Crocheted girl slippers - Chaussons pour une fille - Virkade barntofflor

My kids have a tendency to take of their socks at home, and since it is getting cold I made them choose themselves what kind of slippers they would want me to make for them. 

First out is the oldest - my five year old girl. She got to look at my yarn stash and pick colors she liked and to choose a theme. Her theme for most things now a day is Elsa - la Reine de Neige, which I had banned this time, so she choose Flower. This is what it turned out to, and it does work - she use slippers more often now! The model is improvised in crochet.

Next up is the with of Lion slippers for my three year old - a challenge I hope to be able to achieve!

Activity Calender / Uppdragskalender / Calendrier de l'avent

This year I made a home made calender for the first time! I have been wanting to do it for some time, but never found enough time to prepare. Actually, this year I did not have much time to prepare either, but it turned out this is done pretty fast. I had already been saving empty toilet paper rolls for a while, inspired by all different things I had seen you could use them for on Pinterest. So I improvised, drawing numbers in different ways on all of them and hanging them up on a thread beneath our "Santa shelf". Good thing is that you don't have to be sure what to put in them until the last moment and improvise day by day. I do not want them to eat candy everyday (already a bit ruined though, since they also got a chocolate calender from their grandmother), and I don't want them to expect a gift every day and become spoiled. So our calender is a mix of sometimes small gifts, tasks, treasure hunts and once in a while a treat. For those of you looking for ideas, here are some I have so far been using:

- Put up Christmas window decorations in your rooms.
- Cut a snowflake from a paper and put up in your window.
- Make a drawing and give as a gift to your grandfather (visiting that day).
- Sing a Christmas song for our guests.
- Do something nice.
- Make a Christmasy pearl decoration for the tree.
- Treasure hunt. Map of the house with a hidden gift.
- Family hug.


In a few I have been adding small gifts, for example I found I package of ten finger animals at Ikea that fits perfectly, everyday there is a new animal.

Interestingly - they are as happy about doing a Family Hug, as they are for a treasure hunt leading to a gift!

 

My Bergen

I finally have finished the first sweater I ever made that I really like! My own Bergen, that I started already in May. It has been a bit slow, but lately I have been postponing putting in the buttons - partly because I was afraid that I would be disappointed by the final result. But no, I am not disappointed!! After blocking, it looks very nice and even, and it is so soft and warm! I think it is so nice that I don't dare to use it in case the kids come and drool and put their messy hands all over it.. :-) Love! 

Pattern: Bergen by Drops Design

Yarn: Drops Alpaca

Needle size: 3

  

 

 

 

 And finally, to visualize the wonders of blocking, a picture from before:

Ready for school! - Prêt pour l'école !

The school where my kids go wants us to bring a net bag that they hang on their hanger to put their slippers in. I made this one for my oldest daughter, and now it was the turn of the son to start school, and the result you see below. I have been using this free pattern for both of them.

Knitted shawl

Long time no see... Summer as just rushed by! Kids home every day, and a month long read trip to visit Sweden - catching up with old friends, seeing family. Busy busy! 

School started last week and life is getting into routines and I am hoping to find some more time for my own projects. What I have done this summer is first to finish the shawl I started in May. I had planned to give it to my mother so I hurried to finish it just before going, always good to have deadlines!

After blocking

Before blocking

In May I also started this sweater, which I optimistically thought would be for cool summer evenings. Well, luckily Sweden had the warmest summer in 40 years and no warm sweater was needed, and hopefully it will be ready in time for the autumn cold...

Lemon-Rasberry filled Cake with Almond paste and Choclate Cream

I know, it is getting repetitive, but I have made yet another cake. This time for my husband. It was really delicious, so I want to share! The cake is made from almond paste, with a filling of lemon cream and raspberries in the middle, covered with chocolate cream and decorated with blue almond paste and silver balls. Yum!

Strawberry Cake for Midsummer - Jordgubbstårta

Friday was the national midsummer celebration in Sweden. As an expat I like to keep some traditions, and to pass them on to the kids. So we made the same dinner as every Swede eat on this day: Herring, Boiled Potatoes, Egg halves, Cold chives sauce and Knäckebröd. Dessert: Always Strawberries! This time in form of a cake. If you want to make your own one, this is how it is done:

Start with making the cake:

(1 dl = roughly one cup)

50g Butter

1 1/4 dl Milk 

2 Egg

2 dl Sugar

3 dl Flour

1.5 teaspoons of baking powder

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Sugar (Change for Cacao if you want chocolate taste)

Melt butter. Mix Eggs and Sugar and add the rest of the ingredients. Bake for 30 minutes in 175 C.

Let the cake cool down and cut in two, horizontally. Add strawberry jam and vanilla cream (I use the labor and secret recipe of Mr. Likazo, so I let you find your own one or buy it premade) in the middle. Cover it all with whipped cream and put fresh strawberries as decoration and enjoy!

Necklace in crocheted silver

Two years ago I did this necklace, I was very happy about it (although I realize now that the photo I made does not make it justice). Since I had the material to do another one and my mothers birthday was coming up I gave that one to her. I never thought that it would take me another two years to actually make another one for myself. I guess I could not imagine that having three small children would be that time and energy consuming... so to have finally done this necklace is also a sign that our family has passed the hardest period and started a new phase in life! It is made by crocheting silver thread, continuously adding sea pearls. Simple, easy and elegant.