Not much new

Ryan painted this female mallard from a picture he took in Sweden at
Växbo Kvarn, the linen museum near Järvsö. He just mailed it off for a state contest. Here he is with his instructor Carol Noble at the classroom in the Arts of Snohomish gallery. She's been a tremendous teacher and a very caring person. He's now working on a painting from a picture he took of Kronobergs Castle ruin outside of Växjö. I can't wait until it's finished. He is a sweet and funny guy.











Not much new here knitting wise. Sounding like a broken record it's still hard to concentrate when knitting. I'm constantly making mistakes but hopefully this too shall pass. Just a few pictures from my stash. CPY Merino Frappe' and Stripe, and Mountain Colors Twizzle "Ruby River"















Had a nice chat with Barbro this morning. Love those calling cards.
It's so amazing to be able to talk to someone clear across the world
at such reasonable prices now ! This cheered me up.

Another board meeting today so off to work on that ! Besides, Wennie the Corgi, is wanting to play "toy" ! Who could resist that little face standing up on her short little legs with her squeaky toy ! I LOVE dogs. They are always so happy.

Focus on the positive. Life is a blessing and a gift.

Queen of the Unfinished Projects

Started yet another project. I like this CPY Merino yarn so much I bought more. Sheesh, I am addicted. Anyway, I used Merino Stripe-Meadow Violet and Merino Frappe-Charcoal. I like the way this turned out and want to play with a bunch of different color combinations in the future. I'm trying to jump start myself this morning with lots of coffee in my new mug purchased at the Nordic Heritage Museum gift shop. Blue is my favorite color and it has mini Dala horses on it. What more could one ask for !

A second cousin of mine in Sweden works for a logging/paper products company in Växjö. He said he'd like some logging pictures for his office of his great uncles who migrated here and worked as loggers. I've been trying to dig thru boxes looking for some. Here is my morfar in a picture called "The Human Fly" He was a high rigger. I never met him as he died in 1943. I'm afraid of heights so I don't take after him !

He grew up in extreme poverty in Värmland. There were eight kids and the parents in a two room cabin. The second room was for storage. They had no horses and had to walk everywhere. They had oatmeal for breakfast and dinner, potatoes and dried salt herring for lunc everyday. If the cow was giving milk they had that on their porridge. He, his brothers, and father would walk to Sundsvall to work in a large sawmill for some months during the year. That is 380 miles one way ! In later years they would take the train.
Morfar came here to find a better life and he did. I have the contract from the Liner company to get him to Bellingham. It was $100 in 1910 for the ship and train trip. I found you can search on the Ellis Island website for passenger lists and pictures of the boats they came on. That was very interesting.

Winter Wonderland

Much to our surprise it started snowing last Wednesday and thru the night. When we awoke Thursday morning there was 8" of snow. Thankfully I had the day off so could enjoy the beauty of the crisp clean wonderland. Tess and Sherman, the minis, played in it on and off all day. Tess was extra cute by burying her head in as deep as she could and then flinging the snow up in the air over and over in what seemed like much joy. Wish I owned a video camera. Wennie was funny to watch with her body just above the snow and her little Corgi bunny butt dashing thru it all. Mari, our ten year old Lab/Whippet mix had mixed feelings about it all. She definitely takes after the Whippet side with her demur and ladylike demeanor. She hates water and will walk miles out of her way to avoid a mud puddle. In her eyes it is only fit for drinking !














This is my progress on the Crystal Palace Mitered Shawl.
I like the feel of the yarn.











We had another board meeting today for the Nordic Knitting Conference. I think it went very well. I appreciate everyone's hard work. Registration will probably be up by late Spring.
We also talked about having a tour of the Museum's fiber arts related artifacts and behind the scenes collection. That will be fantastic I think !

Nordic Lights Socks

http://spindlicity.com/winter2006/nordic_lights.shtml

Nothing much new here knitting wise. It is still so hard to concentrate. While it was slow at work I found this pattern on Knittingpatterncentral.com. My sister in law forwarded the link to this website. Lots of free patterns.

