Little and Large

When my little MacOlssons were little, I really didn't do any sewing.  We had our MacOlsson children very close together...December 2005, December 2006 and February 2008!  I did crochet and knit little hats and gloves and cardigans for them.  We lived in a little little apartment which had two little bedrooms.  No room to swing a cat, let alone have a sewing machine!  Now we live in a lovely house, the littles are medium sized now, and I have learned to sew clothes over the last few years.

Knit fabric is great for children's clothes, and adults' clothes too!  What to do with the smaller pieces left over, which aren't really big enough to make their sized clothes, but are too big to throw away?  I have made hats and little baby quilts, but my fabric shelf is still pretty full of smaller pieces.  Luckily my medium MacOlssons have 2 littler cousins....both boys to my son's delight!  So I had fun tonight trying out a new way of using up fabric.  Hope Mr S likes them - and if they are too small, Mr H will soon be fitting them.  So here is the "Little"....

The fabric is what was left over after making a t-shirt, a hat and a scarf - not bad for a metre of fabric!

And here is the "Large"....

It's actually a bit too big for my boy, but he likes it.  And yes, there is enough fabric left over for something for Mr S or Mr H hopefully.

Both the fabrics are from a really nice fabric shop in Laholm in south west Sweden.  It's about 20 minutes from our summer cottage.  The lady (and her fabulous assistent) is just so nice and friendly and always happy to see me!  If you are in that area, I definitely recommend her shop.  It is called Tyglust, and here is a link to her Facebook page. .https://www.facebook.com/Tyglust/

Sew Sew Sew

I think I must be a fickle handworker.  I go through periods of only crocheting, only knitting, only sewing, crocheting and knitting, knitting and sewing, crocheting and sewing, and sometimes all three.   Right now I have one knitting project which involves some embroidery, one crochet project and one sewing project......hmmm!  Apparently there is a handcrafting term UFO -unfinished objects.  Well, I have a few of these.  Am trying to finish off some of these right now.

Anyhow, the young MacOlssons need some more tops.  They are growing like gorgeous weeds, despite the long winter!  I have some gorgeous fabrics which have been keeping my fabric shelf warm, so got cutting and stitching and here are the results.



These two are different versions of the same pattern.  A basic t shirt from Ottobre.  The flowery one is  lengthened to be a tunic.  After I put a picture up on my fb page, I got an order for another cat top!  Last week I received a lovely photo of a very happy little girl in Ireland who got it for her birthday.





These two are Everyday Dress from Made by Runi.  Really fantastic pattern, super easy to follow.  The pattern comes in both child and adult versions, with a huge range of sizes, variations of pockets, fabrics. I definitely recommend it.  Here is her website - and don't be put off by the Norwegian/Swedish.  https://madebyruni.com


The last one was for Master MacOlsson .....the fox lover.  This is a gorgeous velour which I bought from a really nice Finnish designer three years ago.  I cannot remember her name, unfortunately.  He is very happy with his new top, and has requested some more, so for a picky nearly 9 year old (tomorrow is his birthday) his approval means a lot!



I also have a couple of secret projects on the go, but since I suspect the recipients may read here, am not going to show pics just yet.

And yes, I am still fickle.....



This is my pile of granny squares blocking nicely on my chopsticks blocker......

Knit Crochet Knit Crochet

There are so many wonderful knitting projects and so many wonderful crocheting projects.  So many gorgeous yarns and so little time!

I finished the fox mittens for Master MacOlsson, and they turned out very nice indeed.  My nearly nine year old is delighted to wear them.....just not to school.  It is  hard being an in-between age!

You see the gorgeous crochet lying under the gloves?  That was my birthday present from my parents this year.  They found a beautiful crocheted table cloth in Dochgarroch, outside of Inverness.  Wonder if the person who crocheted it ever thought it would find its way to Sweden?  It is absolutely stunning.  I am in awe of the hours and hours of work which went into this piece.

Next project was to be a crocheted cardigan for me.  Well, I made it, and it was horrible.  The style was just not me at all.  The yarn is gorgeous super chunky wool so it is now being remade into a fabulous sweater to the oldest Miss MacOlsson.  The pattern is called Azel Pullover, designed by Heidi May of the Velvet Acorn.  I purchased the pattern on Revelry...... a place where I seem to spend far too much time!    I am making it in size 11/12 years and so far the Miss is giving her approval.

The yarn is Drops Eskimo in blue.  Gorgeously soft pure wool.  The pattern calls for size 9 mm, but after knitting a swatch, I went down to 8mm.  

And have you seen the beautiful new CAL from Scheepjes?   Called Hygge, and so stunning.  I think I need to become an octopus to make all the beautiful projects which are swimming around in my brain.  

Does anyone ever read this, I wonder?  If you do, would you like to leave a comment?  Look for comments, or "no comments .......That is where you click and write :)

On my needles.....

I now work full time, so my mrsmacolsson time is somewhat reduced.  But my enjoyment of creating continues, not just at home now, but also at work.

Here in Sweden, the long winter is starting to make its mark on us all.  I find myself longing for  sunny days and birdsong.  My mum informs me that the crocuses at home in Scotland are coming up, the snowdrops are blooming.   So what to do? Well, you just move the garden indoors.  Mr MacOlsson came home with some daffodil bulbs which are promising to bloom soon.

There is a lot of "hygge" being mentioned right now.  Seems like the Danish word has now become international.......so thought I would share a little of my "hygge".   Knitting was one of the first crafty things I learned to do.  I remember knitting little dresses for my Pippa and Daisy doll.  One of my best presents ever was a little blue dress and hat my mum knitted for my doll when I was maybe 4.

So "hygge" right now for me is knitting.   I adore all the Scandinavian traditional knitting patterns and have always admired Fair Isle and Shetland knitting.  When we were in Finland over the New Year, I was looking at Mr MacOlssons grandmother's knitting patterns for mittens.  Since my Finnish is pretty bad, I could really just decipher the charts.  So now I have two New Year's Resolutions.......learn some more Finnish, and learn to knit mittens Scandinavian style.

I found a cute Fox mitten pattern for the youngest MacOlsson, so have got this far!  Pretty simple, but still a good way to practise, not just patterns but knitting with 5 needles :)  Think my little sister would be rolling her eyes right now at me!!!!

So there it is, my "hygge".