREFER another - still I'm sure that I'm a worthless piece of crap and she will be forever sad because I send her such a crappy package. :-( Not to mention that no-one else will ever want to swap with me, as I'm such an idiot :-(

Well... In a month I know if I'm a total a-----e or if my mistake wasn't really that bad. After all, I have learned a valuable lesson. All my other swap pals will get as custom made package as I possibly can achieve, and it will be collected and send on the last possible day ;-) (And I really don't know which is better LOL Get a not-so-perfect but ok package early, or a perfect package late...)

I'm mad...

The image: Out in the wide world by John Bauer, a Swedish artist and fairytale illustrator

I just joined the monthly photo scavenger hunt :-D

Here's the list:
1. What’s for dinner?
2. A fortune cookie.
3. No more monkey business.
4. Gold
5. Are you going to wear that?
6. A scar.
7. Chocolate covered _____________.
8. Shallow.
9. Mob mentality.
10. A seashell necklace.
11. A construction toy that isn’t a lego.
12. A clock face.
13. Something from YOUR childhood.
14. A crossing guard.
15. A teacher.
16. Green glass.
17. Full Circle.
18. The world’s greatest invention.
19. It didn’t come with instructions.
20. Where do we go from here?

It's about as bad as Whiplash, but one has more time... or... eh... Whiplash is four themes for a month, this is 20... so...?

Some of these things are easy. Some are not.

World's greatest invention? The wheel? Running water and plumbing... or maybe electricity. I really appreciate electricity. Without electricity I wouldn't have all I have now, like computer and light during nights, so that I can use the computer, and put my husband to watch the television, so he doesn't bother me ;-) But how to take a photo of electricity? Lightning would be great, but there's no storms coming my way. Which is a great pity, because I love storms, thunder and lightnings...

"It didn't come with instructions"... hmm... I'm thinking of our dog, who's being hyper right now, as a friend of my husband is visiting us... but he did come with instructions LOL Husband on the other hand didn't... So maybe I'll just take a picture of him ;-)

Dying to dye...

Yet another project swap-a-longy thingy :-) Dye-o-rama. And I missed it too LOL I'm sure there's someone up there caring for me :-D I have enough now! (slap on the wrist... let it go, Ket, now, let it go. Let go!)

Anway, I was looking at Whipup and they have a tag called "tutorials". Now I love tutorials LOL I am always ready to learn new things :-) That I'm currently trying to find time to learn to knit multidirectional along with Artyarns, and I have committed to way too many swaps, and then there's the little thing called life, which takes its part whether I want it or not ;-)

At Whipup there was "knitting news" with a link to Spun Magazine, which offers all kinds of interesting things. (For example the Bevin tank... One can't have too many knitted tops ;-) Especially now when summer has arrived :-) One needs to have something cottony and easy to be knit during the summer.)

And then there was the Dye-o-rama... I live dyeing yarn, especially wool! Someone said in the blog that her apartment smelled like a wet fruity sheep... :-) Heaven! Well, I'm a little... how to say it... damaged. I think I have told somewhere that I'm a shepherd. When I was 8 my parents bought two sheep, and when I was 14 we had over 50 sheep. I knew each and everyone by name, I knew their genealogy, I knew everything there was to know. My mother and brother took a course in sheep care, I couldn't join, because I was too young (only 12 at the time), but I interrogated them about everything they had done and learned, and read through their books and all. Then after high school I went to a craft school and learned to weave, spin and do all kinds of other fiber crafts. But the wool, sheep, still hold a very special place in my heart. A herd of sheep grazing on green pastures is one of the most beautiful scenes in the world... *_* So the mere idea of a whole apartment smelling like wet fruity sheep... *sigh*

So I will be following the adventures of the dyers in the group and admiring their achievements, and dreaming of having so much wool and a real spinning rock, that I could start spinning my own yarns...

Surfing...

Picture: Back to green things.

