Today I do fashion blogging

Hi, I'm home alone over the weekend while my boyfriend is in Austria skiing. I'm going to make a lot of stuff, but right now I just can't get this dress out of my head.



It's on sale, but still ULTRA expensive and I doubt I can make it myself (I can't, actually) and it's just so wonderful. Oh, the pain. It's so ME. I could live in this dress.

On my to do-list for today: tiny pants, tiny sleeping bag, rabbit rattle. And cleaning.
And probably compensating not-buying-wonderful-dress with making-less-wonderful-dress-myself-and-end-up-disappointed.

floating fish

Today I cut some circles out of brown felt to serve as heat protectors for my table.
I sometimes feel I should do something a little more ambitious with my time.

Look at this, for example. So amazingly poetic.

Pimping a stoller

Hi, I'm back from celebrating Christmas holidays and now I'm working like crazy and on top of that very pregnant. So I'm not making a lot these days.

Well, I made something. Saturday I made a new hood for my baby stroller out of this fabric. I secretly loved it for years but didn't find a good use for it until now.

Result was even better than expected: When you look inside, and when it's bright outside, the light shines through the fabric (it's double layered, outside and inside) and the light creates a sort of shade-under-a-tree-effect that I hope the baby will appreciate. At least babies are supposed to like strong contrasts like black and white. That one is covered.
Anarchistic as I am, I also love that it's not a lame baby pastel stroller and that it doesn't reveal the gender of my baby. Which will make someone irritated, for sure.

I wish I could show you the actual hood with the fabric on it, but on Saturday my camera broke. So I can't yet.
I feel so sorry for the camera, computer is still working but the lens can't focus. So It's useless, I have to get rid of it, and it feels like when shooting a horse just because it broke a leg. The poor camera really wants to take photos - it tries so hard to focus and the engine squeaks and screams - but it just can't anymore. I feel so bad discarding it, like I'm some nazi who doesn't tolerate weakness around me.
There is some religion that believes anything has a soul. I recently realized that I have kind of strong tendencies towards that one.

Anyway. So the rest of the stroller will probably be covered in linen. Rain-proof linen, that is. And with some more foxes and berries here and there. I'll keep you informed of the progress. Perhaps next weekend.

Sverker + Sven the knitted twin

All is calm, all is bright.

I make boxes yes I do

from an old issue of Newsweek magazine


and one with my brother on it

How to: for example here. Beware: It's addictive.

Keeping myself entertained

Admiring my new, teeny tiny, borderline functional Lavazza coffee maker!

And my teeny tiny, borderline functional scissors

A little peeking girl next to me loudly identified my scribbling:
"Schau mal, Opa, Sie machen Katzentanz!"

S's new home

Little S moved home to big S this weekend. She was a bit scared at first. (And Teddy Long Arms was heartbroken of course.)
But big S loved her. She also seemed get well along with Totoro, who showed her his favorite chair and made sure she had enough Glühwein and cookies all evening. He seems to be such a nice guy. We felt ensured that she'd be happy there.





Hope to see you soon, little S!

Girl on her way

It seems like we are getting a little girl in April. So finally I have a good official reason for making little dresses and other cutesy girly flowery things! Wohohoo!
I love the whole unisex thing with strong colors and prints with, uhm, carrots and other gender neutral things.
But I'm also a big sucker for french kid's clothes - you know, all those a-shaped little cotton dresses with tiny knitted cardigans on top -ooh- and some proper leather shoes for running around. Aah. Love love love it. I'm diving into patterns as I'm still writing.



This is a baby hat that I made from an old sheet a while ago as a test.

I'm so found of it! I think it turned out just lovely - I so much like the combination of brown and pink. It's kind of cute but not too much. A bit retro as well. It's been warming my shelf, waiting for an owner - I'm so glad that I have a good reason now to keep it after all! And it will be fun to have someone who will wear it!

Bad day Bracelet

I'm having bad day after bad day. Pre Christmas stress at the office and at home as well. A Japanese crochet bracelet kind of helps. (And soon it's holiday!)

This bracelet is very similar to the green one, but a bit more delicate. And with a lovely golden retro button from an old lady's button box, bought on eBay.

Fat yarn scarf

I love this fat yarn - it's some kind of alpaca / merino wool and it takes about five evenings to knit a scarf with knits number 12. And it looks fantastic - the structure comes out so nicely. The only thing I'm not mad about is the color: I'm not a big fan of navy. (Found it cheaply on eBay.) Perhaps I can dye it?

Amigurami S - nearly done

Our friend S's birthday is coming up. And S is one of the people who I know would just LOVE to have herself as a miniature!




So here she is! The hair is not really in place because I couldn't find the right yarn yet. But soon it will be. I'll do a shopping round this week.
S is a shoe designer so I tried to give her some cute sneakers. Perhaps I should make some embroideries on them?

Raw dessert

For some reasons my work has lead me into Raw food lately. It's quite interesting. It means basically that the food is still "alive" - uncooked - and important enzymes are by that preserved, and if you eat like that you eventually feel better. Argument: "Humans are the only animals that cook their food." - Well, that seems to make some sense. Or who knows. Anyway, I made an attempt to make a raw dessert tonight.

1. Mix a handful of nuts and raisins with a bit of water into a paste. Arrange as a cake on a plate. I added cacao to see if it would turn chocolate, which it kind of not really did, but it was still good.

2. Soak a handful of figs for a few hours in water.

3. Mix figs with a bit of lemon juice to a creamy paste. If you have no patience, like me, you don't have time to soak figs so as an emergency solution you can add a piece of banana to get a creamy consistency.

