Hobbies and life in Stavanger

A CARDIGAN FOR MYSELF...

2012-01-24T08:27:00.000-06:00

Another old project is done, this one I started years ago

It is knitted in two different colors of a "Kauni" effect yarn, 100% wool.

The wool felt a bit scratchy when I knitted it,

but after a soak in the special wash "Soak"

it is nice and soft and smells wonderful.

Here it is with buttons on, found in my mom's old box.

You can find the pattern here

In need of something easy to knit after I finished the cardigan this weekend,

I knitted these two hats from wool found in my drawer.

A skein merino wool and some leftover

"Noro silk garden".

It is blooming in my window and spring colors on my table

but it is cold and a little bit of snow and ice outside.

Enjoy your week!

JACKET IS DONE..

2012-01-12T13:28:00.000-06:00

First project finished in 2012....

One of my goals of the year is to use wool

from my hugh stash,

and this jacket is knitted with double thread "Bånsull garn"

"Merino-lammeull"

I used mother-of-pearl buttons from my

moms pile of buttons.

You can find more info. about the

pattern in my last blog entry.

Happy New Year and thanks for stopping by!

This is on my needles now......

started years ago..

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!

CHRISTMAS KNITTING 2011

2011-12-28T08:15:00.000-06:00

My knitting this Christmas is a jacket

for my little daughter

The snow disappeared, and it has been time for knitting

You can find the pattern here

TUSEN TAKK TIL DERE SOM HAR LAGT

INN KOMMENTARER HOS MEG

ILØPET AV ÅRET SOM SNART ER FORBI.

KOMENTARER BLIR JEG GLAD FOR, OG JEG

HÅPER AT MANGE KOMMER TILBAKE TIL

BLOGGEN MIN I DET NYE ÅRET!

IT IS SNOWING!

2011-12-21T06:47:00.000-06:00

Yesterday evening, it started to snow!

Two excited little hurried out to make a snowman

It kept on snowing...

and soon a big snowman was up in our backyard

Two cold little ones came in the door

and I had made some Christmas bread,

after reading this blog, it was yummy

I am still knitting on my new project,

next time you stop by, I will tell you what it is!

I got some very sad news this morning,

a dear friend in Houston past away

yesterday, she had been fighting

breast cancer.... .

She will be missed dearly by her

husband and two sons and her friends

all over the world...

CHRISTMAS HOUSE

2011-12-18T15:29:00.001-06:00

WELCOME

to a little sneak peak inside our Christmas house!

In the kitchen is the Christmas book out

and the hyacinths are blooming in the windows,

I need to get some more, these will not last long...

The chandelier is decorated with red ribbons

Birds, ribbons and santa's

are now filling up the house

We always find time for our Sunday walk,

in beautiful, cool weather

And a new project is on my needles.

I will be back soon!

3 YEARS AGO....

2011-12-14T16:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday!

3 years ago, our twins were born at Woman's hospital of Texas .

they are growing up ..

and here they are today !

Christmas concert at school last week

It is a busy time of the year for birthdays.

and party at "Build a bear" today..

I am slowly back to normal after my recovery, and

today I got all our Christmas cards out

to around the globe.

tomorrow is another

party for two excited little ones...

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

2011-12-06T03:32:00.000-06:00

This weekend we made some decorations from vintage sheet music.

Cut out hearts, put three on top of each other and sew a

machine seam, and you have some nice 3D hearts

I made seven in a row, but they will look nice one by one

in a red ribbon too...

I have orders on the champagne santas,

and alot of santa hats was knitted.

Another easy decoration, get out your glue gun,

a nice basket, ribbons and some nuts,

and in one, two, three you have another decoration!

Have a nice week!

GETTING BETTER....

2011-12-03T05:09:00.000-06:00

It has taken a while to recover from my surgery.

But now I am getting better day by day and some

knitting energy is back...

I have finished this sweater ....

with yarn from "Wool in the Woods", it contains 2% poly,

that looks like snowflakes on the yarn,

not easy to get in the picture.

Also knitted this easy cowl, it was a kit that I bought

at "the Wool shed" when I visited Aberdeen earlier this year.

Wonderful soft cashmere wool.

Now it is time to get out Christmas decorations, back soon!

Have a wonderful week end!

QUILTFESTIVAL in HOUSTON

2011-11-28T09:27:00.002-06:00

I have been away for a few weeks,

visiting Houston and the quilt festival

and as always, it is crowded, but fun!

It was nice to see my daugher, and to visit friends.

I have been shopping,

and eating!

Christmas decorations was out

and the weather was nice

this is a Victorian house in the little town where

my daugher's university is

the university campus is lovely with tall trees.

On the way up to the small town where the university

is, we drive by this, a 18 wheeler on a pole!

Home again and this is where I have spent the last weeks.

I had a surgery and now I am just waiting for my energy

to get back.

Back soon, I hope!

Just another pillow.....

2011-10-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

Some years ago I bought the book "Great American Aran Afghan" also

called GAAA, and with big enthusiasm

I started to knit the first blocks of the 24 different ones in this

beautiful afghan..

After 5 blocks I gave it up, it was too much

work, and the blocks were getting more and more difficult,

so I sold the book and put the project away.....

The blocks just showed up again while

I was unpacking another box in the attic

I saw four of the blocks together, and with big brother's

old jeans as backing,

It is now our new pillow!

