What are my works in progress at the moment? Here are two of my projects on the go, and yes – I have another two I am working on according to my preference. My knitting time is precious to me hence I have no time to calculate the armhole nor wind yarn, when I have moved onto my comfortable knitting sofa. I have for a long time wanted to test out Norwegian dyer Fiber and Art’s gorgeous yarn Vandre (70% Blue Faced Leiceter (BFL), 30% Nylon, 100 g/3.5 oz, 350 m/383 yds) and since she is organising and participating in my Lace workshop this weekend, the time is ripe. Above is the stunning purple with shades of lighter pink (marked dyelot 50 V) in my Dewdrop wrist warmers from my book, knitted using a 3 mm/US 2.5. Nina has a shop at epla and a blog: fiberandart, and patterns in Norwegian for sale at amicapatterns. Contact her for yarn requests at:  nina.hove.myhre@gmail.com.

Second project on the go is a long open vest in my beloved Norsk Pelsullgarn from Hifa. A pure wool which feels like it has quite a bit of mohair in it but it has not (100% Norwegian Furwool, 100 g/3.5 oz, 260 m/284 yds). Knitted using a 3.5 mm/US 4 and available here: ull. Here are some of my previous post on this yarn, if you missed those: norwegian-pelsullgarnfurwoolyarn and more-on-my-newest-favourite-yarn-pelsullgarn. I adore the turquise color and how the cables stand out from the background. The arcade pattern creates a depth and is an additive pattern to knit. I have chosen double moss – again, yes I know – as edging, and I am considering adding an attached I-cord to the outer edging for some extra volume and weight too. I need to test it, or whether I should fold the double moss edge into a hem? Armholes are next so it will not be long until I can show you the result…

The other day I received an e-mail from Tracy Alteri, acknowledged blogger better known as myretiringlife, telling me that she has nominated my blog for the Liebster Award. Even with my extremely limited German I knew that it means “dearest” or “favorite”. This award is actually a way of “paying it forward”.  I did not enter a competition, nor applied, nor was I judged only appreciated by an earlier nominee.  The purpose is to bring exposure to small, wonderful blogs that may not be well known.  I, in turn, will pass it on to some of my favorite blogs.

So, here is how it works:

When you receive the award, and choose to accept it, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you.  Then:

• Pass the award on to at least 3-5 ( I stretched it to 6) other blogs and ask them 11 questions that you have created.
• Make sure that you let them know that you have nominated them!
• You are not allowed to nominate the blog that nominated you!
• Make sure that the blogs that you choose have 200‑3000 or less followers.   Now, I did some exploration on the origins of the award – and some sites indicate that the number is 200-300 or less.  I took the liberty of choosing somewhere in between.

So here is goes, starting with 11 random facts about myself:

1. I knit with an obsession.
2. I love my skipping rope, after re-discovering my childhood skill.
3. My husband is British.
4. I have a younger brother.
5. I love my fashion magazines. Not only to read, but to look and be inspired!
6. Tea not coffee. I stick to tea, I have never liked coffee.
7. Peanuts is banned in our house, since I have a deadly allergy, and have tested different A&E’s after eating them unknowingly.
8. I like Indian movies – the marvelous colors, how a scene usually turns into a song & dance number makes it hard not be cheered up by.
9. I enjoy walking in marka, the forest which surrounds Oslo.
10. Shades of orange are my very favorite color.
11. I enjoy Danish thrillers like “Forbrydelsen”/The killing. Of course, I did not mind all the interest in her knitted sweaters, see sarahlundsweater.

