Sunday 27 October 2013

The One And Only Orange

Thank you so much for your comments on my post about language. I really appreciate that you took the time to answer. For now I have decided to continue my english version. I wish I was better in the language. It takes time to check spelling and finding the right words and terms of writing.

I will always be limited due to the fact that I express myself better in norwegian.

But the benefit of being in blogland and communicate with so many readers from all over the world is so big.

I have grown as a crafter and as a person due to the perspective I get.

I want to thank you for your help, for your support and for your comments.

To give something back I have made a polymer clay bracelet for a giveaway. As you can see it has a kind of sea color to it. With a dash of magenta...

But I added one orange bead. That single orange bead is a symbol of daring bloggers that give from their heart and lives. And that we all stand out - and yet stand together.

If you want the bracelet you have to leave a comment before Friday, November 1, 13pm CET. There are no doing this and that in my giveaways - a comment is enough.

The winner will be contacted through email, so be sure to leave your email address if it is not in your profile. You will have 24 hours to reply after I contacted you - after that a new winner will be drawn.


Monday 21 October 2013

I Need Your Help - Jeg Trenger Hjelp

When I went from creating in polymer clay to knitting I ended with a language dilemma. Hope you can help me!!!
I have been blogging for nearly five years now. Lately I have been thinking a lot about changing the language to norwegian. It is so much easier to write and express myself in my own language instead of checking spelling all the time for the english version. I have a lot of readers from outside Norway - and it would of course be very sad to make a language barrier for them to read my blog. I know google translator is very bad - and would properly not be an option for readers to use.

I started writing english because I could not find anyone working with polymer clay in Norway. It was a dead task to get norwegian readers for a blog about polymer clay. As my knitting has taken off norwegian readers has increased. Half of my readers comes from Norway, Sweden or Denmark. It is not an option to have two blogs. Neither is it an option to write both english and norwegian - I do not think that works good on other blogs.

But the question is: What do you think? Has anyone of you experience in changing language on your blog? 

Thank you so much for your help - and for reading this!!!

Teksten på norsk finner du her:
Jeg har blogget i nesten fem år. I det siste har jeg tenkt mye på å endre språket på bloggen til norsk. Det er mye lettere å både skrive og uttrykke seg på sitt eget språk. Jeg har mange lesere utenfor Norge - halvparten er fra andre ikke-nordiske land. 
Jeg begynte å skrive engelsk fordi ingen i Norge holdt på med arbeid med plastisk leire (ex Fimo). Men siden strikkingen har tatt helt av - har også norske lesere begynt å besøke bloggen min. Det synes jeg er så hyggelig. Nå er halvparten av mine lesere fra Norge, Sverige og Danmark. Det vil selvsagt være trist å miste faste lesere som jeg er blitt kjent med fra andre land. Det øker selvsagt perspektivet. Så dette er ikke et lett valg. 
Det er ikke et alternativ å ha to blogger - det fragmenterer for mye. Jeg synes også tospråklige blogger ikke fungerer så godt.

Så her er spørsmålet: Hva synes du? Har noen av dere erfaringer med å skifte språk på bloggen deres?

Tusen takk for hjelpen - og for at du ville lese dette!!!

Thursday 17 October 2013

My New Scarf Design

One day I went into a local clothes store. And the only colors I saw was black, gray, brown and burgundy. For those of us who does not look good in those colors it is annoying. But there are nothing to do about that.

Or so I thought. If you can not find any color that makes you shine - buy the closest and get your knitting needles out. Find those colors that gives your skin and face life. And knit a scarf.

The visit to the shop made way for my new scarf design, Dot the I.

I love dots and stripes and wanted to combine those two. This long scarf gives the impression of wearing two scarves.

It is a great new beginner pattern and an easy task for the intermediate knitter. You will also learn to knit a jogles pattern in the round.

I called it Dot The I - because we are all created to shine. This is the little extra to wear on gray days and when you can not find any color in the shop you like.

The pattern is free for download from Ravelry. If you are a member you can visit the pattern page here. If you are not on Ravelry you can download it here.

Dot The I is both in english and norwegian. Hope you enjoy it - and that you find the colors that makes you shine through a long winter.

Sunday 13 October 2013

Looking Out From A Mystery

The shawl is no longer a mystery. Everything is revealed in all its glory. I have never imagined that the shawl would look like this. I really love the whole thing. 

At first I did not like those big holes - but seeing it all together I changed my mind. They are a center in the piece and make it all come together. 

I love the way the colors play together and that the orange ended up as a picot edge. 

I had never done that before and had to use youtube to find out how to do it. 

The only thing that was badly explained in the pattern. Anyway, I learned so much from it: That it takes a million hours but is perfect for the shawl.

What a fun mystery knit along this has been. Nothing has been revealed until the very last and fourth clue. 

I am so astonished over Stephen West and his knitting designs. 

What a talent and what a colorful and creative man to have in the knitting community.

The shawl is 190cm long and about one meter wide. I was hoping for something warmer but this will work just fine inside or in a warmer weather. I could definitely see myself knitting one in a thicker yarn..

I can not wait for the next mystery Stephen West is coming up with.

The Stitch Story
Needle: 3mm
Yarn: Madelinetosh sock, 3 skeins
My Ravelry Page: The Hole Thing


Wednesday 9 October 2013

When The Yarn Stinks

I put the yarn inside a nylon stocking and wash it free from stinking oil.
Bying yarn from Garnudsalg is like going to a restaurant and being told to do dishes before eating there. In addition you have to clean your table afterwards.

The company sells great yarn at low prices. And that is good - but there is a big catch. The yarn stinks so much from spinning oil and you get stains on paper, projects bags and anything else that comes in touch with it.

Worst of all is that intense smell that does not go away from your fingers after washing them several times. I knew all that - my last order was totally wrong in color from the shop photos and is now safely secured in plastic bags. But that is another story...

Anyway, I bought new yarn from the shop.... Not easy to find a proper red color in the thin wool yarn i wanted.

This time I had some weapons to concur that awful smell and all the oil: Dish washer detergent and a turn in the washer. A friend told me about that and without washing the yarn first it is impossible to use.

So, if you have experienced something like this I share the good advice I got (to do the job the company should have done:
1. Put your skeins in a nylon stocking and secure by tying a knot between them
2. Soak in cold water and a strong dishwasher detergent
3. Sqeese out some of the water
4. Put the stocking with the skeins in the washer on wool program
5. Give them an extra spin after the program is finished
6. Take the skeins out and dry them in a warm place
7. Optional: When they seem dry - use your ball winder to wind the skeins back up. You will then get the inside of the skein out - just to be sure that it dries properly.

So, good luck with it if you try it out. About the shop: They do not have an email address - they only answer questions on telephone... Why did I even bother....