I am enjoying the dark autumn evenings in my corner,

enjoying my favorite cup of tea and knitting socks for the

toodlers while the rain is tromming on the windows...

Have a nice evening and thanks for stopping by!

FIGGJO turi - design UPDATE!

2011-10-14T03:40:00.001-05:00

Earlier this year, I wrote about my Figgjo collection,

and I could not decide which one to collect,

Lotte or Market by "Turi-design"...

As you can see here, I decided on "Lotte"

I love the simplicity of the form and intricacy

of the silkscreened line drawing..

The color palette of blue, violet and olive green on

white background is quite unique as well

I am still adding on to my "Lotte" collection ..

HAVE A NICE WEEK END!

MITTS FOR MY LITTLE PRINCESS

2011-10-04T04:14:00.000-05:00

I have crochet fingerless mitts for my little princess ,

I did not have any pattern,

but had seen some similar pictured in a magazine.

I used Drops alpacca wool and needle nr. 3,5.

I am very pleased with the way they turned out,

and so is my princess!

If you like to order some for a princess in your life,

I sell them in my epla store...

Have a good week and thanks for stopping by!

WELCOME AUTUMN!

2011-09-27T04:23:00.000-05:00

Wonderful autumn, with all my favorite colors!

Will you come along on our Sunday walk?

The royal manor, Ledaal, has a nice garden with tall trees,

this time of year we are looking for chestnuts

Alot of leaves to run into and play with

Next stop is to look at the fishes

Patches with colors everywhere

We found this tree in a garden,

it looks like a big Celtic knot...

We always bring some bread for the birds

Back home to do the last finishing touches on the two

"Marius" sweaters.

With very good help from a friend, the twins now have

one each!

Enjoy your day!

APPLE TREE, APPLE MITTS and APPLE CAKE...

2011-09-16T07:31:00.002-05:00

Wonderful blue skies and apples are just waiting to be picked

Fingerless mitts in Autumn colors on my needles

This is my simplified version of a pattern

found in a knitting magazine

I used wool from my leftover stash for my

apple mitts

Apple cake, just out from the oven...

it smells wonderful!

Enjoy your weekend, bake an apple cake !

SEPTEMBER, ALREADY???

2011-09-02T08:21:00.002-05:00

A new month already, fall is a busy time for everyone...

Today, suitcases are packed with all favorites...

ready for new adventures..

beautiful silk yarn for a easy travel project

little sisters sweater is nearly done, just need another evening.

Look at this cute crochet hat, I bought it here

and it came in the post yesterday, together

with a nice card. We love it!

Have a wonderful September everyone!

SUMMER IN AUGUST

2011-08-23T15:09:00.000-05:00

We have had some beautiful summerdays lately

and I can still sit outside knitting

and this is how far I am on the twin`s

traditional Norwegian cardigans "Sirdal"

I am knitting them in size 6 years and they are big,

I will put them aside and do the sleeves next year

and as you can see, something new is already on my knitting

needles, the sweater "Marius". Red for little sister and

little brother will get a blue one

Little brother`s quilt top "cars" is done and it is on the

way to be macine quilted by Sharon

Everyone is enjoying the last taste of summer, and this week school

started again

and our little ones are already in preschool

Cruise ships are still arriving at the harbour and the town

is filled with tourists

Have a nice week

and thanks for stopping by!

KNITTED SUMMERTOP

2011-08-08T14:34:00.000-05:00

This weekend I finished a summertop I have knitted for myself

I found the pattern here,

and I knitted in some cotton yarn I had in my stash

I have used this cotton yarn before and I like it, but

cotton is not my favorite yarn to knit, so now I am back

to work on the traditional jackets for the twins...

update will come soon, I hope...

Happy knitting week!

EASY SUMMER BAGS AND QUILTS

2011-08-04T06:43:00.000-05:00

My sewing machine has been busy, sitting outside in my favorite spot

several bags has been made, small ones and

bigger ones, and also some easy baby quilts

some for friends and some for

my online baby store ...

Nice and easy summer projects!

ENJOY YOUR DAY!

Cath Kidston projects

2011-07-31T12:13:00.000-05:00

I finished my Cath Kidston projects from the book "Sew!"

The small bag is cute

and the pillow matches my curtains

I also finished my blue and white tablecloth,

the lace I planned to use for the edge was too small

so I used some ric-rac ribbon instead

Looks good together with my new blue and white collection from Green Gate!

Have a wonderful summer week!

NORWEGIAN BACK PACK

2011-07-22T05:22:00.000-05:00

Inspired by a blog, I made my own version of the

leftover yarn knitted backpack...

I only used wool yarn that was in my stash..

It is fully linned and the only things that I needed was

the Norwegian ribbons for the handles

and a small Norwegian flag

it took a while to make, because I had no actual pattern...

but it is an original and it will travel with our daughter

back to the US next month...

A busy weekend for all of us is coming up,

hope you have a nice one too!

NORWAY IN A NUTSHELL

2011-07-13T05:36:00.000-05:00

We have been back in Norway for a year now, and it is time

to be tourists in our own country...

