I'll save the world. Check the last link...

I've been doing some spinning. Jag har spunnit lite, 3 hg garn hänger på utvridning i tvättstugan. När man har entyrådigt garn beter det sig ibland som en telefonsladd (minns ni?) så man kan behöva räta ut i härvaor med tyngder på.

This is why I need a spinning wheel. Ni ser ju att jag behöver en spinnrock.

Jag har sytt ett kollegieboksfodral av lite gammalt manchestertyg. Jag fick idén från petalplum men jag har långt kvar till hennes skicklighet. Och sen sydde jag på gamla virkade dukar.

I've made a note book cover from som courderoy leftovers. I got the idea from petalplum but I'm far from her superb skill. And then I attached little crocheted what's-their-names on the front.

Detta är väl jättekul? Om inte helt nytt...

Isn't this fun? Check me out, the Swedish heroine...

Honey, I shrank the bag!

This is a sweet little tin button, from Norway originally. It was on my very first second-hand buy, a hand knitted cardigan a la Setesdal. I was 16, on my own in the b-i-g city of Göteborg (not big at all...) and I had seen the film Annie Hall... I don't know why, but I believed a sweater like that one would complete the style. I loved the sweater but all that remain are the buttons.

I knitted a really big bag......put it in the washing machine and out came this tiny little purse. With a cute button, at least. But it's too small.

Two successful projects

Olle's definition of sudoku "you fill in the numbers real fast and it's super easy". He has heard members of the family swear over sudokus several times. If you didn't know, there are 81 squares in one sudoku. Not 82. Strange thing, he cracked the reading code (honestly, there was a popping sound) a couple of weeks ago. The day after he started counting. Everything. So now he counts the number of words he reads in one page.

Second project. My slippers. In the mossy olive green I love. Sooo easy to make, took me two days - and 45 minutes in the washing machine. They look as if they turned out in different shapes but that's just a mirage/trompe l'oeil/coincidence/not true. Seriously.

Lingerie!?

I've spent the day making panties. Two, so far. I took an old pair and made my pattern from them, made some adjustment and - voila!

An endless row of days of leisure? No, tomorrow is back to work and school.

This is what the golden-linen tunic looks like! What I'm reading? A book about Swedish ethymology - extremely exciting and interesting. Really.

Christmas break is the time of the year for potttering about at home. Who am I fooling? it's always a good time to make use of odd bits and pieces or to make "trolldeg" - troll dough. Maybe salt dough is a more correct word. We had fun making turtles, snakes...

whales...

and a pig!

A zoological, antropologistic and sex liberal approach to home decorations and Christmas

We had visitors this weekend, my brother and his family, from the west coast. They came bearing gifts, among which a little piggie. Immediately made friends with the goat-candle-stand from last Christmas (courtesy of Ylva).

Seems animals were the theme, we also got these!

And a bottle of homemade glögg. Thanks for your nice remarks on my wall paper. It was a hasty decision made when we moved into this house a year and a half ago. This time of year I think it works very well, maybe because the rest of the year I think it looks like a Christmas gift wrapping paper..?

My brother, and his wife and their two teen-agers all left for home pretty early so we had time to fix a few things in the bathroom. A little cupboard from way back got a western pin-up girl fabric instead of the chicken wire I put there when I thought shabby chic was new and exciting - 10 years ago. It was white then, naturally.

Closer......and a real close -up of the pin-up. If you klick on the link: I know this because it was in our local paper this morning. Can you believe that?? This is the floor. Now with the right angle of inclination so the next person in line doesn't have to wear wellies to go in and come out dry, as soon someone has taken a shower. A great improvement (but not on our expense, ha ha)!
Why is this kind of foot-photo so attractive? I like them a lot and I see them in so many blogs. Sometimes I think it's a reminiscent from the days we put our hand- and foot prints on the walls of the caves we (who, me?) lived in, like you know, "I was here" kind-of-thing.

Spinning 24-7! NB - includes an unbelieveable give-away!

See, it's spinning allright!


