Here I am!

Yes, here I am. Behind the mittens :-) This past months has been interesting ones to say the least! We´ve been celebrating christmas, driven about 1500 km - visiting friends and family all around the country - we spent little more than a week at Grimslätt. Knitting, cooking, baking, going for long walks and spending time with friends and the sheep..!

Little V got skiis for christmas and he LOVES them. So there was alot of skiing. Back in Stockholm we are still waiting for winter; as in snow.

The Grimslätt-sheep :-) One got away!

The main reason for me being so happy these days is, besides health and great family/friends, the fact that I start my new Very Exciting job on the 1st of March :-) I will tell you more about this, of course - but in short I will take care of and be in charge of a beautiful house; craft workshop and school. There are workshops in weaving, ceramics, fusing, painting, embroidery painting furniture and beyond. AND there is a wonderful garden...

May I present- Hantverksgården Skogsbo, which is a part of Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan; SV Stockholm. There will be a blog soon!

The glass veranda

Re-planting geraniums in the kitchen.

Different furniture, during their re-make

Needless to say; I love it. I will tell you more and show you more. At the moment I am just trying to take it all in. That it is for real, that this wonderful place is for real and that I will be working here, developing the workshops, taking care of the visitors and the house - for a long time.

I am SO happy!

Take care!

A note: there is ONE Grimslättmitten-kit left, the pattern is in swedish and if you are interested, send me an email asap. There will be more Grimslätt-patterns out this spring!

Brrr

It is winter again. Cold and dark mornings, and I kind of wonder where autumn went? I haven´t had any, or at least to few, long walks enjoying the colours, cripsness and fragrance of fall.

But, I do enjoy the cold. I do. I´ve even started to knit socks, although I am no sockknitter. Now and then I forget this and I try, but I almost always fail. Hopelessly. Anyways; I´ve started a striped pair of "Sargents" from "Noro: Family" by Jane Ellison, using two skeins Noro Kureyon Sock - of different colourways. They will be kneehigh, striped socks and I need to finish them soon.. Wearing a skirt today was freezing I tell you...


The ribbed and striped beginning.

All three of us had some calm and cozy evenings together, Valdar practising his A´s and V´s - he tend to draw the A´s upside down. Otherwise they look great.





And me, making collages, knitting or just enjoying the cardemomcake B and V made earlier.

Some weeks ago there was a Autumn-celebration at Valdars preschool; a Lanternfestival where there are grilled apples, hot soup outside and then - when it gets dark - the beautifully decorated paperlanterns are lit, songs about light in the dark sung and the children takes the lanterns and the light for a walk.

All of this demanded a lantern. So, I made one and Valdar wanted his to have foxes and dogs, so it had.







One thing I really enjoy about this flat is how our diningplace is such a nice and calm workspace. Look at my beautiful cut-work pillow from work...! :-)

At the moment I am dreaming about going to Mali. To visit Hotel Djenne Djenno and take a Bogolan course with Swedish artist Sophie Sarin. Maybe one day I will.

And I have to show you what came in to the shop today. Mrs Hippo! She was part of the result of a campaign for "Save the Children"-Sweden and several swedish designers and was designed by Gunilla Lundberg - who is one of the owners of AfroArt and handstitched at a Fairtrade cooperative in Bangladesh. The Hippo is sold at the AfroArt shops and over at "Save the Children"´s website. Go shop!

Take care!

Jam and links

1,5 kg of apples - peel and cut in slices
about 500 g of crude sugar - unless you will freeze the jam
3 teaspoons of pestled cardemom
the juice of two lemons
1 dl of water

Pour the water into a saucepan and add the apples as they are peeled and sliced. Add the lemonjuice and put the heat on. Bring the water and apples to a boil as you add the cardemom and sugar. Continue to let the apples simmer as you stir. As the apples get softer you decide how chunky this jam will be - I like it quite chunky. After about 15 minutes, as the jam sets you turn the heat off an let it rest.

Put the clean glass jars in the oven at 100 degrees celsius for about 15 minutes. Put the lids in boiling water. Pour the jam into the cans and - if it is a can with a loose lid put the can upside down while the jam cools down - this way the preasure builds up in the can and makes the jam lat longer.

Enjoy.

I used Åkerö and Melon-apples but Signe tilisch or Gravensteiner will do aswell - as long as it is a apple on the sour-side.

And some links, some of them in swedish:
asfaltsblomman - the guide to eniviromentally friendly and fairtrade shopping and living
A new issue of Lines & Shapes-magazine "Ljus"- featuring great swedish artists and artisans.
Anjah and Ardalanish- an exciting collaboration
Ekovaruhuset: Lovely shop in Stocholm, New York and soon Paris. I would LOVE to shop there - if they made clothes in my size...
Vamlingbolaget

Have a nice friday!

Staying at home

Valdar woke up last night with a fever. So today I stayed at home with him. We are having a calm day - drawing, making apple/cardemom jam, soup and Valdar decided he wanted to sew. Or rather he started sewing earlier this morning, using a thread, needle and cloth that he found laying around - not the perfect combination though, so later he got some broadcloth and the threads of his choice. Off course I had to take some pictures! And he really seems to enjoy it, as he sat still - concentrating and asking for help when needed.


This, his first embroidery. will turn into a small sewing pouch or a pin cushion - he has not decided yet. Needless to say I am very happy about him enjoying to sew..

I also wanted to show you how the refurbishment in Högdalen is going along. This is our new kitchenfloor. B put it in this weekend. It is linoleum tiles from Ikea and I think that we are very content wih the result. Now, we are awaiting entry hall to be finished before we can move back home.

Now, it is time for some coffee before Little V wakes up from his rest. But I do want to congratulate Katarina and Stefan on their wedding this past Saturday, and Heléne on her birthday today!

Take care!

Hi there everyone. There is alot of things going on; jobwise, healthwise and--- jobwise. And I have made some rather bad planning. For which I am suffering. The trip to Grimslätt was great, as always and I feel blessed to be able to return there - hopefully we will be back in a month or so. It is time to go to bed; but I will give you some pics. Take care!


Studio Violet
Grimslatt gård

The earth and water-sweater

I have actually got something off the needles this past week. It was a fast and fun knit, Valdar second one. Can´t wait until Valdar can try it on.

Pattern: "Barntröja med rund hals" by Nina Sagulin
Yarn: Noro Kureyon
Needles: 5 mm

Tomorrow afternoon we are leaving for Bohuslän and Grimslätt. It is time to shear the sheep. We will be back next week. Hopefully I will finish Lady E, or at least almost finish -due to the long carride...

Take care!

In so many words

Finally, I´ve got some pictures up! This sunday we went to Mariefred on a visit to my sister in law and her family.
I thought I just give you something to look at.

Last monday I and Valdar made lingonberry-jam, lingonberry-jam-cupcakes and ..

Lingonberry-jam in whipped cream.