We traveled with the ferry to Bergen

and then with train to Voss

and stayed in this historic hotel,

wonderful service and children friendly!

the journey continued by bus

through a mountainous valley

and down a spectacular hairpin road which twist and turns

then a fjord cruise between Gudvangen to Flåm

spectacular waterfalls

and beautiful villages along the way

we have a saying in Norway that goes somehow like this:

there is no bad weather, just bad clothing....

then we arrived in Flåm and spent a night at a hotel

and next morning a train journey on the Flåm Railway

with impressive waterfalls

and magnificant mountain scenery, another train journey from Myrdal

back to Bergen

We spent a few days in Bergen

including a visit to the aquarium

then the ferry back home!

Ofcourse I had to knit on our trip, and it resulted in

these two hats

which I felted in the washing machine

one is for our princess and it fits perfect,

good for the coming winter!

I hope you enjoyed our Norway trip,

thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a comment!

Have a wonderful summer!

TRADITIONAL KNITTING...

2011-06-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

On my knitting needles now are two projects....

I am knitting traditional Norwegian cardigans for the twins..

One in dark grey for him and one in light grey for her.

Using 100% wool yarn (I do not like superwash) and the pattern

is called "Sirdal". Knitting in size 6 years, so they will grow into them.

I got the magnetic chart holder from a dear friend, it is perfect for

this.

A trip to the library and I found this book

I have fabric ready for two of the projects in the book

and some squares are ready to be sewn into an easy

tablecloth

Maybe tomorrow?

PINK FLOWERS....

2011-06-21T09:25:00.000-05:00

It is time for pink! Pink flowers and pink candles..

The candle is "Pink sands" from "Yankee Candle"

I have been collecting old coffee cups..

Old cups and saucers with pink flowers

Pink flowers and lace curtains....

My sewing machine has been busy...

making big summerbags to be filled with

books and latest knitting project.....

Have to sew some more, they both "walked"

out the door before I was able to put them

for sale on line...

and of course, I have baked bread again...

and harvest rhubarb from my garden for dessert today..

Have a nice week!

BETWEEN RAINFALLS......

2011-06-03T07:46:00.001-05:00

Norwegians are always concerned about the weather,

will it be rain or sun this weekend?

it has been cold....

and we have had alot of rain in the month of May.....

But the flowers are blooming in my garden..

the Wisteria is climbing along the fence...

beautiful colors...

and I have to admit, I LIKE the rain....

wonderful, grey, rainy days....

after 9 years living in the hot, humid weather....

I prefer this...

I can put on my raincoat and walk to the lake

and meet this little family...

or I can walk down to the harbour and look at the cruise

ships visiting for the day...well, they probably prefer sunshine...

I have had a nice visit with my sewing machine,

and made some little things for my store...

cosy bags for the tea candles...

I have baked bread again, it is Friday...

and believe it or not, the SUN is shining today, and we will

have dinner outside this evening and two birthdays will be

celebrated on Sunday!!

HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND TOO,

AND THANKS AGAIN FOR

STOPPING BY!

ANOTHER KNITTED DRESS

2011-05-25T15:11:00.003-05:00

Here is another dress I have just finished knitting

for my little princess..

Knitted in "Woolmeise" and the color is "Frosch"

This dress is called "Elvira" and you can buy the

pattern here

Two small buttons in the back

I just have to show you this beautiful quilt

it belongs to a friend. It is nearly done,
she will finish it off with a flying geese border....

Baked bread again today!

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

BACK FROM VACATION

2011-05-14T08:23:00.000-05:00

We have been back to Houston for a couple of weeks of vacation

It was record heat for the time of year the day we arrived

We visited familiar places,

shopping, but it is limited how much summer clothing

you need when you live in Norway...

We had alot of good sushi

Ummm....

Had some wonderful days in Galveston

on the beach

visited some of the beautiful,

historic houses in Galveston

and enjoyed a crawfish boil

I finished the little dress called "Fiona" on my trip

knitted in "Alpaca" from "DSA"

and on my needles now, is another

little dress, "Elvira". This time I am knitting

with the popular "Woolmeise" yarn

the color is "Frosch".....

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for visiting!

WELCOME TO STAVANGER!

2011-04-13T07:12:00.000-05:00

A beautiful morning in Stavanger

and I will like to invite you on my morning walk

around my home town

When the weather is nice like today

it is like the old town is waking up

just within a month the harbour will be filled with cruise ships

and the narrow streets of "old Stavanger"

with it's beautiful old white houses

will be filled with the colours of summer flowers

and hundreds of people visiting

from all over the world

visit the canning museum

or just take a stroll around

This summer will be filled with activites around the harbour

with the Tall ships race, beach volleyball, food festival

just to have mentioned a few....

VELKOMMEN!

I hope you like my walk this morning,

enjoy and welcome to Stavanger!

FIGGJO turi - design

2011-03-31T06:38:00.000-05:00

I started a few years ago to collect these.

I could not decide if I would collect the green serie called "market"

or the blue one, called "Lotte"

So I started to buy a some of each

Both patterns was designed by Turi Gramstad Oliver who

started with Figgjo in 1960

Finally I made up my mind, and the green ones need to leave me...

To make room for more of the "Lotte" design...

Which of the designs did you like the best?

Do you want to trade?

KNITTING FOR MYSELF

2011-03-25T09:43:00.000-05:00

Just for myself this time, I have knitted a neck and mitts.