4. Put the fig icing on cake. Top with something fresh and fruity - raspberries were just perfect - and perhaps something cute like almond flakes.

My boyfriend thought it tasted "healthy". I thought it was really good. I made another portion for myself.

Truffle sunday

Today me and Bebé Dragon are making truffles as a housewarming present for a couple we're visiting this afternoon. A bit of licorice powder enhances the chocolate in a very nice way. And there will be plenty left for me.
Since I just learnt how to make origami boxes, we made a box as well. So much fun! Little effort, great result.







As you can see, Bebé is thrilled about the absolutely adorable whisks we won in the lottery at the talented Pia's blog a while ago. Thank you a million Pia, they are just great! (I might turn them into jewelry once Bebé isn't looking.)

Secret Service

This guy has been standing quietly in a corner for days, now.

Comforting

Going slightly mad at the plotter at work. Will have to stay until midnight.
But then my dad sends me some pictures of his little friends at home.



Much better now

I've been travelling

And when I came home there were little orgies going on all over the place.

However - it's all sorted out now. And I have a lot of things to show you, please bear with me.

Teaser: I'm crocheting my friend S, Bebé Dragon has gotten a set of brand new kitchen tools, I'm starting up a sewing club. I made a baby hat. And so on. Bought a new book of crafting in Sweden as well. Lovely.
Hang on, it's all coming soon. Come back in a day or so. Kisses until then.

Too big pants

I made pants for my son or daughter. Right now he or she is approximately 25 centimeters tall, but won't need pants until he or she has doubled in size and come out in the cold. But then some pants will come handy. The lovely rabbit fabric comes mostly from jny design.

I thought size 62 would be a useful size, but something must have gone terribly wrong. Ottobre, my source for patterns, are well known to provide too big patterns. But how would I know exactly how much too big they are?

I'll put them in the "do not open until 2011"-box for now.

Origami Cabbage Worm

Animated tutorial here

Flowery wallet

Finally I found a usage for this wonderful, very small piece of fabric from my mothers collection of "odd and tiny pieces from the 70's."
Very simple construction - you can kind of see exactly how it's made. (If not, ask me.) I covered the backside of the fabric with transparent duct tape (Silvertejp) before I sewed to make the wallet more durable. Let's see how well it works out. I'll start using it tomorrow.

Kusudama flower

Tuesday evening fun

Bib prototype

Last weekend I produced a set of bibs. (Dreggellappar, as we also known them.)
This is the first prototype made from an old t-shirt and some left over pieces of jersey. Fleece on the backside - apparently good since it keeps the chest of the kid of getting wet.
Hawk doesn't care so much about the function, he is much to well behaved to spill on himself. He just likes the look of it.

Tissue covers

Perfect usage of all the small left over pieces. And perfect to send by mail to friends with a flu.

Näsduksfodral alltså.

Tidying up

I bought a 50's cupboard on eBay. Finally my fabrics have a place where they can live.

Tea experiment nr 3 - Disaster!

I had a cotton fabric in a very sharp yellow tone that I wanted to make a bit duller. I also wanted to dye a piece of this white fabric more beige.
I put them together into a bowl of strong tea. Stirred, waited, stirred, lifted up, rinsed.
The result was horrible. The white fabric you see here: Brown spots.

What about the yellow fabric? It became yellow-brownish with the same brown spots. Kind of like a mix of pee and poo. I threw it away.

Conclusion: You never know with tea. But it might be worth trying. But not on your favourite piece of fabric.

Hot guys at the Louvre

I can't help being very found of the Hugh Grant-type of man. And look- he existed for some time!


This guy has been silently watching you from the other side of the café. He slips a note on your table on his way out- it has a poem on it, but no phone number. You didn't notice him before, but now You have to go to the café again and again, to see if he is there. He's not. Who is he? What's the thing with that statue he carries? Perhaps he's just a weirdo, but suddenly you can't help daydreaming about him.


He's just a guy in your class, he's nice and serious and quite smart. Not your type. A bit of a geek (seriously- the haircut!), but he could become a good friend. You and he need to finish this team work this week, but suddenly you realize that every time your eyes meet you get all warm and fuzzy inside and you forget what you just were about to say.


He's taking such good care of his daughter every time you see them in the park, she is always well dressed and seem to be such a sweet girl and you can't help but being impressed by a father who can make braids. Is the mother dead? Did she abandon them? Is there place for a new woman in his life? He never meets your eyes, though you always try to make him see you.


You're at a party, you and that guy are sitting in a corner. You want to talk, hoping to snoggle, you want more, but he's a Guy With A Guitar. He plays song after song - at first imitating his heroes, but then he plays you a song that he's written himself, it's terrible and banal and he has his eyes closed and you realize that he is not even trying to impress you, he is just in love with the image of himself as a guy with a guitar and a girl with sparkling eyes listening to him. You excuse yourself when the song is finished, he's looking up, surprised and annoyed, you run to the kitchen for another glass of wine and someone who can rescue you.

I'm not dead

I'm sewing and sewing and sewing both this weekend and last weekend. And I've got a new cupboard that I'd like to show. Unfortunately my boyfriend seem to have brought the cable to my camera with him on his weekend trip. Once he's back, I'll upload some more pictures. Promise.

Tea nr.2

Encouraged from the success of coloring with tea, I made another body with tea colored bias. This time the end result was more let call it batique: spotty. Especially the edges turned a bit too dark. It's kind of OK:ish and hopefully it goes away a bit after washing it.



But it got worse....

When underwear escape

My bras escaped from the washing bag yesterday. When I took out the laundry it was all tangled up into one single piece. Quèl bordel!