A few days ago, Jeanette from Handmade innocently asked me if I can spin, innocently because she just wanted to know and because she didn't know what she was starting. I answered - yes, I can spin. And started spinnning. And have been spinning ever since.

If your wool is a little dirty and not washed very well, it still contains lots of lanolin (the natural grease in wool). If you then spin in front of an open fire it gets warm and much easier to separate and spin. The wool I used was washed and dyed and actually more suited for felting, but it worked out allright, I think!

It's no coincidence that it is the spider that stings Snowwhite in the fairytale. Once bitten you either fall asleep or fall in to trance, hypnotized by the spinning spider. (Which in Swedish is called "slända" which in English means dragonfly, by the way.) Apart from the fun of having homespun yarn to knit or give away (I'll get back to that) it's a very peacegiving activity.

This is the spider with some yarn and a testknitting. You must like an uneven structure to enjoy this yarn. But if you go and buy it in a store you'll have to pay extra for that same effect...

...which is why I'm giving away a little skein of 28 grams handspun yarn in an exuberant emerald green, named by yours truly to Unstoppable Irish Green. It's not much but it's handmade by your own helylle blogger, it can be used for trimming a pair of mittens or something like that.

This is a test before the real 100th-post-give-away that's coming up extremely soon! All you do is comment and I'll draw a winner next Saturday!

Gin & tunic

Don't know if you've heard but I'm a great fan of gin&tonic. My weekend at best starts with a G&T around 5 am and that's it, I'm in a extremely good mood and need no more. This weekend was different, I made a tunic! That put me in a very good mood too!

It's made of lavender linen and insertion in a vintage cotton fabric.

C'est moi - in a known pose. Please note the pink sneakers, I love them!

When your bathroom looks like this.....

...you must remember to enjoy the pretty things around you.

And if showering is a problem due to a handyman turning the water off, it's good to cover yourself in seductive fragances. Just kidding.

My daughter accused me of not having any opinions in my blog. She's totally wrong, of course, but it's typically teenagerish to think that opinions have to be howled to be noticed. See, that's an opinion right there!

Anyway, here's another:

Stil?

Vad är stil? Detta är ju en "stilblogg" eller i alla fall en styling experience. Jag tror stil handlar om att vara öppen och inte fundera så mycket på vad som är trendigt. Alla har ju stil, även när det inte är så stiligt. Min nya hemsydda prickiga tröja tilsammans med en svart hängsleklänning, svarta stövlar som jag bara kommer att ha på foto eftersom mina fötter är olika stora och den högra stöveln är ett halvt nummer för liten, är det stil? Döm själva men jag behöver inte veta vad ni kom fram till. Stil är nog också att inte söka bekräftelse..?
What is style? This is a style blog or at least a styling experience. To me style is to be open and not think so much of whatis trendy. Everybody's got style even when it's not stylish. My new home sewn dotted top, black suspenders dress with black boots that I'll only ever wear on photos because my feet are different size and the right one is half a size too small, is that style? Judge for yourselves, but I don't need to know your verdict. Style is also about not seeking confirmation, isn't it...?

Back in business

Japp, vänner, jag har pysslat lite efter lång tids uppehåll. Det blev en kasse och en liten börs av en vaxduk från Marimekko som jag fått av mamma.
Yes, friends, I've been making stuff after a long time of not doing anything at all. I made a tote and a little purse from a waxed table cloth from Marimekko that I got from my mum.
Ser ni den fiffiga lilla fickan för korten? Nej, det gör ni nog inte, men den finns där! You see the little shrewd pocket for cards? You probably don't but it's there!
Framsida. Eller kanske baksida. Front. Or back, perhaps.

Kram - Hug

Alla tycker inte om att krama alla till höger och vänster. Jag blev ombedd att göra en liten brosch med detta budskap. Jag blev rätt nöjd och gick igång så jag ska göra fler med andra texter på - om det blir dåligt väder...

Jag printade ut texten, strök på en bit tyg, sydde fast den på en filtbit, dekorerade med pärlor och satte fast en broschnål på baksidan och - voila!