Used a luxurious knitting yarn with a blend of Qiviuk

(a kind of bison) merino wool and silk.

A good friend gave it to me last year,

I used it all, just a tiny little bit left.
Both patterns found on Ravelry.

Beautiful weather this morning, maybe it will last

for the week end

The garden is ready for a little yard work

Baked bread again today

And the little ones are back to school after a week

home with the flu

Have a wonderful week end!

DID I SAY SPRING......

2011-03-12T05:03:00.000-06:00

Well, I think spring will wait a little longer, we woke up

one morning with snow again...

I have been to the antique store and found this

beautiful things.....

Spring is in my window

and the twins enjoy the snow

Early morning in kindergarten

Saturday today, we have a cake in the oven

and good friends are coming for dinner!

Have a nice day!

WOOLMEISE

2011-03-09T10:44:00.000-06:00

I got my first skein of Woolmeise yarn,

the color is "Granatapfel"

and I knitted this

simple scarf in just garter stitches.

I found the pattern on Ravelry and it is called

"Hitchhiker". I followed the pattern, just added

some beads.

I have to admit, I have already got my second

skein of Woolmeise in house for my next

project....

We enjoy the quiet week of winter break in town

baking and knitting!

SPRING IS HERE!

2011-03-05T09:46:00.000-06:00

We went for a walk around the lake today in wonderful sunshine.

It is the winterbreak week in Stavanger this coming

week and we are staying home and hopefully enjoy

more of beautiful days like today

most of the ice on the lake has melted

you can nearly hear the spring flowers are popping up..

Just a few more months and we will have green grass

We always pass this house on our way home,

I think it is such a nice house

and we have a little bit of Texas around our lake....

Hope you all enjoy your week end like we do!!

A COLD WEEK

2011-02-28T12:35:00.000-06:00

Winter returned to Stavanger last week with snow for a few days

I had two of my big quilts washed and hung out to dry

and they both turned out great

even this one, which has wool batting.

I always use color catcher, just incase some

of the fabrics will bleed

It was nice with some sunny days

Bread is baked and another week has started

Have a creative week everyone!

You will find me in my sewing room....

FOR SALE!

2011-02-20T07:33:00.002-06:00

Two "old" projects are finally finished.

The jacket is handknitted in 100% wool.

Handwash only and the size is S.

The sweater is a classic cable sweater. It is a lot of

work, and it has moved from Norway to USA twice

on the knitting needles!

Unfortunatelly, the size is too small for me,

this is probably a size XS.

Handknitted, 100% wool, handwash.

If you are interested in any of these, let me know

and I can send you measurements!

Have a nice Sunday!

Never too late...

2011-02-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

to finish a project. Here it is, nearly finished for years..

My plan was to hand quilt the outer border, but when

I found a roll of "Borders made easy", I quickly changed

my mind.

The twins have got new hats. A friend had one on her blog,

and we found the pattern here.

These hats are so quick and fun to knit, I have

already made a new one for the princess,

hers was a bit too big

Baked nice bread today, I am on this bread

baking wave lately....and it is fun, when they turn out

like these

Talking about waves, it has been very windy in Stavanger.

We drove out to the beach and watched the surfers waiting for the

perfect wave, look closely and you can see them

This is my next "old" project to finish, and as you can see

from the picture, we woke up to a new winter this morning,

two happy children talked about snowmen on their

way to kindergarten...

Stay warm everyone!

TRAVELING TWINS!

2011-02-08T11:06:00.000-06:00

This year also started out with a long travel, this time

we all needed visas for our trip.

We traveled to Baku in Azerbaijan

It was an interesting trip, but we are glad to

be back home. Baku is not a place where we

will like to move.

We traveled via Heathrow, London.

On the way back we had a 5 hrs wait at Heathrow

and the twins checked out the big bear at Harrods.

Spending several days at a hotel can be boring for two

little ones

but the hotel had alot of room where they could run

The jacket is done, but I need to get some new buttons.

Have a nice week!

NY JAKKE TIL LILLE PRINSESSEN

2011-01-25T16:44:00.003-06:00

Mangler bare et nøste til å gjøre ferdig hetten

på jakken til min lille prinsesse..

Jeg hadde en pakke med dette garnet, og utrolig nok,

i et Dalegarn 218 hefte fant jeg et mønster på jakke

strikket i akkurat dette garnet, men her heter

garnet Ara. Garnet jeg hadde er kjøpt i USA.

Strikket på dobbelt garn har det gått med utrolig

mye garn. Brukte opp hele pakken på 10 nøster

og må kjøpe 2 ekstra. Den er strikket i str. 2-3 år.

I morgen tidlig drar vi ut på årets første reise,

turen går først til London og så videre derfra.

Hvor? Følg med.... vi er tilbake om en ukes

tid..

KNITTING HATS WEEK END

2011-01-16T15:02:00.004-06:00

We have had a stay at home week end. Cartoons on tv, a lot of snack and fire in the fireplace. We have stayed in the sofa and I have knitted hats

Balaclava hats for the little ones, knitted in a wonderful, soft wool yarn that I bought at "The Hen house" some years ago.

Unfortunately, the little ones are sick again, this little boy is not feeling well, I hope they will get better soon.