My secret pal said that the yarn I describe myself as sounds wonderful, and I tried to find the site where I got the inspiration... so I went through my booksmarks and favorites... and - of course - I haven't marked that site (either). :-(
It's a real pity, because it was someone's small company... she spins, dyes and beads the yarns herself, and it was the first time I have ever seen anyone beading yarns with all kinds of things.
I don't know how the yarn would be knitted, but I would so much have wanted to promote her business a bit :-(
She was someone's secret pal in the past, and gave the gift receiver a choice - any yarn from her store...
So - if anyone recognizes anything in this, or have suggestions of who it might be, I'd be happy to find out :-) Leave a comment ;-)

Anyway, I was reminded of why I had bookmarked the sites, and re-visited Marjutin neuleet - a Finnish-English blog. I loved the pitiful request of help from her overstressed credit card, and got inspired by her lace talk - and found Elann's free patterns. A couple of nice things there. I love knitted t-shirts :-) (Yes, there are some pretty awful things too, as You Knit What?! points out ;-))

Yarn?

This week's Whiplash theme was... yarn. Uh. Well, at least there should be a lot of entries. After all, yarn can be anything.
I had real difficulties in coming up with something. I thought and thought and slept on it, and then I got an idea. What about a doll that is making herself? I can call it "unraveling myself" or "fixing my life" or "clearing up the mess"... there's always a mess in stash storage, when the stash is stored in bags ;-)

So - I knitted the doll - I hate knitting long tubes... I get bored and impatient, so my socks have short "legs" - and the doll became smaller and plumber than in the sketch :-)
Then I crocheted her dress straight on her, added the hair and braided half of it and embroidered her face. She has a tiny crochet hook in her hand - it doesn't show well in the photo, but it's there :-) I used toothpicks for the needles on her leg.
I had planned on making her a picture to be hanged on the wall, but when I had done that, I wanted to finish her and make her a doll... a bit like "I want to be a REAL boy" thingy... after all, if the idea is me trying to clean up the mess that is my life, presented with the tangled yarns, then I most surely want to clean up my life and untangle the yarns too. So I finished her on Sunday... it's kind of appropriate... it was Mothers' Day on Sunday... so now I'm kind of my own mother ;-)
(I'll put up a picture of the doll tomorrow, when the competition is over, because she isn't my whiplash entry. This is. :-))

Some more questions asked :-)

(A little red to break off the green theme of May ;-))

One Skein questionnaire :-)

1. Which yarn is most like your personality (you can be specific or general with your answer- brand, type, color, fiber, whatever)?

I would say hand-beaded maroony-burgundy alpaca. It's two-ply, and one of them is hand-spun, and the other is very fine, and it's hand-beaded with golden "things", like beads, pearls, sequins, stars, charms, stones, buttons and things.

2. What is your favorite color yarn to knit/crochet with?

White. I also use a lot of red, pink and peacock colors.

3. Have you ever used variegated, or magic, yarns?

Yes, but I'm not too fond of them. I like doing colorwork, and myself decide the pattern and colors. I have seen very beautiful things made with variegated or self-striping yarns, but the yarns are always very "modest" in their colorplay - like one yarn is yellow, brown and orange and the other maroon, burgundy and purple. ALMOST non-variegated, that is :-D

4. Do you tend to favor certain fibers when choosing yarns?

Yes. Natural fibers.

5. Do you prefer to work with center-pull or traditionally wound balls of yarn?

I prefer to work with center-pull balls of yarn, or cones. It's tidier.

6. Have you ever worked with organic yarns or are you interested in trying them?

Yes, I have, and even though I don't think there's much difference in the feeling, I prefer organic yarns, because - well - they are ecological :-)
(Organic is actually a little misleading name... as I only use natural fibers, most often wool and cotton, I am ALWAYS using organic yarns ;-) Organic - from living source; animal or plant))

7. How many and what projects have you made in the last year?

Last year? I don't know... I haven't thought or noted that.

8. Will you be knitting any gifts this year?

Yes. Some.

9. What is your favorite one skein project?

I don't know... I haven't payed much attention to this either... I think my favorite small project was my gloves.

10. How much yarn do you have in your stash and how do you store it?

Not much - and right now I store it in the bags they were put in the store - together with the needles and other necessary equipment. But I'm planning on having better storage solution. I would love to have my yarn in see-through plastic boxes with tightly closing lid, on a shelf, so that I can see my whole stash with one look, and they are protected from moths and other
yarn-eaters.

