December already!

Today is the first of December and we had a tiny flurry of snow! Am so longing for the first snowfall - everything is so much brighter and prettier when its sugarcoated with snowflakes.

I have been super busy crocheting, so busy that I haven't posted since December. A lot of my friends have asked me to create toys for their little ones, so here are some pictures of the results. My children are thrilled when I get my hooks out - they know that there are some new prototypes coming their way!!!





I made one of these cars for my friend's son Josh. He takes it everywhere with him!






Hello Kitty is really popular in Sweden right now and every toy shop has its own plastic version. Call me oldfashioned, but I like this kind of toy better. My daughters both have their birthdays this month and have preordered Kitty, so am secretly crocheting during nap time and in the evenings.



Flopsy Rabbit.Moomintroll

Teddy Princess Cake
Octopus - thank you Kansas Hooker for sharing!

Tomtar - hang as Christmas decorations or on cots, prams.

Hello everyone!

Its been such a long time since I posted. Where did August go? Oh, I know, it whizzed past in a blur of sun and sandpits, coffee dates and cuddles. My husband was away for 3 weeks hillwalking in the north of Norway and Sweden. Oh, did I ever miss him, as did our little ones. Now he is home again and it is so nice!
Well, I have a lot of little projects on the go - a tea cosy which is nearly finished, new curtains and chair covers for the kitchen, a cute octopus which needs 7 more legs, a spotty potholder and a knitted teddybear. Whew! Some of them are nice just to pick up and crochet when I have a couple of minutes, others require more concentration. Since I don't have many couple of minutes or concentration time at the moment, I amn't making so much progress!!!!!
Mind you, I have 3 friends who have either just delivered, or are about to deliver within the next few days, so their little projects are on the go. I found the cutest little booties to crochet, so hopefully will get those done in time for the first baby visit.
And I sold a Polly Pig!
Photos will follow eventually - I hope!
Thanks for reading.

Polly the Pig

Meet Polly the Pig! She was really fun to make and I think the hardest part was deciding how to give her eyes. In the end I went for handstitched which is much more childsafe. She has been testdriven on my babies and since she ended up being the centre of a kidfight, I reckon this is one I will be making again.

I am now taking orders - email me through the blog! Oh, and please leave a comment at the bottom of this post to let me know what you think.


Coming soon, Snorkmaiden from the Moomins, or as we Nordic types call her "Snorkfröken"

Oh, and this is what we are enjoying right now from the garden...

Redcurrant Cordial /Rödavinbärsaft

We have lots of currant bushes in the new garden, and since I am a big fan of making my own jams and cordials, I thought I would try a new one. Its slightly tart in flavour, perfect for the summmer, and is a gorgeous red colour.

This recipe is for my little sister. She thinks I could be a Scottish/Swedish Nigella! Not sure if I am really, since I don't see myself as some supergoddess with lots of hairtossing, but anyhow here is it is! For the lovely Bronwen.

1kg redcurrants
1/2litre water

Bring the water to the boil and add the currants. You don't need to pick them or anything, just chuck them in, stalks and all. Bring it back to the boil and let it simmer for about 10 mins. Press the berries with a wooden spoon to extract more juice.
Strain the mixture. I have a Swedish saftsil, but you could strain them through a clean teatowel. Let it drip through by itself, takes about 30 mins.
This gives you about 1 litre of concentrate. Measure and bring it back to the boil in a clean saucepan, and then add 500g of sugar per litre of liquid. Add just a little at a time, and stir it well to make sure it dissolves properly. Let it simmer for just a few minutes, then pull it off the ring and just let it sit. A little bit of scum can float up, just skim it off.
(I add some preservative so it keeps longer, but if you don't do that, then the cordial will keep in the fridge, or you could freeze it.)
Pour the cordial into warm bottles and cork them straight away. Let them cool, and then enjoy!

Rödavinbärsaft

Det receptet är till min lillasyster - hon skrev att jag kunde vara en skotsk/svensk Nigella Lawson!!!!! Vet inte om det är riktigt sant, eftersom jag är inte riktig någon supergoddess, men i alla fall, Bronwen, det här är till dig!

1kg rödavinbär
5dl vatten

Koka upp vattnet och lägg i bären. Bären behöver inte repas, bara slänga i de! Koka upp igen tills att de gett ifrån saften, ca 10 minuter. Tryck bären då och då mot grytans kant att få ut mer saft.
Häll ut i en silställning och låt rinna ca 30min. Mät upp den avrunna saften, koka upp den igen. Rör i 6dl socker per liter avrunnen saft, lite i taget, och koka upp igen. Ta bort från värmen och låt den stå några minuter sen ta bort ev skum. Tillsätt 1krm natriumbensoat per liter om så önskas.
Häll saften i varma rena flaskor, förslut genast. Förvara svalt.
Om man inte tillsätta natriumbensoat kan man förvara saften i kylskåpet, men förstås den håller inte så länge.

Success!

Well, since publishing the first picture I have had orders for 4 more teddy bears!
So my little fingers are working hard. Have finished two, one of which is a very patriotic Swedish nallebjörn in the Swedish colours. More pics to follow soon....



Jo, kanske jag borde också skriva på svenska, eftersom jag bor ju här i Sverige med min svenska man och mina halvsvenska barn!
I alla fall, nu har jag fått beställningar för 4 till nallebjörnar. Har virkat en i blå och gul, och den ser ut som den skulle passa bra till midsommar. Ska jaga mannen att fotografera den åt mig, eftersom han är rättbra på det! Bilderna kommer snart..

Almost Famous

A friend of mine has started her own website called Live in Sweden, and I am on it!

Here's the link

http://www.liveinsweden.se/Success_Sweden/13

And the little girl who I made the teddy for was thrilled!!!! She just hugged it so tight and her face said it all. I had made a little bag for her big sister and a tiny mouse for her little sister, and I think all went home very contented indeed.

First publication!

Finally got a picture loaded up! Its a little teddy bear I have made for a friend's daughter. The hardest part was getting the eyes just right as I wanted to make sure they were baby friendly. Let me know what you think!
Next project some baby shoes.....

Beginning blogging

Well, this is a new experience for me. Blogging will be my research for my potential project. I crochet and knit. A lot. Or as much as my three monkeys allow me - i.e. when they are napping! They like to help me, which means the crocheting can sometimes go really slowly, but its fun too. I'm going to publish photos of what I crochet and knit, see if anyone is interested. And how does one make their blog interesting?!?!?! I'd better chase my doonari to find me a usb cable fast so I can upload pictures of my work.
Please let me know what you think - and if you are interested, contact me.