Knitted a hat for myself, knitted in "Cascade 220 heather". I found the pattern in "Interweave Knits winter 2009"

And a hat for big sister, knitted in a soft, wool/mohair blend yarn, the same yarn that I used for little sisters jacket and the pattern is here

Now my knitting needles will be put away for a while, I need to handquilt a small wallhanging that has been put away for years.

Have a creative week everyone and thanks for stopping by!

INSPIRED

2011-01-11T09:16:00.000-06:00

This time I got inspired from a blog. I cannot remember which blog it was, but I thought it was such a great idea:

A bag for your gingerbread cookie cutters!

Mine used to be kept in a zip lock bag, now they are in a pretty bag with the recipe written on the front. Thanks to the owner of the blog that I cannot remember the name of....

I even had some small buttons shaped like cookie cutters that I put on the strap!

My next inspiration was a movie that I saw a couple of weeks ago called "The Golden Compass". The girl in the movie had such a pretty handknitted hat that I had to try to knit one for my little girl. I used some yarn that I had in my stash, "Wool in the Woods" and it is so pretty! When the light or sun shines on it, it looks like it has tiny snowflakes on.

In my stash, I have a lot of vintage kitchen towels. Now I embroider monograms on them. Great gift idea!

FIRST PROJECT FINISHED

2011-01-07T04:42:00.000-06:00

The first finished project this year is my small version of the shawl called "Mrs. Barista". Thanks to "Pinneguri" for good instructions. You can find the pattern here

I am glad I did not make it any bigger, now it is the perfect size to use as a scarf. I have too many shawls that are too big to wear under a jacket.

I love it and it will be used a lot. It is knitted in two different yarns, the light one is Alpaca from Drops and the other one is "Tynn Alpakka" from DSA.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a wonderful winter weekend, I am busy working on my next project this year.

GODT NYTTÅR!

2010-12-31T10:11:00.000-06:00

På årets siste dag vil jeg få ønske alle dere som leser min blogg og spesielt dere som følger bloggen min trofast, et

RIKTIG GODT NYTTÅR!

Happy New Year!

Vårt flotte juletre skal få stå i noen dager til

Our beautiful Christmas tree will stay a few more days

Idag regner det og snøen smelter

Today it is raining and the snow melts

Nå er kalkunen i ovnen, brødene er bakt
The turkey is in the oven and the breads are baked

Nå er alt klart og gjestene kan komme!

Everything is ready and the guests can come!

Ha en flott nyttårsaften!

Have a nice new years eve!

WINTER WONDERLAND!

2010-12-25T09:36:00.000-06:00

We have winter wonderland here in Stavanger, what a beautiful Christmas!

Twins got their first lap top from Santa!

Merry Christmas from all of us!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-24T03:31:00.001-06:00

Julaften morgen hjelper de små med å lage julegrøten til nissen.

Christmas morning and the little ones are helping with making the Santa's porridge.

Vi har mye snø, det snør fremdeles

We have a lot of snow and it is still snowing

Julebyen er oppe og her er alt man trenger

My Christmas town is up and here is everything you need

Antique store and a quiltstore

a bar & grill

and it has a pub at the corner

God Jul til alle som leser, tusen takk til dere som følger bloggen min og legger igjen en kommentar, det setter jeg stor pris på!

Merry Christmas to everyone that is reading and thank you very much to those of you who are following my blog and leaves comments, it is very much appreciated!

Et juleønske....

2010-12-21T00:40:00.002-06:00

som dere ser så har jeg prøvd meg fram litt med "lay outen" på bloggen min, men får det ikke helt til....

Det er så mange flinke bloggere så nå håper jeg at noen kan spandere et par minutter på meg ....

Jeg vil gjerne ha bloggen helt enkel med et bilde øverst, men jeg vet ikke hvordan å unngå disse "customized templates" og når jeg prøver å legge inn bilde øverst så blir det altfor stort, selv om jeg krysser av på "shrink fit", noen som kan hjelpe?

IT IS SNOWING!

2010-12-16T06:52:00.000-06:00

We woke up this morning to a little bit of snow, but it has been snowing all day and it is beautiful!

I brought my camera with me downtown going to the post office

I did all the Christmas cards yesterday, if you are a very good friend you have got a card with the twins on, sorry, I did not order enough. I do a lot of Christmas cards to all over the world, wow, that was very expensive to mail all of them, maybe I will start sending mine as a e-mail next year, as so many are doing.... but I personally prefer a card in the "real" mailbox...

It is still snowing, this is from the garden

Next time I will welcome you to my Christmas house

2 YEARS TODAY!!

2010-12-14T04:01:00.001-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Time is flying!

Here they are nearly two years ago

They enjoyed their birthday party on Sunday with guests and presents,

today they have cake in kindergarten!

A NEW FRIDAY

2010-12-10T01:54:00.001-06:00

Early morning and dark outside, too dark to get pictures in the snow...

As you can see, I have a good start in getting my house ready for Christmas, this beautiful wreath is up, given to me by a good friend!

Yesterday I baked bread and the first Christmas cookies are done.

I love hyacints and they are placed all over the house

The little ones are turning 2 on Tuesday and this week end we will celebrate their birthday!

Have a nice week end!

TIME...