The questions I have to answer, asked by My Retiring Life:

1. What is the one food that you wish you liked, but you just don’t? For example, I wish that I liked mushrooms – but I can’t stand them. Anchovies, so often included in exciting recipes, and I cannot stand them.
2. How many books a year (or month or week) would you say you read? I usually listen to audio books, so that I can knit at the same time. But have found that I miss BBC Radio 4 since I moved to Norway, and have only listened to podcast since our move. I do however have several audio books ready so I will soon be back to an average of 2 a month.
3. What is one embarrassing memory from your youth that you feel comfortable sharing? Attending a birthday party at the age of 10 wearing a new dress my mum had sewn for me in a fabric I had chosen, and discovering they had chosen the fabric for curtains in the kitchen. My mother did insist it was not a kitchen curtain fabric, and I agreed!
4. Hellman’s Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?  There’s only one right answer here – so be careful! I do not like Mayonnaise, and I am not familiar with Miracle Whip – obviously not the right answer. I actually prefer Danish remoulade!
5. If you could do something else in your life other than what you are doing right now – what would it be? I would love to work with an organization which promotes Design and Architecture, especially Norwegian!.
6. Favorite all-time singer or musical group? That is an easy one; it would be Norwegian singer Kari Bremnes. Hear her dedication to the coastal ferry Hurtigruta here:  youtube.
7. Do you like riding on roller-coasters, and if so – do you have a favorite one? No, I do not and never have. The few times I tried I ended up screaming my head off…
8. Favorite season of the year? That would be spring with all the flowers coming into bloom.
9. If you could have one talent that you know you don’t have, and will never really have, what would it be? I wish I could play the piano really well.
10. What is your favorite way to spend time by yourself? Knitting and listening to a podcast or an audio book.
11. Would you rather do the cooking, or do the cleanup afterward? I would rather do the cooking than the cleanup, but somehow I usually end up doing both – hm!

And now for the 11 questions I would like my Liebster nominees to answer:

And now it is my turn to pass the Liebster Award on to some of my favourite bloggers:

• Anna of kuduja.
• Jean of jeankaori.
• Ruth of kangathknits
• Heidi of wool-rocks
• Monique of Grønn Fryd (Green Pleasure) gronnfrydhosmoni
• Nina of fiberandart.

Finally, I want to thank myretiringlife for awarding me, and then pay it forward!

My view from the terrace is covered in white. It has snowed for a few days and a thick layer of snow – more than a dusting, this time –  has brightened up the scenery. The fjord and the sky are at times one, only disrupted by the occasional cargo ship breaking its way through the ice into the dock, which we can see in the distance.

It feels like a clean and a crisp view, where all fallen leaves and bare trees have been given  a brushstroke of paint. I enjoy the dramatic changes in the seasons more than ever, and find peace in the clean slate the whiteness gives!

As soon as I saw this mood board from Clotheshorse, I knew I had to make another submission. It spoke to me with its headline Experimental, which is what I love to do when I design. The ideas might be wackier than the finished result, since I need to have in mind that most knitters do not want to feel like they are making a jigsaw puzzle when trying to join the parts. Where does this part belong? And I am not talking about those temporarily memory lapses knitters have because they are working on several projects at the same time. Especially not in these days, when you can knit a sweater top down without any seams. Perfect for all those knitters who do not enjoy finishing. I however, do just that; enjoy finishing and often prefer a seam for strength and stability but realize they should be limited and not in excess.

Maybe some accessories knitted in the round? I can not reveal a lot except that I was pleased that I bought several hanks of Tosh DK in the popular shade, with the imaginative name: composition book grey, aka gunmetal at loop when I was in London in December. Another favorite yarn with its fabulous stitch definition and subtle hand dyed color variations. Essential knitting information: 4 mm/US 6, 100% super wash merino wool, 100 g/4 oz hanks, 225 yds/206 m. Check out all the gorgeous shades here: madelinetosh. I have also received the extra hanks I needed in Posy from eatsleepknit from the US, it took only 12 days to reach me – bliss! So while I am working on my submission to Clotheshorse, do check out their fashion conscious magazine and study page 62 to 65 carefully – yes, those are my patterns: clotheshorsemag.

Finally, it has arrived! My garment inspiration source number 1, it was sent to my old address – despite me changing the address months ago – so my husband became a courier bringing it back from London to Oslo. It is an expensive look book magazine – but marvelous, it shows the magnitude of designs by acknowledged designers – with 4 large size photographs on each page (144 pages in total) taken at the fashions shows in New York, London, Milan, Paris, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. While some garments like the cover dress is too revealing for most women to wear, I enjoy studying its shape, colors, stitch combinations and fit. Then I begin to ponder how would I make a stunning dress? I would chose a very different neckline, definitely without fringes (read: I leave those to Isabel Marant – she knows how to do it), change the stitching and the shape. Yet, I can do nothing but marvel, at the creativity and ingenuity of it!