If my synapses ever start firing again I need to find just the right
project for this Ullcentrum yarn I bought in Sweden. I love the rings of color on the wound ball of two ply. While I used the nystepinna Barbro gave me to wind the lace weight I listened to the soothing CD "Romance of the Violin" with Joshua Bell.

Greetings !

Hello Knit Cafe' Karlstad from Seattle Nordic Knitters !!

Nordic Track

Well, it's time to get back on the Nordic Knitting track again. It's been several months since I've worked on anything Scandinavian. This is the Schoolhouse Press hat I started over a year ago which Wennie, the Corgi, chewed the needles off. She has destroyed circulars, DPN, had her own fiber festival (taken from another blog with the same problem) with roving and balls of yarn. The latest casualty is a ball of kid mohair. Some dog owners never learn !

I'm sure knitting while on a treadmill has been done before but if one
wanted to do that here are a few yarn caddies featured in the Spring 2006 Spin Off issue. This is the same issue that had the fabulous Estonian Sheep Puppets.
I think I'd fall flat on my face though if I tried !

The one above is called "Cabled Yarn Caddy" by Maureen McGinnis Patterson.
The other is " Crocheted Bag" by Meta Thompson.
She was given an old piece that had belonged to the grandmother of a second cousin on a trip to Sweden. She recreated it into this cute little bag. The way I crochet though it'd end up being big enough to carry a basketball in !

Elvis and coffee

Hey P.I.

There's a whole lotta hunka, hunka burning love here in Seattle when you come visit your family ! The offer is still open. We'll go to the all you can eat fried peanut butter and banana sandwich buffet first thing !

Do you know how hard it was to get three very silly kids to hold still
during this picture ? This is a good as it gets. I kept expecting
Graham Chapman to burst in!

How appropriate is this for the PNW Nordic Knitter ?
(and no we don't drink colored water in Seattle as is rumored, I drink
mine with blue milk !)














From Knit Picks

New Designs from Sirkka Könönen !

A letter came in the mail today from Sirkka Könönen with
two of her new brochures with new designs plus a few familiar
favorites. I LOVE the colorwork ! Included is some metalwork also but
that is for another entry !







My absolute personal favorite !


We are trying to work out the high finances for purchasing two of her
fabulous scarves. I can't wait until they finally come to my doorstep.

I am midway down the first sleeve of my Lumpy Bumpy Sweater.
Anna has decided perhaps it is not quite her style so I will be awash
in a sea of purple ! I guess I WILL be one of those old ladies
who wear that color !

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built."

Eleanor Roosevelt, My Day and 'This Is My Story,' 1937

Needles of Fire

I check Barbros blog every few days or so and find
something new ! Her needles are on fire !I learned
about Clapotis from her. The top two are Koigu,
the other is Claudias Hand Painted Cherry Chocolate.
Beautiful !

Swedish inspired tattoo !

I was pretty amazed that my 20 year old daughter Anna decided to get a tattoo. Even more surprising was that she had her brother design it as a treble clef with the Swedish flag in it !





It is so great as a rank amatuer to be learning about all the great fibers out there. Read on a Yahoo list about Evelyn C. winning the Buffalo Gold contest with her "Heartland Shawl" I asked her to bring it to the Nordic Conference meeting today. It is so beautiful and wonderfully soft.



More information on Buffalo yarn on
http://buffalogold.net

The meetings for the Conference have gone well. Everyone has been working hard.It will be so exciting. Disappointed Sirkka Könönen won't be there but very happy it's happening at all !

"Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours."

Swedish Proverb

Piecework magazine

If you have the chance, buy the latest issue of Piecework magazine.
It features the history and techniques of Märta Stina,
a Swedish peasant woman who lived around the time of the latter 1800's.
New patterns are included inspired by her designs.
Also included is an article about two-end knitting.




It was so wonderful for me to get to see some of her coverlets in person at the Museum in Härnösand. Thanks again Carol for suggesting that.
Thank you again Cousin Per Ingemar for setting this up, being so patient with my requests, and thanks to Bengt and Ulrika for making it all possible !!

The need for simplicity

It's been so hard to concentrate. I've just been doing totally mindless knitting. The diagonal scarf is with Crystal Palace Merino Stripe "Meadow Violets"








The pattern from Fiber Trends I want to do in the
custom spun and dyed yarn from Kristin.








