Cupcakes anyone?

These cupcakes are up for grab at I heart retro. Drool!! Yum!!

A rather long update...

Happy New Year to everyone!

Yes, this will be a rather long update of my being, as I never find time anymore to something so important as blogging...

At the last day of school in December, we have the advent spiral where the children walks the spiral with their 'apple-candle'. When all the children have lit their candle and placed in the cups, it is so beautiful with a spiral full of candles. As this is a magic moment for both children and adults, I could only take some photos before we started.

Some X-mas pressies I managed to finish.

This pincushion I saw somewhere in the blog-world, but cannot find it to link to. Sorry! Anyway, it is brilliant to use an old jar, which means there is room for buttons etc underneath the pins.

A rather blurry photo (taken late in no light) of some match-gnomes.

A velvet cat and mouse.

Cake-stand for Auntie.
Inspiration from PetraO and instructions from our green-team at school.

A couple of new gnomes.
My Uncle was so happy with his, which makes it even more rewarding.

Waiting for Tomten (Santa) is very exciting!

And if you don't get the drums you wanted, you use what there is...

A couple of baby-booties was also made before X-mas.


With this snowy lantern I wish you all the best for 2010.

Hopefully, I will be on my way to my course in York tomorrow. That is if the weather behave and not putting the entire UK to a stand still.

Secret Crochet - along

Finally had time to sit down to do some proper blog-surfing and found a crochet-along (Swedish) with lovely Veronica. I love all her blog and followed another of her patterns last summer. Looking forward to start next week.

Teachers Presents

It is that time of the year again...


Busy, busy sorting out presents. First for teachers and then for my family. I'm so excited as we will celebrate Christmas in Sweden this year, first time in three years. The boys cannot wait to actually meet Santa/Tomten again. I just about got away with it last year when I dressed up and acted as Tomten. My wellies gave me away - kids are sooooo observant!

Some home made chocolate cashew truffles (learned at this course - YUM!) for the boys teachers with crocheted lids from Froken Elsa's pattern.

Also made some felted balls for Michael, our Eurythmy Therapist.


And this is what the boys and I have been busy with today. Candle holders that now is put to dry before we will decorate and wrap them.


Last, I cannot believe that I forgot to take a photo of my latest doll before he moved away to his new owner. (Sobbing..) Anyway, I've learned that the doll was to great delight. (Happy again!)

Now, back to the pressies...

... and happy Lucia to everyone back in Sweden.

Christmas Competition

Olala! Just how happy will the lucky winner of this fantastic yarn be. Wonderful Anna gives away this lovely handspun yarn.
I have all my fingers crossed.

More Gnomes

Last Saturday was the day for our school's Winter Fair.

Again it was a great day with lovely, home made food, cakes, loads of activities for the children, live music and of course lots of craft and things from our school shop.

This year 'out-side' traders were also invited, so there were also stalls selling lovely truffles (I know because I've been to one of Liz's courses), hand-made soap etc. and we were a few parents from the school who had our own stall. I brought in some of my 'left-over' handbags, embroidered pot-holders, door-stoppers and some new Gnomes. And the best of all - I did sell some of it!! Yaha!


After being the 'Craft-Lady' for the last few years, it was a bit strange not being the one this year - but the new craft-team had made a great job and the stall looked fabulous.

A bit of this and that...

As I'm not seem to get that much time for blogging - or crafting - my rare posts now-a-days are a bit of this and that...
This beautiful yarn, even though it is a sock-yarn, will hopefully be a hat for Elliot some time in the - not to far a way - future. My hope is for a lovely rainbow-coloured hat.

In the half-term, I was busy writing one of my many essays for my course. As always, I was to much of an time-optimist and had hoped to finish the essay, which I haven't!! But anyway, I
have got off to a good start. The module I was working with is about story-telling and puppetry. Except the essay, we are also supposed to give a puppet-show ourselves. I have chosen "Olle's new suit" by Elsa Beskow. I love her stories and all the beautiful pictures. So along with my writing, I also got started with the puppets for this. So far, I have two nearly finished grannies, a sheep, some pigs and a cow with calf. Pelle and all the other characters are still in the making.


Soon we are also having our Winter Fair at our school, so a few bits have been made for that - some pencil-gnomes and a few walnut-gnomes.
Here in north London we have a lovely shop called Handweavers Studio - a heaven for wool lovers. This is what I came out with the other day - beautiful wool for more knitted gnomes (as in previous post).

Update

Long time no seen - again...

Since end August everything changed in my life - at least it feels like. I started working again after being home with children the last 5 1/2 years AND I started university. Still a bit in chock! It's all very exciting, but OHOY what a lot to do.

I started work as an assistant to the Playgroup teacher at our Steiner School which is great. I thoroughly enjoy the work and it is very handy to drop off my boys in the kindergarten and then just get into the next room for playgroup.

The university studies are a bit more scary. Even though I'm only away 2 days a month, it is a lot of reading that has to be done - and at this very moment I have no idea how I'm coping. Anyway, it is as I said very exciting. I'm doing a two years foundation course in Waldorf Steiner Early Childhood Education.

So with all this happening, there is not that much time for craft...

My Vivian by Ysolda is on the way - slowly, slowly.

This is my latest love. A gnome from this book. There will be more of them I can tell.

And to finish off - this was the way I celebrated my birthday by myself last Monday - with Swedish Cider!!! Just had to buy it when I found it in our local supermarket.

PS. Visited the Knit and Stitch Show at Alexandra Palace in London today and was stopped at least 30 times by people admiring my red ponchonette by Anna. So well done Anna! You are admired.

Shetland Wool for Vivian

I'm in heaven. While visiting family in Leeds I was dropped off at a wool shop I found - Baa Ram Ewe. Beautiful and lovely shop. Long after everyone given up waiting for me and gone off to the park, I came out with a bag full of lovely Jamieson's Shetland Heather Wool. The color is just as heather in full bloom, not as purple as it looks in my picture. Ysolda's Vivian is what it will turn into. Yeah!

My mother-in-law dug out some gems stored away for me to take home. Candy!

While in Leeds I took up my Zetor shawl that was frogged ages ago. I unraveled what I had knit before and am now knitting with two strings of this VERY thin lace yarn. Like it much better now, but as I just have to start with Vivian, Zetor will have to wait yet again...