Not everybody likes to hug everybody all the time. The words mean "ask before you hug". I was asked to make a brooch with this message. I was rather pleased with the outcome and plan on making more with differnet words - if the weather turns bad...

I printed the text, ironeit on a piece of fabric, sewed it on a piece of felt, decorated with some pearls, fastened a pin on the back and - voila!

Först var det får..

..sen blev det ull, spanns till garn och hamnade hos mig, blev liggande i härvor tills jag nystade det och la upp det på stickor och blev till något som inte fanns förut. Jag tycker det är lika fascinerande varje gång jag tänker på det. First there were sheep, they were cut and turned into wool, was spun to yarn, came to me in skeins till I cast it on and became something that wasn't before. I find it so fascinating everytime I think of it.

Tagliatelle-garnet från Köpenhamn blev en slags bolero. Inte helt nöjd med passformen men älskar färgerna.

The Tagliatelle yarn from Copenhagen became a shrug. Not so pleased with the fitting but love the colours.

Detta är en liten kofta, kort i modellen med krage i råsidengarn. This is a little cardigan, short and with raw silk in the collar. Jag håller på med ett brottarlinne i rosa mohair just nu. Jo, det är sant. Right now I'm working on a pink top in mohair, you know the model that wrestlers have on, the one that is narrow in the back? Yes, it's true, I'm thinking it'll be lovely to have on in the winter, warm but not sweaty, cool but still with a laughable twist.

Drivved, böter och garn - Driftwood, tickets and yarn

Ni är flera som har kommenterat den härliga strandbilden högst upp i bloggen. Det är Verkeåns utlopp vid Haväng på Österlen. Snart åker vi dit igen och plockar drivved och har semester.

Some of you have commented on the delightful beach picture at the top aof the blog. It's taken at Haväng in the southeast of Sweden. We're going there again in a few days to collect driftwood and have a vacation.

Jag är väldigt glad att ha ett eget utrymme där mina projekt kan få ligga framme (minns alla köksbord jag fått röja vid middagstid i andra lägenheter och hus...) men - en nackdel så här års... Det är inget vidare att gå ner i källaren vackra sommardagar. Bär alltså ändå omkring mina stickningar och broderier och annat pyssel. I'm very happy to have some space to myself where my projects can lie around (remember all kitchen tables in other aparments and houses that were cleared at dinner time...) but - there's one disadvantage this time of year... It's no hit going down in the basement on beautiful summer days. So I'm carrying around my knittings and embroideries any way.

Några projekt har hunnit så här långt:
Some projects made it this far:

Några är fortfarande på härvstadiet. Här tillsammans med parkeringsböter från Köpenhamn.... Har ni något förslag på vad jag ska göra med 200g bandgarn i merinoull från Wales??

Some are still in the skein phase. Here together with a parking ticket from Copenhagen.... Any suggestion about what to do with 200 g of merino tape yarn from Wales??

Guld, tårta och kor - Gold, cakes and cows

Det var ju dags för svärföräldrarnas guldbröllop i helgen. Vi, barn, barnbarn och svärson och svärdotter, skulle bjuda på fin lunch på gästgiveri. Jag ville ju inte komma tomhänt till några som alltid är så goda och generösa. Tänk, tänk.... Vad har jag hemma? Allt som behövdes för att göra en liten högtidsvepa med initialer i guld och "50" i applikerad spets. Två bjällror och några pärlor också. Jag var nöjd och de blev glada! This weekend meant 50th anniversary for my parents-in-law. Children with spouses and grandchildren were to take them out to a fancy lunch at an inn. I didn't want to come empty handed to two such good and generous people. Think, think... What do I have in stash? All I needed to make an anniversary banner, it turned out, with initials in gold and the number 50 in lace. ( Being married for 50 years is called a "golden wedding" in Swedish, hence the gold. Maybe in your language too?) Two little bells and som pearls too. I was content and they were happy!Lunch ute och tårta hemma så alla kunde knäppa upp en knapp och slappa. Och vilken tårta.... Men tårtspaden var utlånad till ett av studentkalasen i veckan och ingen kunde hitta den! Jag vet att svärmor inte skulle gilla att jag visar att vi tog tårtan med kniv och stekspade. Förlåt. Lunch out and cake at home so we all could unbutton and relax. And what a cake... Unfortunately no one could find the proper knife to cut the cake, because it had been used in one of the graduation parties earlier this week. I know my mother-in-law would disapprove of me showing that we cut the cake with a knife and spatula. Sorry.