Look at the wonderful socks Barbro knit. The yarn seems to shimmer. It's Nature's Palette and the pattern is from Knitty.com

Proud Mother moment

My seventeen year old son Ryan inherited artistic talent from his mormor I think. When he was 15 and in that everything is boring and stupid phase I MADE him take private art lessons as he put it.
Well, now I think he is enjoying it more. On our trip to Sweden he was looking for photo opportunities for inspiration. He loved this view of the Järvsö Church from the bridge showing the church long boat.
I think it turned out wonderful. He's been so kind lately. To cheer me up he'll sit and watch Monty Python with me which I absolutely love. Laughter is the best medicine. Nothing is funnier than the "Norwegian Blue Parrot " sketch.

Boy, I better start working on some Nordic knitting to live up to my blog's name !Still plugging away on the Farmhouse Lumpy Bumpy sweater for Anna. Have the body done now onto the sleeves and hood.

Saturday is the Portland Train Knit Adventure. I'm really looking forward to it. I've never been on a train in the US and it's lots of knitting time down and back, chatting with fellow knitters, and enjoying the scenery. Once there we plan to hit three yarn shops and the fabulous Powells bookstore. Kristin has spun a special order skein for me called " Be My Valentine" which I hope to start the Evelyn Clark
heart scarf pattern with. No yarn diet for me ! I'm sooooo addicted ! Thanks Charisa for organizing this.

Listening to Renee Fleming, soprano, her "Sacred Songs" album. Very peaceful.

A pleasant morning

Had tea and scones with my sister in law Karen at Village Yarn and Tea this morning.
She wore this Vogue pattern sweater she knit with Berocco Alpaca/Wool. Very elegant.
Thank you Karen for the treats !





























She showed her Crystal Palace Merino Stripe Shawl in progress using
"Pacific Sunset" I managed to not buy any yarn but was tempted by some Fleece Artist. They didn't have the January issue of Piecework magazine that I've now stopped at 4 stores looking for !

Pizza soccer party in the afternoon and when it started snowing again decided to stay home from my sisters little Swedish Twentieth Day Knut after Xmas Party. I have no experience driving on snow and ice and have a wimpy van which can't handle it.
It is -5 C. Have to keep refilling the minis buckets with warm water or punching the ice forming on the top.

Xena the Wonder Dog does Xmas !

Gave the "Handknit Holidays Hat" to our friend Heather. She's the one who gave me the homespun that's used for the band. She sent this picture today. Isn't Xena cute !

Each day is a blessing

My first sweater in years with Farmhouse Lumpy Bumpy. Just slid the stitches off for the sleeves and it's all downhill from there ! I can't remember where I saw these mesh bags to hold the balls of yarn together so they don't fall apart halfway thru. One of the drawbacks of being on 4 mind altering drugs at once ! No memory !Anyway,picked some up at Acorn Street. Seems to work great.











My sister Tina gave me some knitters balm from a little
shop in Ballard or the " Norwegian Quarter" as someone
put it once.It smells wonderful and feels very soothing.










Worry gives a small thing a big shadow. -- Swedish Proverb

Thank you everyone

Thanks to all of you for kind thoughts, prayers, and more during
this time of strife.

Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief. -- Swedish Proverb


Tried taking pics of any kind of knitting when I could.
These are from the Ängersjö Logging Museum gift shop.

Crystal Palace Merino Stripe

I wonder if they start with a new ball every square ? As you can see my square to the left is pointing the wrong direction !

Got my Hoxbro Wine Leaves Jacket kit last week. Love the colors, don't know when I'll get it done though.

Happy New Year

Life has to be better this year I hope........
I'm listening to Randy Travis's album " Worship and Faith" Alot of old Baptist hymns which bring back fond memories again of mormor and gammal mormor.

Took a Scandinavian Floral Painting Class last Spring thru the Arts Council of Snohomish County. That's where I met fellow knitting enthusiast Karen C. I think we drove the teacher crazy chatting about our love of knitting and Scandinavia. I didn't get my plate finished but it's close-hint, hint Karen !! Stode Church is supposed to be in the middle.