2010-12-03T02:44:00.000-06:00

A word I hear over and over again is "busy", I am so busy ..... everyone tells me how busy they are. I am too, but am I??
Today we have Facebook and people are connecting with friends from all over the world and they have 500+ friends and still collecting, no wonder they are busy, trying to keep up with all those "friends". ....
In the newspaper today I read a quote saying "it is not everything that you do that in the end kills you, it is everything that you don't get done..." It is so true....
Sit down, relax, take a deep breath, think, I believe the best thing you can get your friends for Christmas is TIME, give some of your "busy" time, it is better than the most expensive gift, and isn't it so that time is money?
Guess what I am wishing for Christmas this year... right, TIME!!!

Have a good week end with these wonderful old fashion Friendship quotes and cards that I got from a dear friend this morning...

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.

DECEMBER 1

2010-12-01T07:27:00.001-06:00

Christmas is a bit delayed in our house this year. I have been sick and in hospital. Now I am working for "half machine" and hoping with some help to get everything up within this week...

Before I got sick I made this year's santa, and that is a snowman this year. For those of you that are following my blog know that I am making a new one each year.

I also made a new table runner... and you can see that on my needles is the shawl "mrs. Barista" and she will not get any bigger, I am now finishing it, enough is enough, too much work and the little ones still need alot of warm knitted stuff..

Got my self a new tool, maybe I will try it out on the Christmas cookies? Very cool, it was hard to choose color!

Stay warm everyone!

NEW VEST AND MORE KNITTING

2010-11-23T08:57:00.000-06:00

I finished the vest that has been on my needles for a while and I love it! It is nice and warm and the color is beautiful, not easy to describe this color, dusty rose, dusty lilac, beige/pink....

And I could not stop knitting, this morning I knitted these, do you want a pair? Let me know, and I will knit you a pair....

Stella is in the window wondering when we are going up in the attic to unpack more boxes.... yes, there are more...

IN THE AIR AND ON THE ROAD

2010-11-07T09:45:00.002-06:00

October came and went very fast and it is already a month since I had any news on my blog....

We left Stavanger and the house, still unpacked and curtains still not done, (hopefully I will get some help in the new year) and went on vacation!
Back to Houston for nearly two weeks and the weather was still hot, record heat for that time of year....
A real vacation, staying in hotels and eat out every day, yummi. I do not need to tell that I put on all the weight that I lost in the three months back home....

The twins have traveled much for their young age..

They keep us entertained on the plane, sickbags can be a hats...

and singing...

Nice cows at the airport in Amsterdam

Sunset on 59

Picture take from the hotel window, looks like an UFO is landing at Galleria...

After a long drive ....

meeting both horses...

and big trucks with cars...

we came to a small town in Texas where big sister is studying

AUTUMN

2010-10-08T08:20:00.000-05:00

We have a beautiful autumn day today! A couple of days ago we had what they called record rain, but compare with Texas rain or the rain we experienced visiting Thailand, it is not much.

Today the little ones stayed home from kindergarten and we went for a long walk in the woods close to our house. I enjoyed my afternoon tea in my garden, instead of by a pool eaten by the mosquitoes...... when I turned around, a little guest was visiting....
This was our beautiful autumn day, enjoy the pictures! I nearly forgot to mention, on my needles are "Bee vest" knitting for myself this time!
Have a wonderful week end!

Funny mushrooms

Children were out playing

Beautiful colors

Two happy children in the sun

From my garden

Playing outside

My knitting and a cup of tea

A friend visiting on the fence

A good old friend stopped by the other day, visiting from London, she brought me this plant, isn't it beautiful?

Lovely nasturtium (blomkarse) my favorite in the fall

Clothes hanging out to dry, the best smell ever!

Hope you enjoyed our day, have a good one!

USEFUL THINGS

2010-09-29T04:38:00.000-05:00

Remember the jackets I knitted for the twins? It is so nice that the little ones like the things I have knitted for them. Little brother loves his dog jacket, and little sister loves her jacket too! I knitted a little wool vest for her, but it turned out too small and ended up in my online shop, they are growing fast, keep my needles working!

It is fall in Stavanger and beautiful, fresh air, these are the flowers in my garden now!

I finally changed the name of my blog, now life is in Stavanger, but already in two weeks we are in the air again, have a wonderful Wednesday!

Finally back, and one for each..

2010-09-16T16:24:00.000-05:00

I can see that it is nearly a month since my last posting, it has been a busy month and we still live in boxes. The container arrived on a nice sunny day

and the fun began

It will take a long time before everything is unpacked, because I am too busy, and look here, I am so proud to finally show off one sweater for each, both knitted by myself this time!!

I found the pattern here, it was fun to knit and they have a lot of very nice patterns. I used some 100% wool yarn that I already had and the blue in his sweater was given to my by a good friend in Houston.

The hats also have a story, they started out as going to be a felted bag... another friend had started the project, she ended up not liking it and she gave the started project together with all the wool to me. I knitted a few rows then two seams on Tone's sewing machine (mine is still in a box somewhere) and here we have two hats!!

Thanks to everyone that patiently has been looking into my blog waiting for new stuff and thanks to the new followers!

I know, I need to find a new name, well, still thinking... it will probably be "Hobbies and life in Stavanger" because that is what it is all about..

With two little ones looking into the window of the kindergarden, I will wish everyone a good weekend wherever you are. I will enjoy one with lots of rain! Little brother will run out in the rain and say : bade, bade and jump into the first puddle he can find...