11. Do you have a yarn in your stash that you love so much you can never use it or part with it?

No. But the organic, hand-painted cotton I bought to my tea-swap pal is close LOL

12. Do you knit less or differently in the summer?

Yes. I use cotton in the summer and wool in the winter.

Tea Swap Pal asked this:

Do you have any preference for yarn weight?

I haven't thought of my preferences, and thought of answering "no, no preferences", but then I remembered that I'm not so fond of thick, bulky yarns. And then I started thinking about what kind of yarns I always look at the yarn shop, and it's rather thin... I think 3mm needles are quite thick already LOL

That isn't important though. I think it would be fun to get something I wouldn't get to myself :-) There's a lot of inspiration in trying to work beyond the limits my preferences set. What is important is color.

Now I have received all my swap partners...

and right now it feels a bit overwhelming... It might be because I just played a game of McDonalds, and it's very stressy and hair raising... I really don't want to chop down rainforest just to get more fields and pastures, I definately do not want to feed the cows with all kinds of crap, and torching the sick animals... It's a really good game though LOL If I had had any wishes to ever visit any fast food corporation's facilities to crab me a bite before, it's all gone now. :-D Really, who are we trying to kid here - all of them work the same way. McDonalds is just the largest and best known of them all.

Anyway, one of my swap pals lives in Portugal, and her package is ready, waiting to be posted. One lives in USA, and her package shall have one more item, and then it's ready to go. One lives in Australia, and one in UK, and I already have a pretty good idea of what to send :-) So, no reason to panic here :-) It's all going fine. It really is worth it to plan beforehand. But it's awful to wait to get a pal assigned... I'm sure I joined a couple more swaps just because I couldn't wait any longer - and one really cannot start collecting things before one knows more of the secret pal. It can get totally wrong otherwise. Some things I have already got, but I don't know if they are sendable to these particular swap pals :-)

I really love this thing! It's like Christmas all over! I love presents and gifts, and I suppose that's why I love Yule and birthdays best of all the feasts :-D One can buy presents to people! (I have been getting presents to my husband while I was collecting things for my secret pals :-D)

BTW, I won at the Whiplash *blush* I'm really happy and dancing around :-) Thank you for liking what I do!

Project colorswap - from my Yahoo! blog

Project Colorswap
There is no end to these things! So delightful! I wish I was rich :-)

Color Swap Questionnaire

Are you crafty?

- yes, I am.

Would you enjoy things like: Buttons, ribbons and embellishments?

- yes, sure, why not.

Do you dye your own wool?

- I don't have "own wool" or space to dye either - I know how to do it, but no - I don't.

Do you like to scrapbook or make homemade cards?

- I don't like to scrapbook - I do make cards and such.

What are your favorite scents?
- Vanilla. I also like rose and citrus fruits.

Do you like stationary and cards?

- yes

Do you like to sew or embroider items?

- yes

Do you like beads?

- yes

What kind of candy do you like?

- salty - salt liquorice is my absolute favorite, but toffee, fudge, cream caramels and such is good too.
Do you like hand lotions or soaps?

- yes

Do you like to wear costume jewelry? Necklace, earrings, bracelets etc.

- Not much - I do wear earrings occasionally - I have pierced ears, and I love big, gypsy style earrings.

Do you like to make/or use stitch markers?

- yes

Do you collect anything?

- sugar craft tools and molds, cookie cutters, foxes.

Do you have any allergies?: Smoke, food, fiber, pets, etc.

- I'm allergic to animals, dust and such, but I don't mind. We have a dog, and we have had cats, and I think animal hair is part of life. I am not allergic to smoke or strong scents, but that I do mind.

Do you have any hobbies?

- Arts and crafts - witchcraft, fiber crafts (knitting, crocheting, sewing, lace making, weaving, felting, anything really), paper crafts (bookbinding, boxes, origami, paper sculptures, papier mache), reading and writing, sugar crafts, desserts and baking (not only sweets, I bake pies, pastries and bread too) and gardening.