Korna går och betar i hagen intil. Jag tror inte det finns något mer rogivande än kor. Långsamt tugga, idissla och glo. Och glo. Jag tror att jag skulle må bra av att leva mer som en ko. Äta långsamt och bara iaktta. Inte tvunget delta i allt utan bara glo. Cows are grazing in a meadow next to the house. I can't imagine anything more soothing than cows. Slowly chew, ruminate and stare. And stare. I think it would do med good to live more like a cow. Eat slowly and just watch. Not necessary participate in everything but just watch.

Mitt skåp! My cupboard!

Dags igen för en utstyrselsbild. Jag har frusit hela dagen. Våren har fått ett kraftigt bakslag. Men varm om fötterna i alla fall, sockarna i Kaffe Fassettdesign är färdiga!
Time again for an outfit photo. I've been freezing all day. There's been a major set back in springtime. But my feet's been warm, the Kaffe Fassett socks are ready! I dag hann jag in på Stadsmissionen på lunchen och fyndade ett par gamla hängslen, en sidenscarf och en liten broderad ficka som jag kan sätta upp på väggen i badrummet och stoppa ner Helyllemannens alla tidningar i. En tvätt och en strykning så blir det fint som snus.

Today I made it to a local church thriftstore during my lunch hour and actually did thrift a pair of old suspenders, a silkscarf and a pocketlike thing that I'm going to put on the wall in the bath room to keep all Mr Helylle's magazines in. A wash and some ironing and it'll be as good as new. The embroidery says "magazines" in Swedish.

Den här byrån har ni ju sett på bild några gånger. Den fick vi överta när vi köpte huset för ett år sedan. Jag var inte så entusiastisk i början och tyckte inte att den passade in och att den var alldeles för stor. Flickorna övertygade mig om att behålla den och nu älskar jag den! Jag har öppnat skåpen så ni ser alla lådor. Och vad är det i lådorna då?? This cupboard you've seen a couple of times. It was passed on to house when we bought this house a year ago. I wasn't at all enthusiastic in the beginning, thinking it didn't fit in and was way too big. The girls persuaded me to keep it and now I love it. I've opened the doors so you can see all the drawers. So what's in the drawers??


Titta, olika hårfjuppar och diverse. Förlåt, detta kan omöjligt intressera er. Ingen fara, jag kan inte tänka mig att jag kan bli mer intim än så här i min blogg. Look, various hair paraphernalia (love that word). I'm sorry, this can't possibly interest you. Don't worry, I can't imagine myself being more intimate than this in my blog.


Fast jag slår vad om att ni har undrat över innehållet i kakburken på byrån, som ofta skymtat på bild. Min samling av broscher för fest, vardag och jul. Här ser ni en del av det.
But I bet you've been wondering about the content of the cookie jar on the cupboard, that you occasionally have caught a glimpse of in my photos. It's my collection of brooches for everyday use, for parties and Christmas. Here you see some of it.

Till vänster på skåpet ligger garn som jag har repat från en H&M-tröja. Kanske räcker det till en bolero. Den är en före detta polotröja i stl 164. To the left on the cupboard some yarn ravelled from an H&M sweater. It may be enough for a bolero. It used to be a turtleneck sweater in size 164cl.

Och till höger hänger (nästan) alla mina halsband på krokar. Bland annat detta med Andrew Sisters som jag har gjort själv. And to the right are (almost) all my necklaces. Among them my necklace with the Andrews Sisters that I made myself.