My design wheel starts to turn and I can spend hours studying the magazine. I used to buy it at the newsagent at Selfridges department store in London, but I had to be quick since they only had about 5 copies of it. So I was pleased to discover I could subscribe, even at a slightly lower cost, at the American website magazinecafestore. They do offer a large number of tempting magazines, so be warned, but this is the one I prefer that inspires me.

One of my recent discoveries is Design Seeds, found with a bit of aid from one of my Facebook friends. Every day I receive an e-mail with not only one stunning photo and a color swatch to match, but two. It does feel like receiving a dose of color each day, often in combinations I have previously not considered. My own color wheels are spinning, and I feel like an addict to these color matches. It is free, and all you have to do is add your e-mail address. Where – you ask – here is the website: design-seeds.com. Below is one of the palettes I have not previously considered and found very delicate. One of the series is called Mental Vacation and offers just that…

I have also found a new online knitting shop – not very difficult, I admit – after realizing that I need more Madeline Tosh DK, I checked WEBS – America’s yarn store – see yarn, which I know to be efficient and speedy with their orders, just to realise they did not stock the shade I had chosen. Designer Vera Sanon asked where do you buy your yarn in her group on Ravelry, and received lots of answers in addition to the local yarn shop, one suggested Eat. Sleep. Knit – brilliant name, I thought –  and to my surprise recommended by a fellow Norwegian! In addition to a marvelous selection of yarn including Handmaiden and Shibui Knits, they have a speedy delivery, and a very reasonable shipping charge; which is discounted when you order for more than $ 75 (read: not hard to reach that amount): 12 oz/340 g deducted from your shipping weight on international orders. My order is on its way to me! Now, here it is: eatsleepknit

I would also recommend you read Kuduja’s excellent blog post “On various kinds of ribbing”, see kuduja. You will find my opinion there among others and do look at some of Anna’s excellent designs!

Copyright: Geir Arnesen

I am very pleased to show you some more professional photographs of my designs, published this week in issue number 2 of the Norwegian magazine Familien/The Family which includes 28 pages of knitted accessories. Two of the designs are mine: The Open Triangles Cowl & Wrist Warmers and a Trendy Slouchy Hat. The first design, previously photographed on me, see new-design-open-triangles-wrist-warmers-and-cowl is knitted in the soft and warm Lerke yarn, a mixture of cotton and wool, in a zingy blue from Dale yarns using a 4 mm/US 6, see dalegarn. Both are knitted flat and sewn together afterwards with or without a hole for the thumb. The pattern repeat is not difficult, but you need to knit a couple of repeats to learn the pattern by heart, as some knitters have already confirmed here on my blog and on Facebook. Several days before I had my hands on a copy of the magazine, I received the first message that one knitter – a subscriber, obviously – had already started to my excitement!

Copyright: Bjørn Inge Karlsen

A trendy slouchy hat was a design commission I received at the beginning of December, preferably in a luxurious fiber. It is still hard to find pure cashmere available in yarn shops in Oslo, so I ended up choosing an extremely soft baby alpaca called Thin Alpaca, 100% pure alpaca in a 50 g/1.7 oz ball, by Du Store Alpakka in an elegant moss green shade, see dustorealpakka. It is supposed to be worn loosely and looks even cooler when worn with sunglasses. It is easy to knit in stocking stitch in the round, using a 3 mm/US 2.5 short circular needles and a great gift idea requiring less than 2 balls.

My Cablewing Sweater and Cowls – if you need to check photo, here it is: new-design-cablewing-sweater-and-cowls have been sold to Familien.

They are currently awaiting professional photography. I am eagerly awaiting those, and will let you know when they will be published in Norwegian. It will be a year before the rights are released and the patterns will be available in English on my website and Ravelry, but I am sure you have other projects in your knitting queue to work on, until then.