FLOR & FJÆRE

2010-08-19T17:22:00.000-05:00

This summer our daughter is working at a wonderful place called "Flor & Fjære" .If you are in Stavanger between May and Sept. this is a place I can highly reommend. It is an island 20 minutes boat trip outside Stavanger where they have palm trees and exotic plants and the most excellent food and wines...
We were lucky to have a babysitter and spent an evening out there, enjoy our walk through the garden and have a nice week end, I know that I will!

STAVANGER, WE ARE BACK!

2010-08-18T16:06:00.000-05:00

We have been back home for a couple of weeks now, very busy, but enjoying picking strawberries in the garden

being a tourist in our home town and take friends on sight seeing

alot of cruise ships

in a busy harbor

this boat is sailing out to where our daughter is working this summer, I will post pictures from our visit there

A little boy is missing his own bed, staying in a hotel for weeks is no fun, but today was the first day of kindergarten, and we had fun

Where did my brother go??

For those of you that are on Facebook, I will make a journal of all my quilts, it will take a while because I have many... Have a look at "Quilting by Hanne"

FOTOKONKURRANSE “MITT LILLE LAND”:

2010-08-08T08:08:00.000-05:00

Petunia har fotokonkurranse på bloggen sin og jeg melder meg på med dette bildet fra "gamle Stavanger" som viser de flotte hus med et av de store cruise skipene i bakgrunnen. Bildet ble tatt i juni 2008.

Der er mange flotte bilder fra Norge som har meldt seg på, tvi, tvi, skal bli spennende å se hvem som vinner...

MOVING!!

2010-08-04T08:17:00.000-05:00

After many years in Houston we found that it was time to move on! Everyone helped packing...

The cats got in their boxes with a little helping hand..

The kids got into their carriers...

The last stitches were done on a little woollen hat...

and at the end of the day the whole house went into this container

Update is coming soon, thanks for reading! We are ready for new adventures...

FOR COLDER DAYS...

2010-07-15T14:57:00.000-05:00

I am knitting for colder days, trying to use from all the yarn I have. These will warm two little ones...

A small wallhanging, quilted it on my machine....

I have got a new camera, the problem is just to find time to read the instructions and try it out...

Another of my friend's beautiful quilts has found it's way over the ocean....

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your summer!

RAINY DAYS.....

2010-07-02T09:03:00.000-05:00

Rain, rain, rain, I love rainy days....

Little feet in new rainboots...

So much rain, not even the cat will go outside...

Dark, grey days, with candles, favorite magazine, roses from a friend...

a nice cup...

On the floor in my hot, damp sewing room

a horse quilt for a girl that likes horses, and some other small pieces, waiting to be pieced together...

THANKS FOR STOPING BY, AND I HOPE YOU GET THE WEATHER YOU LIKE FOR THE WEEK END, HAVE A GOOD ONE!

TEXAS TWO STEP.....

2010-06-26T14:57:00.001-05:00

Nei, jeg danser ikke, men det er navnet på den quiltblokken som jeg startet her.
Jeg har nå tømt resteboksen min, og det ble til 30 quiltblokker, hver er på 6,5".
Det som er gøy med denne er det at quilten blir forskjellig alt etter hvilken vei man setter blokken isammen.... bare se her...
No, I am not dancing, it is just the name of this quiltblock that I started her I have emptied my scrapbox and it ended up with 30 quiltblocks each 6,5".
The fun thing with this block is that the quilt will be different, it all depends on which way you put the block... just have a look..

Jeg tror jeg har bestemt meg for denne siste sammensettingen, vil bare sortere fargene litt....

Det blir nok ikke siste gang jeg lager denne quiltblokken, den kan bli fin i en quilt med bare et par farger også.

I think I have decided on the last picture. It will not be the last time I make this block, it will look great in just a few colors too..

Ha en flott sommerkveld og tusen takk for alle fine kommentarer, jeg er virkelig imponert over hvor mange som er innom og titter på bloggen min.

Have a wonderful summer evening and thank you so much for all nice comments. I am realy impressed by how many are looking into my blog.

LILLEBROR'S HETTEJAKKE OG SOMMERQUILTER

2010-06-22T14:31:00.000-05:00

Lillebror sin hettejakke er ferdig. Jeg har brukt samme mønster som til lillesøster, men denne gang med flere farger.. Har brukt hva jeg hadde av garn, "Malabrigo silk" og "Malabrigo merino".

Little brother's hodded jacket is done. I have used the same pattern as little sister's, but this time with more colors. I have used yarn that I had, "Malabrigo silk" and "Malabrigo merino".

Lillebror elsker hunder så hans jakke har fått knapper med hunder, hundehus og hundebein...

Han ville gjerne ha den på med en gang, men med 35 varme grader så blir nok det i varmeste laget, får vente til høsten...

Little brother loves dogs. His jacket has got buttons of dogs, doghouses and bones...

He will like to wear the jacket right away, but with more than 90 degrees F it is too hot, better wait to the fall....

Denne nydelige quilten kom tilbake til sin eier igår etter å ha vært en tur her borte og blitt maskinquiltet...

This beautiful quilt came back to it's owner yesterday after being

over here to be machinequilted..

Den tilhører en dame som syr de nydeligste quilter,

her er flere av hennes quilter, nyt bildene og ha en flott uke!