Do you like scented or unscented candles?

- yes ;-)

Are you a fiber snob?

- yes - only natural fibers - but it's the same what natural fibers - wool and cotton is just as good as angora, mohair and silk.

Do you like to play cards or board games?

- yes, very much so.

Do you like neon colors, pastel, light or medium ranges in the color of the month?

- ABSOLUTELY NO NEON COLORS!!! I like my colors soft, gentle, light and bright.

Do you like kitchen magnets or key rings?

- It's ok.

Do you like picture frames?

- That's ok too :-)

I like selfmade things.
I like stationary, notecards and such.
I like tins, boxes, bags, pouches and purses.
I don't like hats. I love gloves.
I like mugs.
I like pens and am passionate about color pencils.
I like toys.
I like napkins, napkin rings and candle rings, and other such small table setting stuff.
Table mats, vases, candle holders.
I would also love aprons, pot holders, kitchen towels and such.
Bookmarks is a good idea.
I love dragons and I adore sheep.
I really love carousel horses :-)
I like feathers.
I love paisley.
I like stars.
I like things for my hair, especially combs, wooden hair pins and poppies.
I like flowers, ribbons and lace.

I want to be surprised :-)

Something green...

Another little project, great for Project Spectrum. I have always wanted these crane scissors... I still regret not buying a nice gold-colored set with these scissors, a thimble and something else... I have forgotten what it was, but it was all pretty. I thought it was too expensive, so I didn't buy it, but... I had the money, and I don't remember what I did with it... I would remember had I bought the crane scissors :-D

I just keep finding all these nice little projects... about a week ago I found "Tie One On" and today I found the pincushion challenge... (links on the right). I can't resist things like that LOL

Green

I have been thinking about Project Spectrum and the May theme - Green. I have some green things I have made, as I like green, but to think about projects to be made... *hmm*

I was searching for inspiration from internet - with green - and found these butterflies. They are made of painted glass and very fine work, I love the green color on them - and they give me creeps... Especially the pearly body section and the antennas. Yikes!
I wonder why I'm so disgusted by insects... I know they are very fine animals with a very important purpose, and their diversity and capacity is amazing... and I just can't stand them! I start to wonder if I was eaten alive by insects in my previous life... but on the other hand - butterflies and beetles don't eat people alive. And I love the "dangerous" insects, like spiders, wasps, bees and ants... So it doesn't make any sense. I suppose phobias don't make any sense.
Anyway, those butterflies have an amazing color. I love it.

About the project. I have been planning something green for a longer time now. For a couple of years ago I got a birthday present in a very nice bag - with Findus the cat by Sven Nordqvist. It's a plastic bag, so it won't tolerate much use. Fortunately, about a month after that I saw how they had made shopping bags with pretty plastic bags, see-through durable plastic sheets and fabric, and decided to make my birthday bag into two shopping bags with Findus on one side and green-striped calico - Like Findus' pants - on the other side.
The thing is that I haven't found green-striped calico :-( Gudrun Sjöden had it for about a year before I got the bag, and I didn't know I was going to need it later, so I didn't buy it... I don't like applegreen either, so... I suppose I have to buy some green fabric and use ribbons of the other green to decorate it... Oh, so much trouble LOL

I also got another idea... I was looking at altered books, and found this site; Karen's Whimsy - and there was "18 wishes" and "Sea Dreams" - and I want to make an "altered" book to a friend of mine who loves mermaids... 18 mermaid wishes... She's not 18, I think she's almost 30, so it probably won't be 18 wishes, but less. Let's see how many pages I make :-) Three would be perfectly fine :-D
I don't want to alter a book. I'm going to bind it myself. After all, I know how to do it, and that way I get exactly the size and form I want. And I find the idea horrible to alter a book... books are sacred, holy and taboo. ;-)

I also found AntiCraft and "A Maiden's Glory" - a knitted wreath :-) Very pretty and quite appropriate for May theme :-D

Whiplash entry week 4.

