Arty farty photos

Presents for my cousin

Yesterday my cousin finally received her birthday presents - her birthday is in january(...) - so now I am free to post the pictures here. I have been reading a lot about resin on Crafster and seeing all the wonderful things that other people have done with resin made me want to try it too. For a long while I had the idea of making my cousin a bracelet with pictures of her son Kelvin. My first idea was to make it with laminated pictures but then I realised that resin was the way to go. So this is what I did. And am quite darned pleased with it too for a first try!

Exterminate: A Dalek for my Valentine

What says LOVE more than a crochetted Dalek? Make one for the person you love too - you can find the instructions here.

Happy Valentine's Day

Yesterday it snowed

A sweater for a little one

This is a sweater that I made from a book by Erika Knight. The swedish title is "Stickat och sött" (unfortunately the english title isn't printed in the book). It is in fact the first real garment that I have knitted (scarfs, mittens, socks and headwear doesn't count...) so YAY! me. I had the hardest time understanding the instructions though and I will blame the translation before I blame my lacking skills in reading knitting instructions. But I prevailed despite sometimes not knowing at all what the hell it was that I was supposed to do knittingwise and made things up as I went - thinking that it at least will turn into something approximating a sweater even if I didn't do every thing exactly correct. And I think it did so hurray for prevailing!

Now who to give the sweater to?...

Svartån by night

Irish hiking wrist warmers

I made these little babies just recently after finding a quick and easy project that would give me a chance of trying on kntting cables. Found the instructions here but shortened it so that the one ball of yarn that I had would be enough. Bought the yarn from Shilasdair on a trip to Skye last summer.

Stockholm

Umeå stencil graffiti

One of my favourite things to do when I'm in Umeå is to walk around and look at the city - at the things that have changed after I moved and the things that remain the same. Unfortenately I didn't have the time to do so this time because I didn't stay for long enough and there was other more important things to do - such as spending time with family and celebrating Christmas. I did though manage one walk on Christmas Eve and did take these pictures of some stencil graffiti that I found.

If you are Johan - avert your eye now!

What better way to start the year but with some totally gratuitous shots of my beauties - Feisty och Scaredy. This is for what I believe will be a rocking 2008!

2007 is at its end...

Long live 2008!

Merry Christmas!

In a couple of hours I will get in my rental car and start the drive up north where I will be having a Merry Christmas with family (but no flushing toilet - it's a long story...).

So I will be gone from the blog a while but just wanted to wish you a Merry, White and Grand Christmas where ever you are!

Have a good one!

(Oh, and NO DRINKING AND DRIVING, kids!)

Quick and easy Christmas presents: Ornament Octupuses

What says Christmas more than a tree decorated with some creatures from the sea? Let me intruduce you to Jeremy:

He is maybe not the most cheerful type but he is loyal to his friends.

Jemina:

Now she might not remember your birthdays but boy is she the life of the party!

And Lucy:

She, unfortunately, has gone completely insane due to too many blows to the head during fights...

This is how you make them:

What kind of size hook you need is dependent on what kind of yarn you want to use. That in turn determines the size of the finished octupus (duh). Guage is - in other words - not so important.

Body:

Rnd 1: chain 2, sc 6 in the second st from the hook (6 sts)

Rnd 2: sc 2 in every st (12 sts)

Rnd 3: *sc 1 st, sc 2 in next st* around (18 sts)

Rnd 4-9: sc around (18 sts)

Rnd 10: *sc 1 st, sc2tog* around (12 sts) (Now will be a good time to stuff the octupus)

Rnd 11: *sc2tog* around

Pull yarn through to close and leave a tail long enough to fasten the tentacles with.

Tentacles:

Make 4

ch 8 cut yarn and fasten.

Assembly:

Place the tentacles in a X-shape to the bottom of the octupus (thus forming 8 tentacles) and sew unto the body. I have used beads for the eyes and emroidery floss for the mouth.

Now go decorate that tree!

Climate change

Yes, I, too, have heard about global warming and the changes to the climate it has brought about but imagine my surprise when, as I was tending to my plants, I came across this little fella!

Not only was the season wrong but, surely, Sweden is not the right habitat for such a species?

Puzzled I watched as the diminutive creature first came closer as if to check me out and then, after he had deemed me harmless, started to play in the nearest flowerpot.

Mesmerized I observed his careless play and just as I had recovered from the chock of seeing him there I realised he wasn't alone! Another, equally out of place, friend had joined him in taking up residence in the same flowerpot - seemingly just as happy as if she really belonged there.

I didn't know what to do! Could they stay where they were? They seemed quite content eventhough there were dangers.

But would they be safer if they were sent away? And as I looked into their warm green eyes and smiling faces I just knew - they were here to stay...

Quick and easy Christmas presents: A starshaped potholder!

Potholders - you really can't have too many of them! Make some for yourself or give them away as a Christmas present. They are very quick and easy to make. This is how:

1. Since I haven't figured out how to put pdfs on my blog I will have to describe how to make the template instead of actually providing you with it. Well - no worries - it is fairly easy to make. Start with drawing a 35 cm long straight line on a piece of paper. If you are using ordinary A4sized paper you will have to use 2 bits of paper for the template to fit. From one end of the drawn line measure a 40 degree angle and draw another line from it also 35 cm long. Measure another 40 degree angle from that end of the line and draw yet another line 35 cm long. Repeat until you closed the shape and thus made a star. Easy, wasn't it!?! Now draw another star exactly the same as the first and cut them out. Then cut one of the stars in two and add 1,5 cm seam allowance to the side you cut. Then you should have something like this:

2. Still with me? Good! Now using your carefully made template cut 2 pieces of the star from a fabric of your choice (but please keep in mind that you are making potholders so stay away from fabric that might actually melt if it comes in contact with hot stuff (now that is just ol' common sense but I don't want to end up being sued by somebody)). So stick to natural fibers please! Then cut 2 pieces of the half star from the same fabric (or different one if that is what you fancy but bear in mind that these are the outer pieces of the potholder and will show). When all that cutting have been done you still can't put your scissors away because you will need some kind of lining for inside the potholder so that the heat don't travel through. Again - and you probably can't overstate this - do not line the potholder with fabric that says "Keep away from fire" or "100 % polyester" because that would be a BAD choice of fabric. Wool- on the other hand - is a GOOD choice of fabric because it doesn't burn that easy and if it does catch on fire it puts itself out. Magic! So anyway, cutting - cut another starshape out of a fabric suitable for lining. Now you should have this:

3. Right, boring part over, time for acctual sewing. Start with the 2 half shapes. Fold the side parts twice (if you use an iron this is quite easily made) and sew a straight stich. Just like this.

4. Assemble all your starbits from bottom up like thus: lining fabric, full starshape, the 2 halfshapes with the wrong side up, and, finally, another full starshape on top. Pin the layers together.

5. With a straight stich sew all sides together except for a wee bit for turning the pot holder right side out. Don't forget to reinforce your stiches in the start and end by going backwards and forwards a bit. Cut as close to the stiching that you can and/or dare in order for it to get as good shape as possible when you turn it the right way out.

6. Turn pot holder right side out. You can use the back end of a pen or a brush to poke the "arms" of the star through.

7. Stich the open bit that you used for turning the pot holder right side together.

DONE!
Now let's start cooking...