It belongs to a lady who is quilting the most beautiful quilts, here is some more of her work, enjoy the pictures and have a wonderful summer week!

FRANSK SOMMER.....

2010-06-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Vi har vært på shopping. Denne gang fant vi en herlig fransk liten butikk, her måtte vi bare ha denne skjønne kjolen

We have been shopping. This time we found a wonderful little French store, we just had to have this little dress

og disse flotte håndklærne

and this towels

Flere ting kom hjem med oss..

a few more things came home with us..

Flotte tomater er hentet inn ifra hagen..

Tomatoes from the garden..

Denne gang til lunsj

This time for lunch...

18 MÅNEDER IDAG!! / 18 months today!!

2010-06-14T08:51:00.000-05:00

Idag er våre skjønne små 18 måneder, som tiden flyr!

18 months today, time is flying!

Her fra gårsdagens handletur! Vi elsker å gå i butikken!

Lillesøster leser handlelisten..

We love to go to the grocerystore,

little sister reads the shopping list.

Søndag morgen i bassenget

Sunday morning in the pool

Vi er så heldige som har dobbel glede! Ha en fantastisk uke!

We are so lucky with double happiness! Have a wonderful week!

QUILTING AGAIN.......

2010-06-12T15:49:00.000-05:00

En ny quilt er begynt, tenkte jeg skulle få tømt resteboksen min...

I am working on a new scrapquilt, trying to empty my scrapbox....

Mange små firkanter og trekanter skal bli til et teppe som er kalt "Texas two step"

Many tiny squares and triangles will turn into a quilt called "Texas two step"

Det blir en del lilla i teppet, ikke akkurat min favoritt farge, men det er nok grunnen til at det var en del i resteboksen...

A lot of purple, it is not my favorite color, but that is probably the reason why it was in the scrapbox..

Jeg fant "quiltblokken" her. Man kan lage firkanter og trekanter den størrelsen man vil. Min quiltblokk som du ser den på bildet her er 6,5"

I found the quiltblock her. You can make the halfsquare triangles and fourpatches the size you want. My quiltblock as you see it in the picture here is 6,5"

Min neste quilt vil bli denne:

My next quilt is this one:

Da vil jeg bruke rester fra min "Thimbleberries" boks,

nå tilbake til jakkestrikking!

For this one I will use scraps from my "Thimbleberries" box,

now, back to my jacket knitting"

GOD HELG!

JEG BARE MÅTTE.....

2010-06-10T16:20:00.000-05:00

ha en liten pause fra jakkestrikkingen, så jeg heklet disse flotte gryteklutene som jeg først så hos denne flinke bloggedamen. Hun refererte videre til en annen flink dame som hadde lagt ut mønsteret her.

I just had to have a little break from

knitting baby jackets and I saw this pretty potholders on this blog and she had a link to the pattern that was in this blog.

Jeg brukte alt jeg hadde av bomullsgarn rester

I used every little strain of cotton yarn that I had

Idag kan vi høste vår første tomat ifra hagen..

We can harvest our first tomato from the garden today..

Lykken er : NYE SKO!

Happiness is : NEW SHOES!

HOODED BABYJACKET

2010-06-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

I finished the little jacket for my baby daughter. I knitted it in size 2 years so she can use this coming winter. Knitted on the plane...

Feels a bit strange to be outside in the Texas heat, taking pictures of a woolen jacket....

I found the pattern in a Norwegian magazine last summer and the yarn was something I have had for a while, called "Butterfly", it is a blend of wool, alpaca and acrylic.

Now baby boy's jacket is on my needles!

JEG ER TILBAKE....

2010-06-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

til den forferdelige Texas sommeren etter en god uke hjemme i gamlelandet.

I am back in the awful summer heat in Texas after a good week back in my home country.

En herlig uke med laaange turer, frisk luft og ikke minst gode venners lag i herlige lyse lange netter......

A wonderful week with loooong walks, fresh air and good friends.....

Det er sommer i hagen min hjemme, nydelige farger...

It is summer in my garden back home, wonderful colors....

Jeg har plantet og mitt kjøkken har fått nye blondegardiner

New flowers and the new lace curtains are up in my kitchen windows

HA EN FLOTT UKE!

FARGERIKE PUTER / colorful pillows

2010-05-22T18:01:00.000-05:00

Jeg har sydd puter av fargerike strimler fra min resteboks. De vil bli flotte på tvillingenes nye barnerom. 4 stykker er ferdige, og en mangler bakside. Alle har lin på baksiden.

I have made pillows from colorful strips from my scrapbox. They will look great in the twins new room. 4 is done, and one is missing the backside, all are backed with linen.

Den flotte blonden de ligger på er mine nye gardiner, de vil bli nydelige i et sommervindu.

The beautiful lace is my new curtains, wonderful in a summer window.

Ha en flott helg, og tusen takk for alle hyggelige kommentarer og for at så mange titter innom bloggen min.

Have a nice week end and thank you for all your friendly comments and for reading my blog.

17. MAI!

2010-05-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

May 17 is the Norwegian Constitution Day!

Med 35 grader C er det i varmeste laget å ha bunad på for ei lita jente, den ble fort erstattet med noe lettere.

Beste plassen på en slik dag er i bassenget!

Håper alle har hatt en flott 17. mai!