This week the theme of Whipup's Whiplash is "Chich to classic". I already talked about what was going through my mind a little previously. Then I had this idea and quickly draw the sketch on the back of a to do list.

I had been looking at the Whipup blog and the 2D on 3D, so I was planning on making it a keychain or a scent sachet or something - a 2D-3D doll. But when I was making it, my husband fell in love with the poodle, and he wanted me to frame it to be a picture on our wall.

There's a story behind this: When I was little, I had a toy poodle - inherited from my 14 years older big sister. And she was called Lulu Bella Bimba. When my husband and I started discussing about getting a dog, I told him that I love poodles, because they are very intelligent and nice dogs. Move beautifully. And then I told him about Lulu Bella Bimba. And he was rolling on the floor laughing his ... off - "How can anyone give such a name to a dog!ROTFLMAO!!! BIMBO!!! Next you are telling me that you want to dye it too!"
He wanted a bullterrier... so I draw him an easter card, with him and Boris, his bullterrier, sitting on the couch, and me and my dyed poodles, Lulu, Fifi, Froufrou, Zaza, Mimi and Duchess, all dyed in pretty easter pastel colors, frolicking around... :-D


I don't have the material to frame it yet, and I don't have possibility to get it on Monday either, so it has to participate in non-framed condition.

It is embroidered on white linen, with black embroidery yarn and pink wool. The woman is made with satin stitches and the poodle with satin and velvet stitches. I think it turned out very well and I'm very pleased with it :-)

I think I call it "Never use black with colors" by Trinny and Susannah :-D

It's really hard to see the poodles face, but I can tell you he is pretty displeased with the situation... I think dyed poodles are horrible... poodles are lovely dogs and dressing and coloring living creatures to fit one's outfit, mood or furniture is the top of egotism and idiocy...

THIS is what a poodle should look like!

Secret Pal 8 questionnaire :-)

The questionnaire is a little changed, so here it is, again :-D

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love knitting wool, but I'm open for anything :-) I hate man-made fibers. They are ok to knit, but useless.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
In their original package.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting about 20 years - with more or less pauses - I consider myself being intermediate to advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, I do. I have a wishlist at Amazon.com with the name Sanna Jensen. And I would appreciate very much anything from the list... *drool* Especially the knitting books :-D

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Vanilla.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes. My favorite candy is "salty" - my all times favorite is salt liquorice, but that isn't available all over the world. Next comes the creamy things, like toffee, cream caramels, butterscotch, fudge.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I love all the fiber crafts - knitting, crocheting, sewing, spinning, weaving, quilts, embroidery, felting, lace making, needlepoint - anything. I also love paper crafts, bookbinding and making boxes and paper sculptures, origami and so on. I also love the art of gift wrapping.
Then I love baking and sugar crafts.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like music with rhythm and melodi. I love 80's music and rock. I love baroque music. I like Celtic music. I like Bonnie Tyler, Meatloaf, Seal, Nickleback, Avril Lavigne, Shakira, Seven Nations, Cher...
Toto's Africa is one of my favorite songs, and the Swedish band, One More Time, and their Highlands... *yum*

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
My favorite colors are red, from spicy dark burgundy to warm pink and blue-green - turquoise, aqua, teal, copper green, celadon, peacock colors I am "spring" in the "Color me beautiful" season chart, and I love oriental colors. I hate muddy, dirty colors like olive green and greyish browns, and I hate strong, electric, shocky colors. I don't like blues and purples, and the dusty purples, like lavender, old rose and plum are the absolute worst colors there is. But it depends very much on the company. I like harmonious color combinations and I love colors.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married, no kids, a dog - black and white springer spaniel.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves, yes. Hats, no. Mittens, no. Socks, yes. Gloves, yes. Ponchos, no. Definately not.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like things that are quick to knit and have variation. I am knitting a lace scarf right now, and I think it's nice. I don't mind knitting large projects, or gloves or socks, or so, but I think I like lace best.

13. What are you knitting right now?
LOL - as said, a lace scarf.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, very much so :-)

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Anything goes. I would love to get ebony or "ivory" sock needles :-)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No. (Or to be honest - yes - me and my husband LOL)

17. How did you learn to knit?
In school.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
Very old. Next question ;-)

19. What is your favorite holiday?
Yule :-) But I love holidays. They are what you make of them, and every witch sabbat can be like Yule - it all depends on what you put in to it.

(And if with holiday one means vacation - the best would be one week's cultural roundtrip, like the one I had in Israel... we visited different biblical places, and it was absolutely wonderful. We drove in a bus all around Israel and visited interesting museums and met interesting people and visited places that are not normally available to common turists... I would love to have such a trip in UK with Pagan theme... visiting all the Pagan places... or "Da Vinci Code roundtrip". *sigh*

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Books. Cookie cutters. Foxes.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have any knitting magazine subscriptions. For patterns, see the to do wish list... the peacock feather shawl is high on the list... I really want that one :-) And I really want Nancy Bush's sock books...

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would like to learn any new techniques. I'm currently learning the multidirectional knitting :-)
I am very interested of the Swedish two-end knitting.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I am. My foot is about 3.5" (9.5 cm) wide and 9 3/4" (23 cm) long

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
19th of April ;-) Yes, two weeks ago :-D

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are bamboo.Warm, cozy, and thoughtful, you take your time and enjoy how things feel, smell, and taste. You love the craft and beauty of traditional things, and you value the comfort and experience of knitting as much as the results.
But while you are reveling in your warm cozies, don't get stuck.
Warm is wonderful, but so is the whole wide world!
Take this quiz!




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Project whiplash

So I didn't win last week... :-( Well, it doesn't matter :-) I enjoyed the project and some people liked mine best :-) That feels wonderful :-) And it feels wonderful to have created something, to design and finish a project - and really finish it.

This week the theme is "chic to classic". I wish there was some ideas to help on the way, because I can't think of anything... but on the other hand - that's the point with this whiplash thing! I have the scary and uncomfortable full freedom to do what ever I think depicts "chic to classic".

And it is not so that I don't have any thoughts about this... I am thinking of Chanel dresses and French women, who are very chic and classic at the same time - and Princess Diana (peace be with your soul) - chic and classic... and I was wondering if I'd make a spring outfit to a Barbie... But that's not original and fun! And thinking of chic to classic and fun, then I think about all the women who THINK they are oh-so-chic-and-classic and they are so not... Like dyed poodles... (poor creatures...)

And then I looked around at the whipup.net and now I have an idea, and I think it's a good one :-)

The doll in the picture is not mine, it's "My Favourite Doll" called "Chic Classic Coquette Cissy". I like her shoes... I think she's got "it"... ;-)

Knitters tea swap

I received the information about my secret pal yesterday, and I totally forgot that someone else received MY information! I think I better give that someone anonymous possibility to read my blog and perhaps leave a message :-)

I'm very excited about this, and I'm really happy of that my pal "like all the teas and all the colors" - but leaves enough information about herself and her likings in her blog that I know that there are things she likes best :-) I have already decided what kind of tea to send and what kind of yarn, and now, after reading her blog, I know also what color yarn to send :-) And it's so much fun!

So, you, anonymous friend, in the column right is "my other blogs" - I strongly recommend that you go and read those too. As there's a lot of information to get about me. Anyway, I'm happy about anything you send me. Even if it's applegreen acrylic and Earl Grey LOL Or the cheapest label of black tea you know (because you like it best) and10 ounces of stash ends... that would actually be a good package :-D The moths have eaten all my stash, and I am starting to collect one now, and so far I have a little white and pink sport-weight wool and a cone of red lace-weight wool - and that's it... and there's so many projects with stash ends, so many techniques to train in, so many swatches to make...

Hugs,
Ket

Project Spectrum

Another inspiring creative project to keep me going...
Project Spectrum is a project to celebrate the colors and creativity. It's a bit like Whiplash, but here's the only carrot is that you create beautiful things and make the world a little bit more colorful place ;-)

The color of May is green and the color of June is blue. That is fine by me, because green is the color of Beltane (Mayday) and blue is the color of Midsummer. It is also nice, because I'm in a teal mood right now, and teal is both blue and green LOL